Every radical turn in technology history has its great entrepreneur, and for space that person is SpaceX founder Elon Musk. His unswerving conviction that “space must be affordable” led him to disrupt the old-school space launch industry with reusable Falcon 9 boosters, an achievement that has inspired hundreds of entrepreneurs and investors to take up the challenge of space.
In 2018 alone, venture investments in space topped $2 billion for the first time, and 187 investors wrote checks to 90 startups, according to Bryce Space and Technology.
Space represents the most extreme business and technical challenges imaginable, but SpaceX’s $30 billion valuation today is a stunning example of what space startups can achieve. Add to that the incomparable allure of space, to “boldly go where no man has gone before,” and who can look away?
In that spirit, TechCrunch is pleased to announce our first TC Sessions: Space, a single-day show dedicated to this fast-emerging startup category. The show will be held at Gateway Sheraton Hotel in Los Angeles on December 17, right in the neighborhood of America’s most powerful players in space, including Boeing, Northrop, Lockheed, Raytheon, Teledyne, The Aerospace Corporation, the U.S. Air Force and, of course, SpaceX.
Darrell Etherington, Jon Shieber and Devin Coldewey have led TechCrunch’s coverage on space startups and they are already working hard on a stellar programming line-up that will feature top founders and investors, as well as key players from the industry’s top established companies, NASA, The Aerospace Corporation, the U.S. Air Force and more.
They will lead a day of fireside chats and panel discussions on the big topics facing the space category at this historic moment, when technology and market developments are converging to bring about dramatic advances, from sci-fi-worthy manned space travel and colonization, to revolutions in broadband communications, earth observation data, manufacturing in space and, yes, even conduct of war in space.
In addition to Main Stage programming, TC Sessions: Space will feature breakout sessions on specialized topics, as well as audience Q&A with Main Stage speakers and an exhibit area for partners as well as startups.
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And to top off the show, TechCrunch will also feature a space startup pitch-off featuring five early-stage founders chosen by the editors from a large application pool. Applications open today; apply here.
You can grab your ticket for a front-row seat to this event for the early-bird price of $349. If you are interested in bringing a group of five or more from your company, you’ll get an automatic 20% discount. We even have discounts for the government/military, nonprofit/NGOs and students currently attending university. Grab your tickets at these reduced rates before prices increase.
PRO TIP: Annual or multi-year subscribers to TC’s Extra Crunch premium content also get 20% off all events that TechCrunch hosts. If you are a current Extra Crunch subscriber, you can find out how to redeem your discount on this event here.
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