Bas Lansdorp (1977) has never been one to let bold ventures intimidate him. A born entrepreneur, he sees potential and opportunity when others shy away. He utilizes an articulate vision and genuine enthusiasm coupled with infectious powers of persuasion to get his point across. These attributes have allowed him to easily reach out to the heavyweight aerospace companies, experts and researchers to get – and hold – their attention. Organizing a manned mission to Mars has been Bas’ dream for many years. Before starting Mars One, he was the co-founder of Ampyx Power. Despite the success of Ampyx Power, he decided to leave when someone gave him the idea that merged all the pieces of the Mars dream together: a mission to Mars can be financed by building it into a global media spectacle. After all, who would be able to look away from an adventure such as this one? Who wouldn’t be compelled to watch, talk about, get involved in the biggest undertaking mankind has ever made? The entire world will be able to follow this giant leap from the start; from the very first astronaut selections to the established, independent village years later. The media focus that comes with the public’s attention opens pathways to sponsors and investors. Bas has been working on Mars One with partner Arno Wielders since January of 2011: “Our plan to go to Mars has evolved quite a bit since we started. Right now, just about everyone we speak to is amazed by how realistic we have kept it. The next step is introducing the project to the world and securing sponsors and investors.”