We’ve recently finalized some exciting changes to the NewSpace 2013 BPC, with the result that this year we’ll be doing things a little bit differently.

We can now announce our major prizes for BPC 2013:

•    $100,000 Grand Prize from NASA’s Emerging Commercial Space Office
•    $25,000 2nd prize from ATK
•    $5,000 3rd prize from NASA/ECSO
•    For the first time, a $5,000 Market Sector prize from ATK, for the best entry in the area of on-orbit servicing
•    $135,000 in total prize money is the largest amount we’ve ever had.  Prize money of this level rivals prestigious competitions in other market sectors

•    Since the grant funding for this year was finalized only a few short days ago,  we have opted to hold the competition as a stand-alone event in October, instead of at the NewSpace 2013 conference in July.  The event will still be held in Silicon Valley, at a venue TBD
•    While a stand-alone event provides its own unique challenges, it also offers special opportunities for outreach and networking in the capital funding markets. Moving to an October date will also give us the opportunity to recruit more judges, participants, and investors that, perhaps, are outside our current network, serving to grow not only the Competition, but also interest in the Foundation. We set a certain bar in 2012, and we wanted to ensure that this bar was met and exceeded, so as to do our best for the Foundation, our Sponsors, and the Participants.
•    We also hope that using a unique venue this year will allow us to focus more media attention on the event as well as garner interest from students and investors from a business perspective, as well as a NewSpace perspective.
•    As a result of this change, the application deadline has been moved to Aug 15th to allow us more time to recruit a wide array of participants.

Stay tuned for a major press release in the coming days with further details.

Nyack, NY March 26, 2013 — The Space Frontier Foundation today opened applications and announced the schedule for 2013 NewSpace Business Plan Competition.

Applications and Executive Summaries can be submitted from now through May 29^th.   On June 15^th we will be notifying the finalists and they will have until July 12^th to submit their full business plans.  Boot Camp for finalists begins July 24^th, and the competition will be held at the NewSpace Conference July 25-27 in Silicon Valley.

“Having a great idea is wonderful.  Being able to bring it to fruition is the really important part.  The NewSpace Business Plan Competition helps entrepreneurs focus not only on the next innovation to enable the Frontier, but the process, or business plan, through which you’ll achieve your goal,” said Rick Sanford, President of SpaceGroundAmalgam and winner in 2012 of the $100,000 first prize.  “Winning the competition bootstrapped our great idea to the next level.  Beyond the marketing value, it’s engendered business partnerships, discussions with investors and an umbrella Space Act Agreement, in process, with NASA.”

Mr. Sanford elaborated, “The entire program is efficacious and professional.  The Space Frontier Foundation has devised a unique, highly challenging, set of requirements that must be met for the initial submission.  Making the first cut, being assigned a mentor and receiving the invitation to attend Boot Camp is where the real value begins.”

Even for those who don’t win, the Competition and Conference can be a lucrative networking opportunity.  There are numerous investors and customers among the coaches, judges and audience who every finalist has ample opportunity to impress.

This year we are pleased to welcome ATK as a Sponsor of the NewSpace Business Plan Competition.  In addition to overall sponsorship and prize money, ATK is funding another Market Sector Prize for a business plan dealing with on-orbit servicing.  More information about the process and judging of this special prize will be released later this spring.  For now, rules and detailed information about the 2013 NewSpace Business Plan Competition can be found at newspace.spacefrontier.org/BPCrules and competitors can submit their Executive Summary, along with the $50 application fee at

http://www.decisiondesk.com/clients/newspacebpc2013/apply/flexform/1/

Jonathan Goff, President and CEO of Altius Space Machines who won the $25,000 first prize in 2011 summed it up by saying, “The opportunity to compete, the coaching, feedback, and lessons learned were in many ways more valuable than the actual prize. I think this prize competition is a great opportunity that requires competitors to really sharpen their story, listen to and internalize feedback from others, and hopefully step outside of their echo chambers a bit. It was worth every minute.”

While the day-and-a-half Business Plan Boot Camp is held behind closed doors, the final competition itself is held in front of the audience attending the NewSpace 2013 conference.  Anyone interested in hearing the pitches of some of the most intriguing companies that are transforming the future of human civilization should register to attend NewSpace 2013.

This Competition is seeking entries from seed, startup, or early-growth firms from the following fields:

Entrepreneurial space: Those firms directly involved in launch systems hardware technology and supporting infrastructure, including data acquisition, communications, exotic fuels, space suits, flight safety, 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, mining tech, medicine, radiation mitigation, smart materials, alternative energy, or next-gen IT hardware, among many other possibilities.

Irrespective of niche, applicants must be able to explain why their product or service helps with the economic development of space.

This Competition wishes to assist and showcase new startup and expanding firms who can demonstrate both the ability to make money and contribute to the commercial development of space, advancing the NewSpace movement.

Key dates:

May 29, 2013    5:00 PM PDT    Deadline to submit Executive Summary
June 15, 2013    5:00 PM PDT    BPC2013 announces Teams that are invited to compete
July 12, 2013        5:00 PM PDT    Invited Teams will confirm participation by submitting their full written business plan
July 24, 2013        11:00 AM PST        Teams arrive at NewSpace 2013 Conference Hotel, for registration and Boot Camp (Boot Camp begins 1PM July 24th, and runs all day July 25th)
July 26, 2013        9:30 AM PST        NASA/NewSpace2012 Business Plan Competition
July 27, 2013        6:00-9:00 PM PST    Awards Gala, Business Plan Competition winners announced

NewSpace 2013 is a single-track conference focusing on entrepreneurial space activities. Sessions are intended not only to provide interesting presentations, but also to generate lively discussions among NewSpace entrepreneurs, established space industry leaders, NASA & military space experts, regulators, space policy advocates, the investment community, and anyone else who wants to ensure humanity has a bright and abundant future in the space frontier.