Topic: How to make PO kill EVE :)
Show the Perpetuum game to same investors, show the success of EVE, show them some diagrams, rich people like to see rising colorful lines of their possible investment success in the future. Discuss improvements of the game that you plan, create a business plan and project plan to show that you are serious about this. You have EVE right at hand, its ups and downs. Your game is after all mechwarrior meets EVE, its not a secret. And you are right - niche of mech based sandbox game is not conquered yet. Be the ones who conquer this place of gaming market . You have like a handbook of success right there. All you have to do is reseach the EVE progression and base your future plans on that, based on what was popular content released in EVE since 1995.
I think your first focus on constructable player owned structures is a very right one, since that was one of the most fun thing in EVE when they released constructible player owned structures. Release more mechs in the meantime, more islands with more advanced inhabitant bots to kill, maybe some mega bots. Something like what if 3 of the local robotic inhabitant factions have finally got their stuff straight and developed some mega machines that would be much tougher than existing batches of random spawns that people would have to work together to take down. Game has the mechanics for that - tanking, remote repairing, DPS focus.
PO actually can kill EVE eventually, because EVE is just too huge. PO is faster paced and have a lot of room to grow and fun content to have implemented in and the opportunity NOT TO REPEAT EVE's mistakes. Don't focus ONLY on PvP side. Give us Beta island inhabitants something to be afraid of other than other PvP corporations. And give PvE people some food for fun and not just grindable assignments. After all a lot of PvE people eventually try PvP and some stay especially since PO is so PvP friendly.
Anyway, its all future of course but you have all the aces in your hand devs.