Curt Bilby is an experienced executive with over two decades of leadership in scaling technology companies and driving shareholder value. Currently serving as Global CFO at Starburst, Dr. Bilby has successfully led strategic financial restructuring and optimized global operations across Europe and the United States.
With a proven track record in corporate development, Dr. Bilby has previously raised significant capital through private equity, venture funding, public financing, government grants and debt financing, totaling well over $100 million. He has spearheaded multi-national partnerships, negotiated complex contracts, and implemented robust governance frameworks for high-growth startups and established organizations.
Dr. Bilby has engineering degrees from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and Auburn University and conducted his PhD work in aerospace engineering at The University of Texas at Austin, where he was a USRA/NASA fellow. Of note is the selection of Dr. Bilby for the Career Achievement Award at Rose-Hulman, where he was also awarded an honorary doctorate.
Ilan Rozenkopf is the global Head of Strategy and New Ventures at Starburst.
After graduating with a master’s degree in development economics from the London School of Economics and an engineering degree from École Centrale de Paris, he joined McKinsey & Company. During more than 13 years as a Partner at McKinsey & Company, he specialized in strategy and corporate finance for aviation, defense, and space corporates (with a focus on growth and innovation).
His distinctiveness within the sector lies in three main areas: expertise in strategy and corporate finance, space industry specialization, and experience with startups and scale-ups. Ilan has substantial knowledge in strategy and corporate finance, serving numerous heads of strategy, M&A, CFOs within the industry, as well as private equity investors. In space expertise, he led McKinsey’s space practice in Europe, working closely with major European space players and the European Space Agency. Additionally, he brings significant experience working with startups and scale-ups, particularly in urban air mobility and the emerging “new space” sector.
Ilan is driving Starburst’s strategic development and accelerating the creation of venture capital funds focused on dual-use technologies worldwide.
Rodrigue Gilbert has over 20 years of experience in the public and private sectors, focusing on business strategy, transformation and operations including business and corporate strategy and management, transport strategy and cost enhancement, Lean management, network optimization, operations effectiveness, enterprise asset life-cycle management and the management of innovation.
Rodrigue has developed a wide repertoire, having worked with airlines, MROs, parcels, rail (passenger, goods, foods), public transportation and logistics services companies, most notably Air Canada, Jet Blue, United, Qantas, Tinker (US Air Force), Boeing, Airbus, Lockheed Martin, and more.
As an advisor to Starburst, Rodrigue offers his expertise in his areas of specialization: business transformation, market growth, and corporate strategy. He holds a Master of Science in Management and Operations from HEC Montréal and a Bachelor of Science from the Université de Montréal.
With over 10 years of experience in the aerospace industry, Matthieu Chartier is currently Managing Director of Starburst France. He specializes in Aerospace & Defense (A&D) with a focus on Tech & Deeptech.
Prior to joining Starburst in the spring of 2023, Chartier was the Project Leader at BCG Paris. His career began at ArianeGroup (former Airbus Defense & Space), where he spent 5 years designing and building Space ground infrastructures (including the Ariane 6 assembly Line, Kazakhstan Space center, and more).
In 2018, he joined Microsoft’s Strategy Consulting team, where he focused on the A&D French market to support the growing needs in the Digital & Tech verticals of the industry. He developed several strategic partnerships with major European players (for example, Airbus, Thales Alenia Space, and Naval Group) and led the elaboration of Microsoft France’s Space strategy, supporting the launch of Azure Space & Azure Orbital products in France.
Giulio Busulini is an independent senior consultant who cooperates with a wide range of networks of educational and scientific institutions across the United States and Europe. A former diplomat and entrepreneur, he helps institutions and businesses to strategically innovate, build partnerships, negotiate internationally, and be successful in a competitive global market.
Between 2010 and 2019, he served as Science and Technology Advisor at the Italian Embassy in Washington. In this position, he worked with US federal agencies. Building on this experience, he is now an advisor at the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at George Washington University (GWU) and a visiting scholar at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) and the Italian Research Council (CNR). He is also an advisor to institutions such as the Italian Ministry of Defense, the Space Economy Evolution Lab and DEVO Lab at the Bocconi School of Management (SDA), the Italian national cluster on advanced manufacturing, Fabbrica Intelligente, and the Italian National Laboratory on Cybersecurity. He has also been engaged as a strategic consultant in the field of national security between the United States and Europe.
He recently acted as a strategic consultant to the CCO of Leonardo S.p.A. (defense and space). At the invitation of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, Dr. Busulini is also a member of the Global Science Diplomacy Roundtable. Prior to his appointment as Scientific Advisor to the Italian Embassy in the United States, he coordinated the business incubator at the University of Rome Tor Vergata. He holds a BA in Institutional Communication, an MA in Security and Defense Studies, and an MS in Intelligence and Computer Sciences.
Bertram Gorlo is a seasoned aerospace executive with nearly three decades of experience in the aerospace industry, with a decade dedicated to the commercial aviation world and nearly two decades in the military aviation sector.
Throughout his career, Bertram has navigated various facets of the aerospace industry, including aero engines, civil and military aircraft, industrial gas turbines, UAVs, and civil and military service solutions. His repertoire also includes expertise in program and project execution, strategy development, business development, sales, and key account management, with firsthand experience with commercial and institutional customers.
In his role as Advisor for Starburst, Bertram focuses on expanding the company’s presence in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Drawing upon his expertise and industry connections, he is pivotal in connecting promising startups with governments, institutions, and industry leaders.
Benjamin Zeitoun is an Investing Partner at Starburst Ventures (SV). He focuses on early-stage companies building category-defining products for industrial and government customers.
Prior to his current role with SV, Benjamin helped build and operate Starburst Accelerator, the world’s first startup accelerator focused on national security and Aerospace & Defense, which has thus far supported more than 120 companies—who have raised a total of $1.7Bn in capital (as of 01/2024).
He has also worked with large corporations executives across the US and Europe, as well as government agencies, to promote an innovation culture and new business opportunities, sparking dozens of collaborations and direct investments in startups.
Prior to this, he studied software and hardware engineering in Montreal, Stockholm and Paris, and began his career in the CIO advisory practice of Fortune 500, before deciding to continue his studies in finance, strategy and management in France and Singapore.
Benjamin holds an MS degree in Computer Science & Systems from Ecole Centrale d’Electronique Paris and a Postgraduate Junior MBA in strategy from ESSEC Business School.
Julius Yeo is a serial entrepreneur. As the Managing Director of Starburst Singapore, he is driving and growing the Starburst innovation footprint in Singapore and beyond. Yeo is also currently the Managing Partner of Asian Aero Ventures, which is an advisory & investment firm specializing in the Aviation & Aerospace industry.
Before embarking on the entrepreneurial journey, Yeo led the commercial strategy and built the digital roadmap for Rockwell Collins, a multinational organization that provides avionics and information technology systems and services to government agencies and aircraft manufacturers.
Notably, some of Yeo’s current advisory assignments include the development of an aircraft engine leasing business plan as well as raising investment from capital market and private equity corporations. He holds both a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering from the Nanyang Technological University of Singapore as well as Harvard Executive Mentor Program from IATA.
Sangdawn Kim, Managing Director of Starburst Korea, has 25+ years of experience in aerospace & defense engineering and marketing, with a focus on aerospace & defense technology analysis and R&D strategy.
Kim received an Aerospace Engineering Bachelor of Science & a Master of Science from Seoul National University before working in Flight Dynamics Engineering and Jet Trainer Marketing at Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI). He also was the VP of Business Development at Rolls-Royce Korea (gas turbine) for more than seven years, overseeing various sectors such as aircraft, naval marine, and energy.
Kim’s passion for exploration and cultural exchange is evident in his experiences across Europe, the Middle East, Korea, and the United States. Having lived and worked in three countries – Korea, France, and the USA – he has gained a deep understanding of various markets and global perspectives.
Currently residing in Korea, Kim leverages his multicultural background to foster innovation and collaboration on an international scale.
Noemie Alliel is the Starburst Israel Managing Director, with over 15 years of experience in strategy consulting, operations, entrepreneurship and business development, at organizations ranging from the world’s biggest professional services firms to her own startups.
As a French expat, Noemie lived in the US for 9 yrs where she started her career advising companies in distressed at KPMG in NYC before relocating to Israel 10 years ago.
In her current role at Starburst, the world’s first and only accelerator focused on aerospace and defense, she is building bridges between startups and large corporates via Starburst’s accelerator programs, solving industry gaps via the strategic consulting arm and investing the next big thing in Aerospace & Defense via Starburst Israel Ventures. Passionate about flight & space, Noemie obtained a private helicopter pilot license in 2010. Noemie holds a Bachelor Degree in Business Management from the University of Florida.
