ASU SES 498/598

Competitive Analysis & Value Proposition

Table of Contents

Class 2

Competitive Analysis

& Value Proposition

Space Business & Entrepreneurship

ASU SES 498/598

Fred von Graf, PMP

Thursday, 1:30-2:45 PM

Find your unique position in the space economy

Today's Mission

What You'll Learn Today

🔍

AI-Powered Competitor Research

Advanced techniques for market intelligence

🎯

SWOT Analysis with AI

Systematic competitive positioning

💎

Value Proposition Design

Finding your "secret sauce"

📊

Competitive Matrices

Visual positioning strategies

Why Competitive Analysis Matters

The Space Industry Reality

Crowded Markets

  • •
    500+ NewSpace companies founded annually
  • •
    $10B+ invested yearly
  • •
    90% fail within 5 years

Success Factors

  • ✓
    Clear differentiation from competitors
  • ✓
    Unique value for customers
  • ✓
    Defensible market position
  • ✓
    Sustainable competitive advantage

Example: SpaceX didn't just build rockets—they revolutionized cost structure

AI Competitive Intelligence Framework

Your 5-Step Research Process

1.

Landscape Mapping

Identify all players in your space

2.

Deep Dive Analysis

Understand each competitor's strengths

3.

Gap Identification

Find unserved needs and opportunities

4.

Position Mapping

Visualize competitive dynamics

5.

Differentiation Strategy

Define your unique angle

Advanced Competitor Prompts

Level Up Your Research

❌ Basic

"Who competes with SpaceX?"

✅ Advanced 

You are a space industry analyst specializing in launch services.

Create a competitive analysis of companies offering small satellite 
launch services (<500kg to LEO). Include:

1. Company name, founding year, funding raised
2. Launch capacity, cost per kg, reliability rate
3. Unique technology or business model
4. Target customer segments
5. 2024-2025 launch manifest

Format as a comparison table with sources.

SWOT Analysis with AI

Systematic Competitive Assessment

AI-Enhanced SWOT Prompt Template

Conduct a SWOT analysis for [Your Company] competing in the 
[specific market segment]. Context: [brief description].

For each quadrant provide:
- 3 specific points
- Evidence or examples
- Competitive implications

Compare against top 3 competitors: [list competitors]

💡 Pro Tip: Run SWOT for competitors too!

Value Proposition Canvas

Connecting Problems to Solutions

Customer Profile (Right Side)

Jobs to be Done
  • • Functional tasks
  • • Social objectives
  • • Emotional needs
Pains
  • • Frustrations
  • • Obstacles
  • • Risks
Gains
  • • Required outcomes
  • • Desired benefits
  • • Delighters

Value Map (Left Side)

Products & Services
  • • Physical/digital
  • • Financial
  • • Intangible
Pain Relievers
  • • How you eliminate pains
  • • Reduce frustrations
Gain Creators
  • • How you create gains
  • • Exceed expectations

Assignment

Due Next Thursday's Class

Value Proposition Canvas Expert – Prompt/Agent

Use this specialized agent to generate a rigorous Value Proposition Canvas for your venture.

⬇️ Download Markdown

Instructions

1.

Find 5 competitors in your space segment using the prompts from slide 5.

2.

Create the SWOT analysis using the prompt from slide 6.

3.

Create the Value Proposition Canvas (VPC) using the provided Value Proposition Canvas Expert prompt.

4.

Pull all this together and craft a prompt asking an LLM for a concise Positioning Statement for your idea.

Submission

  • • List results for each item: 5 competitors, SWOT, VPC, Positioning Statement
  • • Share any insights learned (one paragraph or less)

Grading

Depth of research, SWOT completeness, VPC completeness, Positioning paper completeness.

🎯 Pro Tips for Students

  • • PTF formatting for LLMs; use Detailed Queries with just the T & F sections in Perplexity.
  • • Be Specific: Instead of "save money," say "reduce launch costs by 40% compared to traditional providers."
  • • Think Like Your Customer: What keeps them up at night? What would make their boss happy?
  • • Validate Assumptions: After creating your canvas, interview potential customers to test your assumptions.
  • • Iterate: Your first version won't be perfect—refine based on feedback.
  • • Focus on Fit: Map pain relievers and gain creators directly to customer pains and desired gains.