We regret to announce that due to a lack of qualified contestants at this time, we must cancel the NewSpace Chicago Business Plan competition this March. We are evaluating possible alternatives for rescheduling the event for later this year. Please stay tuned for further announcements.
(Updated 3/4/2016)
We are very pleased to announce the NewSpace Chicago Business Plan Competition for space-related and space-scalable business start-ups, to be held on Wednesday, March 16, beginning at 9am. The event will be held at 1871, in the Merchandise Mart. Business plan submissions will be accepted from February 2 until March 9. Contestants will compete in a “shark-tank” style event, each having 15 minutes to present their business plan and answer questions before a panel of judges. The winner of the NewSpace Chicago BPC will receive a $3,000 cash prize and a guaranteed place in the national NewSpace BPC, to be held in Seattle on June 23, 2016.
The company should have technologies or products that advance the NewSpace movement. These would include the following general areas:
- Entrepreneurial space: Those firms directly involved in launch systems hardware technology and supporting infrastructure, including data acquisition, communications, exotic fuels, space suits, flight safety, in-space market activities, etc.
- Space-related: Process engineering, power systems, bioregenerative systems, tourism, media, software, and other supportive solutions.
- Space-scalable™: Technologies primarily developed to solve problems here on Earth for commercial benefit and profit, but are also scalable to solve key long range space problems when the demand ultimately exists, to help make the settlement of the space frontier a reality. This could include biotechnology, nanotechnology, medicine, radiation mitigation, smart materials, alternative energy, or next-gen IT hardware, among many other possibilities.
This event is organized by NewSpace Chicago in partnership with the Space Frontier Foundation, Heinlein Prize Trust, and Orbital Transports, LLC. The competition in Chicago is the regional qualifying event for the national NewSpace Business Plan Competition organized by the Space Frontier Foundation. The national BPC will select the winners from among contestants from Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Chattanooga and Colorado Springs.
Date: Wednesday, March 16
Time: 9:00 — 12:00
Location: 1871 Chicago
222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza, 12th floor, Chicago, IL
For more information, please see the official page on the NewSpace Chicago web site.
All entries must be submitted through the Decision Desk software. Apply here.