Opportunities in the Mobile Market
I want to tell you about a great panel of mobile entrepreneurs and VCs who will be talking about new opportunities within the next five years.
All dimensions and facets of the mobile eco- system - Devices, Operating Systems, Applications, and Data Access Platforms etc. are undergoing rapid transformation. New business models that didn't even exist a year ago are turning the industry on its head.
This panel will explore the opportunities these trends will create for entrepreneurs during the next five years. Some of the key areas to be explored will be mobile WiMAX vs. LTE, Open OS paradigms, handset capabilities, Location Based Services for Enterprise, M2M Telematics, Search, Social Networks, TV + IP, Marketing Models, Payments and Massive Multiplayer Gaming.
The Panel:
• Margaret Mackanzie, CFO/COO & Co- Founder, Paymo
• Jeff Smith, CEO & Co-Founder, Smule
• Eric Zimits, Managing Director, Granite Ventures
Moderator: Curtis Mo, Partner, WilmerHale
When: Thursday, March 19
6:00 - 7:00 pm: Networking and hors d'oeuvres
7:00 - 8:15 pm: Panel discussion and Q/A
8:15 - 8:30 pm: Additional networking
Location: WilmerHale, 1117 California Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94304
For full speaker bio's and to register
Click Here!
Labels: entrepreneurs, granite ventures, Mobile technology, paymo, smule, vc funding
Launch: Silicon Valley (VC pitch event)
My friends at SVASE put out a call-for-entries today for companies to present at the 2009 edition of Launch: Silicon Valley. A total of 30 companies will be selected to present their business plans to a panel of VCs, angel investors and corporate business development exec's. This is an awesome opportunity for unknown companies to get visibility among Silicon Valley insiders--and for the good ones to get a term sheet. Previous companies that have presented at Launch: Silicon Valley have raised collectively $80 million in funding so far.
Currently the following investors are signed on to be part of the panel:
- Draper Fisher Jurvetson
- Lightspeed Venture Partners
- @Ventures
- Asset Management
- August Capital
- Claremont Creek Ventures
- DeNovo Ventures
- Garage Technology Ventures
- Morgenthaller Ventures
- Nexit Ventures
- Opus Capital
- SofTech VC
And more investors will be joining in the coming weeks. If you are interested in being a presenting company, you should send an Executive Summary of NO MORE THAN TWO PAGES to launchsv@svase.org. Deadline for submissions is May 8th 2009; presentations to the investor panel will be June 9th 2009. For excellent tips on what to include in an executive summary, try these suggestions from Guy Kawasaki here. Good luck!
Labels: business plan competition, vc funding, vc pitch
Beware the "VC Funding Consultant"
Last week I was invited to a party hosted by
GigaOM and I had a conversation that inspired me to issue a warning to all entrepreneurs who are considering the use of a 'funding consultant' to help them score meetings with VCs.
We all know that VCs are busy people and it takes some effort to get a meeting with them. As a result a cottage industry of 'funding consultants' has sprung up. These are people who are supposedly well-connected among VCs and -- for an up-front fee -- will help you score some meetings and coach you on your pitch.
BEWARE! Some of these consultants may indeed provide value, but let me summarize my conversation from last week and you'll see why you should exercise caution:
Me: Hi, I'm Mark. What's your name?
Consultant: I'm Susie. I help companies raise VC funding using my extensive relationships.
Me: That's interesting. Do you specialize in a specific technology or industry niche?
Consultant: I work with all companies.
Me: But do you have a specialty--like mobility technologies, or storage technologies, or security technologies? You know, an area where you know a lot of investors and have connections?
Consultant: I work mostly with technology companies.
Me: Well that narrows things. With which VC firms do you work with mostly?
Consultant: I work with all of them.
Me: You must be busy! Who did your most recent deal?
Consultant: (eyes averted)
Long-winded and convoluted response that never actually named a VC firm or an investor. Me: (trying to be patient) So do you come from an investment background?
Consultant: I've done lots of things. I was once a reporter in Europe.
Me: Oh really! I work for a PR firm that introduces European companies into the U.S. press. We specialize in mobile & wireless companies. Which publication did you write for in Europe?
Consultant: A small one that you've probably never heard of.
Me: Oh. OK. Well... I'm going to go get some tacos now from the buffet. Nice to meet you.
In a quarter-hour of conversation this 'consultant' was not able to name a single company, VC firm, VC partner, or industry sector by name. Something tells me she's never actually made any useful introductions or negotiated a term sheet or anything. Here in Silicon Valley there are plenty of organizations like
SVASE,
SD Forum,
STIRR,
VC Taskforce and others that host events where you can meet one-on-one with VCs, get VCs to give you feedback on your pitch, and otherwise make the connections that you need. These events range from $free to maybe a several hundred dollars at the most. No one can guarantee that you will get a term sheet from these meetings, but if you have a good product, good traction, and know your focus then you should be able to score a meeting with a VC without the help of a consultant.
Labels: vc funding, vc pitch, venture capital
