WASHINGTON, DC – July 2, 2007 – The deadline to enter The Space Frontier Foundation’s annual Business Plan Competition has been extended to July 16. The competition is open to early stage companies with technologies or products that advance the goal of developing an enduring human presence in space. It will be held at NewSpace 2007, the foundation’s annual conference.

http://www.space-frontier.org/Events/NewSpace2007/

The Business Plan Competition includes a private one-day Boot Camp for entrepreneurs on Thursday July 19. The competition will take place Friday morning July 20.

Last year’s prize was $2000 cash. This year’s competition will have two winners, one for the audience favorite and the other based on scoring by a panel of venture capital, angel investing and legal experts.

Thursday July 19th Boot Camp Curriculum

8 – 10 AM – First dry run. Each company will give a pitch in private to a panel of judges. Companies will be given feedback on what to rework in the pitch.

10 AM – 5 PM Sessions for all companies.

Sponsorship

Bryan Lilley – review of major space sponsorships deals and how to present to sponsors.

Press & PR

Jim Asker, Editor in Chief Aviation Week & Space Technology – How to pitch press stories and write press releases.

Government Proposals

Ken Davidian, NASA Centennial Challenges Office – Small Business Innovative Research programs and other sources of government funding.

Business Plan writing

Shubber Ali – How to draft the written business plan from someone who’s done it before.

All companies who wish to participate in Friday’s business plan competition must attend Boot Camp. By the end of the day Thursday, participating companies may submit a one-page summary. The summaries will be printed, bound and distributed to all investors in attendance, as well as some others not at the event.

Each company will give its pitch at Dress Rehearsal, the final event of Boot Camp. The top companies selected will give five-to-eight minute pitches in the competition on Friday July 20 beginning at 10 AM. All remaining companies will give a one-minute pitch to the audience.

SEC-accredited investors and their representatives will judge the Business Plan Competition based on the one-page summary and five-to-eight minute pitch. Judges this year include:

  • Mohanjit Jolly – Partner, Draper Fisher Jurveston
  • Andrew Nelson – Angel Investor, Boston Harbor Angels
  • Guillermo Söhnlein – Managing Director, Space Angels Network
  • Lee Valentine – Angel Investor
  • Dr. Burton Lee – Partner, Innovarium Ventures
  • Shubber Ali – Entrepreneur

The fee is $200 for the program. Be sure to check “business plan competition” when registering, and send an executive summary to businessplans@space-frontier.org by July 16. To register please visit:

https://www.space-frontier.org/Events/NewSpace2007/

The Space Frontier Foundation is an organization of people dedicated to opening the Space Frontier to human settlement as rapidly as possible. Our goals include protecting the Earth’s fragile biosphere and creating a freer and more prosperous life for each generation by using the unlimited energy and material resources of space. Our purpose is to unleash the power of free enterprise and lead a united humanity permanently into the Solar System.