Bridgit Mendler from Disney has become the CEO of a space startup
29 december 2025 в 18:37
Most Disney Channel fans know Bridgit Mendler, but the former television and pop music star quietly left Hollywood and chose a completely different path. As stated in her LinkedIn profile, the Washington native is now the CEO and co-founder of a space communications startup, which has come as a surprise to many of her long-time fans.
While this transition may seem sudden, Bridgit has been preparing for this moment for many years. In the late 2010s, she balanced her acting career and music with higher education, earning degrees from the University of Southern California and MIT, which laid the foundation for her transition into technology and entrepreneurship. Today, she focuses on innovation, leadership, and family life, proving that her success story has been built over decades.
Continue reading to learn all about Bridgit, from her work to her family life.
Bridgit is known for her roles in several Disney Channel sitcoms. She gained recognition for her role as the vampire Juliet in «Wizards of Waverly Place» and played Olivia in «Good Luck Charlie». Toward the end of her time at Disney, Bridgit starred as Teddy in «Good Luck Charlie».
Alongside her work in film and television, Bridgit signed with Hollywood Records and released her debut studio album «Hello My Name Is…» followed by her second album «Nemesis».
Ultimately, Bridgit left the popular children’s network and took on roles in other shows such as «Nashville», - «Undateable», - and «A Merry Christmas».
While maintaining her film career, Bridgit enrolled at the University of Southern California, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology in 2016.
Immediately after earning her bachelor’s degree, Bridgit continued her studies at MIT, where she pursued a master’s degree. In 2017, she also worked as a fellow at the MIT Media Lab, focusing on how to improve social media as part of her master’s program.
In 2020, Bridgit completed her master’s degree at MIT and began working on her doctoral dissertation. By 2022, it was reported that she was studying both at MIT and Harvard Law School.
The «Ready or Not» singer later co-founded Northwood Space, a satellite data startup focused on creating «data between Earth and space», - according to information on her website. By 2025, Bridgit’s transition from Disney star to tech founder continued to gain momentum. As CEO and co-founder of Northwood Space, she helped lead a major funding round that raised over $ 30 million to expand the company’s satellite communications infrastructure, positioning the startup as a growing player in the space networking technology sector.
In a 2024 interview with CNBC, Bridgit explained that the idea for Northwood came to her during the COVID-19 pandemic.
«While everyone else was baking sourdough, we were building antennas out of random things we could find at Home Depot… and getting data from satellites [of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]», - she told the publication.
Bridgit has been married to her husband Griffin Cleverly since October 2019. Griffin is a co-founder of Northwood and reportedly serves as the startup’s Chief Technology Officer.
After Bridgit announced her space company to the world, she also shared that she has a son.
«Other news I wanted to share is that I am the mom of a sweet 4-year-old boy», - she tweeted in February 2024. «I started fostering in 2021 and adopted just before Christmas in 2022. I feel so lucky—being a parent is the greatest gift and the most defining experience of my life. That’s my news for now»
While this transition may seem sudden, Bridgit has been preparing for this moment for many years. In the late 2010s, she balanced her acting career and music with higher education, earning degrees from the University of Southern California and MIT, which laid the foundation for her transition into technology and entrepreneurship. Today, she focuses on innovation, leadership, and family life, proving that her success story has been built over decades.
Continue reading to learn all about Bridgit, from her work to her family life.
Bridgit is known for her roles in several Disney Channel sitcoms. She gained recognition for her role as the vampire Juliet in «Wizards of Waverly Place» and played Olivia in «Good Luck Charlie». Toward the end of her time at Disney, Bridgit starred as Teddy in «Good Luck Charlie».
Alongside her work in film and television, Bridgit signed with Hollywood Records and released her debut studio album «Hello My Name Is…» followed by her second album «Nemesis».
Ultimately, Bridgit left the popular children’s network and took on roles in other shows such as «Nashville», - «Undateable», - and «A Merry Christmas».
While maintaining her film career, Bridgit enrolled at the University of Southern California, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology in 2016.
Immediately after earning her bachelor’s degree, Bridgit continued her studies at MIT, where she pursued a master’s degree. In 2017, she also worked as a fellow at the MIT Media Lab, focusing on how to improve social media as part of her master’s program.
In 2020, Bridgit completed her master’s degree at MIT and began working on her doctoral dissertation. By 2022, it was reported that she was studying both at MIT and Harvard Law School.
The «Ready or Not» singer later co-founded Northwood Space, a satellite data startup focused on creating «data between Earth and space», - according to information on her website. By 2025, Bridgit’s transition from Disney star to tech founder continued to gain momentum. As CEO and co-founder of Northwood Space, she helped lead a major funding round that raised over $ 30 million to expand the company’s satellite communications infrastructure, positioning the startup as a growing player in the space networking technology sector.
In a 2024 interview with CNBC, Bridgit explained that the idea for Northwood came to her during the COVID-19 pandemic.
«While everyone else was baking sourdough, we were building antennas out of random things we could find at Home Depot… and getting data from satellites [of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]», - she told the publication.
Bridgit has been married to her husband Griffin Cleverly since October 2019. Griffin is a co-founder of Northwood and reportedly serves as the startup’s Chief Technology Officer.
After Bridgit announced her space company to the world, she also shared that she has a son.
«Other news I wanted to share is that I am the mom of a sweet 4-year-old boy», - she tweeted in February 2024. «I started fostering in 2021 and adopted just before Christmas in 2022. I feel so lucky—being a parent is the greatest gift and the most defining experience of my life. That’s my news for now»
© Smirnova Olga
