Startup Matchmaker for Duke MBA Students: August 2010

Friday, August 27, 2010

Freestyle Capital - internship opportunity

Hello Duke student members of the Startup Matchmaker,

If interested in social media and working as an investor in startups, this is a pretty great opportunity for you.

(Fuqua student Jonathan Lee worked there this past year, and young alum Howie Liu worked there as a senior in Pratt)

Especially if you're interested in moving to Silicon Valley.

Freestyle Capital is an entrepreneurial seed-stage investor that backs capital efficient Internet startups. Duke/Fuqua alumnus Josh Felser and his partner Dave Samuel co-founded Spinner.com and Grouper/Crackle and sold them to AOL and Sony for $320mm and $65mm. Since its inception ~18 months ago, Freestyle has invested in 10 companies, one of which has already been acquired for $20mm (6.12x; 690% IRR). Freestyle is looking for an entrepreneurial FY or SY MBA to perform due diligence on potential investment opportunities. For more information, please visit: www.freestylecapital.com.

If you are interested, here's the application:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dE1SMXdBSTNKUXU4OTA4cWRVelkwOGc6MQ

Please no emails to discuss this opportunity, we're going to do this one through the application alone.

If there's a next step for you, we'll be in touch.

Howie

--
Howie Rhee, MBA
Managing Director, Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Fuqua School of Business, Duke University
Office A236
919-617-1123 Google Voice / Mobile
919-660-1929 Office

Learn more about Entrepreneurship at Duke - www.EntrepreneurshipAtDuke.com
and read our Duke Entrepreneurship Manual - www.dukeven.com.
Twitter: @EshipAtDuke

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Reminder - RSVP for Program for Entrepreneurs (P4E) Idea Pitch Event - Thurs, Sept 2nd, 4-7pm

Hi everyone,

A reminder to RSVP for the P4E Idea Pitch Event on Thursday, September 2nd.

All students are welcome to attend.

Program for Entrepreneurs (P4E) Idea Pitch Event

Thursday Sept 2nd, 4-7pm

Location: HCA Auditorium

Details are here: http://www.dukep4e.org/pitch-event

Following the event:

- For undergraduates and graduate students: The Pitch Event will be followed by an Information Session for Undergraduates and Graduate Students (non-Fuqua), 7-8pm

- For Fuqua students: The EVCC will be hosting a mixer to connect with Fuqua students who participated in the P4E last year.

Action Items

Have a startup idea you'd like to bring into the Program for Entrepreneurs? Pitch your idea here to our advisors and to other Duke students.

RSVP to pitch an idea using this Google Form by Tuesday, August 31 at midnight.

Want to join a startup team? Come listen to the pitches.

RSVP on Facebook to attend the event

All students are welcome to attend.

Howie

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Fwd: Receive a $40,000 Fellowship towards starting an Energy company

Most of you are on our mailing list so you received this (if you didn't, you can sign up here for our mailing list)

In case you didn't receive it, forwarding it to you.

Howie

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Entrepreneurship At Duke <entrepreneurship@duke.edu>
Date: Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 12:03 PM
Subject: Receive a $40,000 Fellowship towards starting an Energy company
To: hwr2@duke.edu

Greetings,

You are invited to apply for the following Energy Entrepreneurship Fellows Program, if you qualify.

The objective of the Energy Entrepreneurship Fellows Program is to launch new green energy ventures in NC. Four fellowships of $40,000 each will be awarded to students graduating in the Class of 2011.

There are two different aspects to advancing the green energy economy in North Carolina. One is to improve the energy efficiency of existing North Carolina businesses—which saves money, makes North Carolina businesses more competitive, reduces the strain on the state's existing energy infrastructure, and reduces environmental impacts. The second need is to support the creation of new clean energy technology manufacturers, installers, and energy providers in North Carolina, which will fuel economic growth and job creation in the state.

The Duke University Energy Entrepreneurship Fellows Program will help solve one of the hurdles for entrepreneurs who wish to start new clean energy businesses in North Carolina by providing a 12-month fellowship to recent graduates to pursue the launch of a live clean energy venture. Drawing on the extensive resources of Duke University, along with funding from the NC State Energy Office, the Fellowship would provide financial, logistical, and intellectual resources over a 12-month period to assist recent graduates in launching clean energy businesses in North Carolina.

These fellowship program is be led by a team of faculty experts and administrative staff that bring together energy management and entrepreneurship technical expertise, proven success in running similar student internship and fellowship programs, and relationships with potential employer partners across North Carolina. Duke University is uniquely positioned to help North Carolina's green economy grow. Tapping into our strengths of cross-disciplinary education we are, and have been, training the future skilled workforce that will help lead the transition to a sustainable energy future.

Administered by

Next Steps:

This message was sent from Entrepreneurship At Duke to hwr2@duke.edu. It was sent from: Duke University, Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Fuqua School of Business Duke University 1 Towerview Drive, Durham, NC 27708. You can modify/update your subscription via the link below.

Email Marketing by

To be removed click here

Monday, August 23, 2010

Medical Treatment Adherence - Possible startup opportunity

Hi everyone,

A reminder that next week on Thursday, 9/2, we are having our P4E Idea Pitch Event from 4-7pm at HCA Auditorium at Fuqua.

All Duke students are welcome to attend. More details here: http://www.dukep4e.org/pitch-event

Get ready to pitch an idea, or just come listen and hear about the neat startups that are being formed (which you could possibly join).

This will be followed, from 7-8pm, by an information session for undergraduates and graduate students (non-Fuqua) introducing the Program for Entrepreneurs.

Also, see below from a promising startup opportunity from Mike Noel (Fuqua '11). If interested, you should contact Mike.

-Howie

Pharmaceutical Device & Services Opportunity in Medical Treatment Adherence

Medical treatment adherence is currently, and will continue to be, a hot button issue in the healthcare / pharmaceutical / medical insurance industries. There are tremendous business opportunities in solving this $100B / year problem for all health sector players.

The solution we are proposing and developing is a three-part solution…

Pharmaceutical Devices – The devices are event-recording devices. The event is the removal of a pill from a device, which is recorded in a database that is accessed through a web portal user interface.
Web Portal – The web portal is used by all parties involved / affected by treatment non-adherence (i.e. patient, caregiver, insurance, pharmacist, pharmaceutical company, employer, etc.) to monitor proper medical treatment plan adherence. The interface is one similar to mint.com or nikeplus.com where a patient's medical information, goals, adherence data, etc. are all centrally located.
Rewards / Incentives – By recording data with a device and making it available for monitoring on the web portal, we are able to offer the possibility of rewarding / incentivizing healthy behavior with an AMEX style rewards program. This could represent an excellent medium for advertising to a captured audience and could also lead to programs geared toward addressing obesity issues, child rearing, and any other issue that could be addressed with rewards / incentives.

The current status of this project is as follows:

Initial funding secured (by large material / life science corporation)
Prototypes developed
Base web portal developed
Some partnerships and potential pharmaceutical customers established

Needs are:

Market research / analysis
IT needs

Product design
Web portal design

Partnership development
Investor development
Customer development (and analysis of who customer is)
Business plan creation
Product launch / business launch
Much, much more.

Contact Michael Noel (mike.noel@fuqua.duke.edu) if you are interested in joining this startup team!

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Found this directory useful (it is perhaps a bit dated)

http://www.collegemogul.com/content/directory-incubators-seed-funding-venture-programs

--
Howie Rhee, MBA
Managing Director, Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Fuqua School of Business, Duke University
Office A236
919-617-1123 Google Voice / Mobile
919-660-1929 Office

Learn more about Entrepreneurship at Duke - www.EntrepreneurshipAtDuke.com
and read our Duke Entrepreneurship Manual - www.dukeven.com.
Twitter: @EshipAtDuke

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Internship at NC IDEA as Entrepreneur-In-Residence

Hi everyone,

NC IDEA is a supporter of our students at Fuqua and routinely brings on a couple interns each summer.

It turns out they need an intern to start this week to help administer their Grants Program, in which they give money to a handful of startups each year.

Your role would, among other things, be to assess the viability of the various startups that apply for the program, and help come up with the best candidates.

This is a great opportunity for an MBA to learn about the startup world. It is also a great way to get to know the entrepreneurial community, for those of you who may stay local after graduating.

NC IDEA is connected to Idea Fund Partners, which is a local venture capital firm.

If you are interested, apply here: https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dG93c3E3NTFIMEE0LVdYenJKVWE4LVE6MQ#gid=0

More info at: http://www.ncidea.org/

They are looking for someone to start ASAP.

Howie

--
Howie Rhee, MBA
Managing Director, Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Fuqua School of Business, Duke University
Office A236
919-617-1123 Google Voice / Mobile
919-660-1929 Office

Learn more about Entrepreneurship at Duke - www.EntrepreneurshipAtDuke.com
and read our Duke Entrepreneurship Manual - www.dukeven.com.
Twitter: @EshipAtDuke

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Fwd: NC IDEA Fall Grant Cycle Opens with Web Event

From our friends at NC IDEA.

Howie

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: NC IDEA Grants <grants@ncidea.org>
Date: Thu, Aug 12, 2010 at 2:27 PM
Subject: NC IDEA Fall Grant Cycle Opens with Web Event
To: howie.rhee@duke.edu

NC IDEA is Seeking Grant Applications from NC Entrepreneurs and Startups

Fall Grant Cycle Opens Monday, August 16th

NC IDEA is seeking grant applications from North Carolina entrepreneurs and startups for its Fall 2010 Grants Cycle. Applications from NC-based companies focused on information technology, medical devices or materials sciences will be accepted starting Monday, August 16th at www.ncidea.org.

Learn more about how to apply, what NC IDEA looks for in an application and what types of companies are eligible for funding during NC IDEA's web Information Session on Wednesday, August 18th at 11:00am EST.

REGISTER NOW to attend NC IDEA's Information Session

Please share NC IDEA's grant opportunity with your colleagues, clients and fellow entrepreneurs. Questions? Please contact grants@ncidea.org or visit www.ncidea.org.

NC IDEA Fall 2010 Grants Cycle

Important Dates & Deadlines

8.16.10

NC IDEA Fall 2010 Grants Cycle Opens

Please review the NC IDEA website and complete NC IDEA's short Eligibility Quiz to determine if your company is eligible to apply for a grant prior to registration or starting an application.

8.18.10

NC IDEA Information Session (11:00AM)

8.27.10

Early Application Deadline (must submit by 5:00PM)

9.10.10

Final Application Deadline (must submit by 5:00PM)

This message was sent from NC IDEA Grants to howie.rhee@duke.edu. It was sent from: NC IDEA, 4505 Emperor Blvd. Suite 130, Durham, NC 27703. You can modify/update your subscription via the link below.

Email Marketing by

Manage your subscription

Friday, August 6, 2010

Fwd: Kauffman Labs seeking education founders. Know any?

Hey everyone,

Here's a good opportunity - as many of you know, the Kauffman Foundation is the top non-profit focused on entrepreneurship.

If interested, sign up for the conference call.

Howie

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Monica Doss <mdoss@kauffman.org>
Date: Wed, Jul 14, 2010 at 12:16 AM
Subject: Kauffman Labs seeking education founders. Know any?
To: "howrhee@gmail.com" <howrhee@gmail.com>

Hi Howie--Please share with your contacts, students and colleagues who are innovating in the education space--
Kauffman Labs for Enterprise Creation* is up and running. We're seeking founders of fast-growth, scalable education enterprises; entrepreneurs ready to startup – passionate, disruptive, driven leaders eager to change the world of education.

We hope you know some. And that you'll help us get the word out to organizations and groups whose networks include visionary, teachable candidates.

The selection process will be fiercely competitive, and with good reason. Founders chosen for this opportunity will receive up to six months of intensive, practical training and personalized support. They'll learn about everything from funding to marketing, brand-building to creating a board of directors. And they'll be compensated for their time.

For the right person, this is the opportunity of a lifetime.

Applicants may be individual entrepreneurs or teams of up to three people. Businesses from concept through young startup are eligible if they offer a product or service to help people learn, directly or indirectly, and could change the face of education.

Here's how you can help: Visit the Kauffman Labs Web site to find out more about this transformative program; forward this email to anyone you think would be interested; tweet about it; talk about it; if you are interested, apply for it – online only: the deadline is Sept. 20, 2010.

Questions? Kauffman Labs will offer two teleconferences for interested applicants to learn more and ask questions: Aug. 9 from noon to 1:30 p.m. ET and Aug. 18 from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET. Call-in details will be announced. Or they can email questions to info@kauffmanlabs.org.

Thanks for your help and ongoing support of the Kauffman Foundation. We look forward to hearing from the applicants you point our way.

Sincerely,

Bo Fishback
Vice President, Entrepreneurship

*Kauffman Labs is a program of the Kauffman Foundation. Learn more here.
Sent from my Blackberry
Monica Doss
Director, Entrepreneurship
Kauffman Foundation
Ph. 816.932.1160
Cell 919.357.6730