Global Entrepreneurship Institute

Posted by: Robert W. Price

The 5th Annual Tech Coast Angels Los Angeles Fast Pitch Competition takes place on February 24th at UCLA Anderson School of Management. CEOs of 12 early stage companies, selected from more than 100 applicants, will have 90 seconds to pitch their companies to a panel of judges. The winner will be invited to present at a Tech Coast Angels screening session and will be considered for funding.

Steve Streit, CEO of TCA-funded Green Dot, will give the event keynote beginning at 3 P.M.. The program will include a CEO panel discussing funding war stories, a angel and venture capitalist panel giving tips on how to get funded, and the Fast Pitch competition itself. A light dinner and refreshments will be served after the program at a networking event attended by hundreds of investors, entrepreneurs and other industry experts. More details about the event agenda will be available in mid-January.

CEOs who want to be a Fast Pitch competitor should submit an application now. Applicants will be initially reviewed by Tech Coast Angels members starting in mid-January. More than 20 CEOs will be invited to participate in coaching sessions in February.
>>Apply Now: TCA LA 2010 Fast Pitch 

About Tech Coast Angels
Tech Coast Angels is the largest angel investor group in the U.S. Its members provide funding and guidance to more early-stage, high-growth companies in Southern California than any other investment group. TCA members invest in companies in a wide range of industries, including the life sciences, biotech, IT, services, retail, Internet, financial, software, media, consumer products and tech startups. TCA members give companies more than just capital. They also provide counsel, mentoring and access to an extensive network of potential investors, customers, strategic partners and management talent. TCA has more than 250 members, including its venture capital affiliates, in five networks in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Westlake/Santa Barbara and the Inland Empire.
>>Learn More: Tech Coast Angels

SOURCE: Tech Coast Angels

Posted by: Robert W. Price

Open to All Entrepreneurs Interested in Company Startup and Angel Funding

A “Meet the Angels” mixer designed to encourage and support new entrepreneurs, will be held January 18, 2010.
This event is sponsored by the Tech Coast Angels (TCA), the nation’s largest angel investment network. The mixer is the second in TCA’s new program of “Meet the Angels” mixers launched after the success of the first event, which generated demand from attendees for more mixers.

It will be held in Aliso Viejo, California from 5:00pm-7:00pm. It is an open and free event to entrepreneurs seeking information about angel funding, startups or other aspects of early-stage company development.

According to Stu Roberts, president of TCA’s Orange County Chapter, “Entrepreneurs have questions about funding their startups and our mixer is the perfect place to start collecting information by interacting with and hearing directly from angel investors. We want our customers, the entrepreneurs, to learn what companies TCA is funding and provide them with an informal setting to answer their questions.”

The last TCA Mixer held in November was attended by more than 100 entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs are encouraged to RSVP as soon as possible  as space is limited. Address and directions are listed on the website.
>>Register for TCA Mixer 

Roberts continued, “TCA is working hard to provide entrepreneurs with the tools and opportunities to fund their dreams. We encourage all entrepreneurs to join us for this informal event.”

About Tech Coast Angels
Tech Coast Angels is the largest angel investor group in the U.S. Its members provide funding and guidance to more early-stage, high-growth companies in Southern California than any other investment group. TCA members invest in companies in a wide range of industries, including the life sciences, biotech, IT, services, retail, Internet, financial, software, media, consumer products and tech startups. TCA members give companies more than just capital. They also provide counsel, mentoring and access to an extensive network of potential investors, customers, strategic partners and management talent. TCA has more than 250 members, including its venture capital affiliates, in five networks in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Westlake/Santa Barbara and the Inland Empire.
>>Learn More: Tech Coast Angels

SOURCE: Tech Coast Angels

Posted by: Robert W. Price 

Growth Company Executives Want More Government Help to Drive Corporate Innovation, According to Ernst & Young Survey. The majority (60%) of company leaders surveyed believed that the current Administration in Washington is “not” supportive of corporate innovation.

Execs say innovation criticalassert tax credits, R&D grants from D.C. would spur innovation and growth. A new Ernst & Young LLP Strategic Growth Markets survey of C-suite executives finds that growth companies see innovation as critical to their growth, but admit they are coming up short and would do more if they had additional help from Capitol Hill to support their innovation efforts.

Continue reading ‘Company Leaders Say Washington Does Not Support Corporate Innovation’ »

Case In Point: Cisco Systems

In the early 1980s Stanford University had some 5,000 computers of various types. There was no campus-wide network, the systems were like islands. Bridges were needed to connect them together. Cisco Systems was founded in 1983 in the living room where Len Bosack and his wife Sandy Lerner lived. Their solution was to create the bridge that networked the networks. Continue reading ‘Managing the Rapidly Growing Venture’ »

Posted by: Robert W. Price

“Venture Voices” is a video series produced by the National Venture Capital Association. These videos offer an intimate look at various aspects of the venture capital asset class as told by pioneering VCs both past and present. We invite you to view these 12 short videos to understand the unique relationship between venture capitalists and entrepreneurs, and the world class innovation that’s brought to market as a result.
>>View Videos

Continue reading ‘Videos - Inside the World Of Venture Capitalists’ »

Posted by: Robert W. Price

Q&A with Experienced Angel Investors

Knox Massey, managing director of Atlanta Technology Angels in Atlanta, GA and ACA board member, and William H. Payne, a member and active participant in Vegas Valley Angels in Las Vegas, NV and Frontier Angel Fund in Whitefish, MT share their views on the effect of these challenging economic times on valuation of new deals and follow-on rounds.

Continue reading ‘Ask an Angel: What’s New in Angel Investing?’ »

Posted by: Robert W. Price

New Research: Effect of Entrepreneur’s Perceived Passion on Angels’ Investment Decisions

When an entrepreneur stands up to present a deal, angels in the audience look for market opportunity, scalability, intellectual property, quality of the management team, an exit plan, and previous entrepreneurial success—all the factors that make a company investment worth it or not.

But, as most any angel who has ever screened a deal intuitively knows, an entrepreneur’s passion also plays a role in whether or not the deal moves forward or dies. 

Continue reading ‘Report: Entrepreneurs Need Passion When Pitching To Angels’ »

Posted by: Robert W. Price 

Is your company “really” investor ready? Do you know how to market and sell to outside investors? Do you have a sound financing strategy? Here is what Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop, once said: “There are only two ways of raising money: the hard way and the very hard way.”

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New York Times Article: In Pitching to Angel Investors, Preparation Tops Zeal

For entrepreneurs hoping to land start-up capital from angel investors, here is what two recent studies found: Don’t get carried away when you pitch your product, because the investors may lose interest faster than you can say “almost unlimited market,” The New York Times’s Brent Bowers reports in this article.

Continue reading ‘Are You Ready for Angel Investors?’ »

Special Guide for Raising Money From Venture Capitalists and Angel Investors 

Is your company “really” investor ready? Do you know how to market and sell to outside investors? Do you have a sound financing strategy? Here is what Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop, once said: “There are only two ways of raising money: the hard way and the very hard way.”

Continue reading ‘Free Guide: Raising Venture Capital’ »

Entering Into a Relationship With a “Matchmaker” May Pose Risks

By: Robert W. Price 

There are an increasing number of online “matchmaker” services that “find” venture capital and angel investors for entrepreneurs. The characteristic that these “finders” all share is their preferred method of being compensated. It is a fee that usually consists of a percentage of the money raised.

As this report “The Search for Venture Capital: Beware of “Finders” Operating As Unregistered Broker-Dealers” prepared by the law firm DLA Piper points out, there is potential liability for Start-Ups. The potential problem with using a finder is that the finder may be operating as an “unregistered broker-dealer” of private securities.

NOTE: This is an Adobe PDF file. Download the Report in PDF

What Makes a Great Venture Capitalist?

Now that you know and understand the specifics of your business—you know your numbers cold, you have the financials prepared, you understand how much you need, and grasp the fundamentals of valuation—it is about finding and evaluating the right investors for your specific deal. But navigating through the universe of investors can be confusing, even for the most experienced entrepreneurs. 

Continue reading ‘How do you know you have the right investor?’ »

Discussions About Investing To Go Global

By: Robert W. Price

Before making the decision to commit critical capital resources overseas, the venture needs to have a clear understanding of why it is doing so. Before discussing the reasons for investing overseas, we first want to discuss Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). For statistical purposes FDI is usually defined as ownership of at least 10 to 25 percent of the equity of one venture in one country, by another venture based in another country.

Continue reading ‘What are the capital investment decisions for going global?’ »

Perfecting Your Fast Pitch and Your Email Quickview

By: Robert W. Price 

What makes fund-raising so hard is not only understanding this process, but also at the same time putting your deal into a package that can be communicated and shared quickly and efficiently. Venture capitalists, especially those that focus on financing early stage ventures, get carpet-bombed with packages outlining business concepts at various stages of development. Continue reading ‘How to Prepare your Fast Pitch for Investors’ »

By: Robert W. Price  

More Signs Of Capital Starvation For Entrepreneur
The National Association of Seed and Ventures Funds (NASVF), a nonprofit organization formed in 1993 to encourage development of new businesses, surveyed 5,000 early-stage venture capital professional to get a handle on how bad things are. And they are bad.
>>Read More

Continue reading ‘More Signs Of Capital Starvation For Entrepreneur’ »

By: Robert W. Price  

Source: New York Times 02-03-09

Technology entrepreneurs are having a devil of a time finding angels.

Angel investors are the optimistic financiers who give entrepreneurs their crucial first infusion of cash to bring their ideas to life. Now, in the midst of a punishing economic downturn that is sparing few companies, these patrons are cutting back on their bets and threatening the very foundation of the technology economy.

Continue reading ‘Angels Stop Investing In Tech Start-Ups’ »