Guillermo Söhnlein (born May 18, 1966) is an Argentine-American businessman, best known as the co-founder of deep-sea exploration company OceanGate. Söhnlein left the company in 2013, retaining a minority stake.[1][2]

Guillermo Söhnlein
Born (1966-05-18) 18 May 1966 (age 58)
Buenos Aires, Argentina
NationalityAmerican
EducationUniversity of California, Berkeley
University of California Hastings College of the Law
OccupationSocial entrepreneur
Known forco-founder of OceanGate

Professional career

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In 1998, Söhnlein co-founded Milo, a speech recognition technology company that was acquired by Voxeo[3] in 2001.

After relocating to the Northern Virginia region outside Washington, D.C., he worked with a number of technology startup ventures,[4][5][6] and advised several technology-related investment groups, incubators, and economic development agencies,[7][8] and gave frequent talks about the field.[9][10]

Space commercialization ventures

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In 2003, Söhnlein founded the International Association of Space Entrepreneurs (IASE), which was a nonprofit organization created to encourage successful entrepreneurs from other industries to start aerospace-related ventures and start-ups.[11][12] The group grew from 5 people to almost 1,500 individuals around the world.[13] In 2010, the online community was transferred to the Space Frontier Foundation for ongoing growth, and IASE officially disbanded.[14]

In 2006, he founded Space Angels Network, a for-profit angel investor group for early-stage aerospace ventures.[13][15]

Venusian colony project

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Söhnlein founded the Humans2Venus Foundation in January 2020[16] with entrepreneur Khalid Al-Ali.[17]

SFF planned sending thousands people above floating city on Venus around 2050.[18][19][20] Söhnlein explained to The Independent "that [Venus's] inhospitable surface, which is around 864 degrees Fahrenheit (462 degrees Celsius), should not be an issue if humans simply build a home 50km in its air where conditions are reportedly similar to those on the Earth."[16]

Ocean exploration ventures

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In 2009, Söhnlein co-founded OceanGate with Stockton Rush, a venture that provided deep-sea crewed submersibles.[21]

In 2010, he re-launched the Ocean Exploration Committee of the Marine Technology Society, a nonprofit membership association supporting students and industry professionals in marine-related fields.[22]

In 2013, he founded Blue Marble Exploration, which organized high-profile expeditions to explore the oceans in crewed submersibles.

Sea-Space Connections

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In 2011, Söhnlein founded the Sea-Space Initiative, a global project to provide collaboration in ocean and space industries.[23] The first program, launched in May 2012, is the Sea-Space Summit, a global series of invitation-only workshops.[24][25]

References

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  1. ^ Latona, David (23 June 2023). "Titanic sub firm's late CEO was committed to safety, says co-founder". Reuters.
  2. ^ BBC News (20 June 2023). "Titanic sub live updates: Families mourn dead as safety questions mount". BBC News. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  3. ^ "Voxeo Acquires Phone+Web Professional Services Firm Milo". Voxeo.com. 2001-03-20. Archived from the original on 2006-10-15. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  4. ^ "Bush talks Social Security to tech leaders – Washington Business Journal". Bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  5. ^ "International Foundation for Entrepreneurship Science and Technology". Ifest.info. Archived from the original on 2012-09-11. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  6. ^ "Print Story". Weblogic.sys-con.com. 2006-01-01. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  7. ^ "Annual Meeting June 20, 2008". docslide. 2008-06-20. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  8. ^ "SetterDrive.com". setterdrive.com. Archived from the original on 2013-02-02. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  9. ^ "The Andy Forbes Files Podcasts and Archive Listings". Directorypodcast.com. Retrieved 2012-08-19.[permanent dead link]
  10. ^ "Capital Science 2004 | Washington Academy of SciencesWashington Academy of Sciences". Washacadsci.org. 1996-09-10. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  11. ^ "The Space Show hosted by: Dr. David Livingston". Thespaceshow.com. 2004-08-10. Archived from the original on 2015-10-02. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  12. ^ "A Launching Pad for Space Entrepreneurs". washingtonpost.com. 2005-01-20. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  13. ^ a b "EVA Interviews Guillermo Söhnlein". Out of the Cradle. 2009-03-01. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  14. ^ "Space Entrepreneurship Group Passes Baton — Space Frontier Foundation". Spacefrontier.org. 2010-05-26. Archived from the original on 2013-10-07. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  15. ^ "Aerospace Venture Forum — Academic VC". Academicvc.com. 2008-07-21. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  16. ^ a b Guiness, Emma (2023-06-21). "OceanGate's co-founder failed to get people to the Titanic but says he can safely put humans on Venus". The Independent. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
  17. ^ Guenot, Marianne (2023-07-28). "OceanGate's cofounder wants to send 1,000 people to a floating colony on Venus by 2050, and says we shouldn't stop pushing the limits of innovation". Business Insider. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
  18. ^ "The Space Café Podcast #86: Guillermo Soehnlein – From Titan Tragedy to Venus – The Audacious Journeys of Ocean Gate's Original Co-founder". Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  19. ^ "Co-Founder Of OceanGate Involved in Sub Disaster Sets His Sights On Venus". NDTV.com. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  20. ^ Dredd, Peter (2023-08-01). "OceanGate Co-Founder Wants To Send 1,000 People To Venus By 2050". Dreddsworld. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  21. ^ Lackner, Catherine (2012-07-05). "Sub caters to adventurers with zest to learn". Miami Today. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  22. ^ "MTS: News". Mtsociety.org. Archived from the original on 2014-08-29. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  23. ^ "The Space Show hosted by: Dr. David Livingston". Thespaceshow.com. 2011-03-15. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  24. ^ "News Talk Radio 77 WABC New York". Wabcradio.com. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  25. ^ "The Space Show hosted by: Dr. David Livingston". Thespaceshow.com. 2012-05-16. Retrieved 2012-08-19.