Launch Pad
The Silicon Valley Space Center Accelerator Program “LaunchPad” is advising, mentoring, and co-founding new space start-ups.
We focus on:
TECH DEVELOPMENT
Consultations with new space companies and entrepreneurs on developing their technologies.
BUSINESS STRUCTURES
Setting up company structure tailored for space related ventures.
ANGEL LEVEL FUNDING
Private angel investor meetings.
Together we translate your passion into a business
- Develop your product to address market demands
- Set realistic goals and expectations
- Test business plan assumptions
Products Development
- How do you build a prototype?
- What's the most effective path from idea to offering?
- What should comprise a minimum viable product?
Customer Development
- How do you attract the first customers and partners to your vision?
- How do you avoid bias in getting useful customer feedback?
- How do you effectively use feedback to better your product?
What are tips and tricks to present your business? How do you craft a successful media release? What are effective tactics to get social media, the blogosphere and traditional media to take notice? What are common media mistakes for new companies?
How do you portray yourself and your business to the world? How do you involve your customers and partners in your success?
30 seconds is all it takes
Learn how to do a 30 second, Two Minute and Five Minute Pitch. How NOT to do a slide deck. When is it realistic to raise capital for a brand new company? Mentor Review A selected mentor will review your business, and provide blunt feed back on improvements. How should you calculate the amount of money to raise? How should you define the use use of proceeds? What materials are required to fund raise? What do investors expect from the company? What are typical investment structures and deal terms for seed-stage financing? Identify a list of potential investors, and prepare to meet them.About
Silicon Valley Space Center provides business acceleration, strategic direction and angel level funding for startup companies within the growing NewSpace industry in Silicon Valley. We assist start-up and early-stage companies with the commercialization of their innovative products or services. We regularly host events and workshops to bring together the vast array of entrepreneurs, scientists, engineers, and investors who share a passion for shaping the future of space exploration. Join SVSC and become part of this group on the forefront of NewSpace in Silicon Valley.
Dr. Sean Casey Founder and Managing Director
Dr. Sean Casey is Co-Founder and Managing Director of the Silicon Valley Space Center, a business accelerator for NewSpace entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley. He is a member of the Suborbital Applications Researchers Group of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation and has over two decades of experience as an airborne astronomer. Dr. Casey’s work has been recognized as an example of NASA’s goal for “more efficient and cost effective methodologies to instrument design and construction…”. read more
Dr. Periklis Papadopoulos Founder
Professor Papadopoulos is the Aerospace Program Coordinator and the Director/Founder of the Center of Excellence for Space Transportation and Exploration at San Jose State University (SJSU). At SJSU, he directs the microsatellite and CubeSat program. He is the author or co-author of 58 research publications in aerothermodynamics and computational fluid dynamics and has performed de-orbit trajectory, CFD and systems level analysis for the Mars Science Laboratory.
Rick Kwan Director/DevOps and Communications
Rick Kwan is part computer scientist and part aerospace technologist. He is a Founding Member of the Silicon Valley Space Center, and serves as its DevOps (development operations) and Communications Director. His early aerospace focus was in trajectory modeling and spacecraft computing systems, but in recent years has expanded to include small launch vehicle propulsion and avionics. He is a technical adviser to small launch vehicle and drone start-ups. read more
William Willoughby Chief Operations Officer
William Willoughby has more than 44 years of commercial, military and general aviation maintenance experience including station operations, airframe and engine heavy depot maintenance and overhaul, flight line maintenance and component back shops. Positions included chief operations officer, director of maintenance, aircraft maintenance manager, station manager, senior engineering supervisor, consultant, team leader, aviation maintenance instructor and supervisor.read more
Dr. Eric Morano Principal Advisor
Dr. Eric Morano is a Principal Advisor to the Silicon Valley Space Center where he provides management advice about the current and future direction of the center including its incubator efforts. He has over 20 years of experience and held multiple positions in science, aerospace engineering and management, and business development. At Caltech he was a Senior Research Fellow and a co-founder of the Virtual shock physics Test Facility for the DoE ASCI program. read moreJoin SVSC
Join the Silicon Valley Space Center (SVSC) and become an integral part of a unique and proactive coworking group at the forefront of the growing NewSpace industry in the Silicon Valley. SVSC members are innovative forward-leaning, advanced thinking engineers, scientists, hackers, technologists, business developers, spacers, and others driven to encourage the growth of NewSpace startups. You do not need a membership to attend an SVSC meetup, or to pitch a business or technology to us. However, if you find yourself attending meetings frequently and partaking in the communal snacks, please become a member. Membership dues go toward keeping our brains fueled and events happening. Members now receive copies of The Lurio Report, updates from the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, and other sources as SVSC is able to provide them. SVSC offers three levels of regular membership: Individual, Student, and Corporate. In addition, there are Silver and Gold levels of sponsorship. These are briefly summarized below, and described in further detail in the SVSC Membership Levels table (PDF). All members receive:- discounted registration to SVSC-sponsored workshops, hackathons, and other events.
- updates from the Commercial Spaceflight Federation.
- monthly news from SVSC on trends, technology, and resources.
Get in Touch
Contact info
Feel free to reach out to us with your questions and ideas about entrepreneurial space activity. newspace@siliconvalleyspacecenter.org 3505 El Camino Real Palo Alto, CA, United States 505-690-1295In the community
SVSC regularly hosts TechTalks on entrepreneurial space technology and business subjects. See the Upcoming Events section for details. We also post our latest news updates on Facebook, you can also see our linkedin profile below.The first Space Hacker Workshop for Suborbital Experiments, presented by Citizens in Space and the Silicon Valley Space Center, was a stunning success.