Seed and Angel Financing in Tech Companies

Entrepreneurs’ Network

Discover how Angel and Seed investors approach the problem of making a good investment. Go behind the scenes of the decision making to discover the process our panelist-investors use to choose and to invest in emerging and seed stage companies. Whether you are planning to launch a company or you are planning the next level, a Seed or Angel investor could be the funding source you are looking for. Maybe you’re not even sure what angel investment is? This panel will focus on the nature of angel and seed investments in New England technology based companies, and on how to obtain that initial angel or seed-stage investment in your company.

The speakers will be investors in early stage life science companies and tech companies.

The panelists will also offer candid views and discussion on how to prepare a company for raising angel capital or seed stage investment, the raise itself, and how to work with angel groups or seed investors after getting the investment.

Here are a few very common questions:

What are the best ways to find an angel who’s investment interests align with my objectives?
How do Angels pick investments? What criteria is most important to them?
How do Angels decide how to value my company and how much to invest?
I’m getting ready to raise seed investment for my company. What should I know on behind the scenes when angel and seed investors contemplate whether or not to fund my venture?
How do I create an investor-friendly financial model for my business?

As with every ENET meeting you will also get the chance to network with the panelists and other meeting attendees, both before the start of the meeting and afterwards. There will also be a pre-meeting dinner for additional networking.

Speakers: Vivek Soni – Managing Director

As Managing Director, Vivek oversees the operation of TiE Angels’ activities and partnerships. He has extensive experience as a senior corporate executive, technologist, entrepreneur, board member, start-up mentor, advisor, and investor. Vivek is Managing Partner at Boston Cleantech which advises Cleantech companies. Vivek is a board member of A.T.E. Group companies. He was a Venture Advisor to London-based Nomura’s expansion-stage, cleantech venture capital fund. Vivek served as President, Corporate Technology Strategy, and Services at the Aditya Birla Group in India. He has held technology roles at Polaroid Corporation and Shell USA. Vivek has a Ph.D. in Polymer Science from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and his B.Tech. from the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi. He is an active Charter Member and past Board Member of TiE-Boston.

Jerrold M. Shapiro, Ph.D.Bioengineering – President, Floelle, Inc.

Jerrold M. Shapiro Is a leader, fast-track developer and inventor of new medical devices. Shapiro works with gynecologists, nurse practitioners, physical therapists, other healthcare providers and their patients since 2002 in the treatment of female urinary stress and mixed incontinence made me keenly aware of the way urinary incontinence reduces the quality of patients’ lives. Despite the high efficacy of the pelvic floor exercise device we rented to them, patients with mild dementia could not remember the protocol, those with MS and paraplegia could not contract their pelvic floor muscles (PFM) and younger women busy with work and family responsibilities did not have the time to exercise. In April 2010 Cheri Grantham and Shapiro began developing a medical device which did not require exercise or the cooperation of the patient. Shapiro brings to this task over forty seven years of medical device experience, both in academia, private industry and consulting. Shapiro has the leadership and technical skills, industry contacts and FDA experience to take this device all the way into the market so that it can greatly improve the quality of life of not just incontinent women, but of their caregivers and families, as well as saving third party payers such as Medicare a significant sum now paid to institutionalize some of these patients due to their incontinence, as well as funds paid for surgery and absorbent products.

Shapiro held several key positions including, Research Scientist, US Army Signal Corp Laboratory; U.S. Army Commendation Award, Assoc. Professor, Boston University School of Medicine & College of Engineering. He was the Cofounder, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University College of Engineering. He is currently the Mentor, MIT Portugal, Program Committee, Worcester Polytechnic Institute Venture Forum, Member, MassMEDIC, Co-Chair, Life Sciences Special Interest Group, TechSandbox

He has graduate degrees in Electrical Engineering and PhD in Bioengineering and an alumnus of Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN and University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Brigid Oliveri Siegel, Partner, Ward Howell International, Inc.,
http://www.ward-howell.com

Moderator:

Brigid Siegel is a partner and management consultant at Ward Howell, Inc. where she conducts retained executive searches. In this capacity, she focuses on finding and developing leaders as well as building effective managing teams which will guarantee success in any technology, life sciences or biotech field.

Brigid began her career in the high technology industry over 30 years ago and in executive search, 20 years ago. She was a principal at Brigid Siegel Associates, a partner at Polachi, a Managing Director with The Onstott Group, a Senior Partner at Heidrick & Struggles and a Vice President with Fenwick Partners. Throughout her retained executive search career Brigid has successfully completed numerous senior executive search assignments for clients ranging from emerging growth companies to multi-billion dollar corporations.

Brigid studied at Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from Lowell Technological Institute. Her executive search industry expertise has been cited in the Boston Business Journal, the New York Post, as well as Hunt Scanlon’s Executive Recruiting Industry Newswire. She was also a member of the Executive Board of the WPI (Worcester Polytechnic Institute) Venture Forum for seven years and is currently a Boston ENET Vice Chairperson and an Executive Board member.

Meeting Location: Constant Contact, 1601 Trapelo Rd., 3rd Floor Great Room, Waltham (Exit 28, I-95/Route 128)