Entrepreneurs Challenge Round 3 Mentor FAQ

You have been selected to serve as a mentor to a company that is participating in Round 3 of the NASA Entrepreneurs Challenge (EC). The purpose of the EC is to identify individuals and promising companies working to advance the state-of-the-art in three broadly defined technology focus areas that are important to NASA. Companies qualified to participate in Round 3 by exceling in Round 1, where they submitted white papers describing their capabilities, and Round 2, where they presented their ideas to a judging panel consisting of NASA program managers. In Round 3 of the EC, participants will develop a more detailed white paper about their proposals and will present their ideas at the virtual Innovation and Opportunity Conference (IOC) on October 22, 2020. NASA has assigned mentors to advise Round 3 participants as they prepare their Round 3 products. The Round 3 white papers and presentations will be judged by NASA and winners of this round will be announced at the IOC.

1. Who are the Round 3 company participants and assigned mentors?

Note that some companies are assigned more than one mentor. These mentors can choose to work together or to work independently with the company. The companies may want different points of view.

2. What is my time commitment as a mentor?

3. What are my responsibilities?

4. What is the timeline for Round 3 preparation and events?

Suggested timeline:

(Feel free to meet with companies more than twice if you deem it useful and productive)

5. Where can I obtain information about my assigned Round 3 participant’s concepts and capabilities?

If you cannot access the following sites, please email Florence Tan to obtain access:

6. Where can mentors get publicly available mission concepts to provide to these companies?

7. Can I ask somebody else to be a mentor with me?

Yes, but they need to sign an NDA if they are not a civil servant and are also planning to serve as a judge for Round 3 (see FAQ 8).

8. What about protecting the Companies’ Intellectual Property?

If you are a civil servant, you are covered under the Trade Secrets Act.
If you not a civil servant and are also serving as a Round 3 judge, you will need to sign a Non-disclosure Agreement (NDA) if you have not already. Please contact Florence Tan or Mike Seablom if you have not signed an NDA.

9. Are there any topics that are off-limits to discuss with Round 3 participants?

Your role as a mentor is to provide technical advice and discuss the proposal/funding methods and processes. However, you cannot guarantee a contract or funding. Florence Tan or Mike Seablom can assist you if you have questions.

10. What kind of guidance should we give these companies?

Please explain how their technology can benefit NASA:

11. Is there any required content for the white papers and the Oct 22 IOC presentation?

Specific requirements and templates for the white papers and guidelines for the Oct 22 IOC presentation will provided to Round 3 participants here (TBD website).

12. What are the judging criteria for the white paper and Oct 22 IOC presentation?

Round 3 judging criteria will be the same as for Rounds 1 and 2.

13. Can a Round 3 mentor also be a Round 3 judge?

Yes, Round 3 mentors can also serve as Round 3 judges. We expect judges to evaluate all participants’ products objectively, regardless of who mentored the company.

14. If a company wins Round 3, what are the next steps?

The company should apply to NASA SBIR, and/or the various NASA technology maturation programs (see FAQ 10).

Round 3 judges are needed! We would like our mentors to also serve as Round 3 judges. Please contact Florence Tan or Mike Seablom if you are willing to be a judge.