Closing The Space Launch Information Gap

The space revolution is underway. The excitement in the industry is palpable, and new staggering achievements are being accomplished at almost a daily rate. There is also a rapidly increasing tempo of new company announcements, new players who want to serve existing space markets or create new ones. New space companies are creating significant value, but how can anyone see through the hype to know which companies will be successful?

For someone who wants to invest in these companies, it can be quite a dizzying experience. After all, we are literally at the border between science fiction and business, where investors are sometimes "going where no investor has gone before." How can an investor know which companies are actually real? Which companies have technology that works, experienced leadership teams, and enough financing to see their plans through?

There is a significant gap in publicly available data about the space startup sector, and even less information about the game-changing companies that SpaceFund is watching. It is our goal to close this gap with the SpaceFund Reality rating and other ongoing research and publication initiatives.

The Solution - SpaceFund Reality Rating
The SpaceFund Reality rating (SFR) is an effort to provide critical, intelligent, and non-biased information about the status of the growing space industry, and to make as much of this data available to the public as possible. The SFR rating is designed to be a general guide, and is not intended as a critique or endorsement of any one company.

Rather, it is our hope that by providing this rating we can support the research and diligence of those who may invest in, partner with, or purchase products or services from these companies. We also hope the SFR rating will serve to promote the highest standards for space companies, helping them identify opportunities for improvement while simultaneously creating a strong market within which they can function. We also believe the SFR rating can become a way to identify gaps in the space supply chain, by detailing not only how many or how few entrants there are in specific sectors, but also the progress and viability of those companies.

Here at SpaceFund, our analysts and experts are tracking all space startup companies that have been publicly announced, as well as many that are still in stealth mode. Utilizing a number of indicators, and based on publicly available information as well as expert insights, the SpaceFund team has rated each of these companies on a series of 'reality' factors that feed into an overall score, on a scale of 0 - 9.

On the SFR rating scale, a score of 0 represents very early stage companies with little to no financing, limited teams, and no proof of concept for their technology. Meanwhile, a score of 9 represents a well-financed company with proven technology, established product-market fit, and a well-rounded team.

It is important to note that the commercial space industry is still young. As such, most of the companies rated with the SFR will be in various early stages of development. In some cases, and in some sectors, many of the companies will just be getting started and will be introduced in a low rating category (0 - 3).

As such, a low rating may simply mean the company is early in its' development cycle and not at all be a reflection of the company's long-term viability. However, as these companies grow and change over time, we will update their ratings accordingly, tracking company maturity and success.

Around the year 2000 some of my associates and I created the term NewSpace to designate those companies who are part of the commercial space revolution. Since then, these companies have moved from being the fringe to becoming the driver of a new space economy. Yet to do so successfully, we must have credibility, not just as space companies, but at the same level as any other industry.

It is my hope that by providing information such as the SFR, we can help clear the path through our own noise to open the High Frontier more quickly. I've been in the trenches as an entrepreneur, investor, founder, and employee at various space start ups, and frankly, I wish some of those projects had faced a bit more scrutiny and stringency - at this same very basic level.

The SFR is a small beginning at providing a minimal level of clarity in a field that is sometimes opaque to outsiders - the very people whose money, support, and passion we need to engage. It is also a chance for us to engage in a conversation about improving our own excellence, by offering an all-business baseline of information that will enable us to reach for the stars.

A Note to Space Startups: SpaceFund exists to support startups. You are our passion. So we understand the nature of taking an idea from nothing to something. If you think your SpaceFund Reality rating needs updating, please reach out to us with more information so we can accurately reflect your current status. Also, if you are not yet listed in the database, and would like to be, send us your information and we will be happy to add you.

Contact SpaceFund here

Related Links
SpaceFund Launch Database
Rocket Science News at Space-Travel.Com

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