The Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) is pleased to announce Valentina Zancan as the winner of the $pace is Business ($iB) 2023 Competition! This competition, developed in collaboration with the Entrepreneurship and Investment Committee (EIC) of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), offered students and young professionals the opportunity to share their views and analysis on the past, present and future of entrepreneurship and investment within the space sector.

Valentina will receive a scholarship in order to attend the Space Generation Congress (SGC) 2023 and the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) 2023 in Baku, Azerbaijan, where they will present their paper at the IAF Business Innovation Symposium (Session 6).

I am a PhD candidate in Management Engineering and Space Economy at Politecnico di Milano and analyst at the Observatory of Space Economy at Politecnico di Milano. Currently, my research is focused on Earth Observation satellites data, services and applications, at the benefit of an increasing array of end users.
My background is multi-disciplinary. I took a Bachelor Degree in Philosophy, International and Economic Studies. I subsequently transitioned into the Engineering field. I took a master degree in Management Engineering, focusing on the management of innovations. At this point, I decided to deep dive the management of space programs and projects, as to give voice to my passion for space.
Without a doubt, I am now sure space is my path.