Laetitia Garriott de Cayeux

Laetitia Garriott de Cayeux
Born	(1978-02-04) February 4, 1978 Angers, France
Occupation(s)	Business leader, entrepreneur
Years active	1998–present
Known for	Founder and managing partner of Global Space Ventures; member of the Defense Science Board; former president and COO of Escape Dynamics

Laetitia Garriott de Cayeux (born Pichot; February 4, 1978) is an American business leader and entrepreneur. She is the founder and managing partner of Global Space Ventures, a venture capital firm, holds a position on the Defense Science Board within the United States Department of Defense, and formerly served as president and chief operating officer at Escape Dynamics.

Early life and education

De Cayeux was born in Angers, France, and spent her formative years between France and Hong Kong. Following her secondary education, she represented France at the GII Junior Summit held in Japan. In 1999, she relocated to the United Kingdom, then moved to the United States in 2002. She earned MBAs from both ESSEC and Harvard Business School.

Business career

During her time at ESSEC in 1998, de Cayeux was involved with Asian equity portfolios at BNP Paribas amid the challenges of the Asian financial crisis. The following year, she joined Goldman Sachs’ investment banking team in London, concentrating on international mergers that included US, European, and Chinese state-owned enterprises. While attending Harvard Business School, she co-created an award-winning business plan for Extend Fertility, a pioneering company in egg freezing technology aimed at fertility preservation for women. At age 26, she became an investment principal at TPG-Axon Capital, a multi-strategy fund, before moving to Renaissance Technologies. In 2008, she founded Ajna Capital LLC, where she acted as CEO and portfolio manager. De Cayeux also co-founded Escape Dynamics, an advanced space technology firm, where she held the roles of President and COO. As an early investor in SpaceX, she currently leads Global Space Ventures as Managing Partner, backing deep tech enterprises in sectors such as artificial intelligence, aerospace, and biotechnology.

Foreign affairs and national security

Appointed by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, de Cayeux serves on the Defense Science Board for the United States Department of Defense. She is also a member of NATO’s Maritime Unmanned Systems Innovation Advisory Board (IAB). A life member of the Council on Foreign Relations, she contributes as a security fellow and advisory board participant at the Truman National Security Project. De Cayeux has spearheaded dialogues concerning the future trajectory of the US Space Force, US-China relations, and broader national security topics. She has provided briefings to members of the US Congress on space-related security matters and has delivered presentations at global venues including the EU-US Future Forum convened by the Atlantic Council.

Boards and affiliations

De Cayeux is actively engaged in promoting STEM education initiatives. She serves on the board of the National Museum of Mathematics, where she chairs the strategic planning committee and formerly led the audit & finance committee. Additionally, she holds a board seat with the XPRIZE foundation. Together with her husband, she has endowed STEM scholarships at institutions such as MIT, Stanford University, and UT Austin. She is also affiliated with organizations including the Economic Club of New York and Women Corporate Directors.

International conferences

De Cayeux frequently presents at prominent international gatherings focused on technology and business, such as the Australia Space Forum, the UAE's Global Aerospace Summit, the International Space Development Conference in Canada, the Congress of the Association of Space Explorers, the National Space Symposium, the Women's Forum for the Economy and Society, and the Time Machine conference dedicated to artificial intelligence. She has also delivered keynote addresses at the Space Frontier Foundation’s NewSpace Conference.

Media and public engagement

De Cayeux’s writings have appeared in outlets including the Atlantic Council, Forbes, Huffington Post, Techonomy, and the Truman National Security Project, covering subjects such as technology diplomacy, US-China relations, nuclear issues concerning North Korea, transatlantic partnerships, US-France ties, and space-related national security. Her insights are regularly featured in media platforms like BBC Future, CNN, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Additionally, she has contributed to the Harvard Business School’s skydeck podcast and appeared on French television networks BFM TV and M6 to discuss topics spanning innovation, economics, and politics. At the 2016 Democratic Convention, she briefed international press on entrepreneurship and economic matters and has participated in speaking engagements through the US State Department Speaker Bureau Program.

Political activity

De Cayeux supported Joe Biden early during his 2018 Senate campaigns and played a significant role on the Biden for President National Finance Committee. She co-chaired several groups including Innovators for Biden, Women for Biden, AAPI for Biden, as well as its African American Leadership Council (AALC). Her political involvement also extended to contributing to Hillary Clinton’s National Finance Council during the 2016 campaign. She was active within the DNC's Texas Victory Leaders Council and co-founded Entrepreneurs for Hillary to mobilize entrepreneur support for Clinton’s presidential bid.

Awards and honors

While serving as COO of Escape Dynamics, de Cayeux guided the company to earn recognition from Fast Company as one of the “Most Innovative Companies” in space technology. The firm’s innovations were highlighted by Scientific American among its “World Changing Ideas” in 2015.

She received accolades as a "Rising Talent" from the Women's Forum for the Economy and Society and was named a "Rising Star" by Institutional Investor in 2010 due to her notable contributions during the financial crisis of 2008.

The business plan she co-created at Harvard Business School for Extend Fertility secured first place in the school’s business plan competition, achieved second place in Fortune Small Business plan contest, and was a finalist at Global Start-up @Singapore in 2004.

Personal life

In 2011, de Cayeux wed Richard Garriott, who holds distinction as the only second-generation US astronaut. Together they have two children: Kinga Shuilong Garriott de Cayeux (born 2012) and Ronin Phi Garriott de Cayeux (born 2014).

She is a granddaughter of French scientist André Cailleux, after whom the lunar crater Cailleux (crater) is named.

De Cayeux and her spouse possess ownership of both the Luna 21 lander and the Lunokhod 2 rover, making them unique as private owners of artifacts located on an extraterrestrial surface. They were also principal shareholders in Space Adventures, a company providing zero-gravity experiences and orbital flights to Low Earth Orbit/the International Space Station, having facilitated seven client missions by 2016.