On this episode of StartupNation Radio, your host, StartupNation founder and CEO, Jeff Sloan, is joined by two co-hosts, Norm Pappas and Mark Bennett. Together, they chat with two entrepreneurs making their startup dreams come true.
Their first guest is Frank Bunger, CEO of Orion Span, a company building the world’s first luxury space hotel. Their mission is to build and sustain communities in space that are accessible to all.
A technology entrepreneur who has worked in Silicon Valley for most of his career, Bunger has a background in several different industries, from software to hardware to manufacturing.
Orion Span plans to host its first guests on the Aurora Station space hotel in 2022, and within 72 hours of the announcement, the first four months of reservations were sold out–with an $80,000 deposit price tag (the full trip comes in at $9.5 million for 12 days).
During the show, Bunger discusses:
- Details of the authentic experience that Aurora Station will offer
- Orion Span’s goal to build and sustain human communities in space
- The success of reservations received thus far for trips beginning in 2022
- Rules and regulations for building a hotel in outer space
- How the project is being funded and what the projected total cost is
For more on Orion Span and the Aurora Station:
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Next, Jeff, Norm and Mark chat with Stephanie Bottigliero, business development specialist at Luxury Garage Sale, an upscale consignment brand specializing in stand-out designer clothing, shoes and accessories. Co-founded by Brielle Buchberg and Lindsay Segal in 2010, Luxury Garage Sale is a curated, high-fashion retail experience and consignment boutique rolled into one.
While the store has a brick-and-mortar presence in Chicago, Dallas, Minneapolis and Seattle, the consignment boutique has deemed 2018 “the year of the pop-up.”
Currently, Luxury Garage Sale is hosting a pop-up in Birmingham, Mich., located at 361 E. Maple St., and will be open May 1 through May 30. The 30-day pop-up series features a specially curated collection of clothing and accessories at each location, and will feature a personalized shopping experience.
Previous pop-ups held earlier this year were located in Miami, and Atlanta. Next up is Los Angeles.
During the show, Bottigliero shares:
- Who and what is Luxury Garage Sale?
- Why Luxury Garage Sale is utilizing the pop-up retail strategy
- The ins and outs of starting a pop-up shop
- The benefits of consignment
- The importance of authenticating products for resale as a luxury brand
- Whether or not the pop-up retail platform is here to stay
For more on Luxury Garage Sale:
Tune in to WJR 760 AM Radio on Saturday, May 26 at 2 p.m. for an all-new episode of StartupNation Radio.
