2008 Lunar Ventures Competition

The 2008 Lunar Ventures university competition held by the Center for Space Resources at the Colorado School of Mines is running. This is a business plan competition for students (mainly, but not exclusively, graduate students in business and engineering, and science) that have space-related business plans. Typically the business plans have current applicability to the Earth, too, quite aside from any space application. I probably repeat it too often, but space businesses (or even government programs) with near-term applicability to people on Earth tend to have a much better chance of success. From the Guidelines:

Each Lunar Ventures business plan proposal is to identify business opportunities that either (a) employ existing space technology in products with near-term terrestrial market potential, or (b) provide solutions for near-term terrestrial markets by employing technology which, when developed further, will lead to products with space applications.

The prizes are significant:

The Lunar Ventures 2008 Grand Champion will receive a $25,000 cash award, in-kind services, and an invitation to compete in the Global MOOT CORP Competition for $100,000 in prizes. The other three Finalists will receive cash awards of $2,000 each.

I have a couple of old posts on the 2007 competition here and here.

Most of it is on other subjects altogether, but I originally developed this article from a hint at a guest Selenian Boondocks post.