Who was the astronaut that piloted the first manned space flight

Apollo 7, and today owns a company that provides money to

companies to develop new technologies?

A Human

Explanation:

Only a human can do that.

Schirra

Explanation:

Schirra also commanded Apollo 7, the first manned Apollo flight. During that 11-day flight in Earth orbit in 1968, he and fellow crewmembers Walt Cunningham and Donn Eisele tested the Apollo systems and proved it was ready to take astronauts to the moon.