Outer Orbit: Mindset Matters - The UK-US Divide

Why does America make space feel like a national ambition, while Britain’s achievements can struggle to attract attention?

In this Outer Orbit bonus episode, Dallas Campbell speaks with Tom Adeyoola, Executive Chair of Innovate UK, about the cultural and financial differences shaping the UK space industry and its US counterpart. Tom argues that Britain needs to identify where it can create value in the emerging space economy, then explain that opportunity in language people can understand.

Dallas and Tom discuss the tension between selling a vision and waiting until an idea is proven, the UK’s venture capital development, and why emerging technologies may need investors prepared to think over ten years. For founders, investors and space communicators, this short conversation offers a clear starting point: connect technical ability with a convincing story and the backing to pursue it.

• (00:00) - Welcome to Outer Orbit
• (01:11) - Finding the UK’s Place in the Space Economy
• (02:06) - Why Space Needs a Better Story
• (03:31) - Selling the Vision Before the Proof
• (04:50) - Building a Culture of Risk and Reward
• (05:45) - The UK’s Changing Investment Culture
• (06:46) - Patient Capital and Ten-Year Horizons
• (07:32) - Bringing the Swagger

Tom Adeyoola: Tom Adeyoola is Executive Chair of Innovate UK and an entrepreneur with more than 25 years in the startup sector. He founded fashion technology business Metail, raising £25 million and growing it to exit, and supported Elvie from inception to Series B as a non-executive director. He co-founded Extend Ventures and co-authored the Start-Up, Scale-Up review. His experience in building businesses and investment policy informs the episode's discussion of growth capital and international competition.

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Produced by Story Ninety-Four in Oxford.