Ryan Stone

About Ryan Stone

I am focused on building the next generation of sovereign, resilient space communications infrastructure designed for contested environments. Today at HEO Satellite, we are pioneering a new category of satellite connectivity through patent-pending, perigee-focused Highly Elliptical Lowpass Orbit (HELO) architectures. This approach is designed to deliver sovereign regional communications with LEO-like latency, strong survivability, PNT augmentation, and integrated space radiation intelligence. By combining orbital innovation with practical deployment strategies, these systems enable next-generation communications and sensing while improving resilience against space debris and anti-satellite threats. My career has centered on complex technology systems where reliability and mission success matter most. I previously co-founded and served as President of SmartSky Networks, where we built and deployed the nation\'s first high-performance air-to-ground 5G/LTE broadband network for business aviation. The company raised more than $500M to develop a nationwide network and later secured a $22.7M patent infringement verdict after a jury found willful infringement of SmartSky’s intellectual property. The vision for SmartSky grew directly from my earlier experience co-founding Davinci Jets, where working closely with aircraft owners and charter customers made clear the industry’s need for reliable inflight connectivity. Before entering the aviation and space industries, I served as a U.S. Navy submarine officer, operating mission-critical systems in unforgiving environments where engineering discipline, redundancy, and reliability were non-negotiable. Alongside this work, I serve as an angel investor and advisor to select deep-tech startups in the United States and Israel, supporting founders building transformative technologies in space infrastructure, communications, advanced energy, materials science, fintech, and biotechnology. My career has taken me from submarines beneath the ocean to satellites above the Earth, always working on systems that connect people, platforms, and nations. I welcome conversations with entrepreneurs, investors, and partners exploring space infrastructure, resilient communications networks, and the emerging orbital economy.#SpaceTech #SatelliteCommunications #SpaceInfrastructure #OrbitalEconomy #DeepTech

Experience

1. Managing Partner

   Elliptiq

   Mar 2025 — Present · Charlotte, NC, US

   Advancing customized Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO) satellite constellations (US Patent App. 19/075,846 and 63/955,619) for resilient, sovereign, cost-effective, secure, low-latency communication with fewer satellites than LEO systems using a perigee-focused approach we call HELO (Highly Elliptical Lowpass Orbit). HELO Applications include regional networks (land, maritime, aviation, space), active radiation belt space weather monitoring, positioning/navigation/timing (PNT), cybersecurity, spectrum reuse, and enhanced survivability.

Education

• United States Naval Academy

  B.S., Systems Engineering

  1992 — 1996

• UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School

  MBA

  2003 — 2004

Skills

• Operations Management
• Aviation Operations
• Negotiation
• Strategy
• Entrepreneur
• Outsourcing
• Business Development
• Military Operations
• Commercial Aviation
• Leadership
• Aircraft
• Operational Planning
• Flights
• Business Strategy
• Nuclear Engineering
• Human Factors
• Nuclear Energy
• Systems Engineering
• Government
• Program Management
• Command
• Change Management
• Team Building
• Management
• Team Leadership
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership
• Piloting
• Strategic Planning
• Six Sigma
• Defense
• Engineering
• Aerospace
• Process Improvement
• Airports
• Charter
• Risk Management
• Navy
• Management Consulting
• Nuclear
• Dod