IN THIS ISSUE:
Welcome to the relaunch!
A new donor and Board member
What we’ve been doing
        –  Tom and Lisa @ ISDC
        –  Restructuring upgrading the website (ongoing)
        –  Working on new initiatives
        –  New white paper on the site!
Initiative #1:  Launch of Space Micro-Grants
Initiative #2:  Launch of new Podcast – “The Unknown Quantity”
Initiative #3 – TBA this coming October

Hello everyone!

It’s been ages since we’ve spoken last.  But after all this time, I have a lot to share, including a very important event happening TONIGHT, so stick with me. 

Since late last fall, we have been busy rebuilding The Center from the Covid and post-Covid downturn. We have new donors, and some new initiatives in 2024 that we are thrilled to talk about.  So welcome to the relaunch!

1. Our newest board member!

We are very proud to welcome Bob Werb to our Board. A very successful commercial real estate investor and broker, he has also been a huge space enthusiast, co-founding the Space Frontier Foundation in 1988, and also Board Chair of that great advocacy organization for many years.  He has made a significant contribution to support the Center’s new initiatives, and is also willing to match the next $200,000 donor dollars we bring in! More on that below.

2. What’s been happening

To begin with I’ve been to two conferences already, this year, promoting The Center’s new initiatives and making new connections.  The first was an academic event in Huntsville, AL, where the theme was, of course, Space Business and Finance.  This was the first conference of this kind at UA-Huntsville, “The house that Von Braun built.”  The crowd was small but excited, and I’ve never seen so many Ph.D’s in the room at one time.  They’re going to do it again next year, and I am hoping to get a chance to speak.

The second conference was the International Space Development Conference (ISDC) a long-time staple of the National Space Society, held near LAX over Memorial Day weekend. Over 600 were in attendance, with a lot of great tracks to learn from.  

I myself, along with our new CSCF Advisor, Lisa LaBonte, hosted a panel on “The Future of Space Investment”, where for 2 hours panelists (Lisa LaBonte, Rich Godwin, Ellen Chang, Hoyt Davidson and myself) regaled the capacity crowd with our own unique visions of what the Next Big Thing might look like 20 or so years from now. (The only rule I gave them is that they could NOT mention launch or satellites – those are the Current Big Thing.)  It was a fun time.

If you go to the “Whitepapers” page on our site, you will see we have posted a new one, the first in quite some time. It’s a tale of the history of the Center, and where we are going. While my name is on it, the real credit goes to Jeff Krukin for crafting it and doing most of the heavy lifting. Great job, Jeff!

Website:  We have been undergoing a lot of rebuilding of CSCF.space, to reflect our new ideas and current/future initiatives. This is still ongoing, but check it out. 

3. We have launched two new initiatives, one a couple weeks back, and a second one that launches… TONIGHT:

a.  Space Micro-Grants

Inspired by the Awesome Foundation, we have launched our own offering of “Space Micro-Grants”, where, on a monthly basis, we will award $1000 to in-the-garage space/related/scalable startups. No strings, and you can use the cash however you like. When you have something that is still mostly an idea in your head, $1000 can do a lot of things, from office supplies, to hiring a web developer, or simply being able to afford to take a few days off work to write and polish your business proposal.  Applying is easy, just go to either link below and fill out a simple form:

https://spacemicrofund.com

https://cscf.space/space-micro-fund

We’ll be announcing the first winner on or before August 27th.

If, on the other hand, you would like to help Sponsor a micro-grant, there is a “Donate” button at the bottom of either page. Your patronage will be greatly appreciated, and we’ll put your name in lights (or not, if you prefer a low profile!)

b.  A new podcast!

There hasn’t been a new podcast from us since 2020. Tonight that changes, with the launch of something we call “The Unknown Quantity”

This inaugural effort will include:
  The Center’s new look and activities
  A discussion of Space Micro grants, with a special guest, Emmett Spurlock of ZC Institute
  A recent paper released by investment firm SpaceFund indicates that the space sector, in the investment world, seems not to be subject to the ups and downs of all other sectors. From 2005 – 2022, the space sector appears to be relatively steady, with significant growth, despite Black Swan events that we experienced in 2008-9 and 2020-21.  We will be talking to the author of that study, Meagan Crawford of SpaceFund, along with Michael Mealling of Starbridge Capital.  

Here’s the link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbFd187S650
We start the show at 8PM Eastern – hope to see you there!

(We have a third initiative coming in October, but we’re keeping a lid on that until then.  It’s not long from now, so stay tuned. It will be a game changer.)

4. [NOTE:  The original version of this included mention of our running the Sharks in Space event again, this November. However certain logistics and sponsorship issues forced its cancellation.  But we’ll certainly let you know the next time we do a BPC!]

You’re going to be hearing a lot more from us going forward. Thanks, as always, for your support and continued interest!

And you can always help support the Center’s initiatives by making your tax-deductible donation here.

Al the best,
Thomas Andrew Olson
Board Chair/Exec. Dir.
tao@cscf.space