Stanislas Maximin is the founder and Executive Chairman of Latitude, a company valued over €100 million that's putting France back in the orbital launch business after almost 50 years.
In this episode of Rockets and Radars, Stanislas shares his journey from being a self-described "terrible student" with a passion for rockets to building a space company. He discusses the challenges of starting with just €25,000, battling established players, rebranding multiple times, and creating a culture of rapid iteration and risk-taking. Stanislas explains Latitude's approach to rocket development, his philosophy on team building, and his bold vision for a European space industry that can compete globally.
Want to join Latitude? https://tally.so/r/nrg1B5
Want to invest in Latitude? https://tally.so/r/3EAE5q
Interested in the joining Stanislas' New Space conference? https://lesassisesdunewspace.org/discover-the-ans-2025/(8-9 July '25, Paris)
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Chapters:
(00:00) - Introduction
(03:23) - "I was a terrible student" - Stan's background
(05:01) - Why rockets are just really cool
(12:42) - Starting from zero in the space world
(16:34) - The European space market opportunity
(21:13) - Surviving on €25K: The funding journey begins
(24:42) - The messy rebranding story
(30:25) - Almost running out of money before Series A
(35:19) - The drama with Ariane Group and engine testing
(40:14) - Leveling up: From Series A to Series B funding
(44:24) - Fighting against slow European processes
(50:58) - How rocket development actually works
(56:24) - Creating a faster company culture
(01:05:41) - Making micro-launchers profitable
(01:11:15) - The engine test bet
(01:16:52) - Can Europe compete in space again?
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Takeaways:
1) You don't need a fancy degree
- Stan sucked at school but loved rockets enough to start a company anyway. Passion beats credentials every time.
2) Just start somewhere
- Stan had "no experience, no knowledge, no skills, no nothing except a vision and a passion." That was enough to begin.
3) Your first company name will probably suck
- Latitude went through multiple "s*it" names before finding the right one. Don't stress about perfect branding at the start.
4) Incubators actually help
- Stan joined an incubator and called it "a game changer" for learning startup basics when he had no business experience.
5) The first €25K is the hardest
- They started with just enough to hire some interns and couldn't even pay themselves for almost two years.
6) Move super fast as you grow
- "Your ability to build a great product is linked to your ability to improve, to iterate on every part very fast." This becomes even more important as you scale.
7) Build your own test facilities
- When suppliers and partners slow you down, get control of your testing. "We opened a massive test zone" to move at their own pace.
8) Fight against getting corporate
- As they grew, processes got "heavier and heavier." Stan had to actively reshape the culture to stay nimble.
9) Crazy incentives actually work
- Stan bet his team they couldn't test an engine in two weeks, now he needs a tattoo because they delivered faster than expected.
10) Know when your role needs to change
- Stan recognized when to step back as CEO to focus on vision and strategy where he adds more value to the company.
11) Europe needs to dream again
- "Europe has stopped believing that tomorrow is going to be better than yesterday" and space companies need to help change that.