Nebojša Stanojević - Synergy Moon
While sailing solo around the world Nebojša Stanojević decided to swap his ‘ship’ for a ‘space ship’. He assembled a consortium that became one of 5 finalists for the Google Lunar XPRIZE for landing a robot on the surface of the Moon.
He spoke to Andy Swann at #MTF Stockholm about cooperation and collaboration between phenomenal human beings - and how that has not only contributed to an incredible project but also to a fascinating life.
AI Transcription
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
people, synergy, tech fest, space, mtf, moon, country, project, world, team, google, create, human, fairytale, absolutely, india, years, inspire, sailing, elon musk
SPEAKERS
Andy Swann, Nebojsa Stanovic, Andrew Dubber
Andrew Dubber
Hi, I’m Dubber. I’m the director of Music Tech Fest, and welcome. This is the MTF podcast. Now it’s their time of the year when we want to bring out those really inspiring stories, if not quite, it’s a wonderful life, then at the very least, it’s a really fascinating life and the life story we get to bring you this week from the interview stage at MTF Stockholm is that of Nebojša Stanojević. Nebojša was born in a place that doesn’t exist. He’s worked with Miss World, the Dalai Lama, elton john, Nelson Mandela and Tina Turner. He’s been the subject of a 24 part nationwide reality TV show by himself. And after escaping a war in his home country, found himself sailing solo around the world, looking up at the stars, and deciding to swap his ocean craft for a spaceship. He spoke to mtfs Andy Swann about his upcoming trip to the moon, and why he’s taking us all with him. For real. Enjoy.
Andy Swann
Okay, so welcome, everybody, for I think this is the final talk of the day. So we have a guy with us now. Neb welcome to the stage. So thank you what I know about you, your name, in full translates to not afraid. So you had a background in tech and music, or music tech, you gave it all up to sail around the world. You then ended up with a project called synergy moon, and you’re one of five finalists for the Google X space prize. And you’re also involved in something called human synergy project. We have 20 minutes, where do you want to start?
Nebojsa Stanovic
Where do you want me to start?
Andy Swann
Go? Well, let’s go straight to the moon is Yeah, it’s getting dark out there. It’s that time of day. Tell us about about synergy. Maybe tell us tell us what it is.
Nebojsa Stanovic
10 years ago, Google XPrize started this competition, which is like, for a private space for private companies to land rover on the moon make 500 metres and some two to go 500 metres and high definition videos and data and everything, then you will like $20 million price. And when I saw that, it was like whoa, why not? But before that I was sailing around the world. And on a small sailing boat in the middle of the Indian Ocean, I would just like to how to change ship for the spaceship. It was really good thing because I always wanted, you know, I always wanted to go in the space and it cost $20 million, like a space tourism to find $20 million dollars was a little bit difficult at that time. So just looking at how can I do it for free? And then I said okay, let’s
Andy Swann
give Google X a go. Just see if we can win it.
Nebojsa Stanovic
I find it… No, no, not in that way. It’s fine. It’s fine. The Rockets, let’s find, let me do it in a way that I can do it in a completely different way. That has my initial initial thing to do it. But then it really took 10 years. And I never I never imagined that ever that we’re going to end up in a finals and none of none of these big thing that happened later on.
Andy Swann
Absolutely. So so. So you gathered a team around you of experts.
Nebojsa Stanovic
Yes. First, when I applied for that, I had my team of experts, which was in my in my head. So all the team was inside of my head. Like schizophrenic but not in a bad way.
Andy Swann
So these are people you already knew you had to go out…?
Nebojsa Stanovic
No, I know each one. But then really, you know, it was very simple. You need the user is such a task. You need the rock, you need the lender. You need the rock rover, you need the rockets. And then you say okay, I gotta find all these people because 30 years, I’ve been going around the world and I meet I meet I met so many people who could be able to do something like that, then I just feel the gaps. So then after that, I assembled the team and and we really ended up to be one of five finalists. And when I say one of the five finalists, the difference between my team and all the other teams, it was a Japanese, Hakuto from Japan, from Israel, from USA and one more from from India. But all of them they had like hundreds and unlimited funds, hundreds of millions of dollars. And they were all backed by for national pride. You know we put the Israeli flag Or Indian flag or Japanese flag. And I come from Yugoslavia, which, you know, once upon a time used to be a country like a fairy tale. I come from there. So I said, Okay, let’s put this but from all around the world, and we ended up last year in a National Geographics. They really put a good, good name for us. It’s like conglomerate conglomerate? I never. I never learned that word.
Andy Swann
Yeah, conglomerate? Yeah.
Nebojsa Stanovic
And that’s what we end up to be. It’s really putting the people from all around the world to create the same thing. And it works. And for me, was that, you know, if I can do it, but really, if I can do it, everybody can do it.
Andy Swann
I think don’t under understood underestimate how much of an inspiration you are and what you’ve achieved. So as to tell us it I mean, this is super exciting. Yeah. For anyone who’s listening and, and people are here, you know, creating hacks and creating ideas that may shape the future and your your proof of somebody who has said, I’m going to make something happen, and you’re making it happen. So tell us what happens next. What what’s the next stage of the Google X? Where will your project get launched? Or do you still have still Yes, is
Nebojsa Stanovic
that gold? price was suggested? calculator. good PR, because Google was behind that things. So it was really good. But the whole thing is, it’s like when the internet started, not the internet. But the World Wide Web, when it started, the same people are behind this private, private space business. So doesn’t matter what I know, I was just looking what Elon Musk is, you know what, what my friends because I know, lots of them, because I was hacker back in the 80s. So I was just following what they were doing. So I just did the same.
Andy Swann
Amazing what’s I think along? Perfect, the best way to do and what’s the timescale from here? How does the project develop?
Nebojsa Stanovic
next year. It’s supposed to, initially it’s supposed to be like, by 2012. But because when the competition started, in the same year, that was 2008, was this big financial crisis, you know, market crashes, and all these things. So it’s slow down. Now, Google removed themselves for like, putting the money, but who, I mean, it’s not about competition, it’s, it’s really like a space business. But the other people, the other teams, and all the others, they are, they’re there for the business with the business plans, let’s mind you know, helium three, and we saw these things. And I want to bring art, you know, I want to bring God to you. And I want to do, I want to make sure that once we start doing this space exploration, that art, you know, the common common people and this what really counts is also presented or represented as much as everything else.
Andy Swann
Amazing, so so I guess that probably keeps you keeps you very busy.
Nebojsa Stanovic
Very for like 24 hours a day for for for 10 years. Nobody, I never knew it’s gonna last for 10 years. Yeah. Because of my team is from all around the world. So time zones, and we were really, my wife is here. She know that, you know, we were working 24 hours a day. So there is no day or night and it lasts six months. Four months, I had a time to lean with. Relax, but then a little bit to relax. But before that was really 24 hours a day.
Andy Swann
Well, incredible. But then I guess you’re dedicated to and you care so much, you’re happy to do that work all the time. Amazing. So yeah, at the same time, you you have another project going the human synergy project. Yes, sir. So tell us about about that and how it sits in parallel.
Nebojsa Stanovic
It’s the same thing, but you can tell me you know, this book that you wrote, gosh, human
Andy Swann
Well, you’ve done your research too.
Nebojsa Stanovic
I’m like CIA. This is how I find all the other people and is that of course you know, I’m more interested in who you are and who all the other other people than why I’m that doesn’t matter. It’s that that synergy, you know, human synergy. It’s simple, simple, simple. Description on Wikipedia is a human synergies if there is Person A and Person B. Want to reach the table, Person A is a short enough, Person B is short enough to reach the table but to the person a climb on our shoulder of the person B we can reach the top of that Apple is that synergy. So this is what I took it as that but also using that As a human, you know that the right way to do it. So in my team, it was a little bit difficult, difficult in the beginning to find a way how to do it that all this thing is that it was at war that evolve, that everybody is happy. And the another thing is two years ago, when when they were, when I went to end up to be in a finance, my team was in a, in a final 16 team was out. So I just just, you know, that was on 31st of December. So just before the new year, I just call all the other teams who were thrown out say, Okay, can we that’s because, by by by the, by the contract by the rules and regulations, I could collect them all. Because everybody knew that they are not that they’re out. So let’s say team from Malaysia, the whole Malaysia or Indonesia was so sorry for myself so fucked up. Because all our dream is down, this dream is down everything everybody’s dreams is down. And then suddenly, like, wow, we are back. And there’s that, you know, that?
Andy Swann
Absolutely. That’s the synergy the lifting people up and cooperation and collaboration to make good things happen or to achieve so yeah. So how does that how does that now work with you know, with with the, with the Google X project? As soon as you moon project how, how are you able to kind of manage eyes? Is it a purely it almost feels like your project is designed for humans rather than designed for commercial gain or for any other purpose?
Nebojsa Stanovic
From my personal Yeah, point, it is like that. On the other side, it’s really a very serious, very serious. Don’t judge my project by how I look, we have the you know, the Jim Cantrell, who is the one who created Elon Musk, SpaceX and everything, you know, my team is the best, best best scientists best everything, the one thing that I really wanted to put in is a is let’s put our let’s put, you know, let’s put everything else on top of what we are doing as a business model. That that’s very, very, very important. Because without that we don’t end up like it was a space race before that, you know, is it rational? Or is America who gonna put the flag?
Andy Swann
So So this isn’t about individual companies or individual countries having having a race to achieve actually this is about humans, it’s all
Nebojsa Stanovic
eight continents, but really from all eight continents. That’s our team. The rest of them that they’re really national pride is stupid.
Andy Swann
Yeah, I mean, what why why what what’s the
Nebojsa Stanovic
point? Okay, we doesn’t matter which country you pick the country, I can use the names of the countries because I know which countries are there. Is it India? Or is this one first Indian first Israeli first, you know? Yeah, and me coming from a fairytale. I prefer it when somebody asked me where are you from? I always say I’m from fairytale fairytale. Because, you know, once upon a time used to be a country. That was Yugoslavia. And, and I created you know, if I live in a fairytale, let’s create this fairy tale. And it works.
Andy Swann
Yeah. And then for example, if you know to get a bit existential on you if we are going to expand into space or we’re going to kind of move out into the cosmos and actually we’re we are one yeah, we’re a human race. We’re not individual companies or countries you don’t go okay. This is you know, the USA on this planet. And you actually we are we are one race, we have to start thinking about that if we’re going to achieve anything yeah.
Nebojsa Stanovic
And only like that, and only like that, you know, everybody else is putting that let’s bring this for us you know, America have to take this lead again, this will have to take this lead again. But if you want to go really in a space and colonise, not colonise, but if you want to become multiple planetary species and everything. We have to go there. But you know, what, if there is no some good music, on top of that, fuck, would be so boring. They’re gonna kill each other, you know?
Andy Swann
Absolutely. So, so So tell me Are you hearing here at Music Tech Fest? What What have you seen today that that’s inspired you or giving you something to think about?
Nebojsa Stanovic
That’s a difficult question. That’s a difficult question. Unfortunately, not Andrew or Michela is here to to really extend my gratitude and everything. You know, people like that. It’s the same thing that that I do. They bring people together. from all around the world, to put our brains together and to do things together. And also, one more important important thing is I brought lots of children and lots of unprivileged, you know, unprivileged countries, you know, because they’re so smart. They, you know, they’re smarter than all of us together from Harvard or MIT or whatever I get people from from India, who couldn’t get it anyhow, different, but they’re really, really the smartest. And it’s kids. It’s called space kids India, from Bhutan, from Africa from from all the other countries. I lost my
Andy Swann
way, we were just talking about why it’s fine. Everything’s fine here. It’s amazing. And clearly, you inspire other people. So one of the one of the things when I was reading your, your kind of your kind of write up of yourself for the Music Tech Fest website, you say, Come and come and talk to me. But be be beware, I’ll end up taking you to the moon.
Nebojsa Stanovic
Yes, I, I will take everybody, I mean, not only on the moon, on a moon presence that we can showcase from there. But another thing that I’m also like the strategic partner with a company called space for humanity, with my partners, with my partners, there is a company space for humanity that is, wants to bring people into space, you know that you experience this ball over overview effect. Whichever astronaut ever went there, once you see the planet Earth, you change your mind. And so far, this is only for the rich people, you know, ticket costs from 200,000, up to millions. This is something that that we want to that we want to bring success paid for everybody. The only thing that you have to do is like three minutes video to say, why you want Why would you like to do that. And when you come down to become an ambassador to promote, we are trying to make peace, or actually we are trying to provoke peace, you know, it’s others are trying to provoke war. And to be honest, all of you are very aware that we are living in a fucked up times it can be you know, the the work can be triggered. Cold War is nothing What is happening now. So we are trying to counterbalance that think
Andy Swann
I’m sorry, isn’t a very important, important thing to do for the sake of all of us.
Nebojsa Stanovic
For the sake of all of us, for the sake of for the children and the children of future generation. Because, you know, let’s not fool ourselves. If we don’t do these things, who will?
Andy Swann
Absolutely. And now the bad news is that we’ve run out of time, but I think that’s a really good point to conclude on something for everybody to think about now. Are you around tomorrow? Are you here for the whole weekend? Yeah, fantastic. I think everybody’s going to have questions for you. Everybody’s going to want to know more about what you do. Completely inspiring, hugely entertaining. Thank you so much for sharing time with us. Really appreciate it. Guys, we have a big round of applause, please for now.
Andrew Dubber
The incredible Nebojša Stanojević. And that’s the MTF podcast for another week. Thanks so much for listening. We’re back next week holidays notwithstanding. So you’ll still have something to listen to again between now and new year. And if you’re winding down and having a break, feel free to go back through the archive for more fascinating talks from the MTF, community. Have a great week.
