In-Space Fuel Market

Dear Superpreneur,

Today, I had the chance and the honor to meet in person Peter Diamandis.  During a tour in Europe, he visited Luxembourg and made a lunch talk about exponential technologies and space.  Peter takes the opportunity to give an update about Planetary Resources that Peter co-founded (he is also co-chairman).  The basic idea of Planetary Resources is to extract water from asteroids.  They aim at using an inflatable mirror to ‘drill’ an asteroid by concentrating sun power … but actually without touching the asteroid!

In-space fuel market based on water is expected to be huge, as it can be read on their website:

H20 will open up a Trillion dollar market in Space.

The present day space economy spends Billions on rocket fuel each year to propel spacecraft into their final orbits and to keep those spacecraft safely in their positions.

Water from asteroids can be broken down into Hydrogen and Oxygen-based rocket fuels in order to meet this growing demand. Strategically placed re-fueling stations can triple the up-mass of GEO-stationary orbit bound rockets, extend the life of telecommunications satellites, and remove hazardous space debris all for a small fraction of current costs.

And water is more than the “oil of space”. In orbit and beyond, water plays a critical role hydrating astronauts, providing oxygen for life support, and serving as a shield against harmful radiation in space.

To date, all water and water-derived resources necessary for spaceflight have been brought from the surface of the Earth at exorbitant expense. Of all constraints to the expansion of humanity off Earth, our dependence on Earth-sourced water is the most limiting. Sustained growth into the Solar System requires use of the local resources. Fortunately, asteroids are the most abundant, accessible source of water in space.

Learn more by reading our blog “The Trillion Dollar Market: Fuel in Space from Asteroids”.

Planetary Resources has calculated that they should have a 20X cost reduction of space fueling thanks to their technology.

As of today, thanks to ground telescopes, they have identified 16,000 NEA’s (Near Earth Asteroids) and they are now busy to funneling this pipeline to select the best candidates for the start of the operations.

The roadmap is to launch 6 spacecrafts on 1 launch by end of 2020.  Each spacecraft weights 150kg and 90% of it is done in-house.

Ultimately, Planetary Resources will create a Map of the Resource.

It was also pointed out that some metal dust is also extracted during the process and that it was already demonstrated the possibility to manufacture mechanical parts with laser 3D printers.

Peter concluded by saying

“The most important resource in space will be people … and those people will need resources.”

Don’t you think that this is a very nice conclusion?

Check next posts to know more about these amazing developments in the new space economy.

Build the World You Love!

Fab

 

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The Future of Robotics

Dear Superpreneur,

As a member of Peter’s Diamandis A360 mastermind program, I attended a webinar about robotics with Melonee Wise, CEO of Fetch Robotics.

She explained that today there is a lot of wasted efforts in work.  There are many non value-added works (mainly for transportation purposes).  This is what Fetch Robotics wants to eliminate with robots.

They have a variety of VirtualConveyor robots and accessories to suit warehouse and logistics needs. Their newest autonomous mobile robots, Freight500 and Freight 1500, support larger, heavier case pack or even palletized loads.

The installation takes 3 days and then they offer a 30-day pilot phase.  Then, they usually sell the hardware and clients have also to pay an annual fee for the cloud service.  They are currently analyzing leasing possibilities with a financial partner.

Melonee thinks that AI and robotics can provide a lot of value and will not destroy humankind.   She sees skills gap as a more important problem today in the job market.

She mentioned that quote:

“If we have the intelligence to put people out of work, then we have the intelligence to put people back to work.”

What about taxing robots?  Melonee said:

“If we start tax robots, then we have to start tax all computers!”

She sees weaponization of robotics as a more important issue.

Regarding opportunities for entrepreneurs, she would avoid the home market because it will not be a reality before 10 years.  Cost of robots is an issue before penetrating the individual home.  She recommends entrepreneurs to consider outdoor logistics and manufacturing markets.

And you, what do you think about the future of robotics?  Please leave your comments or send me an email to fab@superpreneur.online.

Build the World You Love!

Fab

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How To Be Relevant in the World of Disorder?

Dear Superpreneur,

I attended an interesting webinar from Brett Schilke, Director of Impact at Singularity University.  He asked that question

How to be relevant in this world of constant change?

One of the major changes is that information has become ubiquitous. As a consequence, information has transformed the way we learn.  You have probably learned a lot this year just by watching Youtube or reading Wikipedia.  Or perhaps you followed a course on Coursera.  But the key question is

What are we actually going to learn?

Three of the top jobs that is going to be disrupted in the next 5 years are accountants, doctors and pharmacists.  Then, if you have kids, probably you would like to know which studies or education they should have.

The fact is that the most reliable careers are changing.  More and more there is a gap between the actual skills required by companies and the actual education received by students.  88% of British companies say that graduates are not prepared for the world of work.

This is one of the reasons why more than 90 coding schools have been created in the US.  Also, since 2016, there has been a 14x increase in makerspaces!

Hence, something is missing.  Brett calls this

The Fallacy of the 21st Century

The 21st century will be equivalent to the last 20,000 years of progress.  The era of productive stability is over, we are entering an era of inventive resilience.  This means that learning must become an ongoing human activity so that your skills do not die.

Brett suggests to proceed in 3 steps:

  1. Frame yourself by asking the question “what’s my purpose?”
  2. Forecast the future by asking “how might …?”
  3. Forage by collecting along your life as many skills are needed, just as nutrients.

Then, imagine yourself in this future, what you can achieve, which purpose you serve, how you impact the world.

Build the World You Love!

 

Fab

 

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Customer, Customer, Customer

Dear Superpreneur,

Do you know what is the most important in business?  Breakthrough idea?  A-Team? Lot of cash?  Well, for sure, all this is super important, but what is paramount is to have customers!

Some companies have wonderful products or services, they have also an excellent team, but they have almost no sales.  This is not sustainable on the long term, and for several reasons.

First of all, once you start your business, having customers allows you to experiment your idea with real needs.  You are then able to iterate, improve and always get better products or services.

Secondly, customers brings revenues, and if you have a good business model and you are good at managing your costs, you will generate margins, which means cash.  And cash is crucial!  How many organizations are failing by lack of cash?  A lot!  This is one of the main causes of failures, if not the most important one.

Thirdly, happy customers are your best ambassadors.  Some companies are not investing a lot of money in marketing, rather they invest in building strong customer relationships.  Why? Because their happy customers are the best advocates for their products or services. If you have $10,000 marketing budget to spend, would you buy a FB, Twitter or Instagram advertising campaign or  would you make a road show to meet your 20% customers that brings 80% of your revenues?

Last but not least, customers contribute to continuous innovation by pushing you beyond your limits.  You don’t want to disappoint your best customers when they ask you extra features on your platform or to offer 24/7 support while initially you were thinking just to support them during working hours.  Of course, you should not accept all the requests, and you can let them know your roadmap to achieve specific levels, but their demands will surely push you and your team to think about.  This continuous improvement process is highly beneficial for companies, and especially young startups.  It allows organizations to stay alive, dynamic and somehow avoid to be disrupted.

So, focus on your customers, get as many clients as possible, never refuse orders. You can always find extra resources to help you and get the job done.

Build the World You Love!

Fab

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What Global Warming can Teach You About Terrorism?

Dear Superpreneur,

Do you feel sad and bad after the Spanish attacks?  Probably like most tourists having already visited Barcelona, you walked on Las Ramblas.  Omg, what happened is really terrible!

But do you know that climate change has been a major contributor to the Syrian conflict and the rise of ISIS?  As explained in another post, we are now living in a world of disorder with planet Earth under pressure.  Starting in 2006, Syria suffered its worst drought in 900 years.  Farmers got ruined and were forced to move into cities alongside Iraqi refugees.  Syria’s livestock was then quickly decimated with scarcity of resources like water and food.  It resulted a huge suffering in the Syrian population, and this social chaos was an important driver of the initial unrest.

Climate experts have also argued that global warming potentially created permanent disruptions to wind and rainfall patterns, both changes accelerating the drought.

You know the consequences: the rise of ISIS, the migrant crisis and the political troubles across Europe and the world.

The link between global warming and the rise of terrorism is a reminder that superpreneurs (perhaps you if you are looking for some ideas for your next startup), should work on solutions to solve some of the problems caused by climate changes. For example, access to food, water and medicine must be improved.  Do you know about those drones in Africa that are dropping medicine drug boxes?  Electricity is unavailable in many regions of the world.  Do you know about this Belgian company building solar kiosks in Africa where people can buy what they need just by sending a SMS?

Definitively, in the Age of Acceleration, the world’s biggest problems are the world’s biggest opportunities for superpreneurs.  Consider geopolitical changes and forces, identify a serious issue, find a solution by using exponential technologies and don’t give up until you impact the world!

Build the World You Love!

Fab

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Sales Persuasion

Dear Superpreneur,

Recently I attended a webinar from Matthew Kimberley about Sales Persuasion.  Matthew presented a nice framework that I would like to share with you.

First of all, you need to qualify the sales prospect.  Is that person the right person to make the purchase/investment decision?  If yes, then, create a connection with your client.  Try to find common interests.  Matthew said that kids and dogs are generally good anchor points.  Once you have well connected, take control of the meeting.  Tell the client how the meeting will go and what you expect as output of the meeting.  Explain why you are credible.  Give testimonials, number of clients using your product, traction you may have.  Now it’s time to explain what’s the problem your prospect is facing and what your solution is.  Instead of listing all your product/features, Matthew recommend to focus on the benefits for your client.  Keep going by giving social proof like use cases or testimonials.  Before your prospect start arguing, pre-empt objections. And now comes the important moment to make the offer.  Don’t leave the meeting without having made your proposal!  Sweeten the deal by offering something more … can be a discount or something special for today.  Try to find a way to have a risk-free proposal.  It can be through your warranty conditions or support service.  As final points, introduce the notion of scarcity, like a limited quantity available or that you make this offer to a limited happy few customers; and the notion of urgency, like a deadline to make a decision.  Finally, close the deal by signing a purchase order, a Terms Sheet, a LOI, a MOU, a contract or at least shake hands and agree on a schedule to finalize paperwork.

I do believe that if you follow that framework, you should be able to close more deals.  Now of course the more you practice the best you become.

Last but not least, Matthew Kimberley will give a Professional Sales Persuasion Course that you might want to attend.  There is a special offer expiring today.  Feel free to check should you be interested.

Build the World You Love!

Fab

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Next Events for Superpreneurs

In this blog, I’m giving a list of interesting events like conferences, summits and trade shows in 2017 and also 2018.  I hope that you will find this useful and feel free to contact should you need some additional advice.

August 2017

Singularity University Global Summit August 13-15 in San Francisco

Meet and hear from some of the world’s leading executives, scientists, and technologists. Share a space with more than 1,000 of the world’s brightest, most influential and forward-thinking leaders for three days. Learn about the latest advancements in tech, including how AI, VR, robotics, and neuroscience are shifting the playing fields of corporate innovation, entrepreneurship (with a new Startup Track), transportation, media, infrastructure, and government.

September 2017

G-Startup Silicon Valley September 14 in San Francisco

10 high potential startups will pitch some of the world’s best VC’s and tech leaders including Founder of Didi, CTO of Alibaba. The Top 10 will pitch for a $50,000 investment and the last coveted spot in the Global Final at Cross-Border Venture Summit. Each of the Top 10 startups will receive a minimum of $10,000 investment. Apply before 8/14.

Bank Customer Experience Summit September 18-20 in Chicago

Millennials and other digitally minded consumers are forcing banks to rethink the way they do business. Bank Customer Experience Summit will explore these trends and how innovative financial institutions are responding to the challenge. 

October 2017

Managing the Gig Economy Conference October 10 in London

Successfully navigating the legal, tax and HR implications of the gig economy. A unique one-day conference exploring all of the most pressing aspects of the rapidly evolving on-demand sector.

Irrational Economic Summit October 12-14 in Nashville

Meet some of the world’s greatest thinkers and economists to help you make sense of all that is going on in our world. You will get an update on forecasts for the markets, gold and commodities, global economies, emerging markets, and the demographic cliff that’s either ahead for many countries, or that’s already rattling economies around the world.

Space Tech Expo Europe  October 24-26 in Bremen, Germany

The free-to-attend Space Tech Expo & Conference is Europe’s meeting place for space business, technology & innovation. The three-day trade fair will showcase the latest from technical designers, sub-system suppliers, manufacturers and components through the systems integrators for civil, military and commercial space.

 

November 2017

New Space Europe November 16-17 in Luxembourg

NewSpace Europe is the first space conference in Europe to focus solely on the newspace industry and the economic opportunity of space. Hosted by The Ministry of the Economy of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in Luxembourg City, NewSpace Europe will center around the theme “New Frontiers of Opportunity” highlighting the exponential growth of the space ecosystem, critical to creating a sustainable space economy across the world. Through engaging conference sessions and unique networking opportunities, participants will have the opportunity to discover and align with the people, technologies and ideas from across space and other diverse markets that are shaping and leading the industry.

Wealth Summit November 17-18 in Park City, Utah

It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly 10 years since The Great Recession began. And while there were hard times, the truth is that we have it easy today. Borrowing money is still cheap. The stock market is on steroids. And the only thing that’s certain is that change is coming.

So what will happen as we enter a new era of personal finance?

Will you be prepared? Will your finances be in order? Or will you have to work another 10 years longer because your flawed financial plan was market-dependant — and it missed the mark.

Learn about Wealth Factory’s formula for Economic Independence. Their system for manufacturing and accelerating Economic Independence, no matter what the markets do, and what’s new for 2017, 2018, and beyond.

May 2018

Collision April 30 – May 3 in New Orleans

Collision is “America’s fastest growing tech conference” created by the team behind Web Summit. In three years, Collision has grown to almost 20,000 attendees from 119 countries. Attendees include CEOs of both the world’s fastest growing startups and the world’s largest companies, alongside leading investors and media.

 

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Leading in the Age of Acceleration

Leading in the Age of Acceleration requires to learn faster and manage smarter.  Superpreneurs must have the right mindset, tools and network.  Providing such tips is clearly the main objective of my blog.

Today, I would like to share with you some interesting insights from a webcast I attended.  Lisa Kay Solomon from Singularity University explained that there are 4 types of exponential leaders:

  • The Futurist who sees possibilities
  • The Innovator who finds a way to do it
  • The Technologist who builds the tools
  • The Humanitarian who makes it serve people

“While Futurists optimistically imagine and inspire bold new possibilities, Innovators discover new ideas through investigation, ideation, experimentation and understanding their customers.  Technologists understand and anticipate how technologies will impact core industry and adjacent ones.  Humanitarians make choices to transform scarce resources into abundant opportunities to positively and responsibly impact communities beyond ourselves.”

I believe that superpreneurs are a good mix of the 4 types of exponential leaders.  A superpreneur sees bold possibilities, discover new ideas, understand the exponential technologies to be used and have a strong desire to improve the society.

Lisa Kay Solomon suggested 3 practices:

  1. Create time for discovery and say no to anything which is not a priority 
  2. Ask [amazon_textlink asin=’1632861054′ text=’beautiful questions’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’superpreneur3-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’7c8b7f66-6de3-11e7-95a5-119845f60b5f’]
  3. Activate learning everyday

So, may I suggest that you start today …

Build the World You Love!

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Make It Count

“Smart people should make things”

says Marc Andreessen, the famous VC.

As a superpreneur, you are smart and I also believe that you should make things that counts.  I mean working on things that can impact the world.  Today, the world’s biggest problems are the world’s biggest business opportunities.  There are many problems to be solved:

  1. Climate changes are terra forming the Earth
  2. Automatization is changing the workplace
  3. Unemployment is globally increasing
  4. Education is not adapting fast enough to the Age of Acceleration
  5. There are still many diseases and illnesses we have not found the remedies yet
  6. Self-driving cars, drones, … will require more and more electricity … how to create more sustainable sources of energy?

You will be able to complete the list, and I could spend several blog posts just enumerating problems that humanity is facing.

So ask yourself one question: what’s your MTP, your Massively Transformative Purpose?

Is it to create a cool social or gaming app?  Or is it to solve a big problem like the ones above?

My belief is that superpreneurs should focus on major problems.  Once you are sure about your MTP, try to develop moonshots, i.e. specific ideas/projects you will work on that serve your grand vision goals inside your MTP.  For example, if your MTP is to contribute to fight against the effects of climate changes, one moonshot could be to implement a revolutionary mobility solution.

Try to have moonshots that are realistic with respect to your experience and track record.  Elon Musk co-created PayPal and became billionaire before creating Tesla and SpaceX.

But please be bold!

Split your moonshot into near-term achievable objectives.  What’s your objectives for the next 3 weeks, for the next 3 months and for the next 12 months.  Stay focused on your near-term objectives and step by step you will see your project moving forward into the right direction.

Also be prepared that the journey will be hard and long.  Any idea that has impacted the world took many years before to take off.

It could be a big part of your life, but it’s worth to do.  Which story will you want to tell to your grand-children?

Build the World You Love!

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Asteroid Day

Yesterday it was the Asteroid Day with a live broadcast from Luxembourg.  I was lucky to attend this amazing event and see super speakers among which several astronauts: Jean-François Clervoy who flew 3 times aboard space shuttles Atlantis and Discovery, Ed Lu who flew 2 times aboard space shuttle, 1 time aboard Soyuz and also did a long ISS mission, Dumitri-Dorin Prunariu who went aboard Soyuz, Rusty Schweickart an Apollo 9 astronaut and one of the lucky men having had the privilege to walk on the Moon, and Nicole Stott who flew on space shuttles Atlantis and Discovery and worked for over 100 days on the ISS.

There were also many astronomers, scientists and experts in asteroid.

First of all, experts debated about threats that may represent asteroids.  There are several initiatives for Earth defense.  Actually the probability for a collision is quite low for this century but the risk is not nil.  Humanity has today all the knowledge and technologies needed for an active Earth defense by which you can deviate asteroids presenting a risk to enter the atmosphere.  As one panelist said:

“Dinosaurs disappeared because they were not mastering space technology”

It was also pointed out that Earth can be seen as a spacecraft and that we are all collectively part of the crew, not simple passengers, but crew members.  In that respect, this is our responsibility to do what is necessary to preserve the spacecraft and then humanity.  An usual spacecraft can be deviated to avoid asteroids, but for Earth, inversely, the asteroids must be deviated.

But asteroids represent an opportunity too.  Within the Spaceresources.lu initiative, Luxembourg is building a complete regulatory and expertise ecosystem for the exploration and utilization of space resources.  The ability to extract valuable metals and water from near-Earth objects will lower the cost of lifting space explorers beyond Earth’s gravity. It will also guarantee that access to the materials for building equipment and sustaining life are already in place for missions to more distant destinations.

Equipment and habitats can be built in-space thanks to the progresses of 3D printing and robotics.  AI will also drive those developments allowing machines to predict the needs according to the real environmental conditions and what will be found in-space or on celestial bodies like the Moon.  Once prediction is made, AI can allow machines to build other machines.  This shall lead to a true space industry where most of the activities are fully automatized, limiting human beings interventions only for very specific tasks.

Apparently many asteroids have an abundant quantity of ice/water.  This should be one of the initial focus of space mining.

New space is a fascinating area for superpreneurs and there are great incentives for astropreneurs to come to Luxembourg and contribute to the space resource industry.

If you are interested in knowing more, please contact me.

Build the world you love!

 

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