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Friday, October 29, 2010
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Wednesday, October 27, 2010
The Top 10 SEO Best Practices For Law Firm Websites | eLawMarketing - JDSupra
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Tuesday, October 26, 2010
3 ways to raise seed capital if you don’t know any investors | VentureBeat
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Monday, October 25, 2010
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Friday, October 22, 2010
3 Days of the startup - ABJ Entrepreneur
Thursday, October 21, 2010, 11:00pm CDT | Modified: October 21, 2010, 11:00 PM
3 Days of the startup
by Sandra Zaragoza
Austin is the champion of Startups in U.S.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Private Equity for Business Startups: Venture Capitalists are Willing to Take Risks that Lenders Will Not
Private Equity for Business Startups
Venture Capitalists are Willing to Take Risks that Lenders Will Not
Jan 29, 2009 Gopinathan Thachappilly
These private investors can be angel investors or venture capital companies. Angel investors are rich individuals who have usually made it in business, and are often motivated by a desire to help new entrepreneurs. Venture capital companies are more businesslike and are rarely affected by such emotional sentiments. In both cases, the investors have accumulated a capital fund that they can invest as equity capital in promising ventures.
Business Startup Funding and Venture Capital
New small business startups often have difficulty finding the finance needed to set up and carry on their business till it begins to generate funds needed to carry on the operations. Lenders typically look for past performance record and/or collateral security. At the same time, innovative but unproven projects might actually have the potential to generate high profits.
Venture capital providers are willing to take risks with such projects. Even if a few of their projects do not deliver on the promise, these private investors might be more than compensated by the high returns they earn on other projects, some of which might even exceed their expectations. On the other hand, financing companies that earn only interest on their loans might not be able to afford such risks.
However, the private investors are not philanthropists and the entrepreneurs will have to come up with a fully worked out business project, and convince the investors how the project will be able to earn high profits.
It is the high profits potential that the venture capitalists look for. An innovative business that can quickly achieve market leadership and command premium prices for its product is the ideal project for them. Such a business might be able to issue shares to the public at an early date and the private investors hope to sell their equity holdings during such an issue at a price much above what they paid for it.
Private Investors and Management Control
Ideally, entrepreneurs would like to receive business funding without any strings attached. Normally, investors who invest substantially in a business will expect to exercise some management control over the business. Venture capital investors, on the other hand, might actually prefer to let the entrepreneurs manage the business on their own, provided they do a good job of it.
Read on
However, most startups can benefit from the business experience and contacts of the venture financiers. Angel investors might even feel excited to act as mentors. Entrepreneurs with little experience and inadequate contacts will thus find it a good strategy to seek the guidance and help of these investors.
Raising Venture Capital Funds
While venture capital companies are formal organizations, angel investors are individuals and entrepreneurs will have to be more careful in dealing with them, such as making sure that they are accredited investors. Guy Kawasaki's blog offers a lot of valuable and often humorous advice on dealing with angel investors and venture capitalists.
Kawasaki is a venture capitalist himself and his advice will help understand what venture financiers are looking for. Such an understanding can be invaluable in successfully raising venture capital.
The National Venture Capital Association is an association of venture capitalists in the USA and entrepreneurs seeking venture funds might be able to find a suitable agency among their members. Small Business Investment Companies (SBIC) are licensed by U.S. government to provide finance to small businesses.
Venture capital is a source of business financing for new business startups. It is provided by private equity investors who will invest in a startup if they think that the venture is an innovative and marketable project that has the potential to earn high profits in a short time. For new entrepreneurs with ideas for such projects, such private capital can be a boon because small business startups typically find raising funds a difficult proposal.
Copyright Gopinathan Thachappilly. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.
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How to Raise Funds Through Angel Investors: Finding an Angel Investor- Small Business Funding
How to Raise Funds Through Angel Investors
Finding an Angel Investor- Small Business Funding
Nov 5, 2009 Fleur Hupston
Also referred to as an informal investor, an angel investor is generally an affluent individual who is prepared to provide capital for a business start up or as bridging finance in exchange for convertible debt or ownership equity. Angel investors may work individually or in groups.
Angel investors typically use their own funds, unlike venture capitalists who manage the pooled money of others in a professionally managed fund. Angel investors are prepared to invest amounts anywhere from a few thousand to a few million dollars.
What Criteria does an Angel Investor have?
This varies a lot- although angel investors are prepared to offer credit, they are careful to protect their investment and are certainly not reckless. They generally look for "hot" products or ideas.
An angel investor typically wants to see a comprehensive business plan which would include clarity on the reason for financing, how the capital will be spent, timetables for going public, description of the business, strategy, target market, projections, products and services, economics of the business, marketing plan, management team, financial plan and an executive summary.
Angels can also provide a business owner, not just with money, but guidance, advice and a mentor relationship. Also called "advisory investors," they are generally not interested in controlling the business, but may require the business owner to meet certain business goals or follow certain business practices.
Where can Angel Investors be Found?
The Finance Directory of Investors is a starting point. More online searches will reveal where to find investor networks in a particular area.
Do homework to ensure that the investor being approached is a good fit for the business concerned. An entrepreneur is more likely to succeed if there is a pairing of interests, for example a passion for technology. Most angel investors are successful entrepreneurs in their own right.
Read on
What does an Angel Investor Expect in Return?
Angel investors take a huge personal risk when it comes to investing funds in a business and they typically expect high returns within five years or so in return. Angel investing can be an expensive way of getting the necessary funds, but it does fill the gap in instances where banks will not extend loans due to the business venture not qualifying by traditional banking standards.
Many angel investors take steps to protect their investment by asking the business to ask for their approval before certain actions, for example, selling company assets or issuing of stock, or they may have other criteria.
More Articles on Help for Small Business Funding:
How to Find the best Small Business Insurance: An explanation of Worker's Compensation, Property Insurance, Casualty Insurance etc.
How to Fund Small Business Budgeting Software: Finding specific packages that simplify the budgeting and planning process.
Ever wondered how to go about debt recovery? The article Small Business Debt Collection examines how to go about choosing a reputable agency.
Source:
smallbusinessnotes.com, information retrieved 5 November, 2007
Copyright Fleur Hupston. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.
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Negotiation Skills for Entrepreneurs & Investors: Negotiating Skills for Entrepreneurs and Investors
Negotiation Skills for Entrepreneurs & Investors
Negotiating Skills for Entrepreneurs and Investors
Nov 20, 2009 Jo Bilson
Negotiation involves a lot of strategy planning and negotiation theory has spawned valuable concepts such as the Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA) for creating win-win negotiations. Indeed, SWOT and BATNA are two processes used in a negotiation. Yet, entrepreneurs find it difficult to accept, that venture capitalists, private equity funds, angel investors and other business investors are even capable of creating win-win negotiations and using the right negotiation skills when they are seeking equity funding and raising startup capital.
A common misunderstanding amongst entrepreneurs when seeking equity funding is that negotiations with business investors are at a different level and that the naïve entrepreneur is somewhat “begging” for their equity funding. Thus, it cannot be stressed enough, that entrepreneurs have to employ the right negotiation skills with investors and talk confidently to the investors at the same level and has to firmly believe that each side has something equally valuable to bring to the table when it comes to equity funding.
Understanding the Venture Capitalists and Private Equity Funds
When seeking equity funding, it helps to gain an understanding of the dynamics between entrepreneurs and investors such as venture capitalists, private equity funds and angel investors because only then will entrepreneurs know that while the other side is parting with their hard-earned equity funding from which they understandably seek an optimal return, he is parting with a valuable portion of his business that he’s built up painstakingly but sees a promising future in. This should set a good foundation for a win-win venture capital negotiation to take place through the negotiations. Having said that, it is also vital for the entrepreneurs to use the right tools during the negotiation process in order to maintain his/her confidence and the high-level partnership climate on conceptual issues during the entire negotiation for business financing.
The Right Tools for Effective Negotiation with Business Investors
“AOSTA” is a good template to adopt when entrepreneurs is planning his/her negotiation strategy.
- Assignment (Task)
- Objective (What to obtain)
- Strategy (Overall approach)
- Tactics (How you should do it)
- Action (How do we proceed)
AOSTA can be catered specifically to the nature of the other side – the investor when seeking equity funding and raising startup capital. For example, when planning tactics, entrepreneurs should clearly define what he/she is selling and start out with a forceful initial benefit promise (IBP) that gives a reason for the busy business investor to be interested in the first place. This is similar to using SWOT analysis in negotiation by straightening out the strengths available. Entrepreneurs should also ask the business investors key questions such as “Do you share the opinion that…” to ensure his/her understanding of the subject matter and to reduce the occurrence of misunderstandings. Using a problem-solving approach and asking questions such as “what would make you accept…” allows entrepreneurs to find out the business investor’s needs and re-iterate his/her value.
Three-Stage Approach to Investor Negotiation
The AOSTA uses a three stage approach to investor negotiation and provides a template for setting out negotiating strategy. In this approach, entrepreneurs have to decide which level to aim for when seeking equity funding, use a step-by-step approach, get agreement at each step of equity funding, obtain as much information as he/she can before the meeting, use empathy and projection, use an IBP, involve participants at all times, visualize well and often, summarize at the end and give a feeling of achievement.
Read on
- Create a positive impact
- Achieve general agreement on a proposal
- Get definite commitment for equity funding
Upon using AOSTA for goal orientation, entrepreneurs can use the objective setting model to come up with main, secondary and retreat objectives. The objective setting model utilizes transactional analysis in negotiation and considers what he/she wants to achieve with the prospective client, what tasks has she/he taken, what results he/she wants to achieve, consider if stage objectives need to be set, determine maximum results aiming for, note “deal breakers” and conditions that can be relinquished. Entrepreneurs can also use the all-too-familiar SWOT analysis in negotiation by analyzing the opportunities available, allowing him/her to see perspectives from both sides.
Negotiation Skills and Characteristics of Negotiators
Finally, entrepreneurs should take into account some typical negotiation partners’ characteristics when seeking equity funding. There are three basic wavelengths called Parent, Adult and Child, which can be seen in Wayne Dyer’s books and entrepreneurs can definitely apply them to negotiations with business investors. Transactional analysis can come in very handy indeed in such equity funding negotiations. Firstly, it is important to know thyself. Secondly, it is also important to spot the other party’s wavelength because different people will use different negotiating tactics when they’re in different ego states. For example, a Child is likely to use a strategy defined by manipulation and employs tactics such as undermining and pretended inadequacy. If there is one major point to emerge from watching good and bad negotiators, it is that the best of them use the full range; the less good are stuck with two or three of them. Entrepreneurs should be able to choose which to use for raising startup capital, and also to defend themselves better when the three strategies are being used against them.
Copyright Jo Bilson. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.
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Dynamics between Investors and Entrepreneurs: Guide to Relationship Between Entrepreneurs and Venture Capitalists
Dynamics between Investors and Entrepreneurs
Guide to Relationship Between Entrepreneurs and Venture Capitalists
Dec 12, 2009 Jo Bilson
Business investors such as venture capitalists, private equity investors and other business investors provide equity funding to the budding entrepreneur to expand a private company business. The relationship between the entrepreneur raising startup capital and the private equity investor or venture capitalist revolves around a timeline, starting from the time prior to entrepreneurs signing a deal with a private equity investor or venture capitalist (“VC”) [A], to the time after signing the deal [B] and to the continued process of a VC and an entrepreneur working together [C].
- Ex ante power for a private equity investor or venture capitalist
- Ex ante power for the entrepreneur
- Continued process of a VC and an entrepreneur working together
Business consultants tasked with weighing in on the dynamics between the entrepreneur and private business investor typically will look at the relationship around this timeline. Business consultants also help to mediate in negotiations between entrepreneurs and business investors. As such it will be vital to study the entrepreneur - venture capitalist conflict or the private investor - entrepreneur relationship.
Ex Ante Power for a Private Equity Investor or Venture Capitalist
Venture capital operates largely in a free market. A private equity investor or venture capitalist makes the selection for investment opportunities based on the estimation of a company’s eventual worth. The valuation of a private company business will depend on the value of the goods or services it provides. That simple formula skews new venture investment selection towards the upstarts most likely to make a contribution by producing coveted products, as highlighted in “The VC Way” by Jeffrey Zygmont. As such, business investors are likely to have the upper hand and entrepreneurs have to clamor to get their attention when raising startup capital and seeking business financing, particularly in a shrinking VC environment. In fact, BusinessWeek reported that equity funding for investment opportunities in the United States was down significantly in 2009 in the venture capital database.
Ex Ante Power for Entrepreneurs
Once entrepreneurs have secured their equity funding, their bargaining position rises. The best entrepreneurs expect their business investors to bring the value-added experience, insight, contacts and connections. The power has shifted to the entrepreneurs. They can take equity funding from a hundred different players. They will work with people they respect, and people that can add value. In the case of rogue companies, business investors have little redress too. A good private equity investor or venture capitalist uses good judgment. For all its value, good judgment doesn’t guarantee that a careful VC won’t sometimes get pinched, as highlighted in “The VC Way” by Jeffrey Zygmont.
Read on
Continued Process of a VC and a Entrepreneur Working Together
Business investors buy into investment opportunities under the proviso that their lead investor becomes a coach and counselor to the entrepreneurs who remain in charge of day-to-day operations. Business investors categorize this involvement under value-added services. It signifies that a VC brings more than just equity funding to a bargain.
Indeed, conflicts may arise in the relationship from time to time. As shown in Ronit Yitshaki’s study on venture capitalist-entrepreneur conflicts and problems between investors and entrepreneurs, conflict is inherent in venture capitalists and entrepreneurs’ relations as both parties have different conceptions of the venture investment and the contractual arrangements. Actual conflicts were found to be associated with business investors’ level of involvement and perceived performance. Business investors’ cooperation thus depends on both parties’ ability to resolve inherent and actual conflicts.
The key to establishing a win-win relationship with a private equity investor or venture capitalist is thus to minimize gaps in understanding between the two. Walk in each others’ shoes. Sit in each others’ chairs. Metaphorically of course. Entrepreneurs should learn to be business investors first and business investors should learn to be entrepreneurs first.
Copyright Jo Bilson. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.
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How to Approach a Venture Capitalist to Fund a Startup Business
How to Approach a Venture Capitalist to Fund a Startup Business
Oct 19, 2010 Nick Schklair
If you're trying to establish a new company and the startup venture investment is significantly beyond whatever personal resources you might possess, more than likely you’ll require outside funding. There are two approaches to funding: angel investment and venture financing. If the opportunity requires very significant front end funding, then venture capital is virtually your only alternative.
Moreover, commercial banks typically do not invest in start up ventures, therefore the burden of initial funding will still fall upon the venture capital community. The Small Business Administration (SBA) works with small business entrepreneurs, but they will typically avoid a risky start up situation, although they can offer moral support, information and contacts to whom they can refer you.
The Venture Capitalist and the Entrepreneur
The VC community typically specializes in certain areas: retail, biomedical technology, IT technology, real estate ventures, etc. Therefore, as a potential entrepreneur, it is incumbent upon you to search out those venture capitalists that typically would invest in an opportunity within your industry. Obviously, with a background of experience in one particular industry sector, their ability to evaluate your business is greatly enhanced when they see your business plan or Executive Summary
Locating a venture capital company that might be interested in your venture can be accomplished several ways: There are local venture capital groups in most large cities, angel investors and accountants may be a source of referrals to an appropriate venture capital firm. All of these venues should be explored, but if your opportunity is of such a breakthrough in technology, marketing or sheer market magnitude, a larger VC firm may be more suitable. The internet has a listing of of national firms on the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) website.
Business Opportunity Locale, Sizing and Investment Stage
There are other factors you should consider in your quest to raise venture funding. Among them are whether your potential business opportunity is of local or national importance, your investment stage and the potential sizing of your company.
- Local or national business opportunity. If the business opportunity is only of local importance, typically, a smaller localized VC firm may be more appropriate. Also, there are universities and state supported resources that should be considered for local business ventures.
- Investment Staging. Some venture firms only handle latter stage funding after a business has been established. Others handle early and seed stage funding opportunities. Choose appropriately.
- Opportunity Sizing. Certain VCs handle only very large potential opportunities that typically require a large initial funding influx. A review by a VC can be a sizable commitment for the firm. Therefore again, choose your venture capital sources judiciously.
When contacting a venture capital resource, keep in mind that the first thing they'll want to see is your business plan or more than likely, an executive summary. The pro forma financial statements will be of extreme importance and should be included with the executive summary. They typically screen through hundreds, if not thousands of plans every month. It is important, if possible to try to speak directly with one of the professionals that may be involved in reviewing your plan.
Read on
Unsolicited plans or summaries are very common and it's easy for your plan to be lost in the shuffle of daily paperwork and never attain any "mind share", whatsoever. Why waste the time? Try to contact and speak with someone by telephone, if possible, before sending your plan anywhere. Also, be aware that on the initial preliminary go around, the VC will not waste time by signing a confidential disclosure/nondisclosure agreement. If you have any doubts, contact an attorney specializing in business startup funding situations.
Lastly, when and if your plan is reviewed, be prepared for an endless stream of questions. You and your team may be required to meet an associate that will review your plan and will ask to see you in person. When this occurs, the door is opened on the beginning of negotiations. The venture capital firm in early stage financing will almost always demand control of your (prospective) company. It's called the golden rule, "He who has the gold, makes the rules". When you've got that far, be prepared for major ownership compromises, it's all part of the process that may be quite lengthy.
Copyright Nick Schklair. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.
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Wednesday, October 20, 2010
3 New Investments: Boston's Super Angels
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Tuesday, October 19, 2010
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Friday, October 15, 2010
Wave of New Angel Investors Turn New York Into Startup Heaven - Topix
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Would you support a ban on handguns?Vote now on the Gun Control Topix Debate Map.
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Angel Investors – Advantages for Early – Stage Companies | Venture Capital
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Thursday, October 14, 2010
Creating A Successful Online Business – Business Plans Example
Any online business will eventually fail if it doesn't have a focus, a direction, indeed a plan! You need an online business plan to make sure that you have
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Capital moves to specialization
There are widely varying views about the state of the capital markets for private companies and how to fix them. Many fit the maxim: "where you sit drives where you stand." A broader world view and greater objectivity are critical to effectively assessing and addressing the challenges that exist.
Serial entrepreneur and angel investor Michelle Scarborough takes such a view. She is head of the Investment and Commercialization Group at Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation (OCRI), a nonprofit tasked with advancing knowledge-based industry in the Ottawa region. She and her team are turning early-stage companies into high-growth enterprises by connecting them with capital -- the whole point of the debate.
While Scarborough agrees the venture capital industry in Canada is clearly struggling and restructuring, she also says it is being boosted and even supplanted by new developments, including the angel investor community.
Angel investors will form a critical piece of the puzzle, increasingly playing a more significant and organized role in the capitalization of early-stage companies than ever before, Scarborough says. She sees additional tax and other incentives being effective in fostering broader angel investment and dramatically increasing the total amount of capital invested.
In the VC industry, there is also a renaissance of very-early-stage funds capitalizing on small investments in Web and tech companies with more modest upside but vastly reduced capital requirements -- VC returning to its roots, as it were.
She notes that the global venture capital community "is getting a lot flatter," with several larger, later-stage funds raising capital, not just from their traditional Canadian LPs but further afield in the United States, Europe and beyond. There is a growing impetus for new funds across North America, with the borders increasingly becoming indistinct. For example, more U.S. funds are looking to establish locally managed funds in Canada, she says.
Yet, Scarborough knows all too well that private capital markets are still in a major down cycle, and she expects a constructive, continuing role for governments to help facilitate the next up cycle in the short term. Governmentinitiated investment funds managed by existing VC firms should play an increasingly important role across the country, Scarborough says. Quebec is a leader in this, followed by Alberta and Ontario. However, she expects government "stimulus" to ramp down as the capital markets recover, and not be a permanent feature of the private capital markets.
That being said, the private risk capital market should see better returns over the long run, as VCs are forced to address their operational inadequacies as part of the industry's restructuring. For example, Scarborough sees the trend of VCs shifting their staffing mix toward veteran entrepreneurs with deep operational experience and away from bankers and accountants as very positive.
She also sees an emerging trend in "investors at all stages of the corporate life cycle being more prepared to play nice when building high-quality companies" -- a process that, "if done right, will create solid returns for everyone including the broader economy." The misalignment of interests between angels, traditional institutional investors and their investee companies are renowned and were not helped by the recent downturn.
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Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Top 11 Ways to Monetize Your Website or Blog
If you have a steady stream of visitors to your blog or site, why not cash in on it? There are many creative ways to earn extra income with your website.
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Top Ten Best Specialized Search Engines
List of best search engines, worth bookmarking as they have features and functionality that Google lacks when it comes to specialized searches.
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Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Startup Growth Expert Releases List Of Angel Investors In India
Startup Growth Expert Releases List Of Angel Investors In India
StartUp Growth Expert, an online magazine for entrepreneurs today released a list of angel investors and venture capitalists in India who invest in early stage companies. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRLog (Press Release) – Oct 09, 2010 – Oct 9, 2010 – Several entrepreneurs who have been looking for a list of venture capitalists to invest in early stage companies now have a list from which they can contact these investors directly.“The idea of developing a list came when I was attending an entrepreneurship event and one of the attendees said ‘where can I find a list of investors?’ Besides that, there were several entrepreneurs who would contact and ask us if we had a list of angel investors. Today, we can proudly say, yes, we do have a list of investors who are looking to actively invest in early stage companies.” says CEO of StartUp Growth Expert, Vinil Ramdev.
It is really hard to find a validated India specific list of investors.
This is a list of professional venture capital and angel investment groups and is entirely focused on investors who invest in early stage companies in India.
To get more details and to purchase the list please visit http://www.startupgrowthexpert.com/products-2/directory- ...
--- end ---
Contact Email : ***@gmail.com Issued By : StartUpGrowthExpert.com Country : India Categories : Finance, Business Tags : angel investors, investors india, list of investors india, venture capitalists, venture capitalist india Last Updated : Oct 09, 2010 Shortcut : http://prlog.org/10987566
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Its easy for some "online" guru to put up a web site and call themselves a Search Engine Or Digital Marketing Expert and then outsource to some offshore company that may spam your site into oblivion.
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When BMW launched a series of mini-films a few years ago featuring BMW as the star, it set a new precedent for a global branding of a product or company.
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Trendspotting and crowdfunding | Growing Business
Looking for alternative finance for your business and sick of the status quo? Then why not consider the in-crowd?
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Small firms ‘less confident’ Trendspotting and crowdfunding All About Weight A question of overtrading If you want a comment, an idea, or feedback on a particular subject, then all you need to do these days is get a group of people together online. Known as crowdsourcing, this approach can deliver quick responses, but it can all be a bit inexact. You’re never sure that you have the right crowd, or that you’ve asked the right questions. However, when you apply crowdsourcing to funding, then the reward is always guaranteed to be right. After all, who can argue with hard cash?
Apart from those who have experienced difficult investor-investee relationships, of course.
One of the first crowdfunding markets was in the music industry, with website Slicethepie(www.slicethepie.com). It launched in 2007 with the intention of allowing musicians to get funding to make records. Slicethepie created an online community of music fans who then contributed if they liked the music and were prepared to take a gamble.
The success of the site is now being applied to encourage the setting up of new technology businesses. In early 2010, website Grow VC (www.growvc.com) launched as a new community-funding model to enable technology start-ups. The system works by pooling 75% of membership fees into a community fund, which gets invested
back into “promising start-ups” that are members of the platform.Grow VC manages the fund, but all the investment decisions are left to members, who determine how to invest their portion of the fund into other start-up companies that they feel have the most potential. So far, there are more than 5,000 members with a capital of $18m and 76 active start-ups.
Another crowdfunding project launched this year is Sponsume (www.sponsume.com). It’s a UK-based generalist crowdfunding site, which helps artists, entrepreneurs and inventors raise the capital they need.
Finally, there’s the latest brainchild of serial entrepreneur Pete Lawrence, who founded The Big Chill music festival. It’s aimed at raising funds for the development of a new social network, Pic-Nic Village(www.picnicvillage.com). Pic-Nic also targets creative thinkers, and aims to be a catalyst for new ideas, initiatives and collaborations.
The Next Big Thing
TelepresenceMeet the technology that takes video conferencing to new dimensions
The difference between watching a film on TV and at the cinema is the quality of experience. The cinema screen dominates your entire field of vision and sound appears to surround you, making your feel more involved in the movie. This ‘inclusion’ – to give it the right cinematic term – is precisely what telepresence does for video conferencing.
With telepresence you replace the small screen of video conferencing with large flat-screens or video projectors. Then you place multiple speakers and microphones around the room, so the sound appears to come from the person on the screen rather than from a box on the table. Telepresence also dispenses with low-resolution webcams and slow broadband video conferencing connections. Instead you get high-definition cameras and very fast broadband connections. Think video conferencing on steroids.
Telepresence is currently being used by many large corporations to great effect, reducing their carbon footprint and helping to solve the painful work-life balance equation. Ian Brooks, European head of innovation and sustainable computing at Hewlett Packard, can’t praise the technology enough. “Telepresence has saved my life,” he says.
“It enables me to present to 45 vice-presidents in Geneva and still get home on the same day. I would never have been able to achieve that by travelling or do it as effectively with ordinary video conferencing.”
The key enabler for telepresence has been the falling cost of broadband connections and large TV screens, which have put the set-up price within reach of most businesses. The next step is to make the technology even more inclusive by adopting some of the latest 3D cameras and screens into the systems, to make the experience even more immersive.
Additionally, businesses such as Silicon Valley technology company Anybots are giving telepresence a mobile twist by building robots that allow employees to stay connected while wandering round the office.
How to get more from your iPhone upgrade
What extra features does the iPhone’s latest operating system have to offer?
The latest upgrade to the iPhone and iPad operating system (iOS) was announced by Apple with predictable fanfare. However, most users are probably not using this new version to its full potential.
The first thing to do if you have an iPhone is to upgrade to the iOS 4.1. Version 4.0 has some issues with older iPhones – particularly the pre-3GS models – and applications (apps) will run slowly. However, 4.1 has ironed out these issues, enabling apps to run faster.
Folders
One of the most obvious changes to iOS 4.0 are folders. By default, the latest version of iOS creates its own folder on the home screen for all the utilities, including clock, calculator, compass and voice memos, saving space on the first home screen for downloaded apps.
You can add more apps to this folder – there’s a limit of 12 in each – or get rid of it by pressing and holding the items in it, then dragging each app back to the home screen. Alternatively, you can create your own folders by pressing and holding an app icon on the home screen, then moving the icon onto another icon and releasing your finger. The device will then create a folder, auto-naming it according to what genre the contents fit into. You can then change the name of the folder by tapping the name field and entering the new name.
Multi-task
Thanks,
Monday, October 11, 2010
Clean Energy Angel Fund Receives Close to $11 Million in Funds
cOOL !
Sunday, October 10, 2010
SoYouWanna write a business plan
Home | Work & Business | Business | Business Plans | SoYouWanna write a business plan?
Maybe if you ask really nicely, a really rich person would give you tons of money so that you can start your own business. Yup. And while you're visiting Fantasyland, you might as well ask for a piece of moon cheese. No one, we repeat, no one will give you money if they think it's going to tank. So you have to convince 'em that your business is going to be a rousing success. That's where a business plan comes in.
Unlike Chihuahuas and those little paper umbrellas they put in Singapore Slings, business plans have two major purposes in life:
- To provide you, the entrepreneur, with a detailed roadmap to Successville as you make your new venture grow.
- To convince people who have lots of money that you're the sort of person on whom they may confidently unload it.
We've put together a pile of essential advice and links to take some of the legwork out of wowing your creditors-to-be. With luck, intelligence, charm, experience, connections, and a little help from SoYouWanna.com, soon you'll be raking in dough as though it were scum on the bottom of your Olympic-sized pool. Filled with beer.
One last note: we're assuming that you have at least a tiny bit of knowledge about the business world. You're not setting up a lemonade stand; you're trying to get people to invest serious money in your business.
1. Know Your Audience
First things first: before you put fingers to keyboard, you need to take a moment and learn about the folks who'll be thumbing through your 50 pages of brilliant strategies and mind-numbing statistics. Typically, a business plan is created with the following money-holders in mind:
Angels
Venture CapitalistsAngels
Otherwise known as the "Bank of Mom and Dad," angel investors are wealthy individuals who become personally involved in fledgling ventures, lending their expertise, experience, and money. Often, the angel is someone who has a personal connection with the entrepreneur (and is therefore more willing to accept your subscription to Fortune in lieu of actual business experience), but angels can also be outsiders on the lookout for a winning business model that just needs a little push in order to make it fly. If your angel is a wealthy relative or someone you've golfed with for twenty years (or both), you have some latitude when it comes to your business plan (heck, the angel may even help out with it). If you're shopping around for outside money, on the other hand, you have to approach the angel just as you would approach a venture capitalist - with a can of mace. Just kidding. The point is, if you know the angel, your business plan may not need to be as perfect as if you were proposing to a stranger.
Venture Capitalists
If you don't know any rich and/or gullible people, then you're probably going to try to get your business funded by venture capitalists. Venture capitalists, or VCs, eat eager entrepreneurs like you for breakfast unless you can earn their respect; they're basically individuals organized into large firms that will give you money to fund your business if they think that you'll be profitable. In exchange for their giving you money, you have to promise them a percentage (that is, share) of your company. VC firms often specialize in a certain industry so that the various companies in their portfolio become mutually supportive. Their funds range from a few paltry mil to billions of dollars invested in a variety of globe-spanning ventures.
Venture capital is all about high-risk, high-return -- sorta like playing Russian roulette. The catch is, these people will be strangers, so the only way you can convince them to give you money is if they are persuaded by your business plan. The managers of these firms look at hundreds of business plans every year, and they reject almost all of them. So even after you've managed to get a VC firm to return your phone call (or paid some lawyer a gazillion dollars to refer you), the chances of your plan ending up on the scrap heap are large indeed.
What can you do to improve the odds? Well, even the most exciting business model bogs down a little in the cash-flow projections and technical specifications; a VC won't slog through your entire business plan until you've impressed the hell out of him/her with a stunning, exciting executive summary. We'll give you some pointers on how to do this later.
cOOL !!!
Saturday, October 9, 2010
SoYouWanna write a business plan
Home | Work & Business | Business | Business Plans | SoYouWanna write a business plan?
Maybe if you ask really nicely, a really rich person would give you tons of money so that you can start your own business. Yup. And while you're visiting Fantasyland, you might as well ask for a piece of moon cheese. No one, we repeat, no one will give you money if they think it's going to tank. So you have to convince 'em that your business is going to be a rousing success. That's where a business plan comes in.
Unlike Chihuahuas and those little paper umbrellas they put in Singapore Slings, business plans have two major purposes in life:
- To provide you, the entrepreneur, with a detailed roadmap to Successville as you make your new venture grow.
- To convince people who have lots of money that you're the sort of person on whom they may confidently unload it.
We've put together a pile of essential advice and links to take some of the legwork out of wowing your creditors-to-be. With luck, intelligence, charm, experience, connections, and a little help from SoYouWanna.com, soon you'll be raking in dough as though it were scum on the bottom of your Olympic-sized pool. Filled with beer.
One last note: we're assuming that you have at least a tiny bit of knowledge about the business world. You're not setting up a lemonade stand; you're trying to get people to invest serious money in your business.
1. Know Your Audience
First things first: before you put fingers to keyboard, you need to take a moment and learn about the folks who'll be thumbing through your 50 pages of brilliant strategies and mind-numbing statistics. Typically, a business plan is created with the following money-holders in mind:
Angels
Venture CapitalistsAngels
Otherwise known as the "Bank of Mom and Dad," angel investors are wealthy individuals who become personally involved in fledgling ventures, lending their expertise, experience, and money. Often, the angel is someone who has a personal connection with the entrepreneur (and is therefore more willing to accept your subscription to Fortune in lieu of actual business experience), but angels can also be outsiders on the lookout for a winning business model that just needs a little push in order to make it fly. If your angel is a wealthy relative or someone you've golfed with for twenty years (or both), you have some latitude when it comes to your business plan (heck, the angel may even help out with it). If you're shopping around for outside money, on the other hand, you have to approach the angel just as you would approach a venture capitalist - with a can of mace. Just kidding. The point is, if you know the angel, your business plan may not need to be as perfect as if you were proposing to a stranger.
Venture Capitalists
If you don't know any rich and/or gullible people, then you're probably going to try to get your business funded by venture capitalists. Venture capitalists, or VCs, eat eager entrepreneurs like you for breakfast unless you can earn their respect; they're basically individuals organized into large firms that will give you money to fund your business if they think that you'll be profitable. In exchange for their giving you money, you have to promise them a percentage (that is, share) of your company. VC firms often specialize in a certain industry so that the various companies in their portfolio become mutually supportive. Their funds range from a few paltry mil to billions of dollars invested in a variety of globe-spanning ventures.
Venture capital is all about high-risk, high-return -- sorta like playing Russian roulette. The catch is, these people will be strangers, so the only way you can convince them to give you money is if they are persuaded by your business plan. The managers of these firms look at hundreds of business plans every year, and they reject almost all of them. So even after you've managed to get a VC firm to return your phone call (or paid some lawyer a gazillion dollars to refer you), the chances of your plan ending up on the scrap heap are large indeed.
What can you do to improve the odds? Well, even the most exciting business model bogs down a little in the cash-flow projections and technical specifications; a VC won't slog through your entire business plan until you've impressed the hell out of him/her with a stunning, exciting executive summary. We'll give you some pointers on how to do this later.
Thank you !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!