Jared Isaacman

Jared Isaacman is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and mission commander of Polaris Dawn, the first private spaceflight in the Polaris Program series, a first-of-its-kind effort to rapidly advance human spaceflight capabilities. A highly skilled pilot and astronaut, he has logged over 7,000 flight hours of aviation experience across various aircraft, including multiple experimental and ex-military models. He was the commander of Inspiration4, the world’s first all-civilian mission to space that helped raise over $240 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® to help eradicate childhood cancer.

Isaacman also holds several world records, including two speed-around-the-world flights in 2008 and 2009 that raised money and awareness for the Make-a-Wish Foundation. He has flown in over 100 airshows as part of the Black Diamond Jet Team, dedicating every performance to charitable causes.

In 2011, Isaacman co-founded what would become the world’s largest private air force, Draken International, to train pilots for the United States Armed Forces.

Isaacman is also the CEO of Shift4, a leading provider of integrated payment processing solutions. He founded the company at the age of sixteen, working out of his parents’ basement. Under his leadership, Shift4 has expanded significantly, processing over $200 billion in payments for more than 200,000 clients across the U.S. and Europe. In 2020, the company went public on the New York Stock Exchange. A year later, Isaacman was named EY Entrepreneur of the Year, honoring his visionary leadership and long-term value creation through innovation, purpose, and growth.