Last week, I flew out to Boston for Space Investment Summit 7 hosted at the Hynes Convention Center where over 120 entrepreneurs, investors, and space professionals gathered for a day of high level networking, business plan presentations, and panels.  62MileClub has been a proud sponsor of the past several summits and this summit.

Commercial space markets panel at SIS 7

Commercial space markets panel at SIS 7

Some facts &  take-aways

  • Total attendance: 126 including over 3 dozen accredited investors
  • Entrepreneurs might want to consider near term revenue opportunities to entice investment rather than solely relying on the pot at the end of the rainbow.
  • Interest in pursuing space related entrepreneurship increasing  but good investors prefer quality business plans over quantity.
  • There has been success in public private partnerships (Mod & COTS).
  • NASA has transitioned at least one program to the private sector (Ad Astra’s Vasimr technology).
  • U.S.A must continue to have some type of manned space program because to “extend human civilization beyond Earth and that this will fist occur on Mars” (Jeff Greason, member of Presidential appointed Augustine Commission).
  • Investing in industry is occurring but has slowed down to economic environment.

Jeff Greason's time on the Augustine Commission

Jeff Greason's time on the Augustine Commission

Post media coverage
·         Wall Street Journal
·         Associated Press
·         WBZ News Radio Radio interview with Tom Kennedy and Kevin J. O’Connell
·         Boston Globe
·         Technology Review
·         New Scientist
·         The Space Review
·         Space Politics

Although I’ve participated in several of these summits, I still each of these summits especially valuable in learning about issues surrounding the commercialization of  space. Archived slides from presentations and videos will be available on the Space Investment Summit website at some point in the coming weeks.

Consider joining us at Space Investment Summit 8 on May 26, 2010 in Chicago, IL. The summit will be followed by National Space Society’s International Space Development Conference.