Fresh Wind of New Space East to West: How ESA-BICs Could Be Extended To Canada
- Paper number
IAC-16,E6,2,6,x34486
- Coauthor
Mrs. Maria Lucas Rhimbassen, HEC Montreal, Canada
- Year
2016
- Abstract
While the space economy is undergoing a major shift towards further commercialization, business model innovation, in any given context and sector, has become a trend in itself. Combining them both in the New Space sector can lead to unprecedented entrepreneurial success inspired by an unequaled fascination for space. This paper will analyze some exemplary cases on the Canadian entrepreneurial scene with regards to incubation, growth and unique value propositions driven by an open and resilient mindset, through thick and thin. All this dedication is finally paying off as several initiatives are making their way through, be it from governmental agencies supporting innovation, municipal programs providing highly competitive training and facilities and several studies on the way to help set up a Pan-Canadian network of New Space incubators. This would not have been possible without a passion for space and interconnected ecosystems incorporated within the values of the entrepreneurial community at hand, which raises the question whether space entrepreneurship is somehow any different from other disciplines other than “space is hard”. A series of interviews and case studies will bring together the main recurrent characteristics, from a Canadian perspective and come up with a conclusion as to how Canada, the only ESA member not on the European continent, can best welcome and expand the entrepreneurial ESA-BICs network and perhaps adapt it according to North-American business dynamics, from east to west, when there is a fresh wind in supporting science and new ideas to influence the space economy at large while advocating for values highly respected within the space world such as sustainability and interconnectedness.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
(absent)