The Presidential Ambassadors for Global Entrepreneurship (PAGE) initiative announced today that NASA will become the fifth interagency member to the join the growing partnership. NASA will work closely with PAGE members who focus their efforts towards supporting entrepreneurship in the science and technology sectors.
“NASA has long captured the dreams of a nation and represented a whole universe of possibilities for entrepreneurs,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, who also chairs the PAGE initiative on behalf of President Obama. “I am really thrilled that Administrator Bolden and NASA have agreed to start working with us on our mission to help aspiring entrepreneurs grow their ideas into businesses.”
“President Obama has challenged NASA to continue to explore beyond our planet, while ensuring we capture and maximize the benefits of our exploration to life here on Earth,” said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. “Through our new partnership with the PAGE initiative we will be able to create connections between entrepreneurs and this challenge. NASA is excited to add the PAGE program to the set of initiatives that it is engaging with to increase U.S. commercial activity in low-Earth orbit as we prepare for our journey to Mars.”
The future of space exploration has never been more tied to successful public-private partnerships between NASA and commercial enterprises. That means that not only must the commercial ecosystem continue to grow and innovate around NASA, the human talent must also exist to build and run those companies that will support its mission.
“As an entrepreneur, I can attest to NASA supporting small businesses,” said PAGE member Helen Greiner, the Founder of iRobot and Founder and CEO of CyPhyWorks. “Our first contract at iRobot came from NASA, which was interested in creating an industrial base in our technology (robots). NASA is a great resource for entrepreneurs because they both spin out and spin in innovative technology applicable to many enterprises and missions.”
NASA joins the Commerce and State Departments, the U.S. Small Business Administration and the U.S. Agency for International Development and 17 of Americas most respected business creators who have committed to sharing their time, energy, ideas, and experience to help develop the next generation of entrepreneurs around the world. Each PAGE member has agreed to develop a signature initiative, delivering on the core tenets of the PAGE mission: to provide entrepreneurs with opportunities to access capital, talent and education, inspiration and hope. These signature initiatives are specifically designed and developed to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs, expand the networks and global exposure of existing entrepreneurs, and increase the deal-flow between investors and entrepreneurs.
To learn more about the PAGE initiative, please visit – www.commerce.gov/page.
