Advance Release: Judges Selected for TSI's Sink or Swim Business Plan Contest

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Eric Jacobus

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Sep 8, 2010, 7:27:32 PM9/8/10

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The Seasteading Institute selects eight heavy-weight judges to ruthlessly evaluate contest entries for its sea-based business plan contest.

Business superstars, intellectual juggernauts, silicon valley’s top brass, and tomorrow’s venture capitalists to determine who sinks, swims, and who merely floats in the Sink or Swim business plan contest.

The Seasteading Institute, whose mission is to help establish startup countries in international waters, has selected a panel of eight leading entrepreneurs, VCs and academics to judge business plans submitted to it’s business plan competition “Sink or Swim”. Judges include Arnold Kling of EconLog, Jim Rutt, Chairman of the Santa Fe Institute, Joe Lonsdale CEO of Addepar, co-founder of Palantir Technologies, and TSI board member, Brian Singerman of Founder’s Fund, serial entrepreneur John Chisholm, and Mohammed Saeme CEO of Saemed.

“Sink or Swim” entrants will craft 5-15 page business plans to make millions by applying their entrepreneurial creativity to best use a seastead’s competitive advantages. Rough drafts are due Oct 8th for initial feedback, while final plans are due Dec 5th. Our panel of experienced judges will ruthlessly evaluate the entries on qualities such as financial feasibility, public relations impact, and analysis quality. Winning entrepreneurs will receive fabulous cash prizes by year’s end, will be invited to join the Commercial Seasteading Network, and given a chance to attend the first Seasteading Business Summit to mingle with VCs and serial startup pros.

This contest is critical to the seasteading mission because commercial seasteads will themselves “Sink or Swim” based on the businesses located onboard. Can they turn a profit using ocean resources and business-friendly regulations despite the challenges of the ocean, and without drawing the ire of regulators on land? This contest will bring us a big step closer to knowing the answer.

For more information on the Sink or Swim 2010 business plan contest, including rules and how to enter, click here, or contact us at sinko...@seasteading.org for any questions.

About TSI: The Seasteading Institute is a non-profit research institute based in Sunnyvale, CA. TSI's mission is to establish permanent, autonomous ocean communities to enable experimentation and innovation with diverse social, political and legal systems.