Mines Competes in, Hosts Lunar Ventures Competition May 19-21

GOLDEN, Colo., May 15, 2007 – Three student teams from the Colorado School of Mines will compete for a $25,000 grand prize in the Lunar Ventures Student Business Plan Competition to be held May 19-21 in the Ben Parker Student Center, ballrooms D & E, 1600 Maple St., in Golden.

Sponsored by Mines' Center for Space Resources, the competition challenges students in business, engineering and science to collaborate in creating business ventures related to space and associated technologies. The competition simulates the process of entrepreneurs soliciting start-up funds from investors -- the judges function as an investment group.

The event kicks off with a reception on May 19, team presentations on May 20 and the finalist round on May 21.

The winning team, which will receive a cash award of $25,000, in-kind services, and potentially an investment of up to $100,000, will be selected from 10 teams made up of graduate and undergraduate students from Mines, the University of Colorado, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, College of William and Mary, and San Diego State University.

The three other runners-up will receive cash awards of $3,000. All four winners will receive travel grants to NASA headquarters, where they will present their ventures to government and industry leaders this fall.

During the 2006-07 academic year, university students formed teams, identified opportunities, and prepared the first drafts of their business plans. Aerospace and space science community professionals were contacted to serve as mentors or technical resources for the teams, providing advice and guidance on the ventures.

For more information, go to http://www.8clunarventures.com.