David Anderman is a seasoned executive with a passion for business strategy and dealmaking at the intersection of the technology, media, and aerospace sectors. David is the Co-Founder of Stellar Ventures, a venture fund for early stage space companies. David was previously the General Counsel of SpaceX, Elon Musk’s rocket company, where he helped with the first-ever launch of astronauts by a private company, the maiden flight of Starship (SpaceX's Mars colony ship), and the rollout of the Starlink global satellite internet system. Before SpaceX, he spent 16 years at Lucasfilm Ltd., George Lucas’s entertainment empire, starting as the junior lawyer and rising through the ranks to become Chief Operating Officer. He has held C-level positions at a series of technology startups. He began his career as an intellectual property litigator in Silicon Valley.
Proxima Centauri as seen from the Hubble Space Telescope
David Anderman
President
C-Level Executive, Board Member, Advisor, Dealmaker, IP Attorney
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EXPERIENCE
2014-Present
President
PROXIMA CENTAURI LLC
I advise numerous technology startups and venture funds in the aerospace, media technology, AR/VR/XR, and consumer products/hardware sectors. See complete list in the Clients section.
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2019-2020
General Counsel
SPACEX
SpaceX was founded in the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars.​ Here's an article about my role, and you can find more detail in the Expertise section.
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2014-2017
Chief Business Officer/General Counsel
JAUNT VR (acquired by Verizon)
Jaunt is a cinematic virtual reality company, where I was responsible for the company’s strategy, finance, business development, business affairs, and HR. I launched Jaunt’s studio, its joint venture in China with Shanghai Media Group and China Media Capital, and raised over $125M in capital for the business.
1998-2014
COO/General Counsel
LUCASFILM LTD.
As COO, responsible for the day-to-day business of Lucasfilm and all of its subsidiaries, including Industrial Light & Magic, Skywalker Sound, and Lucasfilm Animation Singapore. Oversaw business and legal affairs, distribution, finance, studio operations, and human resources. Managed worldwide enforcement of Lucasfilm’s intellectual property rights, and served as a director on 28 boards for the Lucas companies globally. See additional detail in the Expertise section.
1994-1998
Intellectual Property Attorney
ORRICK/BROWN & BAIN
Represented technology companies in matters relating to copyright, patent, trademark, and trade secret litigation and licensing. Extensive work on historic Apple v. Microsoft graphical user interface copyright case. Clients in addition to Apple included Dell, Dial, PPG, Motorola, AMD, Pacific Bell, Xerox, and Varian.
CURRENT AND FORMER PROXIMA CENTAURI BOARD AND ADVISORY ROLES
acquired by Roblox
Asensei
Haystack TV
acquired by Apple
acquired by Turning Tech
Leo AR
Hooked
acquired by Gfycat/Snap
EXPERTISE
EXPERTISE
DEALMAKING
I've negotiated thousands of deals, from technology to M&A to toy licenses and NDAs. In 2012, I negotiated the $4 billion acquisition of Lucasfilm by The Walt Disney Company, for which I received the Variety Dealmaker of the Year Award. I pride myself on being practical and getting great deals closed for business results.
TECHNOLOGY
From the time I programmed my Apple II+ in grade school until today, I have been a technology geek. I ran the patent program at SpaceX and Lucasfilm/ILM and have worked with Silicon Valley companies since the early 1990s I understand technology at a deep level for an attorney and executive.
CORPORATE/BOARD
I served as the Corporate Secretary of SpaceX, Lucasfilm, and Jaunt, and on the boards of over 30 companies, including all of the operating entities of the Lucas companies globally. I understand the dynamics of boards and how to make them work for you.
INTERNATIONAL
I've done extensive work internationally, including negotiation of a JV with the government of Singapore, setting up multiple companies in China, and launching and managing operations in Europe.
BUSINESS AFFAIRS/OPS
I started off as and remain a practicing attorney, and have managed the legal and operational functions for SpaceX, Lucasfilm, and Jaunt, ranging from HR to finance and more.
FUNDRAISING
I raised over $125 million for Jaunt over 3 rounds of financing, and I helped raise over $2B for SpaceX. I am an LP in Ron Conway's SV Angel, and have helped many startups with everything from angel investing to c-notes, priced rounds, and exits.
SPACEX
It was pretty amazing to get to work for a second visionary during my career. I've always firmly believed that the human race needs to be interplanetary, and I've always admired Elon Musk. I sent him a cold email introduction, and he responded. The team at SpaceX is more mission aligned than any company I've ever seen, and it is incredible to see how Elon does it--even if he is tough on lawyers. I got a deep dive into rocket science, the launch business, and the global rollout of the Starlink internet service, while growing the legal team by 50%. I did some exciting work there:
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Support of the first ever launch of humans by a private company when we sent NASA astronauts to the ISS
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Maiden flight of Starship and support of the growth of Starbase, Texas, including sourcing methane,
buying deep sea drilling rigs, land acquisitions, and environmental work -
Launch of the Starlink internet service, including global corporate structure, consumer and enterprise
deals, patent program, and creation of super short consumer terms (including the infamous Mars
jurisdiction clause) -
First of its kind license deal with NASA giving them gratis rights to SpaceX's novel parachute
technology, which makes all human spaceflight safer. Kind of like Volvo giving away the seatbelt
patents. My team and I were personally recognized for the effort during a videoconference with
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. -
More film, TV, and licensing deals than you would imagine, including the deal with Tom Cruise
to make a film in space -
Support of over $2B in fundraising
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Ran the company's efforts to stay open during the COVID lockdown by getting multiple states and
jurisdictions to declare SpaceX "mission essential". We didn't shut down for even a minute.
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The business end of Starship.
That's a Raptor rocket engine.
Signing the Disney deal in Bob Iger's office.
LUCASFILM
I learned a lot over my 16 years at Lucasfilm. Having seen Star Wars 17 times in the movie theater when I was a kid, it was an honor and a privilege to serve George through the growth of the company during the production of the next generation of films and television shows, culminating in being at his side as we passed off his legacy to The Walt Disney Company. Along the way, I was proud to be a part of many groundbreaking initiatives, including:
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First ever presentation of a feature film via digital cinema for Star Wars: Epsiode I
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First satellite distribution of a theatrical release for Star Wars: Episode II
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First user generated fan video site for a major film property (2001), as well as all
deals behind the growth of StarWars.com into a profitable division
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Long term $100M+ license agreements with Hasbro, LEGO, Electronic Arts,
Microsoft, Sony Online and others, as well hundreds of merchandise and
promotional licenses in over 100 countries for Star Wars and Indiana Jones
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Digital, theatrical, and home video distribution agreements with Fox,
Paramount, Warner Bros., Apple, and Yahoo!
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Patent licenses for ILM and Lucasfilm Animation technology
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Partnership with the government of Singapore for Lucasfilm Animation Singapore
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Acquisition of a controlling stake in CGCG (Taiwan’s foremost CG animation company),
the spinoff of THX, and negotiation of numerous strategic production relationships
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$350M real estate development deal for Lucasfilm’s headquarters in the Presidio, as well as the $100M+ deals for Big Rock Ranch in Marin and the Sandcrawler Building in Singapore
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EDUCATION
1991-1994
JD
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA LAW SCHOOL
Executive Editor of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review. Internships drafting opinions at the Supreme Court of California and trying cases for the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office.
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1987-1991
Bachelor's Degree
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
Majors in Film Theory/Freedom of Press from the Annenberg School of Communications and Political Science/Constitutional Law.
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1983-1987
High School
THE COLLEGE PREPARATORY SCHOOL
Oakland, CA