Second Annual Roundtable on Value and Benefit Creation in Commercial Space Held in Washington, DC

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

On September 6, 2017, Secure World Foundation (SWF), Reed Smith LLP, and the Heinlein Prize Trust held a small, invite-only Roundtable on Value and Benefit Creation in Commercial Space at the Washington, DC offices of Reed Smith. The event was structured as an interactive investor and industry actor discussion of how developments in commercial space are creating and sustaining value and benefit beyond the start-up, angel and venture capital phases, with a focus on how value and benefit from non-traditional commercial space activities are identified, described, and communicated. The event was a follow-up to the Roundtable on Value Creation in Commercial Space, held in New York City in October 2016.

The Roundtable brought together a cross section of space industry representatives, including both service and hardware providers, as well as investors from various stages of the funding cycle including angel investors, venture capital firms, and institutional investors. During the day, three “Discussions” were held, each focusing on a thematic topic. Each Discussion began with short presentations from invited speakers; followed by a moderated dialogue between all attendees and participants which aimed to identify the questions, challenges, and opportunities surrounding efforts to create and sustain commercial ventures and value in each area.

Themes discussed during the Roundtable included: the changing nature of competition; the role of government as a customer; alternative structures for financial models to support sustaining commercial space investment; the structure and nature of the emerging in-space economy; and the perception of risk in commercial space ventures. A summary report will be published by SWF in the near future. For more information, please contact SWF Project Manager Mr. Ian Christensen or SWF Executive Director Dr. Michael Simpson.