Last week, Utah's chapter of the NACD (nat'l assoc of corp. directors), UTC and MWCN co-sponsored a luncheon on building a great board of Directors called "Boards that Work - How CEO's Find Them and Flourish". ... << MORE >>

Slight signs up an uptick in venture capital in Q4 2009 from Dow Jones VentureSource and Silicon Valley Mercury News<< MORE >>

Lipper Current did a nice analysis of PWC/NVCA's latest Moneytree report on Venture capital. In short, Utah got ... << MORE >>

Okay, it takes quite a bit to wow Brad and I....but JVC really did it this year! And we almost missed it!<< MORE >>

These were themes that are somewhat minor in their overall impact, but showed up surprisingly consistently throughout the show. Not necessarily game changers, but interesting to watch.<< MORE >>

After walking over 1 million square feet of tradeshow space at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show, the marketing side of me just couldn't resist recounting the "what not to do" of tradeshows - illustrated by real life examples. Here I'll list the tips, and in subsequent posts, I'll tell the stories - some of them even include photos of offending behavior!... << MORE >>

Here are Cool CES items 2 - 7, in mostly descending order of interesting. Again, I'm looking for themes that impact the industry, not "yet another gadget". << MORE >>

CES is the show for TV's. Here are the three biggest trends we saw this year. Note, Brad and I are a little jaded after attending CES for more than a decade, so the fact that there are thousands of versions of TV's - thin TV's, skinny- edge TV's, grouped TV's, TV's with better contrast etc etc, but these are the "big picture" trends that we saw that will impact the entire industry in some way.<< MORE >>

The Big News at CES - how small CES was this year compared to previous years! << MORE >>

If you are an entrepreneur, you are pitching!  If you're raising money, you're pitching! If you're finding partners, you're pitching!  If you're selling (anything) you're pitching!  ...<< MORE >>

A few weeks ago, the Utah Fund of Funds (UtahFoF.com) presented one of their quarterly entrepreneurial mentoring meetings. They invited Todd Jensen of TTKonline Solutions  to present.  Todd did a great job of discussing the current state of SEO marketing.   A couple of highlights that I didn't know (for those of you who aren't already SEO pros) ...<< MORE >>

The team at GoTo Meeting sponsored a fun webinar last week, “The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to Create the Story”. << MORE >>

This is a sobering blog post looking at the current state of Venture
Capital.  The challenges in the public markets, including IPO's and
M&A are hurting liquidity among venture firms.  ...<< MORE >>

Figuring out exactly "what to write, when" when you are launching a
startup that needs to raise money, can be very challenging. Here is what I recommend for the emerging startup ...<< MORE >>

Paul Graham of Y Combinator did an (informal) survey of many of the
founders
he works with, asking them what surprised them about founding a
company. ...<< MORE >>

Paul Graham of Y Combinator did an (informal) survey of many of the
founders he works with, asking them what surprised them about founding a
company. Very worthwhile reading - as he points out, he told them most
of this stuff in advance, but you really don't know what it's like until
you startup....But reading this is pretty handy!

See www.paulgraham.com/really.html for the original post.

        

To borrow a phrase, if you, an entrepreneur, are asked to pay a material fee to pitch to group of angel investors, "JUST SAY NO".  ...<< MORE >>

This is the first annual banquet for alumni of BYU's Electrical and Computer
Engineering Department. ...<< MORE >>

TheFunded.com just sent out an announcement, offering free Founder-friendly legal documents. This is a HUGE service to entrepreneurs.<< MORE >>

Utah's Women Tech Council each year honors women who work in technology in Utah. This year 6 awards were given and Nicole Toomey Davis received the Community Builder award. << MORE >>

Did you know the Utah Fund of Funds continues to attract high quality, active venture capital funds to be active and interested in making investments in Utah companies? See the latest list here! << MORE >>

Yep, I know, entrepreneurs can't afford to pay for market research. Did you know that the market research firms "share" some of the research at low or no cost? << MORE >>

It's hard in Utah to get a feel for the national trends just by "talking to people". We're small enough and different enough that this doesn't work. A daily scan of the Wall Street Journal is a quick and cost effective way to get a strong national picture of the trends affecting your business. << MORE >>

The 2009 v|100 Included Nicole Toomey Davis, for the fifth time (2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, and 2009) ...<< MORE >>

In short, it's not clear to me that there is such a thing as a safe harbor
when it comes to taking non-accredited money.  That's why credible and experienced corporate attorneys will tell you that the time and trouble
it takes to accept non-accredited money is not worth the little bit
that you will get!  ...<< MORE >>

If you feel that one partner in a venture isn't pulling their weight, or there are other issues be up front and say so. Have the conversations, work out various options, but don't just "spring it" on someone - that destroys trust and relationships, not to mention being just plain wrong.<< MORE >>

A few weeks ago, I blogged on the problems of taking non-accredited investors, emphasizing the importance of compliance with securities regulations when raising money for a private firm. 

The Utah Tech Council is sponsoring an event for entrepreneurs that seems very timely.  This event is free for UTC members and invited guests.  If you are an entrepreneur or an emerging entrepreneur, contact the team at UTC and often they often will invite you to an event so you can get to know the organization. 

Utah Tech Council - Feb. 19 2009 Clinic
How Entrepreneurs Stay Out of Jail

Join us at our next clinic where Keith Woodwell, Director of the Division of Securities and Benjamin Johnson, Director of Corporate Finance for the Division of Securities, will speak about what to look out for when seeking funding and avoid compliance pitfalls. He will also address how the division can be a constant resource entrepreneurs.   Details and registration at http://utahtech.org/events/20090219_clinic.htm.

 

        

...A nearly graduated student who wants to be an entrepreneur asked me how to "get in the loop". << MORE >>

Save yourself time, effort, headache and risk and stick with investors who really are savvy enough with enough resources to survive any potential losses - those who are accredited. << MORE >>

I have been stunned to see how many startups decide that their legal work is a DIY (Do it Yourself) project. NO NO NO!  ...<< MORE >>

To see the latest in technologies developed at Utah's colleges and universities, attend the Sorenson Inventor Showcase which will take place at the Little America Hotel in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, April 16, 2008. The speedpitch presentations begin at 9 AM, the Showcase at 10 AM, followed by the awards luncheon at noon. This year's showcase is co-hosted by MountainWest Capital Network and the Sorenson Discovery and Innovation Center and the Speedpitch presentations were organized by GOED and designed specifically to meet the needs of Utah's business and investment community<< MORE >>

Remember, remember, remember, EVERY interaction, no matter how small, may be with someone that your company needs or wants. Every interaction impacts your brand! Everyone in your team has to have Customer Respect in their DNA.<< MORE >>

I went to Josh's lecture on Marketing: Press, Analysts and the Interweb yesterday and, as always, Josh was insightful and entertaining. If you don't have a chance to take your buddy to lunch and ask them about their experience building and selling their startup, Josh's lectures are the "next best thing"!<< MORE >>

Serial Entrepreneur Josh Coates is doing a no-cost "Tech Venture Startup HOWTO" lecture series
Josh just sold Mozy, see related link from Walt Mossberg's editorial about Mozy ...<< MORE >>

The Governor's Utah Economic Summit was held on March 20th.  The content
was organized by the Governor's Office of Economic Development and
included presenters from all over Utah's economy.  Most of the event
was recorded, including the Entrepreneurship Track that I participated
on.  Other great tracks were also recorded. ...<< MORE >>

The 2008 v|100 Included Nicole Toomey Davis, for the fourth time (2004, 2005, 2006, and 2008)<< MORE >>

The members of this year's group, in the words of the magazine's December 2007 Issue, "...are the 25 most influential business leaders in Utah this year, as ranked by Connect’s readers." << MORE >>

How NOT to sell your business: 1) Be sloppy in how you run your business 2) Be unable to explain, or articulate, how your business runs 3) Have sloppy contracts and other legal records 4) Believe that you'll be able to backdate your UWC's or other board and legal authorizations "at some future time" 5) Have "approximate" financial records 6) "Do it yourself legal work" << MORE >>

This conference focused on the process of starting, building and financing technology based spinouts. From Jeff Andrews of Atlas “People who Found Companies are a Precious Natural Resource”<< MORE >>

From Guy Kawasaki's "Art of Innovation" What's YOUR Mantra? Can you describe the essence of what you do and who you are as a company in 2-3 words? It's great discipline.<< MORE >>

entrepreneurs should be warned - just because you get the meeting, or the follow on meeting, or another "milestone" to accomplish does not mean that you should continue to work with a firm. Sometimes it's important to fish or cut bait. Too many entrepreneurs get strung out until they do die - or until they're fodder for bottom feeders. If your potential venture investor is not making significant progress - move on to the next opportunity - there are a lot of investors, and as our IPOing CEO demonstrated - the VC's who INVEST get the juicy returns!<< MORE >>

If you are looking for, or are going to be looking for, venture capital, it really pays to understand the dynamics of the VC industry. Then you can better understand, even if you don't like, the types of valuations that VCs want, and the types of businesses that interest them. It may even save you time and frustration!<< MORE >>

Source for contacting angel groups both in Utah and Nationally - Many successful angels are joining angel networks as a way to ensure a more diversified portfolio (and better deal flow). For entrepreneurs its a great way to meet many more angels at once.<< MORE >>

When looking at starting a company, identify those markets that can serve as a proxy for your actual "cool new market", to get a sense of whether there are 10 potential customers, or 10 million.... ...<< MORE >>

The MountainWest Capital Network (MWCN) tracks deal flow in the state of Utah ...<< MORE >>

60% of all of the venture funds raising money today have approached the Utah Fund of Funds, a total of nearly 150 funds, and the FoF has placed committments with 15 of them, with another 5 to go...Utah is Hummer Winblad's #2 market (after Silicon Valley), representing 10% of their portfolio, having just surpassed Boston in the number of investments ...<< MORE >>

From a colleague came the following request, "I need a list of investors in technology in Utah. I'm working with a company...that needs...a list [of] most likely suspects". Such a list is not readily available anywhere! Included are some suggestions about filling the funding gap.<< MORE >>

I was asked by the Utah Fund of Funds to give a presentation on identifying and approaching the right investors - if you're serious about raising money and would like some tips (as well as "what not to do" hints ;-) from someone who's done it - take a look/listen. << MORE >>

During the 2007 Legislative session, the Utah State Legislature passed a Bill which adds an exciting new source of funding available to Utah's technology-based entrepreneurial community - permitting direct grants to licensees of university developed technology.<< MORE >>

Anyone who has experienced the "lost founder" problem knows that it can be very negative for a startup. << MORE >>