Canadian Space Commerce Association – An Industry Group to Promote and Support Canadian Businesses

The

Accelerating

Space

Conference

Hosted By

The Canadian Space Commerce Association

Toronto

January 26, 2008

The Canadian Space Commerce Association (http://spacecommerce.ca/) is hosting a conference in order to discuss a new idea for the entrepreneurial space industry (scroll down for description below).

The venue is the MaRS Discovery District, at 101 College Street, room CR-2AB. A map on Google displays the location along with some nearby hotels if you need accommodations.

Business attire is mandatory.

A Space Business Accelerator

The concept is based around the idea of a business accelerator (originated by The Foundry in California for the medical technologies industry), which is for-profit company that becomes a temporary management team for new start-ups that the accelerator accepts as clients, provides some seed-funding, develops the business plan and mentors the entrepreneur to additional rounds of funding, while teaching the entrepreneur the necessary skills to lead the start-up to success. These accelerators apparently have a 85-90% success rate. We at the CSCA believe this is exactly what the entrepreneurial space industry needs to foster new commercial space efforts, so we are looking to provide a forum to discuss its creation.

An International Space Business Accelerator would be funded by angels and VCs, and have a roster of experts from the business and academic worlds. In exchange for equity in the new start-up, the accelerator’s roster of experts would decide which start-ups to join as a temporary management team for the 1 to 2 year mentorship phase. One person could be the CFO for several clients, for instance, since most start-ups wouldn’t need full-time CFOs to begin with.

At the Accelerating Space Conference we’re gathering investors, entrepreneurial-minded academics, and business people with a successful career in management and/or finance in order to discuss the creation of an International Space Business Accelerator.

Schedule

• 1pm-1:15pm – Introduction and Information – R. Persaud, Meeting Chair. Brian Feeney introducing the Keynote speaker.

• 1:15pm-1:45pm – Keynote Address – Dr. Robert Richards, Odyssey Moon (Google Lunar X-Prize team).

• 1:45-1:50 – Brief Break

• 1:50 – 2:30 – Speaker: Dr. Burton Lee – Space Angels Network; discussing angel financing. R. Persaud introducing.

• 2:30-3:15 – Networking Session – brought to you by AstroKeys Inc.

• 3:15 – 3:55 – Speaker: Peter Evans, MaRS Discovery District — business incubators and building management teams. A. Sokoloff introducing.

• 3:55-4:00 – Brief Break

• 4pm – 5pm – Discussion: The Space Business Accelerator.

• 5pm – 7pm — Break for dinner (meet for Wine & Appetizers at Scallywags) – Networking Session brought to you by Blue Expansion Inc.

• 7pm – 8pm — CSCA annual general meeting (Scallywags)

• 8pm onwards — AGM and conference formally closes; socializing and networking as you like.

Sponsors

AstroKeys, Inc. – Silver Sponsor

Blue Expansion – Silver Sponsor

Chuck Black – Silver Sponsor

Optech Incorporated – Bronze Sponsor

Continuum Aerospace, Inc. – Bronze Sponsor

The International Space School Alumni Association – Bronze Sponsor

Columbiad Launch Services Inc. – Bronze Sponsor

Heliocentric Technologies Inc. – Bronze Sponsor

Conference Attendance:

Student Rates: