Bridgit Mendler first captured the hearts of millions as a fresh-faced Disney Channel star, starring in shows like Wizards of Waverly Place, Good Luck Charlie, and Lemonade Mouth. After a successful music career with chart-topping hits like “Ready or Not” and “Hurricane,” Mendler stepped back from the spotlight to pursue higher education. She earned a master’s degree from MIT in 2020 and is currently working on a PhD at MIT and a law degree at Harvard.

Now, at 31 years old, Mendler is embarking on an entirely new chapter – as founder and CEO of the space data startup Northwood Space.

“Space is getting easier along so many different dimensions but still the actual exercise of sending data to and from space is difficult,” Mendler told CNBC this week as she announced the launch of her company.

It’s true that the space industry is booming, with around 5,500 satellites currently in orbit and an expected 58,000 more to launch in the next decade according to a US Government Accountability Office report. However, the infrastructure on the ground has remained largely unchanged since the 1960s, creating a major bottleneck for the colossal amounts of data traveling between Earth and orbit.

This is the problem Northwood Space aims to solve with a new ground architecture optimized for the space age. “The vision is a data highway between Earth and space,” Mendler explained.

Her company has already secured $16 million in seed funding from leading VC firms like Kleiner Perkins and Lux Capital. But for Mendler, this pivot to space tech CEO seems almost destined.

She studied aerospace engineering at MIT, where she also got her master’s degree. And she currently serves as co-president of the Harvard Student Space Initiative Law Society. So while fans may have been expecting a music comeback, the launch of Northwood Space makes perfect sense given Mendler’s academic background.

On social media, fans expressed admiration at Mendler’s career evolution from child star to Ivy League scholar to space tech founder. It’s an unconventional trajectory, leaping from the fantasy world of Disney to the cutting edge of the space industry.

But perhaps it’s her background as a performer that makes Mendler well-suited to be a startup founder and CEO. She’s comfortable in the spotlight and brings creativity and vision to solving complex technological challenges.

At just 31 years old, Bridgit Mendler is proving she is much more than just a Disney pop star. With the launch of Northwood Space, she is poised to become a leader in shaping the future of the space economy and bridging the worlds of entertainment and technology. For young fans who grew up watching her on the Disney Channel, Mendler is continuing to inspire, showing that you can dream big and reach for the stars, both literally and figuratively.