The Space Frontier Foundation’s NewSpace Business Plan Competition (BPC), which awards seed money, announced today that the first two of five total regional, qualifying competitions for the 2015/2016 competition cycle will be held in New York on October 22, 2015 and Los Angeles on December 3, 2015. The cities will each host a Shark Tank-style event whose winners will advance to the national competition in Seattle. Submissions from the Northeast open September 1, 2015 and November 5, 2015 in the Southwest. Partners of the BPC include the Space Angels Network, OrbitalATK, Heinlein Prize Trust and the Space Finance Group.
NewSpace NYC and LightSpeed Innovations Accelerator are the New York and Los Angeles regional partners, respectively. Applicants may use the Decision Desk platform to submit entries. Northeastern applications are accepted from September 1st, 2015 through October 1st, 2015. The finalist will be announced no later than October 12th, 2015. Applications for the Los Angeles regional competition will be accepted from October 15th, 2015 through November 15th, 2015. The finalist will be announced no later than November 23rd, 2015.
“We’re thrilled that the first two events will be held in New York and Los Angeles – two regions bursting with great talent,” said NewSpace BPC Project Manager, Thomas A. Olson. “By providing a combination of education, investor feedback and seed money, the NewSpace BPC is enabling the rapid growth of the most exciting industry in human history.”
Regional competitions feature a live pitch to competition judges, investors, sponsors and business leaders. Using the NewSpace BPC’s proven scoring rubric, competitors will be judged on the quality of their business plan and the team’s ability to execute. The national competition will be held on July 20, 2016 in Seattle, at the Space Frontier Foundation’s annual NewSpace Conference.
“NewSpace NYC is excited to be hosting the NewSpace Business Plan Regional Competition for the Northeast,” said Khaki Rodway, co-founder of NewSpace NYC. “We look forward to showcasing the talent and exciting startups in the New York area.”
“We are honored to participate in this prominent event and anticipate reviewing some truly innovative ideas that could be key to the space industry’s progress,” said Ellen Chang, managing partner of LightSpeed Innovations.
If you are interested in hosting a regional competition, contact Joel Vinas at joel.vinas@spacefrontier.org. At this time, regional events are only being scheduled in the United States.
About NewSpace Business Plan Competition
Established in 2007 by the Space Frontier Foundation and led by Thomas A. Olson, founding partner of Exodus Consulting Group, the NewSpace Business Plan Competition (BPC) is the premiere space start-up event, connecting entrepreneurs with established industry mentors and resources. Chosen competitors attend a private, two-day, Boot Camp session to prepare for their Shark Tank-style pitch to investors. Companies are judged on their investment potential and cash prizes are awarded to the most promising teams. To become a sponsor or support the BPC please contact Meagan Crawford at Meagan.Crawford@spacefrontier.org. For more information visitwww.NewSpaceBPC.com.
About the Space Frontier Foundation
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. For more information visitwww.spacefrontier.org. Find out more about the annual NewSpace conference atwww.Newspace.Spacefrontier.org.
