The Entrepreneurial Space Environment

The aerospace industry is fertile ground for the creation and development of aerospace companies. The unique requirements of spaceflight make the entrepreneurial environment unlike that of any other industry. Click on the tabs on the right for details.

The aerospace industry is traditionally viewed in terms of large space companies. Entrepreneurial space companies, and their associated workforce, play a major role as incubators for new technologies and workforce development in support of our national and commercial aerospace agendas.

Prior to eSpace, there has been no national resource forwarding entrepreneurial space companies. It has been an opportunity missed as small space companies are innovation, economic, and workforce engines that are not only changing how we get to space, making it more affordable and accessible, but are also providing technologies to improve life here on earth. eSpace brings together three powerful players - government, industry and academia - to bring structure and intent to the creation and development of these companies.

Resources Provided by the eSpace Incubator Can Include:

 [+] Partnership with an established aerospace business leader as a venture mentor;
 [+] Access to eSpace's extensive network of aerospace leaders, including high-level executives in small, medium, and large aerospace companies; government funding agencies; and aerospace angel and equity financing resources;
 [+] Physical space and resources at the eSpace Incubator location including office space, IT backbone, phones, meeting rooms, etc.;
 [+] Access to aerospace infrastructure on an at-cost, non-interference basis including quality systems, manufacturing systems, clean rooms and test facilities; and
 [+] CU Aerospace undergraduate and graduate students as a low-cost research and design workforce.

What is the Return to the Center for Providing this Support?

Our vision is to create a thriving community of entrepreneurial space companies, powered by a diverse and passionate workforce, which contributes mightily to our nation's utilization of space and commercialization of technologies that derive from space. As such, a primary reward for the Center is the successful creation of these companies and the workforce that supports them.

But beyond that, as with any entrepreneurial company, we believe that the best measure of our organization's success is its ability to thrive as a self-sustaining entity. It is important that our mission be accomplished in a way that allows eSpace to thrive and broaden its impact. As eSpace catalyzes the success of participating companies, we expect that a portion of the value created will be "paid forward" through a contribution to eSpace thereby allowing eSpace to continue and broaden its ability to support future ventures.

As a non-profit organization, eSpace does not contractually require the ventures we support to provide payment for our support. We do, however, work closely with the venture to identify the appreciation in venture value as a result of eSpace Incubator participation, with a recommendation that 5% of the value increase be contributed to eSpace to enable support of future ventures. In addition, if a venture mentor is engaged, the relationship is grounded in a small monthly retainer that is paid by the venture directly to the mentor to support accountability within the mentor-venture relationship.

Elements of the partnership are carefully crafted on a case-by-case basis for each venture that is invited to be a participant in the eSpace Incubator.

CLICK HERE to apply to the eSpace Incubator.
CLICK HERE to view the candidate review process.