From Free Stocks to Power From Space
His father worked at NASA. He helped make stock trading free. Now he wants to beam sunlight down from space.
Most people who become billionaires slow down.
Baiju Bhatt did the opposite. After co-founding Robinhood, the app that made stock trading free, he walked away from daily work there and picked a problem that sounds like science fiction.
He wants to collect sunlight in space and beam the power down to Earth with lasers.
A kid near NASA
Baiju's parents came to the United States from India. He was born and raised in Poquoson, a small town in Virginia.
His father worked at NASA. Growing up around engineers and space science shaped how Baiju saw the world. Big, impossible problems felt exciting, not scary.
Physics at Stanford
Baiju studied physics at Stanford University and earned a master's degree in math there too.
At Stanford he met Vlad Tenev, a math student. They became best friends and business partners.
Two startups first
After college, Baiju and Vlad moved to New York. They started two finance technology companies, building trading tools for big firms.
They learned a lot. But they also saw that regular people were shut out of the cheap, fast trading the big firms enjoyed.
Robinhood
In 2013, Baiju and Vlad founded Robinhood to make investing free for everyone.
Baiju cared deeply about how the app looked and felt. He helped design its clean, simple interface. For millions of first time investors, Robinhood was the first time the stock market felt friendly.
Baiju and Vlad ran Robinhood together as co-CEOs. In 2018, a big funding round made them both billionaires.
In November 2020, Baiju stepped down as co-CEO and became Chief Creative Officer, focusing on the product and design.
In July 2021, Robinhood went public on the Nasdaq.
Looking up
In 2024, Baiju founded Aetherflux.
The idea: put satellites in orbit that collect sunlight all day, with no clouds and no night. Then send that energy down to Earth using infrared lasers, to places that need power.
People have dreamed about space solar power since the 1970s. Baiju believes cheaper rockets now make it possible.
In March 2024, he stepped down as Chief Creative Officer of Robinhood, though he stayed on the board.
In April 2025, Aetherflux raised a $50 million Series A led by Index Ventures, with plans for a first space demonstration in 2026. The company also announced a plan it calls "Galactic Brain," a network of satellites to help power AI.
Where he is now
Today, Baiju Bhatt is founder and CEO of Aetherflux and remains on Robinhood's board. The kid who grew up near NASA is now building for space himself.
Why the story matters
Baiju Bhatt could have stopped after Robinhood. Instead, he chose a problem most people think is impossible.
His life connects the dots: a NASA dad, a physics degree, a partner who shared his drive, and an app that made markets simpler.
For young builders, the lesson is simple. Success is not a finish line. It can be fuel for an even bigger dream.
He helped people own a piece of the market. Now he wants to hand them a piece of the sun.
The Record
From: Poquoson, Virginia, USA
Family: Son of immigrants from India
Studied: B.S. Physics and M.S. Mathematics, Stanford
Built: Robinhood (with Vlad Tenev), Aetherflux
Now: Founder and CEO of Aetherflux; Robinhood board member
Timeline
2013 Co-founds Robinhood with Vlad Tenev.
2015 Robinhood app launches.
2018 Becomes a billionaire after a funding round.
2020 Steps down as co-CEO, becomes Chief Creative Officer.
2021 Robinhood goes public.
2024 Founds Aetherflux. Leaves CCO role in March.
2025 Aetherflux raises $50 million.
2026 Aetherflux targets its first space demonstration.