12/13/2025
Dear Supporters,
As we look toward a future defined by possibility, I am proud to share the progress the Center for Space Commerce and Finance (CSCF) achieved in 2025, and the bold steps we are preparing for 2026. Our work exists for one reason: to accelerate the growth of the NewSpace economy so that humanity may industrialize, explore, and ultimately settle space. Every program, every event, and every partnership we cultivate is designed to bring that frontier closer to reality.
A Year of Momentum and Milestones
2025 was a transformational year for CSCF.
Our podcast, The Unknown Quantity, surpassed 65 episodes since its launch in October 2024, reaching a growing global audience eager for insight into the future of space commerce.
At the International Space Development Conference (ISDC) in Orlando, we delivered our first live two-hour podcast to an enthusiastic studio audience and hosted a full-day Business Track that remained standing-room only. The feedback was extraordinary and affirmed the relevance of The Center’s work in bridging innovators, investors, and policy thinkers.
We also unveiled a new funding direction—a digital product initiative designed to provide startups and founders with tools for fundraising, planning, and operational success. After completing a dedicated week-long training program, we launched our first product and expect to release three more by the end of Q1 2025.
Internationally, CSCF took center stage at the Space Generation Congress and the International Astronautical Congress in Sydney. Our SGC “Elevator Pitch” event drew nearly all 160 delegates, with organizers calling it “one of the most exciting things they had ever seen at an SGC.” At IAC, our leadership contributed to a high-level panel on the future lunar economy, raising foundational questions about property rights that framed the entire discussion.
And our long-term impact continues to grow:
Since 2009, the NewSpace Business Plan Competition (BPC) has introduced a total 98 space startups to the world and has helped over one-third secure funding, often above and beyond the sponsored prize awards, now totalling over $400,000—a performance that rivals many angel groups and early-stage VC networks.
A Mission-Driven Catalyst for the Space Economy
CSCF is more than an event organizer or education provider. We are a nonprofit catalyst, offering structured pathways—BPC, the Space Investment Summit, and the Space Micro Fund—that transform ambitious concepts into investable ventures. We connect entrepreneurs with capital, investors with clarity, and the entire ecosystem with momentum.
Looking Ahead to 2026
The coming year promises to be our most impactful yet:
- Expand our podcast with new content and a broader global audience.
- Hosting at ISDC another live podcast, a mainstage panel discussion of entrepreneurship and investment, and another full-day Business Track
- Return to Turkey to deliver the SGC pitch event and a Space Investment Summit between conference sessions.
- Develop a special event for Asteroid Day in Luxembourg.
- Pursuing MAJOR BPC prize funding for breakthrough solutions in space-based solar power and orbiting data centers.
- Launch our 2026 internship program, with applications opening early next year.
These initiatives position CSCF at the center of the world’s most transformative industry.
Your Support Makes This Future Possible
As a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit, our work is powered by vision—but sustained by people like you. Your contribution ensures that entrepreneurs gain access to mentorship, capital, and opportunity; that investors gain clear and curated pathways into the NewSpace economy; and that the world benefits from the innovations that follow.
This is not just funding an organization.
It is fueling the future.
We invite you to join us with a year-end gift that enables CSCF to continue advancing humanity’s expansion into space.
With deep appreciation and an eye toward the horizon,
Thomas Andrew Olson
Board Chair
Center for Space Commerce and Finance
cscf.space