Tarek Waked is a founding partner of Type One Ventures, a global venture capital firm investing in frontier technologies that advance humanity toward a Type One Civilization. Operating across Los Angeles, London, Dubai, and Singapore, he focuses on space infrastructure, artificial intelligence, industrial automation, and longevity—sectors he believes will define humanity’s next chapter. Under the leadership of Waked and his partners, Type One Ventures has become a defining force in frontier technology investing, backing companies developing commercial space stations, lunar rovers, in-space manufacturing platforms, autonomous micro-factories, and next-generation AI systems. Waked currently serves on the boards of Axiom Space, Lunar Outpost, Gravitics, and Argo Space, advising companies building the backbone of our future in orbit and beyond. A lifelong believer in following his heart and taking risks, Waked has built a career around big ideas and the people bold enough to pursue them. Raised in a Lebanese family in Latin America before moving to the United States, he grew up fascinated by the world and driven by a desire to learn, explore, and question the status quo. He studied International Affairs and Economics at Florida State University, where he first discovered entrepreneurship—and learned early that failure is not something to fear, but a necessary step on the path to meaningful success. His conviction remains that society should back ambitious founders, even if they’ve stumbled before; you can’t hit a home run without risking a strikeout. Waked began his professional journey as a licensed financial advisor at Morgan Stanley before returning to Latin America, where he immersed himself in the region’s growing tech ecosystem. There, he became a founder, investor, and mentor, launching an incubator that supported numerous early-stage startups. In 2019, he returned to the United States with a renewed passion for backing bold entrepreneurs. Recognizing the unprecedented opportunity in Space and DeepTech—driven by falling launch costs and the rapid commercialization of space components—he co-founded Type One Ventures to invest in the companies building our future infrastructure. Waked envisions a world where humanity achieves longevity escape velocity, expands into the cosmos, and builds resilient, abundant systems for life on and beyond Earth. As a founding partner at Type One, he is committed to supporting the builders pushing us toward that future, convinced that soon every business on Earth will be connected to space in one way or another. Through his work at Type One Ventures and his board leadership across the industry, Waked aims to leave a lasting mark on humanity’s journey toward the stars.