NATALYA’S ADVICE FOR ENTREPREURS:

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Dr. Natalya Bailey is the CTO and Co-Founder of Accion Systems. During her doctorate at the Space Propulsion Laboratory at MIT, she helped develop the first working prototype of an ion engine technology which would become the core technology at Accion. As the founding CEO, Dr. Bailey led the company to its first space flights and $40M in venture capital and government revenue. Now in the CTO role, Dr. Bailey sets the company’s technology strategic vision and plan. She directs research and development and oversees the engineering team.

Prior to Accion Systems, Dr. Bailey assisted with research into a new chemical rocket technology that spun out of Duke University where she earned an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering. In previous positions she’s built spacesuit actuators, models for turbine engine failure analysis, robotic dogs, and EMR templates for a surgery clinic. 

Dr. Bailey is a mentor for the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship program and Air Force Accelerator powered by Techstars. She sits on the Board of Youth CITIES, a Boston-based nonprofit that empowers middle and high school students to innovate and drive change in their community, and invests in women-led businesses with XFactor Ventures. Dr. Bailey holds a Ph.D. from MIT, a M.S. from Duke University, a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from San Diego State University, and has been awarded honors such as the Grace Hopper Emerging Technologist Abie Award, MIT Tech Review’s 35 Under 35, Forbes’ 30 Under 30, and Inc. Magazine’s 30 Under 30.