AS26 – Space Policy / NewSpace Entrepreneurship
Data Room Development for Startup Fundraising
Lead: Mr. Géraud GAILLARD
Overview
- Strasbourg, France
- 26 May – 5 June 2026
- Course taught in English
- 2,000
Startup fundraising is intense, time-consuming, and often disruptive—particularly in the NewSpace sector, where founders must balance technical development, policy considerations, and investor expectations. Without preparation, fundraising efforts can slow operations and create internal misalignment.
This two-week intensive course places participants in team-based startup scenarios and provides a practical framework for building an investor-ready data room in the context of a fundraising roadshow. Through hands-on work, participants learn how to structure information, make strategic trade-offs, and align business, policy, and operational narratives under real-world constraints.
- 3 ECTS
- Laptop required
Master’s Pathway: Credits earned in this course may be applied toward the ISU MSS or MSc program, with possible tuition reduction, upon successful completion and admission.
Apply now — external seats are limited.
Program Summary
Weekdays 9:00–17:30 | ~70% hands-on
Week 1 — Startup Foundations in the New Space economy
- Company team structure, governance, and role allocation
- Contextualization of a new venture in the NewSpace ecosystem
- Investor expectations and fundraising workflows
- Structuring an investor-ready data room
- Product–market fit and MVP definition
- Business model development and value proposition design
Week 2 — Data Room, MVP & Development & Pitch Execution
- Financial narratives and operational assumptions
- Strategic decision-making under pressure
- MVP Iterations
- Development of a 90-second company video pitch
- Pitch development, rehearsal, and refinement
- Final team pitches to an ISU staff and alumni panel
Key themes include:
Structuring an investor-ready data room
Financial narratives and operational assumptions
Strategic decision-making under pressure
Pitch development, rehearsal, and refinement
Final team pitches to an ISU staff and alumni panel
What You Will Learn?
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
Operate effectively in fast-paced, team-based startup environments
Identify and evaluate strategic trade-offs under time and resource constraints
Define a product–market fit hypothesis and outline a Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
Develop a business model and synthesize it using a canvas approach
Establish clear team roles and scopes of responsibility
Formulate and defend positions on topics outside their initial area of expertise
Additional informations
This course is particularly suited for:
Mid-career space professionals seeking leadership experience
Engineers and analysts interested in entrepreneurship and strategy
Professionals exploring a transition into business or policy roles
Participants interested in NewSpace governance, funding, and innovation
External seats: limited
On-campus, in-person at ISU, Strasbourg
Weekdays, 9:00–17:30
30% lectures / 70% hands-on, team-based work
Bring your own laptop
Teams pitch their startup and data room to a panel combining ISU staff and alumni.
Assessment focuses on strategic clarity, coherence, execution quality, and teamwork.
No formal exams. Grading on a French 0–20 scale. Certificate of completion + ECTS transcript.
Advanced Studies
The “Advanced Studies” that are part of ISU’s Master programs – the Master of Science in Space Studies (MSc) and Master in Space Studies (MSS) are now also open for participation to all.
They take place onsite, at ISU central campus in France.
