SatelliteFinance Conference | Summer 2016
August 18, 2016 | JW Marriott San Francisco
This interdisciplinary conference will address the critical financial and business issues impacting the global satellite industry, and explore opportunities in the private and public equity and debt capital markets for investment in this fast-growing sector. Attendees will enjoy a keynote interview with Mr. Mark Dankberg, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of ViaSat Inc., one of America’s fastest growing technology companies.
We are pleased to announce Mr. Mark Dankberg, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of ViaSat Inc., one of America’s fastest growing technology companies, will be the keynote speaker at this year’s conference, which will focus on the key financial and business issues underpinning the fast-growing market for connectivity.
Since co-founding ViaSat in 1986, Mr. Dankberg has driven the company’s rapid growth, which included an IPO (VSAT) on the Nasdaq market in 1996 and more recently the announcement of ViaSat-3, which captured the attention of the industry through a combination of enormous network capacity and global coverage.
Jason Rainbow, Editor of SatelliteFinance, will interview Mr. Dankberg about the firm’s satellite broadband strategy, including his vision for ultra-high definition video streaming, in-flight internet service, affordable satellite Wi-Fi connectivity for emerging markets, and a range of maritime and enterprise applications.
Attendees of this prestigious forum will gain practical information, exclusive insights, and a global perspective on the latest strategies and considerations driving financing, M&A, and corporate strategy in the commercial satellite industry.
AGENDA
8:00am -6:00pm
Individual Investor Meetings
Download the PitchBook App to research fundraising, M&A information, and company profiles. Click here to reserve a private meeting room at the JW Marriott.
9:00am – 9:15am
Conference Registration and Coffee Service
9:15am – 9:25am
Opening Remarks
By William Jefferson Black; Publisher of SatelliteFinance, Transaction Advisors, and TelecomFinance; Managing Director of Finance Information Group
9:25am – 10:20am
Private Capital Financing: A look at the current market for venture capital, private equity, economic development funding, and strategic corporate investments in the commercial satellite industry including a review of typical investment structures and deal terms.
Moderated by Steve Kaufman, Partner, Hogan Lovells
Carl Harris, COO, Spire
Nathan Kundtz, CEO and President, Kymeta
Daniel Faber, CEO, Deep Space Industries
John Serafini, CEO, HawkEye 360 and SVP, Allied Minds
How Big is the Commercial Satellite Market? Some of the leading experts will debate the size of the economic opportunity for investors that are evaluating investments in the various sub-segments of the industry and provide their forecasts for near-term and long-term growth rates for companies that are working to connect the world with telecom, satellite, and space technologies.
Moderated by Thierry Lefort, Consultant, Strategy&
David Abecassis, Principal, Analysys Mason
Christopher Baugh, President, Northern Sky Research
Sima Fishman, Managing Director, Euroconsult
Micah Walter-Range, Director – Research & Analysis, Space Foundation
11:45am – 12:20pm
Public Equity and Debt Financing: A review of recent public capital market transaction pricing and upcoming mandates, what issues boards and management teams will be addressing before the end of the year, how to present the industry to debt syndication desks and equity analysts relative to other sectors on a risk return basis.
Andrew Spinola, Vice President, Wells Fargo Securities
12:20pm – 1:35pm
Luncheon and Keynote:
Mark Dankberg, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, ViaSat, Inc.
Mr. Dankberg is an acknowledged industry expert in aerospace, defense, and satellite communications, and is the leading visionary for a new generation of high-capacity satellite systems. He has co-authored several military standards on satellite networking, and holds a number of patents in communications and satellite networking technologies. In February, ViaSat announced plans for three new satellites that will each be capable of delivering the total network capacity of all commercial spacecraft currently in orbit.
Interviewed by Jason Rainbow, Editor of SatelliteFinance
1:35pm – 2:30pm
Insurance Market Dynamics: Understanding the underwriters’ perspective and modeling of the various risks and premium opportunities, how operators effectively navigate the insurance market, a look at the key issues that will drive the rating environment from capacity to cost considerations.
Moderated by Tim Rush, Senior Vice President, Space Projects, Marsh
Chris Kunstadter, SVP & Global Underwriting Manager, XL Catlin
Barry Matsumori, SVP, Business Development & Advanced Concepts, Virgin Galactic
Mike Safyan, Director of Launch & Regulatory Affairs, Planet
Brad Schneider, EVP & General Manager, Rocket Lab USA
Shifting Cost Dynamics: This session will dive into the industry’s cost structure and look at the opportunities for margin enhancement, or erosion, in the near term and during the next cycle; a look at some of the most common fallacies in financial models, where the best opportunities exist for driving down capital and operating costs.
3:55pm – 4:50pm
Outlook for M&A: This session will look at opportunities for expansion and consolidation through M&A, how the cost of capital is influencing deal models, what factors may cause deals to fail to close, what regulatory constructs will shape M&A strategies, and how financial buyers may impact valuations and deal processes.
Moderated by Mike Sullivan, Partner, Orrick
Fred Graffam, SVP Finance & Corporate Development, DigitalGlobe
Mikhail Kokorich, Co-Founder & President, Astro Digital
Gareth Keane, Senior Investment Manager, Qualcomm Ventures
Akshay Patel, VP, Strategy & Business Development, Planetary Resources
4:50pm – 5:00pm
Closing Remarks
By William Jefferson Black and Jason Rainbow of SatelliteFinance
5:00pm – 6:30pm
Wine Tasting Reception
Registered delegates are also invited to the pre-conference Start-up Showcase & Networking Dinner that will be held from 5-9pm on Wednesday, August 17th, at the JW Marriott. Participants will include senior corporate executives from the commercial satellite industry (including operators, launch providers, and antenna and satellite manufacturers), early-stage companies seeking investment, capital providers and advisors, equity analysts, insurance brokers and underwriters, heads of corporate development and corporate venture funds, private equity investors, and venture capitalists.
Please include the Start-up Showcase & Networking Dinner event in your registration to enjoy a discussion on the strategic aspects of the commercial space and satellite industries, an artisanal dinner, and some of California’s most unique wines from TR Elliott, a producer of small lots of Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley, located in the heart of Sonoma County, California.
