SGAC – LSA NewSpace Europe 2022 – Pitch Competition 

in collaboration with the Luxembourg Space Agency

Description

Are you trying to get your space startup off the ground? The Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA) and SGAC are joining forces to offer students and young professionals the opportunity to attend and pitch their startup at the NewSpace Europe 2022 conference in Luxembourg!

The Pitch Competition will take place during the NewSpace Europe 2022 Conference on the 27th October 2022, giving the startups visibility in the business community of space and non space actors, including investors & VC. The format will be the following: 

• 5-minute introduction;
• 8 x 3-minute pitches and subsequent 3-minute Q&A/feedback from an interdisciplinary jury of space experts and investors;
• 5 minutes to announce the winner and conclude.

The winner of the Pitch Competition will be offered a 1-on-1 meeting for detailed feedback on their pitch and business plan.

If you are an entrepreneur with a startup that is working on technology or solution related to space, the Pitch Competition provides an opportunity to share your 3-minute pitch, including: 

• What problem you are solving, and what makes your product special;
• How you are planning to generate revenue;
• What kind of investment are you looking for.

LSA and SGAC are providing a scholarship to six students and/or young professionals to show their passion, talent and vision by participating in the Pitch Competition and attending NewSpace Europe 2022!

Award 

The six selected candidates will receive a 500 EUR travel grant (economy airfare and accommodation) and free entry to attend and pitch at the NewSpace Europe 2022 conference.

Organized by the Luxembourg Space Agency, NewSpace Europe 2022  will focus on bridging earth & space and aims at presenting inspiring  & groundbreaking space solutions with potential application for terrestrial industry sectors. Join industry-leading startups, agencies, investors and executives for one and a half day of engaging conference sessions and unique networking opportunities, including startup pitches, tailored meetings, and exclusive announcements. 

How to Apply 

Please submit the following using the Application Form at the bottom of this page (Note: it is visible once you are logged in as a member)

• 1 minute of Fame!

In order for us to evaluate your public speaking skills, create a 1-minute video, briefly presenting the technology or solution of your startup and what makes it special. The video must be posted on http://www.youtube.com. You must be on screen and be speaking for the full 1 minute. We will only watch/listen for 1 minute, so be sure to check the length of your video! 

• Pitch Deck

Please submit your pitch deck (maximum 12 slides) as an unlocked PDF file. Your name should be included on the first page. 

Guidelines 

Eligibility 

The competition is open to all students and young professionals from any country. Competition organisers and judges are not eligible for this award. 

Individuals or core team members applying for the scholarship shall be SGAC members between the ages of 18 to 35 inclusive (up to the day of their 36th birthday) on 28th October 2022. SGAC membership is free.

Submission 

The pitch deck shall be submitted as an unlocked PDF document under 5 MB via the Scholarship Submission Form. The 1-minute Video Pitch shall be submitted as a YouTube link via the same Scholarship Submission Form. You will need to be logged in as an SGAC member to access the submission page. 

The language of the submission shall be English. 

The submission shall include original content only. 

In case of a lack of quality submissions, LSA and SGAC have the right to extend and/or cancel the competition. 

Responsibilities of the Winners 

The winner shall: 

• Attend the NewSpace Europe 2022 conference; 
• Participate in the Pitch Competition on the first day of the conference (27 October 2022); 

In case the scholarship awardee(s) do(es) not complete the scholarship requirements on time, the scholarship funds will be transferred to SGAC general budget to continue supporting the mission and work of SGAC. 

Reimbursement 

The travel grant will be paid out after NewSpace Europe 2022, no later than 30 days after fulfilment of all responsibilities listed above. 

The travel grant reimbursement is conditioned on the awardee fulfilling the scholarship requirements no later than 30 November 2022. 

Applicants are advised to not engage any expenses until they have formal confirmation that the competition has been awarded. The SGAC is not liable for any expenses incurred by applicants in any case where a competition is not awarded, or in excess of the value of the awarded grant. 

Copyright and Intellectual Property 

By submitting an entry, applicants agree to permit SGAC and all affiliated organisers to mention their names, affiliations and headshot picture in connection with the competition.

Copyright of the submitted entry shall remain with the contestants. However, by submitting an entry, the contestants agree for SGAC and LSA to use the data for the purpose of evaluating the competition. 

Liability 

LSA and SGAC shall not be responsible in the event that the NewSpace Europe 2022 conference is cancelled. 

LSA and SGAC shall not be responsible in the event that the award winner fails to attend NewSpace Europe 2022 or is unable to under extenuating circumstances; in which case the award offer shall become void. 

LSA and SGAC shall not be responsible in the event that the award winner cannot obtain any necessary travel documents; if they are required but not obtained, the award offer shall become void. 

Evaluation 

Evaluators will include members of the SGAC scholarship team and representatives from LSA. 

The evaluation will be made based on a point system taking following criteria and their weights into consideration: 

• Story/Vision/Problem 30%
• Solution + Advantages vs Competition 40%
• Business model 20%
• Overall application/Speaking Skills/Entertaining 10%

Timeline 

Entries accepted: now! 

Deadline for application has been extended to: 31st of July 2022, 23:59 GMT

Contacts 

For any questions, please refer to SGAC Scholarships Team at [email protected]. 

Sponsor 

SGAC would like to thank the Luxembourg Space Agency for their support to run this competition.

The Luxembourg Space Agency promotes the commercial space sector in Luxembourg by providing support to the space industry, fostering new and existing businesses, developing human resources, offering access to financial solutions and supporting academic learning and research. 

The mission of the agency is to: 

• develop the Luxembourg space ecosystem and create synergies with businesses and organisations outside the space sector;
• encourage the development of key skills and expertise, help to create jobs and boost the contribution of the space sector to Luxembourg’s economy;
• assist the emergence of human resources at a national level and the appeal of space and its potential, especially among young people;
• promote Luxembourg and its space sector internationally.

Among its core activities, the agency: 

• implements the national space economic development strategy and policy;
• drives and leads the SpaceResources.lu initiative;
• manages international relations in space industry-related matters;
• represents Luxembourg within the European Space Agency and space-related programmes of the European Union;
• contributes to and supports United Nations activities relating to space matters, especially with regard to the SpaceResources.lu initiative;
• manages national space research and development programmes;
• acts as a focal point for public and private stakeholders in all matters relating to development of the space sector.

More information at: https://space-agency.public.lu/en.html 

If you or your organisation is interested in providing talented students and young professionals with the opportunity to share their work and ideas with the global space community, please contact the competition coordinators at [email protected].