Business Plan

Executive summary

This project is the most ambitious project ISS have undertaken to date. We wish to bring life to a region: Providence.

The mission of the ISS is to develop space (unclaimed by alliances) and make it accessible to a greater part of Eve's population. True to this vision, we will build two complementary outposts in the region. The twin outposts will provide a home, a trade hub, manufacturing and a general meeting point for all the inhabitants of the region.

Since the beginning of Eve, Providence have been a 'bastard' region. There are no NPC stations in the region and experienced 0.0 pilots scoff at it because they think the ore is poor. However they often overlook the regions rich moon raws and it has always been favored by a large number of pilots. The reason for this is that it is close to empire space, and perhaps because it presents challenges which younger pilots find fitting to their skill levels.

The project

Player owned starbases (aka. POS), with reactors, factories, laboratories, and shipyards, embody semi-permanent civilian investments in any region, and the twin outposts will be ideal to support them.

The Gallente Outpost 'ISS Consido' will provide necessary office space for medium sized corporations living in the region, and the Amarr Outpost 'ISS Fabrica' will allow the residents to locally manufacture T2 components from the reactions they make on their starbases, and consequently encourage local production of both items and modules, both in the factory outpost and from starbase factories.

For the production of non-POS related products, the factories in the Amarr outpost 'ISS Fabrica' will be fed by high-end minerals from the southern deep space regions, and by low-end minerals from empire. The in-between nature of the region will serve it well in this respect. This in turn will create an autonomous market in Providence, with locally produced goods. We know factories are essential to support a larger population. As an example, the factories in the ISS Marginis Outpost are completely over-booked, with production queues of up to a week at any given time.

Details on the ISS Providence Outpost Project are outlined below.
Some aspects of planning have been withheld or summarised for security reasons.

Outpost target market

Providence has never been claimed in its entirety by any faction. This is due to two reasons. First of all it represents one of the major travel routes to and from the southern deep space regions. Secondly, because the region is poor in ore.

The region is presently home to a diverse array of factions. To mention a few, Huzzah and Curatores Veritatis Alliance claim several constellations in the region and have succesfully done so for a long time. And Ushra'khan also live there, as does the Corvid Free Space Syndicate, an anti-pirate coalition. Cose to Providence, in Catch, Interstellar Alcohol Conglomerate have seized claim on the JZV-06 constellation.

Station Visitors
The primary target group of visitors to the station are expected to be the neighbouring alliances and new corporations looking to establish themselves in 0.0. The secondary target-group is a growing number of POS operators and NPC hunters in the Providence Region.

The stations visitors are expected to be trade and manufacturing based:
- Corporations and inter-alliance sellers of named loot
- Empire buyers/sellers of Advanced Materials
- Empire sellers of Tech2 ships and equipment
- Corporation buyers of Tech2 ships and equipment
- Inter-alliance sellers of POS products (Raws, Processed Materials, Advanced Materials)
- Inter-alliance buyers of POS products
- Empire sellers of compressed ores.
- Nearby POS owners
- ISS Alliance Members

Neighbouring alliance populations
The figures below show number of pilots in the alliances claiming the neighbouring regions.
It is anticipated that the majority of trade will come from new corporations entering and establishing in the Providence region.
Experience from the effect of Marginis and Borealis suggests this will be a permanent population of avg. 50 pilots 23/7

Project Timing

Details of the construction and deployment schedule are not released for security reasons.
From end of the IPO process, a 6 week plan for the construction has been devised.
This project is being managed by players with experience at establishing 0.0 outposts.
The Outpost to be operational on May 1, 2006.

The phases involved will be:

Investor Acquisition plan

Investors will be people looking for somewhere to make their ISK increase without performing effort for doing so.

The two key benefits to attract investors are:
- Monthly Dividends (estimated at approx 5% per month = 60% per year) based on IPO share price ie. dividend 1m / share / month)
- Re-sale of shares which increase in value (eg. Previous ISS Outpost IPO shares have risen to 150% of IPO value within 2 months)

It is anticipated the following types of investors will be interested in buying shares:
- Pilots & Corporations in Neighbouring Alliances
- ISS Marginis Outpost and ISS Borealis shareholders
- Wealthy Individuals (High net worth)
- Established Players (Low/Medium net worth)
- Traders
- Corporations looking to establish in Providence
- POS owners in nearby systems

Share Buying Proceedure
- A separate corporation 'ISS Providence' [ISSPO] is created for the purpose of owning the stations, selling the initial shares and returning dividends to shareholders.
- Count TaSessine and Serenity Steele both maintain the only alts in this corporation who check the wallet and issue shares.
- To make the shares accessible by the broadest number of players regardless of wealth, the share price is to be set at 20m ISK.
- Shares will be issued by the ISSPO only, in minimum quantities of 10 shares (ie. 200m investment)
- In the unlikely event insufficient shares are sold to realise the project, the cash will be returned to investors and the corporation closed.

Steps for share issue for Corporations:
1) Corporations transfer the ISK to the wallet of 'ISS Providence' [ISSPO] corporation.
2) [ISSPO] Director/CEO Checks wallet within 24 hours.
3) The [ISSPO] transfers the shares to the corporation transferring the money and an evemail sent to the pilot initiating the transfer.

Steps for share issue for Pilots:
1) Pilots transfer the ISK to the wallet of 'Duke Steele' [ISSPO].
2) 'Duke Steele' checks wallet within 24 hours.
3) 'Duke Steele' transfers the shares to the person transferring the money and an evemail sent to the investor.

Steps for share trade:
As it is not possible to use a 'trade' window or escrow to sell shares, the buyer and seller must make two transactions. This leave the possiblity open for scams. (eg. person x receives ISK from person y, but doesn't transfer shares to person y). To avoid a scam market occuring, The [ISSO],[ISSMO],[ISSBO] and [ISSPO] Corporation members can broker share trades. This has worked successfully for the current outposts.

Initial Interest
Preliminary discussions with potential investors has shown levels of interest sufficient to go-ahead with the project:
- Individuals too slow for the last IPO: 18bn ISK
- Existing ISS Outpost shareholders: 12bn ISK
- Wealthy Individuals: 10bn ISK
- Neighbouring Alliances: 4bn ISK
- ISS Management: 10bn ISK
- ISS Members : 6bn ISK

Share Release Plan
The share release plan is to be in two stages, in order to reach the following objectives:
- Provide a bonus to ISS alliance members for their efforts in seeing the outpost built
- Provide stability through shares sold to neighbouring alliances
- Ensure that no one-group monopolizes all shares in the outpost (Multiple stake-holders).
- Ensure that all shares are sold to realise the project
- Reward existing ISS investors

The time-scale has been compacted based on level of anticipated popularity.
All times are Eve-time.
Phase 1: Wed 8 Mar (1800) to Sat 11 Mar (1800) - ISS and Neighbouring Alliance Members, Existing shareholders in ISS Marginis and ISS Borealis
Phase 2: Sat 11 Mar (1800) to Wed 15 Mar (1800) - All Eve Players (EVEMAIL ONLY)

Dividend Issue
- All funds from the outposts will go to the ISS Providence corporation [ISSPO] (as per game mechanics).
- Dividends will be issued on the 1st of each month
- The whole amount in the ISSPO corporations wallet will be issued as a dividend to shareholders.

Location Selection

The optimal location for the Outposts has been selected by balancing the following criteria:
- Distance from NPC Stations
- Proximity to existing frequently travelled routes
- Proximity to each other
- Large number of gates in the system
- Number and distance of primary and alternative routes to Empire
- Number of colonisable moons within 5 jumps.
- Within Capital ship jump range of ISS Marginis for capital defence if necessary

The specific location chosen will not be announced until the outposts are complete.

Outpost Security

There are two phases to the security. The following techniques will be used in each phase to ensure security

Build Phase
Security measures include:
- Only the outpost project crew will know final location of outpost until launch.
- No information published on deployment or build progress
- Multiple systems with sovereignty claimed in random systems in area.
- Large professional mercinary force employed for launch and defence of construction platform.

Operational Phase
Security measures will include:
- Multiple shareholders from neighbouring alliances and broader eve
- Multiple sovereignty POS run by ISS Management Corporations (ISSO, ISSL)
- Only Large POS Used
- 60 days fuel reserves maintained in Outpost
- (Confidential) days fuel reserves stored at POS
- sovereignty POS will be independently economically viable
- (confidential) Backup 'Rapid Deployment POS' stored in Outpost
- sovereignty POS will have (confidential) weapons including Hardening arrays and EW
- ISS will allocate part of 'Defence Budget' to defending station
- Separate Military anti-pirate corporations have agreed to base from the outpost
- Docking policy (see below)
- Permanentaly assigned ISS Navy Task Force pilots in station including Capital Ships.

Station Management Policy

Office rental policy
The Gallente and Amarr outposts have 16 and 4 offices available respectively. Allocation of offices will initially be as follows:
- 3 Gallente for ISS Management Corps: Interstellar Starbase Syndicate Operations, ISS Navy Task Force, ISS Logistics
- 13 Gallente for Big Investors/Public Auction: Investors who invest more than 2 Bn ISK will automatically be offered an office at normal rent conditions.
- 4 Factory for Big Investors/Public Auction: Investors who invest more than 4 Bn ISK will automatically be offered an office at normal rent conditions.
- If any office remain available, they will be auctioned on eve-online forums. Any ISK realised will go to shareholders as first dividend.
- After this, any corporation with neutral or +ve standings will be able to rent offices, enabling the free re-sale of offices by intvestors to other corporations
- Any offices that lapse rent and become free for more than 24hrs will be sold via private sale.

Factory and laboratory rental policy
All 24 Factories and 5+ Labs will be available for public use.

Station Launch

Outpost Budget

Build Budget

Notes:
- Unspent ISK from the construction budget will be issued in the first dividend
- ISS fees will be paid as Shares from the 3500 total
- Emergency Fuel reserves are to ensure sovereignty in the case of the station or trade routes becoming blockaded. They are sold to the ISS Managing the POS at the investment price, no less, no more, and the funds will be used to replenish the supply.

Operational Revenue

Notes:
- Docking Fees per m3 of volume will initially be 0.2 ISK at the Gallente station and 0.6 at the Amarr Factory Station
- Docking Fees are based on the following docking average amounts per 24hrs for both stations: 40 Industrials/Transports, 40 Cruisers, 2 Freighters, 22 battleships.
- Offices auctioned during the setup of the ISS Providence will create a one-off dividend hit (this will help compensate for the share return between end of the IPO and launch of the station)

Overview

Previous ISS Outpost IPOs

Why Invest

How to Invest

Business Plan

FAQ