Past Events
The Rockies Venture Club is known for its intimate, in-depth events for investors and entrepreneurs. Read on for a list of past events:
Colorado IT Live 2010
When: 03/09/2010: 5:00 PM - 8:00 PMWhere Denver Athletic Club
1325 Glenarm
Denver,
Cosponsored by Denver/Boulder Software Clubs
Listen to three innovative Colorado IT-company CEO's present their business and technology strategies to a distinguished group of Venture Capitalists who will provide invaluable business advice and feedback.
These companies represent the latest technology developments in Virtual Meetings, Online Marketing, and Electronic Ticketing Software. Their business models include Web-Based SaaS, OEM licensing, Mobile, Usage-Based, and Traditional Enterprise Licensing.
You’ll walk away from this exciting evening with a fresh appreciation for the entrepreneurial nature of Colorado IT and the potential it holds for the future.
Software CEO Presenters:
Charlie L'Esperance, CEO, Resort Technology Partners
Sophie Lal, CEO, MeetingOne
Scott McDaniel, CEO, Widgix Software
VC/Investor Group:
Chris Onan, Managing Director, Appian Ventures
Joe Zell, Partner, Grotech Ventures
Kirk Holland, Partner, Vista Ventures
Filtrbox - A Case Study from Start-up to Exit
When: 02/09/2010: 5:00 PM - 8:00 PMWhere Denver Athletic Club
1325 Glenarm
Denver,
Filtrbox – www.filtrbox.com – just announced that they have been acquired by Jive Software – www.jivesoftware.com. Join us for what promises to be a fascinating look at how you go from startup, through funding, to building out the sales to investor management to exit - all in two years!
Filtrbox
Ari Newman, Senior Director of Market Engagement
Tom Chikoore, Senior Manager of Product Strategy
Facilitator
Mark Weakley, Partner, Holme Roberts & Owen
Workshop - Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Term Sheets
When: 01/26/2010: 4:30 PM - 6:30 PMWhere Cooley Godward Kronish LLP
380 Interlocken Crescent
Suite 900
Broomfield, 80021
Term Sheets 101
Topics will include:
• Top 10 issues to consider in negotiating a term sheet
• Binding vs. nonbinding, including whether to grant exclusivity
• Overview of current market trends and terms
Presenters
Paul Gross, Cooley Godward
Nathan Seiler, Cooley Godward
A Conversation with Colorado Inc 500
When: 01/12/2010: 5:00 PM - 8:00 PMWhere Denver Athletic Club
1325 Glenarm
Denver,
Here’s your chance to sit in and listen to real Colorado entrepreneurial superstars. RVC is privileged to have leaders from at least three Colorado companies that have experienced accelerated growth and have made it to the 2009 Inc 500 list of the fastest growing private companies in America.
They’ll share their stories with you – how they got started, what type of financing they used, what went right, and what lessons were learned along the way.
Watch. Listen. Learn.
Confirmed Inc 500 Companies
FTEN
Newsgator
Rally Software
BroadNet
Entrepreneur Essentials - What every emerging business needs to know about entity structure and cap table management
When: 12/10/2009: 3:30 PM - 6:00 PMWhere Holme Roberts & Owen
1700 Lincoln Street
44th Floor
Denver,
Did you know that good cap table management can position your company for the right type of financing? Did you also know that company’s structure can make or break your financing choices down the road? Building and growing successful companies isn’t easy, but by discovering and learning about both the great challenges and opportunities entrepreneurs face every day, great entrepreneurs gain a leg up on the competition by setting up now for future success.
Join the RVC for this hands-on workshop presented by experts in their fields.
The workshop will be followed by a cash bar, light hors d’oeuvres, and plenty of holiday networking!
Presenters
Mark Weakley, Partner, Holme Roberts and Owen
Jason Wagner, Tax Partner, Ehrhardt Keefe Steiner & Hottman
Jim Franklin, VP and General Manager, Oracle Crystal Ball Global Business Unit
Cooley Godward, panelist TBA
3rd Annual Angel Capital Summit
When: 11/17/2009: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PMWhere Colorado Convention Center
700 14th Street
Denver,
On November 17th in the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, CO, and after months of screening and coaching, at least forty entrepreneurs will present their businesses to hundreds of investors over the course of the day at the 3rd annual Angel Capital Summit!
You are welcome to attend!!
Hosted by the Rockies Venture Club, presented by EKS&H - and produced by dozens of professional associations, business incubators and economic development organizations (And volunteers!!) throughout the Rocky Mountains and beyond - the Angel Capital Summit is the largest and best forum between San Francisco and Chicago for investors and entrepreneurs to find each other.
For complete info, registration, and how to apply to become a presenter at the ACS, please visit the official ACS website.
Realistic Financing Options Before Venture Capital
When: 10/13/2009: 5:00 PM - 8:00 PMWhere Denver Athletic Club
1325 Glenarm
Denver,
Not every company is ready for venture capital, but what options are available to early stage companies? Our panel of experts will talk about how to bootstrap from start-up to exit, how to close an “angel” round, and how to position your company for success in early rounds.
Moderator:
Dave DuPont, CEO
TeamSnap, Inc.
Panelists:
Tim Bour, Executive Director
Boulder Innovation Center
Julie Lerner, Managing Partner
Golden Seeds
Jim Pollock, CFO
aWhere
Stephanie Smeltzer McCoy
Meritage Funds
Attraction Marketing: Find Your Tribe and Lead It
When: 09/30/2009: 11:30 AM - 1:30 PMWhere Ehrhardt, Keefe, Steiner & Hottman
7979 E. Tufts Ave.
1st Floor Mt. Oxford Room
Denver,
Marketing in the 2.0 World is based on creating affinity. When people have the option to instantly turn off your message, then it’s your job to create something to attract your perfect clients. The catch – you need to do it in 10 seconds or less!
Join Dawn Todd, founder of Wildly Successful Women and president of Momentum Group, and let her show you:
How to find and keep more perfect clients
The number one reason people make referrals
How people choose WHO to refer
How to give better referrals and get more back!
Social Entrepreneurship: A Giant Step for Mankind and Profits
When: 09/08/2009: 5:00 PM - 8:00 PMWhere Denver Athletic Club
1325 Glenarm
Denver,
Social Entrepreneurship is the 'final frontier' of philanthropy. How can Colorado carve its place as a world leader in this new realm? We can accomplish this mission by building an alliance with business, political, and academic leaders in Colorado. Our top schools already recognize the strength of social entrepreneurship and its potential to make a global impact.
Guests and speakers from Colorado Universities and leaders will participate in the ground breaking session. It’s more than a wave of the future…it is now and it is powerful.
Opening Remarks by MileHigh Mayor – John Hickenlooper
Facilitator:
Larry Nelson, President of w3w3.com Talk Radio
Moderator:
Christopher B. Pelley, CEO | Managing Director of Capital
Investment Management Company (CIMCO)
Ashoka Support Network person for Colorado
Panelists:
Paul Bauer, Clinical Professor at Department: Information Technology and Electronic Commerce
Daniels College of Business
Paul Jerde, Executive Director at Robert H. and Beverly A. Deming Center for Entrepreneurship
Leeds School of Business, University of Colorado
Hunt Lambert, Associate Provost, Colorado State University Continuing Education
CEO, CSU Global Campus
Beth Ann Parish, Program Manager, John J. Sullivan Endowed Chair for Free Enterprise
Regis University
Venture Pub and Colorado Success Stories!
When: 08/11/2009: 5:00 PM - 7:00 PMWhere Denver Athletic Club Rooftop
1325 Glenarm
Denver,
For nearly 25 years, the RVC has helped create Colorado success stories. Jump-start your own – join us this August for the unique secrets to three Colorado companies' success. Mingle with a who's-who of Denver companies and capital at the Rockies Venture Club's Venture Pub August 11.
Rub shoulders with entrepreneurs and members of the venture capital community. Stay to listen to three companies at different stages of development that embody the best Colorado entrepreneurship has to offer. Each company will share what worked, what didn't, how they financed their companies, and offer valuable lessons learned. It's an information-packed opportunity you won't want to miss.
Presenting companies to date:
OneRiot
Merle Waterman,CFO
Launched in November 2008, OneRiot is a realtime search engine. Users search with OneRiot to find the news, videos and blogs that are people are buzzing about right now on the social web. Uniquely, OneRiot delivers search results as they emerge, ordered to reflect current social relevance. OneRiot is a privately held company headquartered in Boulder, Colo. with offices in San Francisco.
Biodesix
Frank Ronchetti, CFO
Biodesix is a biotechnology company that develops diagnostic tests using a proprietary platform based on mass spectrometry. The company is advancing the revolution in personalized medicine, providing physicians with clinical information that helps with the diagnosis of disease and in selecting appropriate and effective treatment for their patients. Biodesix’s first product, VeriStrat®, was launched commercially in May 2009. VeriStrat is a simple blood test used by oncologists to assist in decision making while treating non-small cell lung cancer.
Real Goods Solar
Presenter TBA
Real Goods Solar is a leading residential solar energy integrator offering turnkey services to our solar energy system customers, including design, procurement, permitting, build-out, grid connection, financing referrals and warranty and customer satisfaction activities. We help customers lower their emissions output and reliance upon fossil fuel energy sources and have over 30 years of experience in residential solar energy, beginning with our sale in 1978 of the first solar photovoltaic, or PV, panels in the United States. We have sold a variety of solar products to more than 30,000 customers since our founding. Our parent majority shareholder, Gaiam, is a leader in the sustainable and renewable energy lifestyle market and has a base of over 8 million direct customers, providing us additional lead generation for potential solar energy customers. We also maintain a Solar Living Center in Hopland, California which features interactive demonstrations for renewable energy and environmentally sensible technologies and is the largest facility of its kind, with approximately 2 million visitors since it opened in 1996.
Changing Rules for Raising Capital
When: 07/14/2009: 5:00 PM - 8:00 PMWhere Denver Athletic Club
1325 Glenarm
Denver,
Whether you talk to Venture Capitalists, Angel Investors or Lending Institutions they will all tell you the ‘The rules have changed for raising capital’. There are numerous factors in this changing equation. It’s not just the bumpy economy. It’s not just the lessons learned by VCs in the past 10 years. It’s not just the transparent environment created by technology and the Internet. It’s all these and more.
At the Rockies Venture Club ‘Raising Capital’ meeting on July 14th, you’ll hear a panel of experts make the comparisons with the past and give you specifics what it takes to raise capital today. It’s not just theory, it’s practical and proven. You’ll hear what it takes to raise capital from all different types of investors including the government.
Moderator
Larry Nelson
Serial Entrepreneur & Author
President of w3w3.com Media Network
Speakers
Steve Baker
Serial Entrepreneur & Author
Pushing Water Uphill: Memoirs of a Successful Failure
Sue Kunz
CEO
American BioResources
Kelly Manning
State Director, SBDC Network
Colorado Office of Economic Development & International
Catharine Merigold
General Partner
Vista Ventures
Space 2.0: The Entrepreneurial Frontier
When: 06/09/2009: 5:00 PM - 8:00 PMWhere Denver Athletic Club
1325 Glenarm Place
Denver, 80204
The aerospace business has long kept risk capital at a distance. Venture and angel investors tend to avoid companies whose business models entail carrying out multi-billion-dollar cost-plus contracts with one customer: the government.
Space 2.0 companies commercialize the investment in space technology that already exists, paid for by taxpayers over more than a half-century of NASA innovation. From temperature-shifting fabrics to photovoltaic solar arrays and satellite communications, venture-funded startups use patents and orbiting assets to build businesses quickly.
The Rockies Venture Club’s June meeting will take a look at Colorado’s unique place in the space business. Colorado boasts two aerospace incubators and lots of Space 2.0 companies, from tiny GPS and solar energy start-ups to Digital Globe and EchoStar.
Come prepared to have your assumptions challenged.
Facilitator
John Metzger
Founder and CEO, Metzger Associates
Panelists
Gene Branch, J.D.
Partner, Townsend and Townsend and Crew
Burke Fort
Director, 8th Continent Project
Center for Space Resources, Colorado School of Mines
Paul Jerde
Director, Deming Center for Entrepreneurship at the Leeds School of Business, University of Colorado, Boulder, Leeds College of Business
Steve Murchie
Director, Keiretsu Forum Denver
21st Annual Colorado Capital Conference
When: 05/12/2009: 7:00 AM - 5:00 PMWhere The Westin - Westminster
10600 Westminster Blvd
Westminster, 80020
In the midst of global financial crisis, an entrepreneurial renaissance is on the rise in Colorado. Our region’s leadership in technology, energy, biotech, aerospace, telecom and other key sectors has formed an entrepreneurial ecosystem unlike anywhere else on earth.
The synergies between new business startups, venture capital and workforce talent has created an oasis of opportunity – and the best place to be part of the action is at the Rockies Venture Club’ s 21st Annual Colorado Capital Conference (CCC).
For full conference information, schedule and blog, please
click here to go to the official CCC Website, or click here to register now!
Creating Success for Early Stage Companies
When: 04/14/2009: 5:00 PM - 8:00 PMWhere Denver Marriott City Center
1701 California Street
Denver, 80202
It’s no news that we’re living in shaky economic times.
But, whether you’re pessimistic, guarded, or wildly optimistic about what the future holds, if you’re an early stage company with hopes and aspirations for success and you’re wanting some support and advice about raising money, management, marketing, and sales, then you’ll want to come to the Rockies Venture Club’s April meeting.
The meeting will be a panel discussion and conversation led by Lisa Greim, former Rocky Mountain News reporter and currently an account executive at Metzger Associates, a strategic public relations/communications agency that represents numerous start-up ventures in Colorado and elsewhere. Our panelists will offer a nuts and bolts approach to the challenges and rewards involved in starting and growing your company.
There will be plenty of time for audience Q&A following the presentation.
Facilitator
Lisa Greim
Senior Account Executive
Metzger Associates
Panelists
Jeffrey D. Saffer, Ph.D. and Vicki L. Burnett, Ph.D.
Co-founders
Quertle, LLC
Carol L. Barbeito, Ph.D.
President and Managing Partner
Earth Protect
Charles F. I. Savage
CEO
Zerista
Colorado IT Live!
When: 03/10/2009: 5:00 PM - 8:00 PMWhere Denver Marriott City Center
1701 California Street
Denver, 80222
Colorado IT Live! Three companies, three investors: it’s that simple!
Cosponsored by the Denver/Boulder Software Clubs.
Listen to three innovative Colorado IT companies present their business and technology strategies to a distinguished group of investors who will provide invaluable business advice. They represent the latest technology developments in Financial Analytics, ECommerce, and Manufacturing software. They range from Startup to 25 years old - from Software as a Service (Web Based Software) licensing models to the most traditional licensing. Walk away from this exciting evening with a fresh appreciation for the entrepreneurial nature of Colorado IT and the potential it holds for the future.
Presenting Companies
Eric Remer, CEO
PaySimple
www.paysimple.com
Keith Mountain, CEO
Spatial Corp.
www.spatial.com
Lorenzo Carver, CEO,
bpCentral
www.liquidscenarios.com
Investors
Seth Levine
Foundry Group
www.foundrygroup.com
Frank Mendicino
Access Venture Partners
www.accessventurepartners.com
Jim Conboy
Wolf Ventures
www.wolfventures.com
DSC and BSC members need to fill out page 1 of the online registration form, then enter “sc” (without the quotes) in the code field on page 2. The discount will tally upon completion.
Angel Investing in 2009
When: 02/10/2009: 5:00 PM - 8:00 PMWhere Denver Marriott City Center
1701 California Street
Denver, 80202
How to Give Wings to your Fledgling Company: Angel Investing in 2009
Given that venture capital investments were down significantly in the fourth quarter of 2008, with no signs yet that it will be any better in the first half of 2009, more entrepreneurs will rely upon organized angel funding in order to continue to innovate, as well as to extend their companies to the point when venture funding will start to become more available. Join us to find out the “real” answers to the following questions (and more!):
Facilitator
Kelly Burton, Investor
InvestorAvenue.com
Investors
Robert Fenwick-Smith, Founder & President
Aravaipa Ventures
Rob Morrison, Managing Director
Coherent Investments
The State of Investing in BioScience and Healthcare Companies
When: 01/13/2009: 5:00 PM - 8:00 PMWhere Denver Marriott City Center
1701 California Street
Denver, 80202
Our January program will focus on investing in emerging bioscience and healthcare companies. The RVC is pleased to present a panel of experts representing investors and health care and bioscience entrepreneurs discussing both the opportunities and the challenges of investing in these emerging technologies.
Our three 5-minute pitches are also companies involved in the BioScience and Healthcare industries: Medvoy, a medical tourism company, St. Renatus, a pharmaceutical company and Ingeniumcare, a remote surrogate care monitoring company.
Moderator
Arlen D Meyers, MD, MBA
Panelists
Patrick Adams , President
Cynergy Healthcare Fund
Joe Bagan, CEO,
Sharklet Technologies, LLC
Marc Silverman, Managing Partner
CoCap Group, LLC
Biz 2.0: Creating Profits From New Online Tools
When: 12/09/2008: 5:00 PM - 8:00 PMWhere Denver Marriott City Center
1701 California Street
Denver, 80202
There is a big gap between the technology gains being made in sophisticated online tools and the adoption of business leaders who could use them. Given the challenging business climate, business leaders and investors need to understand how to increase their organizations' use of transformative digital media.
This panel will engage in an open discussion of how Web 2.0 has evolved from cute Facebook applications for passing time into powerful tools that transform information to insight, improve decision-making and ultimately create a competitive advantage resulting in profitability.
Panelists:
Doyle Albee, President of New Media, Metzger and Associates
John Corbett, CEO, AWhere
Ari Newman, CEO, Filtrbox
Dave O'Brien, CEO, Business Catapult
Moderator:
Greg Berry, Partner, nuance intelligence
2nd Annual Angel Capital Summit
When: 11/21/2008: 7:30 AM - 6:00 PMWhere Denver Marriott City Center
1701 California Street
Denver, 80202
Following up the Inaugural Angel Capital Summit in November 2007, we're expanding this years event to include multiple tracks and repeat presentations.
For complete conference details, visit the official ACS website.
Register today!
Will The Recession Kill the Green Movement?
When: 10/14/2008: 5:00 PM - 8:00 PMWhere Denver Marriott City Center
1701 California Street
Denver, 80202
How sustainable is the sustainability movement? Colorado is ground zero for environmentally friendly business, but can the green biz epicenter continue walking the talk during lean economic times?
Using real-world examples from green companies like Whole Foods, this panel discussion will explore issues of social and environmental responsibility, greenwashing and genuinely sustainable practices, and how going green can impact a company's hiring, retention, and bottom line.
Join us October 14 to hear about how local companies are using metrics and new business models to stay relevant in Colorado's growing green market.
Panelists:
Dr. Ralph “Bud" Sorenson, General Partner
Sorenson Limited Partnership
Matt Rich
Thomas Weisel Partners
Todd Woloson, Managing Director
Greenmont Capital Partners
Moderator:
Dr. Dick Franklin, President
Envirobrand
Early Stage Investing in an Uncertain Economy
When: 09/09/2008: 5:00 PM - 8:00 PMWhere Denver Marriott City Center
1701 California Street
Denver, 80202
How - if at all - is investing in early stage companies impacted by the turbulence in the capital markets, the shaky economy and the upcoming election?
We’ve gathered some of the best minds in Colorado’s early stage investment space to share their thoughts at our September meeting. They will talk about the realities of investing in early stage companies today - this promises to be a program you can’t afford to miss.
Panelists
Kelly Burton, Investor
InvestorAvenue.com
David Cohen, Executive Director
Tech Stars
Brad Feld, Co-founder and Managing Director
Foundry Group
Steve Murchie, Chapter President
Keiretsu Forum
Moderator
Dan King, Founder & CEO
ReadyTalk
Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2008 Award Winner in the Software Services category in the Rocky Mountain Region.
Inspiration. Passion. Creativity. Ingenuity.
When: 08/12/2008: 5:00 PM - 8:00 PMWhere Denver Marriott City Center
1701 California Street
Denver, 80202
Join the Rockies Venture Club at our August dinner meeting to hear how an up-and-coming start-up and a VC-backed enterprise have combined these crucial ingredients to succeed and get their entrepreneurial ventures off the ground.
mShopper Founder and CEO David Gould will discuss his approach to developing a unique consumer product. Eric Olden, Founder and CEO of Symplified, will discuss his company's "revolutionary" approach to SaaS and scaling Internet systems from the vantage point of consumer network delivery models.
Speakers
Eric Olden, Founder, CEO & Chairman
Symplified
David Gould, Founder and CEO
mShopper
Facilitator
Mark Weakley
Holme Roberts & Owen
The Buzz on Buzzwire!
When: 07/08/2008: 5:00 PM - 8:00 PMWhere Denver Marriott City Center
1701 California Street
Denver, 80202
Co-sponsored by the Denver/Boulder Software Clubs
The investment community is abuzz about Buzzwire, and we have CEO Andrew MacFarlane coming to tell his story. Andrew will talk about the challenges involved in getting funded, how they succeeded and some of the lessons learned along the way.
Buzzwire is launching a mobile streaming video service that takes content from all over the web and delivers it to your cell phone.
Speakers
Andrew MacFarlane, CEO
Buzzwire
Rob Bernal, Partner
Sequel Venture Partners
Facilitator
Brent Peterson, EKS&H
Mocapay - A Colorado Success Story
When: 06/10/2008: 5:00 PM - 8:00 PMWhere Denver Marriott City Center
1701 California Street
Denver, 80202
Mocapay is a leading innovative and integrated mobile payment and marketing company, that lets consumers use their mobile phone to pay for goods and services at the register and online. It simplifies the payment process, providing total transaction security and saves merchants money vs. credit card transaction fees, while providing consumers with unprecedented value via real-time promotions from their favorite retailers.
Mocapay has received funding from Lacuna Ventures and eonBusiness, and our speakers will simply tell their story: how the founders came together, first dollar raised, first customer, getting cash flow positive, exit strategy. You’ll hear the “good, the bad and the ugly,” and leave recognizing that everyone deals with the same issues you are facing and a better understanding of how to get to the next level.
Moderator:
Dave O'Brien, CEO
The Business Catapult
Panelists:
Rob Hooke
eonBusiness
Michael Ferkiss, VP Business Development
Mocapay
Lance Gentry, CMO
Mocapay
20th Annual Colorado Capital Conference
When: 05/22/2008: 7:30 AM - 6:00 PMWhere Denver Marriott City Center
1701 California Street
Denver, 80222
Details for this signature event can be found at the dedicated conference site www.coloradocapitalconference.org.
Pathway to Entrepreneurship - the Challenges and the Choices
When: 04/08/2008: 5:00 PM - 8:00 PMWhere Denver Marriott City Center
1701 California Street
Denver, 80202
“Can you teach someone to be an entrepreneur?” Paul Jerde, the Executive Director of the Deming Center is often asked, “Can you really teach entrepreneurship?” Paul is the keynote speaker at the Rockies Venture Club monthly program, “Pathway to Entrepreneurship – the Challenges and the Choices”.
He will speak about the influence and pervasiveness of entrepreneurship as the engine of innovation and change in our business world and society in general, and about the ingredients of an entrepreneurial community - why are Boulder and the front range of Colorado along with Silicon Valley and other known hotbeds of entrepreneurship so “friendly” to entrepreneurs?
Paul will share the approach that is taken to educating young entrepreneurs and the many paths that graduating students take in applying their entrepreneurship education whether it’s by launching their own startup or by joining an entrepreneurial team.
He feels strongly that entrepreneurship education is the true capstone integration of all of the traditional business disciplines – finance, marketing, management, and others. It is as much about a mindset as a skill set and many of the lessons learned by educators will be applicable to you in your business as well.
Larry Nelson, co-founder of w3w3.com will be introducing Paul. Larry is a serial entrepreneur that has lived in and has owned businesses in five foreign countries. He said, “The school of hard knocks is the way I went, but I sure wish back then there was a Deming Center as an alternative.”
Colorado IT Live!
When: 03/11/2008: 5:00 PM - 8:00 PMWhere Denver Marriott City Center
1701 California Street
Denver,
Cosponsored by Denver/Boulder Software Clubs
For the 3rd year in a row, Rockies Venture Club is pleased to cosponsor this informative and topical event with the Denver/Boulder Software Clubs. Each year the event grows and we expect a great turnout to hear the presentations and investor questions.
Presenters:
Mark Dreher, CEO, Knowledge Factor
Peter Flanagan, CEO, Transzap
Donavon Guyot, CEO, Peaksware
Investor Feedback Group:
David Cohen, Founder, Techstars
Jim Conboy, Partner, Wolf Ventures
Andy Rourke, Senior Associate, Centennial Ventures
Companies Making a Difference
When: 02/12/2008: 5:00 PM - 8:00 PMWhere Denver Marriott City Center
1701 California Street
Denver, 80202
Hear two highly successful software entrepreneurs share their stories and what makes their companies unique. Both companies have great stories to tell - stories that can provide road maps for success and inspiration to all entrepreneurs.
You’ll also hear from an investor perspective how unique companies get the attention of investors, and the climate for investing today.
Terry Gold, CEO, Gold Systems
Gold Systems is a software company developing telephone applications utilizing IVR, text-to-speech and speech recognition solutions for Global 1000 clients. Their software has supported over a billion telephone calls resulting in huge savings for our customers.
Ryan Martens, Founder and CTO, Rally Software Development
Today's software company leaders must adopt techniques that execute multiple development activities in parallel, in order to deliver high-impact software in smaller batches on quarterly or monthly cycles. Now, more than ever, the agility, speed and quality of development organization directly powers the speed and profit of the business. Rally Software Development Corp. provides the software-driven enterprise with the knowledge, coaching and tooling needed to succeed with Agile development practices. Additionally, as part of their overall philanthropic culture, Rally has committed 1% of the company's future profits to support local philanthropy through the Entrepreneurs Foundation of Colorado. The '1% Fund' also encourages their executives and employees to pledge 1% of their personal equity in Rally to philanthropy, and helps the Rally team donate 1% of our working hours to local charities and non-profits.
David Link
David recently left Greenmont Capital Partners I, LP (“Greenmont I”), which was founded in 2004 with $20 million of committed capital. Greenmont’s fund was founded by natural product industry insiders, focusing on early-stage companies in the $500 billion Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (“LOHAS”) market. Operations are strategically headquartered in Boulder, a city widely regarded as the epicenter or "Silicon Valley" of the natural products industry, providing optimal flow of information, contacts, resources and investment opportunities in the LOHAS space. Greenmont was an early investor in IZZE. Prior to Greenmont, Link was a founding principal of Denver-based VC firm, Appian Ventures.
The New Tech Companies
When: 01/08/2008: 5:00 PM - 8:00 PMWhere Denver Marriott City Center
1701 California Street
Denver, 80202
To start the new year, RVC is pleased to present two companies that exemplify a “new tech” company. These are companies that operate totally online, and can be located anywhere. They are sometimes referred to as a “no shipping tape, no UPS trucks” model.
Each presenter will talk about the challenges and successes of running a new tech company, and will also incorporate the importance of blogging, new media and social networking for startups, and why this is a good test for fundability!
Speakers
Dave Taylor
askDaveTaylor.com
Dan Murray
Ravenwood Marketing
December Dinner Meeting
When: 12/04/2007: 5:00 PM - 8:00 PMWhere Denver Marriott City Center
1701 California Street
Denver, 80202
Photonics: Financing and Entrepreneurship
Cosponsored by Colorado Photonics Industry Association
Photonics encompasses a family of technologies that generate, modulate, guide, amplify or detect light. This "enabling" technology is fueling advances in diverse fields such as health care and medicine, environment and energy, manufacturing, information systems and communications, display, defense and aerospace, entertainment, etc. For example, experts generally agree that information technology will not reach its full potential until photonics technology, i.e., optical fiber, brings high bandwidth communications to every home, business, and desktop.
The main opportunities within the Photonics industry are in new and emerging applications. Industry analysts predict that the market for photonics is expected to reach $230 billion (US dollars) by 2003 and close to $470 billion by 2013. The global photonics sector is expected to be the world's next trillion-dollar sector. However, because photonics as an industry is still so new, there are few geographic areas that dominate the market. Four general areas where the U.S. photonics industry believes opportunities exist for U.S. companies are imaging, new information age applications, medical technology and transportation.
Even if this industry is rife with opportunity, are U.S. photonics companies able to attract financing? If so, where is the funding coming from? And, are there opportunities for entrepreneurs within this industry?
Join us as RVC and the Colorado Photonics Industry Association will host a joint program that will attempt to answer these and other questions about the U.S. Photonics industry.
Confirmed speakers
Ranier Kunz, ColdQuanta
Rob Morrison, Coherent Investments
Angel Capital Summit
When: 11/13/2007: 1:15 PM - 7:30 PMWhere Denver Marriott City Center
1701 California
Denver, 80202
"An Exciting New Collaboration ..."
The Angel Capital Summit is a unique and new collaboration of the premier professional organizations that serve entrepreneurs and early-stage investors. Instead of simply presenting pitch after pitch, this collaboration makes possible an entirely new approach to helping entrepreneurs and investors find each other.
Here's what's unique about this Summit:
- A collaborative selection process: Each of our investor partners will screen candidate companies to present, from among the companies with which they are working. This results in a broader selection of companies from a wider range of industries.
- An intensive coaching process that puts soundness of the business concept before "spit and polish": Each presenting company is put through a structured process that starts with a standards-based assessment of strengths and weaknesses, and follows up with one-on-one coaching with industry experts to address the weaknesses. The presentation itself is honed through a collaborative "pitch practice", where companies do a dry run to each other. Few companies go through this process without making significant, positive changes in their business plans. The result: better presentations, based on better business concepts.
- An emphasis on helping the right entrepreneurs and the right investors find each other: Many early-stage investors prefer to play an active role in their investments. With a standards-based process, it's easier for investors to find companies that are closely aligned with their interests.
- Business intelligence data available nowhere else: The Summit will include a unique "State of Entrepreneurship in Colorado" report derived data about the presenting companies.
The Angel Capital Summit is hosted by the Rockies Venture Club (RVC). The RVC is the region's premier networking organization that connects entrepreneurs, service professionals, investors, venture capitalists and other funding sources. Founded in 1985, the RVC was one of the first non-profit organizations in the country to help entrepreneurs launch and manage high-growth potential companies.
The Angel Capital Summit is a dramatic new extension of the RVC's mission. Through the use of the Benchmark Survey developed by the Entrepreneurial Standards Forum, and the automated deal flow management system (DFMS) provided by The Business Catapult, the Angel Capital Summit has created new opportunities for entrepreneurs and investors alike to better understand their businesses and the investment opportunities they represent at a scale never before attempted in Colorado.
About the Entrepreneurial Standards Forum Benchmark Survey
The Entrepreneurial Standards Forum's Benchmark Survey is simple in concept and elegant in execution. In the Benchmark Survey, an entrepreneur's answers are compared to the answers given by successful companies. The resulting Benchmark Report shows the entrepreneur where they are on the 'success path'. The Benchmark Report has proven to be a highly effective gap analysis for the entrepreneur, and a due diligence framework for investors that works to standardize the interface between them. Standards create new efficiencies. Entrepreneurial standards create entrepreneurial - and angel investor - success.
About the Business Catapult's Deal Flow Management System
With standards information can be put up into a database, searched for, retrieved and compared. Trends can be identified and statistics can be generated. New business intelligence can be created, as can new forms of measurement. In the sense that 'if you can't measure it, you can't manage it', with these tools, art becomes science. Working in partnership with the Entrepreneurial Standards Forum, the Business Catapult provides software as a service (SaaS) to organizations that work with entrepreneurs and investors to better improve performance for both.
| Please note: Presenters were pre-screened and chosen in advance for this event. If you were not chosen to present at the ACS, please do not register as a presenter. |
