Services Exodus Group Offers

Services for Investors

INVESTOR EVENT MANAGEMENT

Organizations such as NASA and the Space Frontier Foundation have repeatedly entrusted with us planning and managing conferences, symposia, business plan competitions and space investment summits. Whether you need a forum that provides exclusive dialogue sessions between entrepreneurs and prominent investment leaders, an investor-judged competition, or simply a space commerce event, we have the industry connections to bring this to you. For example:

➢ One of our recent events was the $110,000 NewSpace 2012 Business Plan Competition (Watch the presentations: Part 1, Part 2. See the winners announced at the Awards Gala)

➢ The North Carolina Aerospace Alliance relied on us to educate business, political and economic development leaders at the state’s first-ever NewSpace Commerce Forum in North Carolina.

➢ And at the request of the North Carolina Departments of Commerce and Transportation, we arranged for a prominent suborbital vehicle manufacturer to visit Global TransPark.

INDEPENDENT DUE DILIGENCE

You have found a promising opportunity, and after your first review it “feels” good. After a second look it feels better, but your checkbook remains in the drawer. What is holding you back? This is when another set of eyes can help by providing a fresh look. Being bi-lingual (engineering/tech and business) ensures that we balance the emotional excitement of a new business venture with the vital rigorous analysis of your investment opportunity.

Whether it's space, space-related, or space-scalable©(1) the Exodus team brings over three decades of combined experience "looking under the hood" of these kinds of enterprises, and we are well-equipped to provide a realistic analysis of such potential opportunities.

INVESTOR EDUCATION

Investing in startups is not for the timid, and this is particularly true when investing in emerging and evolving industries such as NewSpace, and companies in the new space-scalable© (1) niche. Some companies will fail, some will survive, and the best will thrive. Which describes your opportunity? We know it is probably easier to answer the question, “Do you walk to school or carry your lunch?” That’s why we are here.

From group presentations to one-on-one phone or in-person consults, we tailor our education services specifically to your requirements and investment considerations. Each investment decision is unique… shouldn’t you expect the same customized assistance from your advisors?

Services for Entrepreneurs

BUSINESS PLAN DEVELOPMENT

It all starts here… and it can end here if your business plan is not THE BEST it can humanly be. We emphasize “humanly” because this document is too important to an investor for you to simply plug-in canned text that you find online. It must be written by you and your team as a very human labor of love. It must not only reflect your hard numbers and analysis, but also the passion that will keep you going until you succeed. And it must tell a cohesive winning story that engages, educates and enrolls the reader.

This is one of the most difficult tasks you will face when you start a business. Fortunately, we have been there, done that, and have the scars to prove it. Tell us how we can help:

➢ Do you need us to do the complete market and risk assessments and other research, and then write a plan for you?

➢ Have you written your first draft and now need outside analysis and critique? Whether it’s the full plan, the three-page overview, or the one-page executive summary… we have your back.

CAPITAL FORMATION

Business plan complete? Your team is in place? The numbers compelling? Time to get out there and raise capital. If you are offering the right opportunity, we can help you get in front of some very creative groups of angel investors, so you can get off to the right start. Many of the angels we work with are serial entrepreneurs themselves, and are more than willing to mentor your startup, in addition to providing that initial capital infusion to get you going and running strong.

OPERATIONAL & STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT

How old is your business plan, and the strategic guidance it provides? When was it last reviewed and revised by your leadership team? Is it now little more than a theory? (Remember, in theory, theory is the same as reality, but in reality it isn’t.) A business plan serves one purpose when you are seeking investors, and once your business is generating revenue and self-sustaining that plan must be modified repeatedly to provide useful strategic guidance and supporting operations aligned with that guidance. The more time that passes without a hard look at your daily operations within the context of your strategy, the greater the risk of decreasing alignment between your business goals and the operations that are intended to achieve those goals. When this happens, at best your operations are inefficient. At worst, they are irrelevant if not outright harmful. Fear not, for we will help you turn your now stale pre-funding business plan into one that guides your current operational and strategic needs.

MARKET VISIONING

This is not your father’s business development, which typically addresses markets that companies already know (remaining within their comfort zone). Instead, this is envisioning how companies can sell their products and services into markets they currently believe are outside their domain because of how the companies define themselves. This is about removing self-created limitations based on previous successes and failures.

➢ “Humans do not have the capacity to start from a clean sheet of paper. By design, human beings are incapable of this. Before anyone else makes a mark on that blank page, it’s already filled – with your past, the company’s past, the things you think are appropriate for the business, …” The Last Word on Power, Tracy Goss

Accomplishing this requires a blend of (right brain) art and (left brain) science. In other words, this is wide open rather than directed brainstorming. Despite the old saying, you can indeed get there from here… you just can’t stay within the lines. We will help by providing both linear and lateral thinking and intuiting (it isn’t just about the numbers).

TEAM GENERATION

At some point, you will discover that you cannot do it all by yourself. Perhaps you are the technical genius who designed the product your company will sell; does this make you the best choice for CEO, or for handling sales?

It is often said that investors do not invest in the company, but rather the people. The life or death of your company will depend on the caliber of your team, especially during that early growth stage when tension is high. So, what will it be; a .22 or a .45? Here’s how we can help:

➢ Needs analysis
➢ Recruitment assistance
➢ Team development & leadership

STRATEGIC MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Business plan done? Check. Team in place? Check. Investors onboard? Check. And you thought the hard work was over. You know why you designed your product and created your company. You know how incredibly important and useful they are in the world. Of course, none of this means a thing when it comes to someone actually buying your product. History is littered with brilliant yet failed entrepreneurs who did not understand that Twitter and Facebook are not substitutes for well-conceived and executed marcom plans. And, history is full of not-so-brilliant yet wildly successful entrepreneurs who understood the need for themes and messages targeted at different buying audiences.

As you did with your investors you must also do with your customers; tell an engaging story that demands both attention and response (purchase). As we helped you craft the story for your investors, we will help you with your customers.

STRATEGIC PLANNING & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

All too frequently, these activities are sold by consultants as independent pipeline tasks. In larger companies they are often performed by separate people and departments. In both cases, these very important processes are being treated as if each were not part of a feedback loop in a cyclical process.

Why? Do you want to invest in business development efforts that do not support your company’s strategic goals? Does it make sense to create and implement a strategic plan without knowing which of your business development activities are succeeding and failing?

This is an iterative process, and we can help you at every stage along the way.

----------------------------

(1) Space-scalable©: Technologies primarily developed to solve problems here on Earth for commercial benefit and profit, but are also scalable to solve key long range space problems when the demand ultimately exists, to help make the settlement of the space frontier a reality. This could include biotechnology, nanotechnology, medicine, radiation mitigation, smart materials, alternative energy, or next-gen IT hardware, among many other possibilities.

		"Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare." -- Japanese proverb

	Services for Investors INVESTOR EVENT MANAGEMENT Organizations such as NASA and the Space Frontier Foundation have repeatedly entrusted with us planning and managing conferences, symposia, business plan competitions and space investment summits. Whether you need a forum that provides exclusive dialogue sessions between entrepreneurs and prominent investment leaders, an investor-judged competition, or simply a space commerce event, we have the industry connections to bring this to you. For example: ➢ One of our recent events was the $110,000 NewSpace 2012 Business Plan Competition (Watch the presentations: Part 1, Part 2. See the winners announced at the Awards Gala) ➢ The North Carolina Aerospace Alliance relied on us to educate business, political and economic development leaders at the state’s first-ever NewSpace Commerce Forum in North Carolina. ➢ And at the request of the North Carolina Departments of Commerce and Transportation, we arranged for a prominent suborbital vehicle manufacturer to visit Global TransPark. INDEPENDENT DUE DILIGENCE You have found a promising opportunity, and after your first review it “feels” good. After a second look it feels better, but your checkbook remains in the drawer. What is holding you back? This is when another set of eyes can help by providing a fresh look. Being bi-lingual (engineering/tech and business) ensures that we balance the emotional excitement of a new business venture with the vital rigorous analysis of your investment opportunity. Whether it's space, space-related, or space-scalable©(1) the Exodus team brings over three decades of combined experience "looking under the hood" of these kinds of enterprises, and we are well-equipped to provide a realistic analysis of such potential opportunities. INVESTOR EDUCATION Investing in startups is not for the timid, and this is particularly true when investing in emerging and evolving industries such as NewSpace, and companies in the new space-scalable© (1) niche. Some companies will fail, some will survive, and the best will thrive. Which describes your opportunity? We know it is probably easier to answer the question, “Do you walk to school or carry your lunch?” That’s why we are here. From group presentations to one-on-one phone or in-person consults, we tailor our education services specifically to your requirements and investment considerations. Each investment decision is unique… shouldn’t you expect the same customized assistance from your advisors? Services for Entrepreneurs BUSINESS PLAN DEVELOPMENT It all starts here… and it can end here if your business plan is not THE BEST it can humanly be. We emphasize “humanly” because this document is too important to an investor for you to simply plug-in canned text that you find online. It must be written by you and your team as a very human labor of love. It must not only reflect your hard numbers and analysis, but also the passion that will keep you going until you succeed. And it must tell a cohesive winning story that engages, educates and enrolls the reader. This is one of the most difficult tasks you will face when you start a business. Fortunately, we have been there, done that, and have the scars to prove it. Tell us how we can help: ➢ Do you need us to do the complete market and risk assessments and other research, and then write a plan for you? ➢ Have you written your first draft and now need outside analysis and critique? Whether it’s the full plan, the three-page overview, or the one-page executive summary… we have your back. CAPITAL FORMATION Business plan complete? Your team is in place? The numbers compelling? Time to get out there and raise capital. If you are offering the right opportunity, we can help you get in front of some very creative groups of angel investors, so you can get off to the right start. Many of the angels we work with are serial entrepreneurs themselves, and are more than willing to mentor your startup, in addition to providing that initial capital infusion to get you going and running strong. OPERATIONAL & STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT How old is your business plan, and the strategic guidance it provides? When was it last reviewed and revised by your leadership team? Is it now little more than a theory? (Remember, in theory, theory is the same as reality, but in reality it isn’t.) A business plan serves one purpose when you are seeking investors, and once your business is generating revenue and self-sustaining that plan must be modified repeatedly to provide useful strategic guidance and supporting operations aligned with that guidance. The more time that passes without a hard look at your daily operations within the context of your strategy, the greater the risk of decreasing alignment between your business goals and the operations that are intended to achieve those goals. When this happens, at best your operations are inefficient. At worst, they are irrelevant if not outright harmful. Fear not, for we will help you turn your now stale pre-funding business plan into one that guides your current operational and strategic needs. MARKET VISIONING This is not your father’s business development, which typically addresses markets that companies already know (remaining within their comfort zone). Instead, this is envisioning how companies can sell their products and services into markets they currently believe are outside their domain because of how the companies define themselves. This is about removing self-created limitations based on previous successes and failures. ➢ “Humans do not have the capacity to start from a clean sheet of paper. By design, human beings are incapable of this. Before anyone else makes a mark on that blank page, it’s already filled – with your past, the company’s past, the things you think are appropriate for the business, …” The Last Word on Power, Tracy Goss Accomplishing this requires a blend of (right brain) art and (left brain) science. In other words, this is wide open rather than directed brainstorming. Despite the old saying, you can indeed get there from here… you just can’t stay within the lines. We will help by providing both linear and lateral thinking and intuiting (it isn’t just about the numbers). TEAM GENERATION At some point, you will discover that you cannot do it all by yourself. Perhaps you are the technical genius who designed the product your company will sell; does this make you the best choice for CEO, or for handling sales? It is often said that investors do not invest in the company, but rather the people. The life or death of your company will depend on the caliber of your team, especially during that early growth stage when tension is high. So, what will it be; a .22 or a .45? Here’s how we can help: ➢ Needs analysis ➢ Recruitment assistance ➢ Team development & leadership STRATEGIC MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Business plan done? Check. Team in place? Check. Investors onboard? Check. And you thought the hard work was over. You know why you designed your product and created your company. You know how incredibly important and useful they are in the world. Of course, none of this means a thing when it comes to someone actually buying your product. History is littered with brilliant yet failed entrepreneurs who did not understand that Twitter and Facebook are not substitutes for well-conceived and executed marcom plans. And, history is full of not-so-brilliant yet wildly successful entrepreneurs who understood the need for themes and messages targeted at different buying audiences. As you did with your investors you must also do with your customers; tell an engaging story that demands both attention and response (purchase). As we helped you craft the story for your investors, we will help you with your customers. STRATEGIC PLANNING & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT All too frequently, these activities are sold by consultants as independent pipeline tasks. In larger companies they are often performed by separate people and departments. In both cases, these very important processes are being treated as if each were not part of a feedback loop in a cyclical process. Why? Do you want to invest in business development efforts that do not support your company’s strategic goals? Does it make sense to create and implement a strategic plan without knowing which of your business development activities are succeeding and failing? This is an iterative process, and we can help you at every stage along the way. ---------------------------- (1) Space-scalable©: Technologies primarily developed to solve problems here on Earth for commercial benefit and profit, but are also scalable to solve key long range space problems when the demand ultimately exists, to help make the settlement of the space frontier a reality. This could include biotechnology, nanotechnology, medicine, radiation mitigation, smart materials, alternative energy, or next-gen IT hardware, among many other possibilities.