From Zero to Funded: What do you need to get seed/angel investment

When:
November 7, 2017 @ 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm America/New York Timezone
2017-11-07T18:30:00-05:00
2017-11-07T21:30:00-05:00
Where:
Constant Contact, 3rd Floor, Great Room
1601 Trapelo Rd
Waltham, MA 02451
USA

Entrepreneurs’ Network

PRE-MEETING DINNER at 5:15 PM (sharp) at Bertucci’s, Waltham.

Entrepreneurs and the businesses they are starting have evolved. Start-ups today don’t need to build a manufacturing plant to start a business. They need less money to build a product prototype, prove that it works, prove there is a market for their product and show a potentially profitable business model before scaling the business.

What will make the lives of entrepreneurs seeking funding easier?

An angel investor who understands the experimental nature of the idea, believes in the business focus, the model, the team to execute the plan and pivot where needed and an entrepreneur to focus on building an organization in today’s environment addressing a real customer need in a market of decent size while carrying out the business vision.

Whether you’re a businessperson with a great concept or an entrepreneur getting ready to raise seed investment for your company, from Zero to Funded will offer you the following:

How to create an investor-friendly financial model for your business
Angel investor vs a VC, the differences and merits
What goes on behind the scenes when angel, seed or VC investors
contemplate whether or not to fund a venture
How to work with your investors and what to expect after they invest

Agenda:
6:30-7:30 PM – Registration & networking
7:30-7:40 PM – ENET Chairman’s announcements
7:40-7:55 PM – E Minute – Up to 3 Startup companies’ presentations
7:55-8:45 PM – 3 expert speakers on the night’s topic
8:45-9:00 PM – Audience / Speakers Q & A
9:00-9:30 PM – Final networking includes meeting presenting speakers

A question and answer session follows the presentation, and panelists will be available afterwards for responses to individual questions. 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

Speakers:

GRAHAM BROOKS, Partner, .406 Ventures – joined .406 Ventures in 2007 after nine years of technology-oriented operating, investing and start-up experience and has been a Partner at .406 Ventures, LLC since September 2014. Graham specializes in building early stage companies and loves working with both experienced and first-time entrepreneurs helping them to grow their visions in industry changing companies; go-to-market development and execution, sales team structure and early company strategy. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Bedrock Data, Connotate, Attend.com, CoPatient, Inc. and Board observer to other companies. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the MIT enterprise Forum. He holds degrees from Princeton and the Dartmouth Tuck School. #BigData, #HealthIT,#DigitalVideo and #AdTech

LISA FRUSZTAJER, Product Marketing & Project Management, Avid Technology – has navigated all ends of the technology world over the last twenty years, first working at Sun Microsystems, then helping grow a small software startup called KYOS, then joining Avid Technology. Lisa currently focuses on angel investing, consulting projects, and running a real estate management company. Lisa’s background is an eclectic blend of marketing, engineering and project management, in technology, manufacturing, higher education and financial services. She is a lead investor of the Portfolia Enterprise Fund, which combines investor education with immediate diversification across early stage companies. She serves on the Board of Trustees at a secondary school and has been a board member of other education-focused nonprofits. Lisa was educated at the University of Chicago, the London School of Economics, and Columbia Business School

MITCHELL SANDERS, PhD, Managing Director Innovation and Board Member, Alira Health – is a serial entrepreneur with more than 30 years preclinical animal models and clinical product development in advanced wound care. He secured an aggregate of $35M in development funding, and grants for Alira Health and ECI Biotech. In 2015 Mitch joined Alira Health full time to help expand their newly formed and rapidly growing Global Medical Affairs Division and was promoted to Managing Director of Drug and Device Discovery Lab (3DL) now rebranded as the Innovation Services Division.

Mitch is an expert in clinical and translational research and is a reviewer for the Wound Healing Society (WHS), Wounds International, Tissue Engineering, CIMIT, MassVentures, MIT, WPI, Tech Sandbox, Piranha Pond, SBANE and the Venture Forum. He holds an MS and PhD from WPI in molecular biology and biomedical sciences with 2 Postdocs at the Whitehead Institute/ MIT in biochemistry and pathogen genetics. Mitch is also an AALAS certified Laboratory Animal Technician and has over 30 year of expertise in performing preclinical wound healing and surgical models at ECI Biotech, Boston University, and UMASS Medical School.

Moderator:

HOWARD SHOLKIN, Principal, Sholkin Consulting – has more than 40 years of journalism and marketing communication experience. In 2014, he formed Sholkin Consulting to deliver strategy and tactical marketing services to influence an organization’s prospects, grow its business, and elevate a firm’s brand and its products and services. He joined International Data Group (IDG)—the world’s leading technology media, event, and research company–as director of corporate communications in 2003 providing PR support for Founder and Chairman Pat McGovern and subsidiaries. Sholkin was later promoted to a director’s position for communication and marketing programs for the CEO of IDG Communications, the media and events subsidiary, and for the CEO of IDG Global Solutions.

Organizer:

ROBERT ADELSON, business and tax attorney, partner at Boston law firm of Engel & Schultz LLP, and Chairman of The Boston Entrepreneurs’ Network. Rob has been an attorney for over 30 years specialized in business, tax, stock and options, employment, contracts, financings, trademarks and intellectual property. Rob began as an associate at major New York City law firms before returning home to Boston in 1985 where he has since been a partner in small and medium sized firms before joining his present firm in 2004. Rob represents entrepreneurs, start-ups and small companies, independent contractors and employees and executives. Rob is a frequent speaker on business law topics and author of numerous articles published in Boston Business Journal, Mass High Tech and other publications. He has been named among the “Top 20 Boston Startup Lawyers” by ChubbyBrain.com, a website that provides tools for entrepreneurs. Rob has been on the ENET Board since 2002 and Chairman since 2009 and is also a Co-Founder and Board member of the 128 Innovation Capital Group (2004 -2015). In 2016, he received the IEEE USA Professional Achievement award for “extreme dedication to the entrepreneurship community.” He holds degrees from Boston University, B.A., summa cum laude, Northwestern University (Chicago), J.D., Law Review, and New York University, LL.M. in Taxation. His website – www.ExecutiveEmploymentAttorney.com

E-Minute Presentations will be given at the start of the meeting. These very short presentations enable young startup entrepreneurs to gain experience in presenting their summary business plans to expert panels and audiences.

Directions: Constant Contact is adjacent to RT 128 / 95 at Exit 28B.

See: http://www.constantcontact.com/about-constant-contact/office-location-waltham.jsp

Reservations: ENET Constant Contact meetings are free to ENET members and $20 for non-members. No reservations are needed for the pre-meeting dinner. To expedite sign-in for the meeting, we ask that everyone — members as well as non-members — pre-register for the online. Pre-registration is available until midnight the day before the meeting. If you cannot pre-register, you are welcome to register at the door.

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