Former Disney Star Bridgit Mendler Launching Satellite Startup Company

Good Luck Charlie and Wizards of Waverly Place star Bridgit Mendler is taking things to the next level — literally. On Monday, it was announced that Mendler is launching a satellite data startup, Northwood Space, that Mendler describes as a "data highway between Earth and space." Mendler serves as CEO of the new company which is seeking to mass produce ground stations that connect to satellites in space.

"Space is getting easier along so many different dimensions but still the actual exercise of sending data to and from space is difficult," Mendler said (via Deadline). "You have difficulty finding an access point for contacting your satellite."

Mendler explained that she got the idea during the pandemic when she was spending time with family in New Hampshire.

"While everybody else was making their sourdough starters, we were building antennas out of random crap we could find at Home Depot … and receiving data from [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] satellites," she said. "For me, why the ground-side matters is because it actually is about bringing the impacts of space home to people."

While Mendler is known for her role as Teddy Duncan on Good Luck Charlie and Juliet van Heusen in Wizards of Waverly Place, she's had a widely varied career. Mendler has also released music, with her debut album, "Hello, My Name is…" released in 2012. She also studied at MIT and Harvard Law.

A Wizards of Waverly Place Sequel is In the Works

It was recently announced that Wizards of Waverly Place is getting a sequel at Disney. The pilot, executively produced by stars Selena Gomez and David Henrie, picks up with Justin who has turned in his powers for a more normal life with his wife and two sons. However, once something goes mysteriously awry at WizTech, a young and powerful wizard named Billie (Janice LeAnn Brown) shows up at his door in need of training Justin must then embrace his past in order to save all of Wizard World.

Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas who are behind the That's so Raven spinoff, Raven's Home, are penning and executively producing the series alongside Gomez, Henrie, Gary Marsh (Descendants: The Rise of Red) and Andy Fickman (Race to Witch Mountain).

(Photo by Donna Ward/Getty Images)