FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 10/27/15
Kepler Communications Wins NewSpace Business Competition in Manhattan
The NewSpace BPC winners from Kepler Communications: Jeffrey Osborne (left) and Wen Cheng Chong (right).
NEW YORK, Oct. 27, 2015 - NewSpace NYC, a space exploration accelerator based in New York City, announced today that Kepler Communications, a space startup in Toronto, Canada, landed first place in the Space Frontier Foundation’s Northeast Regional NewSpace Business Plan Competition (BPC) that took place Oct. 22 in the Columbia Startup Lab at WeWork Soho West, 175 Varick St, New York, NY. Kepler presented a compelling business case for developing infrastructure to enable real-time communications with space assets and will go on to compete in the BPC finals at the Space Frontier Foundation’s NewSpace conference in Seattle, June 21-23, 2016.
Jeffrey Osborne pitching Kepler Communications at NewSpaceBPC NYC.
The panel of investors and space industry professionals chose Kepler over RocketStar LLC, an aerospike engine company, and Food-by-Print, which is developing a luxury food 3D printer. Each company is a new, independent venture in the early stages of building products for Earth-bound practice and space-related implications. The presenters were judged on concise, effective presentations of their business plan, product, customer base, marketing strategy, management, financials and investment viability.
“We had a good showing for the first event of the regional NewSpace business plan competitions. All of the startups’ gave great business pitches, and the judges’ questions and analysis were superb, said Sidney Nakahodo, NewSpace NYC co-founder.
Jeffrey Osborne, who took the stage, and Wen Cheng Chong providing technical support represented Kepler. “We are very honored to have been not only invited down to present with NewSpace NYC, but also to have been selected by this renowned panel of judges to represent the Northeast at the finals in Seattle. It is great to see the mutual enthusiasm that exists for solving the intermittent communications problem for LEO satellites, and meet some of the other exciting new space ventures happening in this region,” said Mr. Osborne.
Judges for the NewSpace NYC Business Plan Competition included Chad Anderson, managing director of the Space Angels Network; Josh Benamram, venture investor at Bessemer Venture Partners; Chris Cummins, chief of products, pricing, and contracts at NanoRacks LLC; Garret Schneider, independent consultant; and Jerome Wong, managing member of Angelus Funding, LLC.
NewSpaceBPC NYC Judges from left to right: Jerome Wong, Josh Benamram, Chad Anderson, Garret Schneider, and Chris Cummins.
For more information about NewSpace NYC’s Northeast Regional Business Plan Competition, visit https://www.newspace.nyc/bpc
Watch a recording of the NewSpace NYC BPC 2015 video here: https://youtu.be/fqTbn7lB92I
About NewSpaceNYC
NewSpace NYC is a Benefit Corporation based in New York City committed to creating
the conditions that advance space exploration. NewSpace NYC is building open
entrepreneurial ecosystems across the Earth to foster the technologies, companies, and
concepts reaching for the stars. The company organizes forums and activities to
connect stakeholders driven to develop the new markets and industries enveloping
space exploration. NewSpace NYC believes that space is the next frontier, as well as
the future of humankind. Join us in building the space community in your town. For more
information about NewSpace NYC, visit: https://newspace.nyc
About NewSpace Business Plan Competition
Established in 2007 by the Space Frontier Foundation and led by Thomas A. Olson,
founding partner of Exodus Consulting Group, the NewSpace Business Plan
Competition (BPC) is the premiere space start-up event, connecting entrepreneurs with
established industry mentors and resources. Chosen competitors attend a private, twoday,
Boot Camp session to prepare for their Shark Tank-style pitch to investors.
Companies are judged on their investment potential and cash prizes are awarded to the
most promising teams. To become a sponsor or support the BPC please contact
Meagan Crawford at [email protected] For more information visit
www.NewSpaceBPC.com
About the Space Frontier Foundation
Founded in 1988 by Jim Muncy, Rick Tumlinson and Bob Werb, the Space Frontier
Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to opening the space frontier to
human settlement as rapidly as possible by unleashing the power of free enterprise. Our
goals include protecting the Earth’s fragile biosphere and creating a more prosperous
life for each generation by using the unlimited energy and material resources of space.
The Foundation is composed of a diverse, multinational array of space activists, expert
scientists and engineers, media and political professionals, entrepreneurs, and
passionate citizens. You too can be a part of the Space Frontier Foundation. For more
information visit http://www.spacefrontier.org
About Kepler:
Founded in 2015, Kepler Communications is working to provide real-time
communications access to LEO spacecraft. Its founding team includes members with
backgrounds in telecommunications, computer networks, aerospace & systems
engineering, and business development. The team is advised by Dr. Christian
Sallaberger (ex-VP MDA, Canadensys President), Dr Vaughn Betz (ex-Director Altera,
Associate Professor University of Toronto), Dr. Sean Hum (ex-ESA, Associate
Professor University of Toronto), and Dr. Joyce Poon (Caltech, Associate Professor
University of Toronto). For more information visit http://keplercommunications.com
Contacts:
NewSpace NYC
Khaki Rodway
(310) 903-7543, [email protected]
Space Frontier Foundation, NewSpace Business Plan Competition
Alexandra Abrams
(925) 918-0081, [email protected]
Kepler Communications
Jeffrey Osborne
[email protected]
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