Chris Larmour Profile Picture

Keynote SpeakerChris Larmour

Founder at Orbex

Chris Larmour founded Orbex, the UK-based orbital space rocket company, and was CEO between 2016-2023. The company is approaching its first launch from the UK in the coming months, which will make it front page news in the near future. During his eight years at Orbex, Chris raised more than... Read More

Biography

Chris Larmour founded Orbex, the UK-based orbital space rocket company, and was CEO between 2016-2023. The company is approaching its first launch from the UK in the coming months, which will make it front page news in the near future.

During his eight years at Orbex, Chris raised more than $100 million in venture capital and public funding, and won numerous development contracts from space agencies such as ESA and the UK Space Agency. In 2022, he closed a $50 million funding round for the company that was one of the largest venture rounds in Europe that year.

Under his leadership, Orbex expanded from 2 to 140 employees and established five rocket production facilities. This includes Europe’s largest 3D printing system for rocket engines, massive carbon fibre production facilities for the rocket structures, and two rocket engine test sites. He also started the private development of the UK’s only mainland vertical launch spaceport, at Sutherland in Scotland. He is the largest shareholder, and the company is currently valued at about £320 million.

Chris is well-connected at the most senior levels of the European space industry, and he has been interviewed by numerous major media outlets – the Financial Times, New York Times, The Guardian, BBC Radio and TV, ITV, National Geographic and many more.

Before founding Orbex, he oversaw commercial activities at various high-tech startups, turnarounds and private equity-backed companies and he has been involved in the successful exits of 6 of those companies, totaling around $400 million in value returned to shareholders.

He holds a BEng degree in Electronic Engineering and an MBA from INSEAD, currently ranked as the world’s no.1 business school.

Popular Talks by Chris Larmour

  • Inspiring High-performing Teams
  • Big Audacious Goals
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Space Rockets and Space Transportation
  • Raising Large Amounts of Public Funding and Venture Capital
  • Company Building
  • Dealing with Adversity as a Company Founder
  • Sustainability in Space