As I mentioned in my previous post about InVision, I’m reviewing various startup companies that have been in the news to see if I can identify the themes in a given business’s birth chart. I’m not making any judgments about what is true or what is false, just looking at the archetypal patterns that show up in the chart to see if they line up with the publicity that the company they happen to be receiving. I’m conducting this exercise as a proof of concept. Astrology is an archetypal study of planetary cycles. It is a representation of the energetic themes into which an individual or entity is born. By tracking these symbolic patterns over time, you can better understand the major themes an individual or entity might encounter.

I’m maintaining anonymity for the subject of this company analysis, lest that information distract our focus. You may be able to identify them based on the description, but I will not specify. This company is a fund management platform that has been embroiled in a few lawsuits filed by employees for misconduct. Most recently, it was also called out by a customer claiming their private information had been used underhandedly. The company has denied any wrongdoing by the former employees. They have also claimed the mishandling of their customer’s data was a one-off mistake and not normal practice. They have since decided to discontinue a part of their business that contributed to the data breach identified by this customer.

Reading Our Subject’s Chart: Major Themes

At a high level, the company’s natal planets are more weighted toward the 1st quadrant and the air element. The symbolic characteristics describe well a technology platform in the cloud that provides startups with the data and resources needed for equity management. Closely aligned with how it is described in the press, this chart emphasis also suggests the company is self-driven, defensive, and experiencing an identity crisis.

I notice the Gemini Moon at the top of the chart near the Midheaven, eager to distribute information to the market with a tendency to become too scattered by the variety of its interests. It is opposing the company’s natal Saturn in Sagittarius near the IC at the bottom of the chart. There is a projection of intelligence and confidence that hides vulnerabilities around restrictions of its desire for market expansion. Saturn is the ruler of the company’s south node so this is a theme that they are developing.

Chiron in Pisces conjunct the Descendent is forming what you would call a T-Square with the Saturn and Moon Opposition. It’s descriptive of how the breach of trust with its customers impacted the ambitions of the company; the need to expand in ways that made them vulnerable to missteps like this one. This is a serious scar for the company, something they will only recover from if they do the in-depth work of getting clear about their values. What do they want to stand for? Do they want to continue down this path that is not working or do they want to transcend to become a role model for other businesses? The North Node in Leo in the 11th house suggests the latter, but only if they do some work on earning back the trust they’ve lost during this breach (The Sun in Scorpio in the 2nd house and the ruler of the North Node, squares the Nodes). Oftentimes, the Sun squaring the Nodes suggests ego work, whereas the Sun in Scorpio in the 2nd house relates to the company’s core values and financial power.

The ruler of their Ascendent and their Midheaven, Mercury, is in Sagittarius in the 3rd house. Mercury could be considered strong in the 3rd house — which relates to communication — but it’s weak in the sign of its detriment. If I were to advise the company, I would suggest they should give extra prioritization to being careful about their overall communication. Mercury in Sagittarius can be blunt and abrasive in its approach. This type of communication may be welcomed by some, but it does not serve their best interests when trying to appeal to a larger more diverse community. It does more harm than good. This is verified in the reactions to the communications that have been delivered by the CEO. The CEO has complained about the press and some of these complaints might be true, but he should also pay attention to the reactions from his customers. If you are getting the same feedback from multiple sources, that should alert you that the problem may be self-inflicted.

Venus would be considered strong in the 2nd house in the sign of its ruler and trine to the Moon on the Midheaven, but it’s also on an anorectic degree typically referred to as a world point (more likely to be in the news). This degree and sign means there will be a crisis in relationships which is what we’ve seen play out according to public perception (trine the moon on the midheaven). It’s also conjunct Jupiter in the sign of its detriment which is a repeat signature, symbolic of a desire to grow at all costs. Venus is opposing a retrograde Uranus in Aries in the 8th house, implying some volatility and change around other people’s resources vs. their own. Libra rules the 2nd house, characteristic of a company earning money through relationships. Hence, the decision the company made to prioritize their customers’ trust over their desire to expand was an important one. Will this move repair the damage that has been done? That remains to be seen, but they most certainly made the right decision to discontinue that line of business.

Before looking at current transits, I also want to point out that the company has an unaspected Mars in Libra in the first house. What stands out first of all is that Mars is in its sign of detriment, which is not a comfortable place for Mars to be. Mars symbolizes our instinctual drive and the first house is also about self-identity. Mars isolated there in the sign of relationships means this is an area that the company needs to develop. Even though the company is dealing with multiple controversies, it now has an opportunity to review its core values and make more conscious choices. If they learn from these lessons rather than placing blame externally, they are more likely to succeed in the long term.

Drilling Down: Navigating Key Interactions

I looked at two event charts: the day the most recent employee who filed a lawsuit was placed on leave and the day their customer made a public announcement about the mishandling of their data. I’m going to highlight just a few notable aspects.

The day they put the employee on leave, Mars was on the company’s Midheaven. Mars can be a destructive force. It is considered a Malefic by traditional astrologers. It rules the company’s 8th house (other people’s resources), and on the Midheaven conjunct with the company’s Moon, it trines the company’s Venus in Libra in the 2nd house (earned income). This move put the company in a vulnerable position. At the time, Saturn was conjunct with the company’s South Node symbolic of their past actions coming up for review. The transiting North Node was conjunct transiting Uranus in the company’s 8th house while the South Node was conjunct with the company’s natal Sun in the 2nd house. Perhaps this event signals a radical shift in how the company has been operating and toward a future confrontation having to defend its core values. Neptune was also applying to a conjunction of the company’s natal Chiron. Neptune sometimes adds a veil to wherever it’s transiting so it’s important to take a step back during these transits to make sure one is seeing clearly. This alignment suggests that there is not a clear understanding of how their present actions may cause damage in the future. One of the complaints this employee had was about improper use of data.

When their customer made a public announcement of the improper use of their data, transiting Jupiter had just gone direct in the 8th house of other people’s resources and was applying to an opposition to the company’s natal Jupiter. Oppositions often surface through external interactions, revealing internal tensions. In this instance, a customer’s direct challenge served as a litmus test for the company’s core values. Is the company’s desire to expand its resources in conflict with its core client’s interests? The transiting nodes were traveling in the company’s 1st/7th house axis squaring its natal Pluto. The transiting Sun was also forming a conjunction with natal Pluto. This aspect highlights the intense inward struggle the company’s leaders must have faced when hearing this complaint from one of their customers. Especially in such a public manner. You can see that this transformative event pointed them toward the decision to prioritize customer trust with transiting North Node in the 7th house of relationships.

It is the customer who determines whether a company continues to thrive or is eaten up by a competitor. Companies who lose sight of this dig an early grave. What happens in the company’s future remains to be seen but I will keep them on my radar.

Did I miss something important? If you are an astrologer, I’d love to hear your feedback.