Thursday, August 4, 2011

Becoming an Investor Ready Entrepreneur

About twenty-five eager current and would be entrepreneurs gathered at the Worrell Center at WFU to learn from a panel of experts and a team of dynamic lecturers. The topic: “Becoming an Investor-Ready Entrepreneur” was presented by the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce, The SBTDC (Small Business Technology Development Center), NC Bionet, IMAF(Inception Microangel Fund) and North Carolina Biotechnology Center.


The group was welcomed by Bill Parrish from the SBTDC presenting an animated short of a toy airplane attempting its first maiden flight. He compared that experience to starting up a new venture. Attendees were taken through a fourteen module session covering such important topics as the funding landscape, what is the big idea and will it attract investors, how to present to investors and how to value your company. Each module consisted of a fifteen minute discussion with visual aids , an opportunity to ask the panel of entrepreneurial experts questions and a host of links on where to go for more information on the subject.
Tim Janke from IMAF told participants their chances for getting funding. Aabout 1 in 100 ideas actually receive funds. The audience learned what industry sector has the most deals: Healthcare leads the funding, accounting for 30% of the deals down to retail and IT at 5% each. Attendees spanned a broad spectrum of industries and ideas from medical devices to medical services; from retail related services to green technology. Some attendees already had patents on their idea or product and one entrepreneur even had a prototype of his idea ready to share with the group.
Panelists shared their words of wit and wisdom with the audience. Patrick Kammer of C Change Surgical compared being unprepared for a pitch to a potential investor like a bad first date. “It’s unlikely you’ll be walking down the aisle in marriage after a bad first date” he said, implying that funding too would be unlikely after a poor first presentation. Jon Wilson of SpringMed said, “Make your competitor your friend” pointing out the benefits of competition (demonstrates market potential, provides a possible buyer/acquirer for your startup). Kip Johnson of Womble Carlyle indicated that he sees far too many “hockey sticks” for growth charts and would rather fund ventures that show upward but realistic growth curves. In that same vein, Lisa Ruckdeschel from SBTDC advised the audience to focus on bottom up sales projections versus top down. She indicated that it’s easy to assume one half one percent of the total market as a revenue projection but harder to come up with the number of sales calls, the number of products made, the number of customers needed to come up with that revenue.
Participants received a two inch thick binder with handouts of all the presentation materials, a glossary of investor and entrepreneur necessary terms and many places to jot notes and answer questions. The luncheon break featured guest entrepreneur Andy Chan,  former president and CEO of two entrepreneurial ventures--eProNet and MindSteps. The session concluded with a networking reception and opportunity to meet other SBTDC staff and panelists.

4 comments:

  1. Graphics belonging to the products plus ratings as a result of products popunder keepers is useful to help you potential customers. If you possibly can offer you much more info to help you prospective buyers, they will likely believe softer a couple of choosing verdict. They'll possibly even reference some other clients with your internet business. Whilst you find as a result of analyzing the strategies, web affiliate marketing is without a doubt a brilliant way so you can get ones own services a whole lot of visibility. When immediately after these suggestions, now not will you be not familiar with web affiliate marketing, you will find yourself an experienced person! Simply because a learner become doing a full-time Home business cardio, As i frequently have to help you call to mind ourselves that there is tens of thousands of internet business newbie's which are really commencing. When i secure far and even far inside the manner in business, As i realize the basic fundamentals designed for opening ones own internet business always accommodate authentic. If you happen to originate from a thorough basic foundation, one grow ones own prospects of achieving success. One of the keys pop under ads as their intended purpose, I’d always like to have some of the facts for you at present as a result of help you to get up and running in the best shoe. If you happen to look into that categories of website traffic you may be getting into your internet-site and web log, one is able to enlighten in cases where the majority can be healthy traffics as a result of search engine listings, and steer prospects. Organics traffics as a result of search engine listings switch decent to help you CPC, though customers just who have a look at your webblog at ordinary structure (that steer varieties) might not locks at a lot of these CPC commercials. To help you switch any such traffics to help you product sales, utilising cpm advertising can be you decent treatment.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It's got typically the likely to really fill within the gap when ETA movements would always go once ETA is severely confining sales health of their movements towards brands outside of the Swatch Set. The look at represents a top notch alternative engine movement that will still is not too costly for watches which might be low charge. I been told that until recently watch has not been selling a lot of 9015 motion, but that this doors have created a tad bit more now. Just what exactly is means for you is which you can get a good mechanical watch for a affordable price not have too much ETA-envy. The watch may offer three minimal edition versions belonging to the Cartier Pasha replica. Each will be a 44mm diverse steel claim with whether brushed material, black PVD, or pink gold PVD surface finish. Exciting with regard to watch followers is that the bezels definitely will feature ceramic inlays.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I believe that you need to take a closer look at this page. For some information you should do it as soon as possible

    ReplyDelete
  4. Webroot has established itself as one of the prime quality antiviruses. Although it is an amazing antivirus, due to some underlying causes, it may incur errors. One such issue is error code FZLC0056. Are you facing Webroot activate error code FZLC0056 while installing it on your system? If you answered yes, we have collated a list of solutions for your issue.
    For any assistance about Webroot error, you can simply reach out to the Webroot Antivirus Support Number(806) 304-3832 for immediate help and solutions. Our experts shall try their best to come up with solutions that help resolve your errors.

    ReplyDelete