Kevin Weil joins Stoke Space board ahead of Nova launch
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- Kevin Weil joined Stoke Space's board as a director after years as an early investor through his and wife Elizabeth's Scribble Ventures fund, providing fundraising guidance when CEO Andy Lapsa "had no idea how Silicon Valley worked."
- Stoke Space has raised $1.34 billion in total funding, including a $510 million Series D in 2025, to develop Nova — a fully reusable rocket Lapsa says is targeted for first flight this year.
- Kevin Weil most recently led OpenAI's scientific research acceleration efforts, departing in April after serving as the lab's chief product officer from June 2024 to October 2025.
- Sam Altman was reportedly exploring an investment in Stoke last year, though Lapsa declined to comment on "gossip and rumors" about any OpenAI connection.
- Kevin Weil brings prior space industry experience as president of Planet Labs during its 2021 IPO and as one of four tech executives who joined the US Army Reserve to bridge Silicon Valley and the Department of Defense.
- Stoke Space is positioning full rapid reusability as a differentiator for emerging orbital data center concepts, which Lapsa said "really only make sense with full rapid reuse."
Why it matters: Weil's OpenAI ties arrive as Stoke races to demonstrate Nova's first flight this year, with the company needing military contracts and continued capital to close out its $1.34 billion in cumulative funding. A potential AI-lab-to-rocket-company pipeline — via Altman-reported interest and Weil's new seat — could matter if Stoke wants a deep-pocketed partner outside the SpaceX orbit.
