Mr. O’Connell is a venture capitalist and consultant. He is a Managing Partner with Seraphim Global Space Fund. Seraphim, based in London, was the first venture capital firm to focus exclusively on space (which they define to include satellites, drones, UAVs and supporting technology).
Mr. O’Connell founded GeoEye, a leading global provider of satellite and aerial imagery and digital mapping information, in 2006 by merging 2 satellite imaging companies, Orbimage and Space Imaging. Under his leadership from the spring of 2003, GeoEye grew from 60 employees producing $9 million of revenue per year, with an equity value of zero and total enterprise value of $33 million, to 760 employees producing $360 million (2012), with a total enterprise value around $1.3 billion and an equity value of approximately $850 million. In January 2013, he concluded its sale to DigitalGlobe. GeoEye was publicly traded (GEOY).
Mr. O’Connell has been recognized as a thought leader in the satellite, digital mapping, and intelligence industries. He was elected to the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation’s Board of Directors in 2007 and served as Chair of the Audit and Finance committee for several years. He has served on many Government and industry advisory panels.
From October 2015 to July 2016, Mr. O’Connell was CEO of OneWeb, a start-up focused on using low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellites to provide broadband and telecom services around the world. During that time, he set up basic the company’s basic structure (financial, legal and governance systems, organization structure, and reporting systems, program management structure, etc.), created a Go To Market Plan and Business Model and set up the company’s Headquarters office. He restructured the company’s near-term financial obligations.
Mr. O’Connell has extensive experience in communications management and finance. He has participated in transactions representing billions of dollars of value, including IPOs, LBOs, restructurings, acquisitions, and financings. Prior to joining GeoEye, Mr. O’Connell held executive positions Crest Advisors, a New York-based venture capital firm focused on telecom infrastructure, Sony Worldwide Networks, and Cablevision Systems Corporation. He began his career as a mergers and acquisitions attorney on Wall Street.
During 2018, Mr. O’Connell was a member of the board of two satellite companies, Spaceflight Industries (Seattle, WA) and Globecomm Systems (Hauppauge, NY).
Prior to his professional career, Mr. O’Connell worked for two years as a musician. Mr. O’Connell holds an LLB from Univ. Of Virginia School of Law and a B.A. (Classics) from Trinity College, Hartford, CT, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.