Spark Capital - Start@Spark provides seed funding

Sent to me by Jonathan Lee.  I think this may be a repost - but a quick search and I couldn't find it.  So posting again.

-Howie

Spark Capital - Start@Spark provides seed funding

In uncertain economic times, it is imperative to continue to support entrepreneurs and companies at their earliest stages. Although access to early stage capital may have become scarce in recent months, it is precisely at these times that entrepreneurs start attacking nascent opportunities and begin building the game changing companies of the future.

For this reason, Spark Capital is aggressively seeking to make seed investments in promising early stage companies in the New York and Boston areas. Through this program, entrepreneurs who are starting companies in the conflux of media, technology, and entertainment can be granted up to $250,000 to quickly accelerate their progress.

Whether you are a seasoned founder or a first time entrepreneur, we want to hear from you to see if we can partner to build something great.

What are the criteria for new applicants?

Please see our application page for the specific criteria we are looking for when we evaluate opportunities. We generally look for companies that have a clearly articulated problem that is big and meaningful. We look for teams that have the tools to quickly hit the ground running upon our investment and have a good sense of how they would utilize their capital to achieve specific milestones. Most importantly, we want to build a long relationship with entrepreneurs that are hungry, driven, and we enjoy working with.

Geographically, Spark Capital invests in companies across the United States and Internationally. As a rule, we focus on finding the most attractive investment opportunities and do not confine ourselves to specific locations. However, for Start@Spark, we are initially targeting companies in the New York and Boston areas. We believe that this is the best way for us to actively partner with entrepreneurs at the earliest stages of their company’s development. In time, we may expand the program to extend to other geographies as well. 

Clinton Global Initiative Awards - Due April 3

Clinton Global Initiative University Outstanding Commitment Awards 
Application Deadline: April 3, 2009 

On behalf of the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U), we are pleased to provide information about the CGI U Outstanding Commitment Awards, a potential source of funding for innovative student service and activism projects. The 2009 Awards are generously supported by the Pat Tillman Foundation and the Wal-Mart Foundation. Together, $400,000 will be distributed to various students and student groups who have made commitments to addressing the world’s most pressing global challenges. Applications will be accepted through April 3, 2009. 

As you may know, the Clinton Global Initiative is an action-oriented platform that seeks to catalyze new partnerships, practices, and initiatives by and among its members that address social and environmental problems. CGI U is a project of the Clinton Global Initiative that seeks to engage the next generation of leaders on college campuses around the world. 

Commitments to Action are the primary mechanisms by which CGI U engages its members to take action. Each CGI U member must make commitment that is a specific plan of action that addresses a pressing challenge on campus, in a local community, or in different parts of the world. Commitments can be made in any of the five CGI U focus areas: Education, Energy & Climate Change, Global Health, Peace & Human Rights, and Poverty Alleviation. 

The CGI U Outstanding Commitment Awards will provide recognition and financial support for a select number of CGI U commitments. To apply for the awards, please fill out an Outstanding Commitment Award application here. 

Any questions about the application can be directed to cgiu.applicant@clintonglobalinitiative.org. 

Feel free to browse the CGI U website for ideas and examples of CGI U Commitments to Action. 

For additional information, please visit our website at www.CGIU.org. 

Kauffman Fellows program - Applications due April 15

www.kauffmanfellows.org


The mission of the Kauffman Fellows Program is to identify, develop, and network emerging global leaders in venture capital. Success for us means enabling entrepreneurs to build stronger, more enduring companies and, correspondingly, allowing venture investors to realize enhanced returns.

Working full-time at a venture capital firm, each Kauffman Fellow engages in a practical, 24-month apprenticeship including professional coaching, mentoring by senior partners, and quarterly sessions of industry and leadership curriculum. As members of the Society of Kauffman Fellows throughout their careers, fellows join a trusted network -- in Silicon Valley and across 5 continents -- that links together 500 individuals at 140 investing firms who are actively deploying $40B in venture capital. Insights are shared, resources are made available, and opportunities can be efficiently vetted and syndicated.

Based in Palo Alto, California, the Kauffman Fellows Program is administered by the Center for Venture Education, a 501(c)(3) post-graduate educational institution dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship throughout society. Inspired by Ewing Marion Kauffman’s legacy of promoting “economically independent individuals who are engaged and contributing citizens,” Kauffman Fellows to date have made $6 billion in venture capital investments, sparking growth in hundreds of new enterprises, $15 billion in annually recurring revenues and the creation of 48,000 jobs.

Kauffman Fellows have seen phenomenal results:

Industry retention of Kauffman Fellows is high. In contrast to industry averages, where about half of those who join VC firms stay in the industry, almost 80% of all fellows have remained in venture capital.
For all fellows who have remained in the venture capital industry for at least a year since graduating from the program, success rates are also high. Close to 70% are general partners in their firms.
Over a dozen Kauffman Fellows have founded their own firms and closed their first funds.

Purdue Life Science Business Plan Competition

We received the following invite - due date is May 18, 2009

-Howie

-------------- 

Dear Colleague,

 

Purdue University announces the opening of registration for its Sixth Biannual Life Sciences Business Plan Competition, which will be held on Tuesday, November 10, 2009.  Offering total prizes in excess of $100,000, the Purdue Life Sciences Business Plan Competition seeks commercially viable business plan entries for innovative products and services in the life sciences industry.  The aim is to foster translational research and accelerate the commercialization of intellectual property in the life sciences arena.

 

Participating teams must represent an actual life sciences company that is no more than three years old; recent start-up life sciences companies are of particular interest.  For more information and to register, please visit the competition website at http://www.purdue.edu/discoverypark/entrepreneurship/programs/lifesciences/registration.php. The registration deadline is Monday May 18, 2009. 

 

If you have any questions, please contact Purdue's Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship at BDMCenter@purdue.edu; 765-494-1335.

 

We greatly appreciate your forwarding and sharing this information with those colleagues who might be interested and would benefit from submitting an entry.  Attached is the informational flyer for the competition.

 

Best Regards,

Ken K.

 

Kenneth B. Kahn, Ph.D.

Professor and Avrum and Joyce Gray Director Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship Purdue University

1201 West State Street

West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2057

765-496-3223; FAX 765-494-9870

kbkahn@purdue.edu

--
Howie Rhee, MBA
Managing Director
Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Fuqua School of Business, Duke University
Room E167J
919-923-7113 mobile
hwr2@duke.edu
www.fuqua.duke.edu/centers/cei

Watch our video: www.fuqua.duke.edu/wakeup

Walk-in Hours for Students: Mondays, 12:30-1:30pm, Thursdays, 3:00-4:00pm

Duke Entrepreneurship Links:
- Weekly Education Series - www.dukeDEES.com
- Connect with Duke Entrepreneurs - www.dukegen.com
- Find a startup - www.startupmatchmaker.blogspot.com
- Duke Start-Up Challenge - www.dukestartupchallenge.org
- Entrepreneurship Week 2008 - www.eweekatduke.com
- Find an expert http://www.fuqua.duke.edu/centers/cei/entrepreneuraffiliates/
- Twitter - http://twitter.com/howierhee
- Blog - www.howierhee.blogspot.com
- Photos - http://www.flickr.com/photos/eshipatduke
- LinkedIn - http://www.linkedin.com/in/howierhee
- Learn VC - www.learnvc.com (advertisement)

Application for Summer@Highland closes on April 9th

This is a repost - the deadline is soon.

-Howie

Summer@Highland 2009

Are you a student entrepreneur with a business startup that you’d like to grow to the next level this summer? If so, the Summer@Highland 2009 program may be just what you need.

In its third year, Summer@Highland is designed to provide selected student entrepreneurs with the environment and resources for advancing their startup initiative/company to the next level. Participating entrepreneurs/teams will receive a financial stipend and complimentary work space in either our Lexington, Massachusetts or Menlo Park, California office. The teams will have access to Highland investment professionals along with further resources for injecting real-world advice, insight and perspectives into the entrepreneurial and company-building process. Full details on this year’s program and an application form can be at www.hcp.com/summer.

Participating teams in the Summer@Highland 2009 program are under no obligation to Highland after the summer. That being said, advanced initiatives/companies may qualify for seed financing and/or additional involvement by the Highland team to help accelerate company growth. Further terms and conditions may apply for those that qualify for these options (evaluated on a case-by-case basis) and are interested in taking advantage of them.

What we’re looking for in 2009

We are especially interested in having you spend the summer with us if:
- You have a leadership team with vision, passion, and drive
- Your initiative is built around a breakthrough idea that is scalable and monetizable
- You’re pursuing a large addressable market opportunity with a product/service that has the potential to be highly-disruptive in its area
- Your business initiative is already showing momentum and (ideally) some demonstrable market traction (i.e., you’re well beyond concept)
- You’re operating in a sector that we focus on – information and communication technology, digital media, life sciences, advanced materials & semiconductors, cleantech
- You can direct us to some advisors who see your business’s potential as you do

Particulars of Summer@Highland 2009

- The program is open to current undergraduate or graduate students, post graduate docs, as well as recent grads (no earlier than December 2008). At least one participating member of the team must meet this criterion.
- Teams can comprise 1 to 4 persons.
- A single person team will receive a $7,500 stipend for the summer, if selected.
- A multi-person team will receive a $15,000 stipend, if selected.
- Participating teams are required to work full time for a minimum 10 weeks on their initiative. Start and end dates are flexible and are to span the period of mid-May through September 2009.
- Participating teams will need to reside in one of Highland’s offices (Lexington, MA or Menlo Park, CA) while participating in the program.
- Each participating team will have a Highland sponsor who will be the team’s gateway to advice and counsel from Highland’s investors and industry network.
- Participating teams in the core Summer@Highland 2009 program are under no obligation to Highland after the summer. Further terms and conditions may apply for initiatives that qualify for and are interested in pursuing seed financing and/or additional involvement by the Highland team.

How to apply

- Please complete the brief online application (available at www.hcp.com/summer).
- Attach to your application (1) resumes/bios for each team member, and (2) up to two referrals/letters of recommendation (recommended). The latter may be from faculty & administration, board or advisory group members, or others affiliated with close knowledge of your initiative and/or team members.
- You may also consider optionally attaching (1) executive summary of your initiative/company, and/or (2) a link to a 1-2 minute overview / elevator pitch video via YouTube, Vimeo, etc.
- The application deadline for consideration in the 2009 program is Thursday, April 9, 2009.
- Selected projects will be notified via email no later than May 1, 2009.

Life Science Technology Venture Forum - Rice Alliance - call for Presenters

Life Science Technology Venture Forum - Call for Presenters
Hosted by: Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship
Application Deadline: April 17, 2009, 5:00 p.m.CDT
Event Date: June 11, 2009, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Rice University, McNair Hall, Jones Graduate School of Management

The Rice Alliance is currently seeking applications from life science technology companies to present at this exciting, one-day event. Over 400 venture capital, angel investors, other investors, entrepreneurs, and others will attend this event: the largest life science venture capital forum in the Southwest.

This event represents an opportunity to meet investors to seek funding, learn about promising life sciences companies seeking to expand their management team, as well networking and learning opportunities for entrepreneurs, researchers, investment professional and business executives serving the life science industry.



What are the benefits of presenting?

To gain access to potential funding
To gain visibility and traction within the life science community
To attract potential customers
To cultivate alliances or partnerships
To increase networking and other kinds of business support


Who should apply to present?
Life Science companies involved in, but not limited to:

Drug discovery and discovery tools
Medical devices and instrumentation
Diagnostic tools
Biopharmaceuticals and bioengineering applications
Therapeutics
Software and web-based applications for the life science industry


What are the presentation categories?

Business Plan:
10-minute business plan presentation with feedback from an investor panel


Elevator Pitch:
90-second elevator pitch presentation



Company Showcase:
Trade-show style event during closing reception



How to apply

Submit an electronic version of your two-page, non-confidential executive summary to tvforum@rice.edu by April 17, 2009. Suggested guidelines for preparing an executive summary may be found at www.alliance.rice.edu



Is there a fee to apply?

There is no fee to apply. Companies selected to present will pay a $75 admission fee. This fee includes admission to the event for ONE company presenter, meals, networking breaks, closing reception and participation in the Company Showcase.

More Info: www.alliance.rice.edu or alliance@rice.edu or 713-348-3443.

List of "incubator type programs" for students

Chatted with Ken Zolot yesterday from Kauffman.  He's working on an interesting project - Kauffman Labs.

http://www.xconomy.com/boston/2009/03/24/a-new-world-order-for-high-growth-firms/

And he forwarded me a set of interesting links.

http://www.bizdom.com/

http://ycombinator.com/

http://www.techstars.org/

http://www.foundrygroup.com/

http://www.puretechventures.com/

http://www.dreamitventures.com/

http://tiger.gatech.edu/

I also have found

--Shotput Ventures - http://www.shotputventures.com - Duke alum David Cummings - previously posted

--Summer at Highland -http://www.hcp.com/summer/

And just received an email for this - http://www.capitalfactory.com/

-Howie

ReverbNation - undergraduate internships

Non-MBA Interns (most likely undergraduates)

ReverbNation is looking for interns for the summer.  ReverbNation (www.reverbnation.com) is a web 2.0 company that offers online services to musicians to help them promote and distribute their music. Our interns would be involved in a wide variety of projects. 

You need this stuff:

- Web savviness - know what facebook is? MySpace? ever heard of HTML?

- be willing to do some really exciting projects and some really boring ones

- take on projects and see them to completion in short periods of time.

- get your hands dirty, the CEO regularly does the vacuuming, so be ready for anything 

Bonus points for:

- Web 2.0 interest/experience

- Music interest/experience

- Previous work with audio/visual software 

2 positions available.

-----

Email Ferol at fvernon@reverbnation.com

ReverbNation - internships available

MBA Intern

Want the ultra-fast-paced startup experience? Just itching to put your MBA skills to work in an entrepreneurial environment? ReverbNation is looking for an intern for this summer.  

ReverbNation (www.reverbnation.com) is a web 2.0 company that offers online services to musicians to help them promote and distribute their music. 

You need this stuff:

- be willing to handle priorities that change daily

- enjoy working with a small team

- take on projects and see them to completion in short periods of time.

- get your hands dirty, the CEO regularly does the vacuuming, so be ready for anything

- competitive analysis, survey analysis, basic financial modeling 

Bonus points for:

- Web 2.0 interest/experience

- Music interest/experience

- Previous work with web analytics or software development 

This is a great experience for anyone who wants to learn the day to day issues for web startups, and get involved with an entrepreneurial company right away.   

1 position available

Email Ferol Vernon '09 at fvernon@reverbnation.com

Comcast Interactive Capital

http://www.pehub.com/classifieds.php?id=848

Comcast Interactive Capital (CIC) is a venture capital fund focused on broadband, interactive and enterprise businesses and is currently searching for a Summer Associate to join a small team of investment professionals. With over $500 million under management, CIC represents a new breed of strategic investor as a true partner in innovation and technology development. CIC is affiliated with Comcast Corporation, a diversified global leader in cable, broadband services, communications, media, and entertainment. CIC\'s primary goal is to generate superior financial returns from venture capital investments in early and growth-stage technology, consumer and services businesses. To achieve this goal, CIC works to enable the success of its portfolio companies by applying the unique resources, contacts, experience, and insight of both CIC and the Comcast family of companies. For more information, see http://www.civentures.com. Responsibilities for this Summer Associate position include analyzing and reviewing investment proposals, gathering industry research on areas of interest to the fund, providing assistance on portfolio companies, and conducting due diligence on potential investments, among other tasks. Requirements: -Work experience in position(s) requiring critical analysis of business models, financial projections, and management teams -Familiarity with or interest in the media, cable and telecommunications industries -Strong quantitative skills and proficiency with Excel -Demonstrated aptitude in understanding technology and technology-related industries -Candidate for 2010 MBA degree NO PHONE CALLS WILL BE ACCEPTED REGARDING THIS POSITION. A RESUME AND OTHER RELEVANT MATERIALS SHOULD BE SENT TO recruiting@civentures.com.

Chubby Brain giving away $1000 slot at NYC BootStrapper Summit

Our company is giving away a free startup presentation slot at the upcoming NYC BootStrapper Summit <http://bootstrappersummit.com/> to be held on April 1st, 2009 (note: presentation slots are normally $1000 for this event). The event features investors representing over $5B in investment capital.  Last year's Summit featured investors from Grand Banks Capital, RRE Ventures, First Mark Capital, DFJ Gotham, Greenhill SAVP, Intel Capital, Metamorphic VC, Shellback Partners, Alliance Bernstein, Avenue A Ventures, The Connectors Fund, NY Angels, Golden Seeds, and Tristate Ventures.

Contest details are located here: http://www.chubbybrain.com/blog/2009/03/contest-free-1000-startup-pitch-slot-at-nycs-bootstrapper-summit/.  Also please note that the contest deadline is this upcoming Monday, March 23rd.

Feel free to distribute this to any students at Duke's Center for Entrepreneurship who might find this opportunity a valuable one, and for that matter also pass it along to your greater network at Fuqua and beyond.

Thanks again and look forward to continued collaboration in the future.

Regards,
Jonathan Sherry
www.chubbybrain.com <http://www.chubbybrain.com/>

Ideablob

Check this out. http://ideablob.com/ 

Would be interested if anybody has had a good experience with it.

http://ideablob.com/ideas/4754-Servant-Leadership-Corps-High-

Also, you can vote for Duke startup "Servant Leadership Corps"through the link above.

-Howie

About ideablob.com

ideablob.com is where entrepreneurs and small business owners can share and grow their business ideas – and have a chance to win $10,000 towards fulfilling them.

Great ideas are generated every day by people all across the country, and now these ideas have a place to live and grow. Eligible individuals can submit their business ideas to ideablob.com, and based on votes from the ideablob.com online community – which includes other innovators as well as friends, family, colleagues, associates, teachers and mentors –one idea every month will win $10,000.

As individuals take part in ideablob.com's growth, their business has the potential to grow right along with it.

Why ideablob.com? Advanta began in 1951 with an idea, less than $100 in seed money, and big dreams. Today, as a respected company with close to 1,000 employees and well over one million small business customers nationwide, we empathize with entrepreneurs and small businesses and support their growth.

MBA Furniture - needs an intern

From a young alum

-Howie

MBA Furniture...

Started last year by Christiaan Heijmen, Fuqua class of 2008, MBA furniture is looking for a summer intern(s) to work this summer in Durham, NC to keep MBA furniture going!

MBAfurniture's goal is to match exiting MBA students "stuff" with incoming students "needs" and then give the rest to charity, once sustainability has been reached.

Last year, in it's first year of operation, MBA furniture worked with 200+ MBA's, professors, the Daytime Dean and other close Fuqua affiliates. In addition to breaking even from a profit and loss standpoint, on Sept 1st MBA furniture donated $15,000 of "left over" stuff to TROSA for the homes they provide their substance abuse recoveries.

The unpaid intern (or interns) hired will only need to work about 20-25 hours a week for the duration of the summer, oft times less. They will be given complete operational, marketing, and logistics control over the project. In essence they will run it!

I need an entrepreneurial, conquer-all personality who is a great social connecter and can be the conduit for the unwanted "stuff" and the people that need it most. Bottom line is that you need to know a lot of people at Fuqua for this to work.

All expenses for the project will be supplied by me as well as help with coordination efforts vis-a-vis the storage units and TROSA.

Please send along your resume if interested in talking.

Christiaan Heijmen
cheijmen@heidrick.com

Now accepting applications - Class of 1990 Scholarship

I received the following reminder about the Class of 1990 Scholarship.

-Howie

Dear First Year Students,

The Financial Aid Office and the Center for the Advancement of Social
Entrepreneurship (CASE) are now accepting applications for two programs
that supplement the summer income of students working for nonprofits,
public agencies, or small to medium size companies--the *Class of 1990
Scholarship*
<http://www.caseatduke.org/mba/financialaid/index.html#1990> and the
*CASE Summer Internship Program*
<http://www.caseatduke.org/mba/financialaid/index.html#intern>.

These programs enable students to learn about the rewards and challenges
of working in these sectors without making a significant financial
sacrifice.  In addition, they enable organizations that otherwise could
not afford to hire MBA student interns to benefit from students’
expertise in areas such as finance, strategy, business planning,
marketing, and operations.

While the programs operate differently, there is one application form
for students.  When making funding decisions, the award committees
coordinate in an effort to maximize the impact of limited resources.
Please see the memorandum describing these two award programs and the
unified application form, *attached.*

All application materials (application form, essay, resume, and offer
letter) should be completed and submitted as soon as you have accepted
an internship offer, or by April 6, 2009, which is the final date to
apply for the Class of 1990 Scholarship and CASE Summer Internship
Program.  If you have not received an internship offer by April 6th, you
should submit your application describing any relevant internships being
pursued.  CASE will continue to review applications until all funds are
expended.

*If you have questions or need additional information, please contact us
as follows:*

/_Medium and Small Company Internships:_/
Misty Brindle
Assistant Director of Financial Aid
misty.brindle@duke.edu janice.coleman@duke.edu>

/_Nonprofit and Government Internships:_/
Ruth Tolman
CASE Assistant Director
ruth.tolman@duke.edu eiserloh@duke.edu>
/**If you are relatively sure you will be requesting CASE summer
internship funds but are not yet ready to apply, please fill out this
short survey
<http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=CJXtdKOacYqYtavxjwnW3A_3d_3d> as
soon as possible to help us forecasting funding needs./

Check out ChubbyBrain.com

ChubbyBrain recently contacted Duke.  From the front of the website, looks like there might be some value for Duke entrepreneurs.

-Howie

As you read this, scientists in Tel Aviv are developing clean water technologies that will help people from Tunisia to Thailand. And programmers in Mumbai are working with venture capitalists in Menlo Park on a mobile application that will connect people from Buenos Aires to Brisbane. 

Right now, an entrepreneur in South Africa is using mobile phones and the web to fight injustice in Zaire and Zimbabwe. And researchers at a Sydney biotech firm are developing cancer therapeutics that will help patients from Boston to Berlin lead better lives.

We often hear and know in our gut that our future depends on the energy of entrepreneurs and the investors that back them coming up with brilliant ideas that solve our problems - both big and small. Yet amazingly, information and insights about these innovative startups remains notoriously difficult to find or is only accessible to a limited few who can afford subscriptions that can cost tens of thousands of dollars.

ChubbyBrain was conceived by a small group of individuals to change this. 

With the appropriate and thoughtful application of technology, we have set out to make information and insights on these innovative startups (everything from clean tech to nanotech to healthcare to web2.0 to mobile to social entrepreneurship) more accessible to investors, startups, corporations, and aspiring entrepreneurs alike. 

As we believe that innovation often happens at the boundary of different disciplines, our long-term hope is that as the platform grows with your help and contributions, we will enable experts, entrepreneurs and investors from different fields and geographies to come together to channel their energies into solving more of these big and small problems.

In the short-term, our primary hope is you’ll explore the ChubbyBrain platform and that it will become a go to resource for the information and insights you seek. We also hope you’ll share it with others in your network as the value of the insights and information on ChubbyBrain goes up as the diversity of opinions and perspectives on the platform increases. Of course, we look forward to and welcome your contributions – whether it is writing reviews, commenting on others reviews and/or adding/editing startups to the database. 

And of course, we look forward to improving ChubbyBrain for you over time based on your needs and suggestions. We always welcome your ideas and suggestions and will do our best to get back to you at the earliest.

Warm regards,
The ChubbyBrain Team

EntrepreneurTrek re-post

Received the following email. Check it out.

-Howie

Howie, Hope you are well.  We have great updates.  Please share them with the Fuqua community.  Thanks, Tan

Why you want to attend the EntrepreneurTrek 2009 conference?

1. Checkout the new addition to our already outstanding cast of speakers, moderators, and companies
• Bill Reichert, Managing Director, Garage Technology Ventures
• Dave McClure, Startup Advisor, Angel Investor, Master of 500 Hats
• Christine Comaford, Business Accelerator, Mighty Ventures
2. Don't miss the 3-hour "Polish Your Pitch with the Pros" workshop, with focused breakout sessions led by the founders and CEOs of start-ups with new funding.  Learn how they did it!  And recently-funded start-ups offer the best internship and job opportunities!
• BillShrink - Peter Pham, CEO (raised $8M in 10/2008)
• Ocarina Networks - Murli Thirumale, CEO (raised $20M in 2/2009)
• Snaptalent - Sumon Sadhu, CEO & Co-Founder (funded by legendary incubator, Y Combinator)
• Zimride - John Zimmer, Founder & COO (funded by the Facebook fund)
• Plus 5 more pending start-ups that just got funded (TBD)
3. Mike Cassidy is an incredible serial entrepreneur that occasionally lectures at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.  He is working on his 4th start-up!
   
4. Hurry... you can still submit your business plan here!
5. The first 150 registered attendees will get a copy of Christine Comaford's book, Rules for Renegades!

Spaces are limited.  For the best discounts, please use the discount code, Fuqua_leadership, when registering!  Discounts and pricing are subject to change.

See you at EntrepreneurTrek 2009!

Tan Nguyen, Chair 
650.248.8104 
EntrepreneurTrek Foundation || www.entrepreneurtrek.org || March 21-22, 2009

YouthActionNet Global Fellowship Program

IYF Seeks Dynamic Young People Leading Social Change

There’s a lot of talk about the problems facing our world today, but it takes a special person to find a solution and put it into action – a social entrepreneur. The International Youth Foundation (IYF) is in search of 20 young social entrepreneurs from around the world for its YouthActionNet® Global Fellowship Program.

 

Sponsored by Nokia, the YouthActionNet® Global Fellowship Program recognizes young social innovators for their outstanding achievements. Past winners have undertaken a range of special projects, including: providing low-cost, solar lighting to rural families in Nicaragua; using mobile phone technology to combat pharmaceutical fraud in Africa; and employing low-income women in the Philippines to transform discarded fabric into fashionable accessories. Profiles of the 2008 Global Fellows can be viewed at: www.youthactionnet.org

 

The Global Fellowship is open to qualified candidates between 18 and 29 years old. Applicants must be proficient in English and have founded existing projects or organizations with a clear vision for social change. This can include leading a new project within an existing organization. Winners will be announced on August 1, 2009.

 

The yearlong Fellowship includes:

• An all-expense-paid trip in November 2009 to attend the YouthActionNet® Global Fellowship Retreat that enables the 20 youth leaders to share best practices and learn from each other;
• Recognition for their efforts at the Annual YouthActionNet® Global Awards Ceremony;
• Networking with leading international nongovernmental organizations, development agencies, and donor institutions; and
• Virtual learning sessions, as well as access to global advocacy platforms, media coverage, and funding opportunities.

The deadline for applications is April 15, 2009. Application information is available at:www.youthactionnet.org.

 

Thank you for your help in spreading the word!

Clemson-affiliated NEXTStart program

We are excited to announce NEXTStart  , a summer entrepreneurial immersion program to help young entrepreneurs launch new companies!  

NEXTStart will provide initial funding for early-stage entrepreneurs: up to $5,000 per team member and $10,000 per company.  A team of successful area entrepreneurs, professional service providers, and investors are collaborating to provide mentoring and direct assistance to the NEXTStart entrepreneurs.    Selection into the program will be based on originality and business potential of the idea.  A team of program investors will make the selection.  The chosen companies will be housed in the NEXT Innovation Center in downtown Greenville with other NEXT companies.    

Please encourage any entrepreneurs or would-be entrepreneurs that you know to check out the program and apply for admission: http://www.nextstart.org/    The deadline is March 30, 2009.

NEXTStart is a collaborative effort sponsored by Clemson University’s Renaissance Center and the Spiro Institute, the Greenville Chamber of Commerce, SC Launch! and the NEXT organization of regional technology entrepreneurs in Greenville, SC.  These organizations will participate with programs, mentoring and other entrepreneurial development activities during the 8-week summer program.  

Please don’t hesitate to contact me for additional information.  Thank you for spreading the word! 
 
Kim Dawson

CED’s Biotech Forum on March 16th

CED'S BIOTECH FORUM: TRANSLATING CLINICAL NEEDS INTO COMMERCIAL OPPORTUNITIES

03/16/2009 05:30:00 PM - 03/16/2009 08:00:00 PM

Date: March 16, 2009
Time: 5:30-8:00 p.m.
Pre-registration: $25 CED members, non-members $40
On-site: $25 CED members, $45 non-members
Location: North Carolina Biotechnology Center RTP, NC - Directions 
Register Online Today via myCED.

The use of translational clinical research to identify unmet medical needs leads to commercialization of new therapeutics, diagnostics, and medical devices.

By creating opportunities for clinicians and entrepreneurs to collaborate together early in the development process, we can create biomedical solutions that generate new companies which have a higher likelihood of commercial success.

This panel will focus on how entrepreneurs can work more closely with clinicians to identify and develop new therapies that address unmet patient needs.

Featured Speakers:

Dr. Charles E. Hamner, DVM, PhD (Moderator)
Charles E. Hamner, D.V.M., Ph.D. is chair of the board of directors at The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences, located in Research Triangle Park, NC. Dr. Hamner is widely recognized by NC leaders, such as Governors Jim Hunt and Beverly Perdue, as being one of the founders of the biotechnology industry in the state. Additionally, he played a major role in establishing what is now the internationally acclaimed Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) as well as global initiatives such as Ireland’s first bio/pharma strategic plan. Involved with product development for over 50 years, Dr. Hamner has authored more than 50 scientific publications, co-authored chapters in 12 books on reproductive physiology and biochemistry, and edited two editions of Drug Development. The NC General Assembly created the NC Biotechnology Center in 1981 as the first state-sponsored biotechnology initiative. In 1987, Dr. Hammer met with the center’s board of directors to propose his comprehensive business model, which featured cornerstones of support from academe, industry, and North Carolina’s state government. The Center agreed and gave him the opportunity to lead the organization. Prior to building the NC Biotechnology Center, Dr. Hamner spent 10 years as Associate Vice President for Health Affairs at the University of Virginia Medical Center, where he helped transform the organization into a thriving medical research institution. Prior to that position, he consulted and worked for many years at a pharmaceutical company and also as a researcher at the University of Virginia, where he helped develop the technique of in vitro fertilization in cats. With a bachelor’s degree in animal husbandry from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and three degrees from the University of Georgia — a master’s degree in chemistry, a doctor of veterinary medicine degree, and a doctoral degree in biochemistry — Dr. Hamner was well prepared to develop collaborative initiatives for the state of NC. As president of the NC Biotechnology Center, Dr. Hamner convinced state leaders to help in recruiting more than 40 of the world’s best scientists to NC research universities. (Dr. Oliver Smithies, recent Nobel laureate, was in the first group of scientists to be hired.) The Center granted the research universities $70 million to pay for professors, and the professors in turn applied to research organizations such as the National Institutes of Health for grants, winning $850 million in funding. Under Dr. Hamner’s leadership, the Center provided biotechnology workshops for 1,000 high school teachers, with the result that 100,000 students learned about life sciences careers in the biotech industry. To move research results from the laboratory to the market, Dr. Hamner developed a convertible loan fund that helped 52 startup companies obtain $450 million in venture capital. Among the 14 top bio/pharma companies he helped recruit to the area are Bayer, BASF, Biogen, and Wyeth. These companies built $900 million worth of facilities and immediately created 6,000 NC jobs. Dr. Hamner remains active in the field of biotechnology and continues to work behind the scenes to support major NC initiatives. In honor of Dr. Hamner, The Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology has been transformed into The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences. This new translational research and business development campus, accessibly located in the heart of RTP, is carrying on Dr. Hamner’s legacy of building collaborative partnerships to advance biotechnology. One of The Hamner’s primary missions is to become a catalyst with universities in NC to facilitate the development of new, safer medicines. The Hamner-UNC Center for Drug Safety Sciences is one of the most recent examples of how this new model is being applied to meet the needs of NC drug development.

H. Kim Lyerly, MD George Barth Geller Professor of Cancer Research Director, Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center
Dr. Lyerly is the George Barth Geller Professor of Cancer Research and the director of the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Lyerly is currently the principal investigator of the Cancer Center Core Grant, the Duke Specialized Program in Research Excellence (SPORE) grant in breast cancer, and a program project grant directed toward developing antigen specific immunity in patients with cancer. He is an internationally recognized expert in cancer therapy and cancer immunotherapy and has published over 150 scientific articles and has edited 10 textbooks on surgery, cancer immunotherapy, and novel cancer therapies. He serves on the editorial board of 12 scientific journals. In 2008, Dr. Lyerly was appointed to the National Cancer Advisory Board by President George Bush. He was also named by his peers as one of North Carolina’s most outstanding clinical physicians and was invited by North Carolina Governor Michael Easley to serve on the Advisory Commission of the NC State Museum of Natural Sciences. Dr. Lyerly has been a faculty member of the AACR/ASCO Methods in Clinical Cancer Research, and has served as a faculty member of the Flims and ACORD Workshops. He is currently a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the Burroughs Wellcome Foundation. He has previously served as chairperson of the executive committee of the integration panel of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs in Breast Cancer. He also serves on American Society of Clinical Oncology’s (ASCO) Grants Selection Committee, of which he served as chair in 2006. Dr. Lyerly is a member of the American College of Surgeons, of which he is a fellow.

Cam Patterson, M.D., M.B.A., F.A.C.C., F.A.H.A. Ernest and Hazel Craige Distinguished Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine Chief, Division of Cardiology Director, Carolina Cardiovascular Biology Center Associate Chair for Research, Department of Medicine
In 2000 Dr. Cam Patterson was recruited to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to become the founding director of the Carolina Cardiovascular Biology Center. In 2005, he also became the chief of the Division of Cardiology at UNC. Dr. Patterson is the Ernest and Hazel Craige Distinguished Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, and he has been recognized at UNC with the Ruth and Phillip Hettleman Prize for Artistic and Scholarly Achievement. He is an Established Investigator of the American Heart Association and a Burroughs Wellcome Fund Clinical Scientist in Translational Research. He is a member of several editorial boards, including Circulation and Circulation Research, and is an elected member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation and the Association of University Cardiologists. Dr. Patterson maintains active research programs in the areas of angiogenesis and vascular development, cardiac hypertrophy, protein quality control, and translational genomics and metabolomics. He is also the director of the Cardiac Genetics Clinic.

About CED's Biotech Forums: CED's Biotech Forum, in partnership with the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, explores industry topics and trends, features expert speakers and provides high quality networking. Join biotech entrepreneurs, industry executives, research leaders, services providers and investors quarterly at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center in Research Triangle Park, NC. For more information, contact Elizabeth Call at ecall@cednc.org / 919.549.7500 ext.130 or visit http://www.cednc.org/btforum

DFJ 250,000 East Coast Venture Challenge

I received this email for a $250,000 business plan competition at Columbia

-Howie

Dear Howie Rhee,

 

            We would like to extend an invitation to Duke and Fuqua to participate in the 3^rd Annual DFJ $250,000 East Coast Venture Challenge (ECVC). The competition, hosted by Columbia Business School, offers aspiring student entrepreneurs the chance to pitch their ideas to a panel of venture capital judges from Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ) in Menlo Park and DFJ Gotham in New York City.  The goal of the competition is to promote student involvement in entrepreneurial endeavors and provide the opportunity for student entrepreneurs to receive seed funding and professional feedback.  This year’s competition will include more than 70 East Coast schools and we hope that Duke and Fuqua will take part.

 

            Each participating university will be invited to submit one business plan team to compete against top teams from other leading East Coast universities.  All participants must submit their business plan and presentation deck to http://www.studentbusinesses.com by the deadline in April, which will be announced shortly.  Five finalists will be chosen by the general public through an online voting process and five will be chosen by VC investors from DFJ and DFJ Gotham on an April date to be announced shortly.   The ten finalists will be invited to Columbia Business School on May 8, 2009 to pitch to a panel of venture capital investors.  One winner will receive a $250,000 seed investment.

 

            We have attached a document outlining the specific guidelines and requirements. Greater detailed information can also be accessed at http://ecvc.studentbusinesses.com, which will be live March 23, 2009.  We look forward to your university’s potential participation in the 3^rd Annual ECVC.  The DFJ Network and Columbia Business School would like to thank Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati for helping sponsor the event.  Please confirm the receipt of this email and your intention to participate in the competition. 

 

If you have any questions please feel free to contact Jeff Hui at jhui10@gsb.columbia.edu. 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Jeff Hui

Member of ECVC Planning Committee
MBA Class of 2010
(646)489-9193

jhui10@gsb.columbia.edu 

Job Search sites

Sites to check out for startup job postings:

www.startuply.com

www.ventureloop.com

www.doostang.com

www.goBigNetwork.com

www.linkedin.com

www.pehub.com 

Also, see below for a re-post from Mashable

-Howie

AsiaWired.com - Looking for startups in Asia?  This may be the solution for you.

CoNotes.com - Focusing on nothing but jobs at startups, CoNotes has been around since 2007.

Dice.com - Browse jobs by city or pull up the category that applies to your skill set.

ejob.com - ejob focuses on staffing needs in and around Silicon Valley.

GoBigNetwork.com - A one-stop-shop for startups to form business plans, find funding and locate employees that can fulfill their needs.

HotStartupJobs.com - Aggregates startup listings from a multitude of sites.  You can read a lengthier write up of HotStartupJobs by our own Paul Glazowski here on Mashable.

Jobs.Mashable.com - Our very own marketplace features categories for listing jobs and looking for them also.

NeoHire.com - Lets you look up jobs by category, add them to your basket as you find ones that interest you and then apply to all of the ones you’ve saved.

nPost.com - Besides offering numerous job listings at startups, they have 225+ interviews with people from some of the companies explaining what they are about and what they are looking for in an employee.

StartupAgents.com - Both startups and potential employees can set up profiles to try to find the perfect match for each other.  The service is completely free to potential employees, but will cost employers to contact potential hires.

StartupJobs.biz - A small jobs board with unique listings that you can search by type of job or occupation.

Startuply.com - Covers various industries related to Web 2.0 and startups, lets you also browse by job type.

StartupZone.com - Allows you to search jobs by occupation, location or even what stage of funding they are in.

VentureLoop.com - Provides internship listings for students at certain schools and has job listings you can search by country or occupation.

Startups selected for CED's Venture 2009 conference

Life science, technology, and clean technology companies selected to present.

More than 30 of the Southeast's most promising early and late stage companies have been selected to present at CED's Venture 2009 conference. These companies will showcase their products and technologies to venture capitalists and financiers from across the nation.  

2009 Presenting Companies Include: 

• 20/80 Media dba PlayONSports - Atlanta, GA
• Aldagen, Inc. - Durham, NC
• ARBOVAX, Inc. - Raleigh, NC
• Athenix Corp. - Research Triangle Park, NC
• Biolex Therapeutics, Inc. - Pittsboro, NC
• BlueStripe Software, Inc. - Morrisville, NC
• Catena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. - Durham, NC
• Cempra Pharmaceuticals, Inc. - Chapel Hill, NC
• Contego Medical, LLC - Raleigh , NC
• Clinipace, Inc. - Morrisville, NC
• Global Value Commerce, Inc. - Raleigh, NC
• InfoStrength, Inc. - Durham, NC
• Liquidia Technologies, Inc. - Research Triangle Park, NC
• MegaWatt Solar, Inc. - Hillsborough, NC
• Millos - Research Triangle Park, NC
• nContact Surgical, Inc. - Morrisville, NC
• NeurOp Corporation - Atlanta, GA
• Oncoscope, Inc. - Durham, NC
• ParagonDX, LLC - Morrisville, NC
• Pathfinder Therapeutics, Inc. - Nashville, TN
• Peak 10, Inc. - Raleigh, NC
• Petrobeam, Inc. - Raleigh, NC
• PhaseBio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. - Morrisville, NC
• PocketGear, Inc. - Durham, NC
• PowerPad - Gainesville, FL
• RadarFind Corporation - Morrisville, NC
• Republic of Fun, Inc. - Durham, NC
• rPath, Inc. - Raleigh, NC
• Ryla, Inc. - Kennesaw, GA
• siXis, Inc. - Research Triangle Park, NC
• Tranzyme Pharma, Inc. - Durham, NC
• Viamet Pharmaceuticals, Inc. - Morrisville, NC

For more details about presenting companies, visit: www.cednc.org/venture. 

Space is limited! Book your room now to reserve your room at the beautiful Pinehurst Resort. CED has secured a limited number of rooms at a discounted rate. Call 1-800-487-4653 and reference CED's Venture conference before March 23rd. In addition to highlighting investment opportunities, CED's Venture conference will feature remarks from John Stumpf, president and CEO of Wells Fargo & Company, John Denniston, partner with the prominent VC firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB), Janet Cowell, North Carolina's State Treasurer and Erskine Bowles University of North Carolina.

Outer Banks Ocean Energy looking for students

http://www.oboec.com/ 

Outer Banks Ocean Energy (OBOE) is a recently formed alternative energy developer based in NC.

The goal of OBOE, in one line, is to build a wind farm off the coast of NC, generate a boat load of electricity, plug/sell the power into the electric grid, and do so very profitably. 

OBOE is a legally formed entity with seed capital from a few wealthy investors and has a strong relationship with a large reputable law firm, but now the firm wants to be ready to get in front of professional investors or strategic partners to raise $1-1.5mm.. This will be used to establish an office in Chapel Hill, hire a project manager, engineer(s), and start the permitting and wind study process. This money should last about 1 year.

What: OBOE is looking for 1 or 2 students to commit to a few (I am thinking 4 to 8) hours a week to help beef up the existing business plan (document and presentation), create some medium-level detail valuation & financials, and due diligence (ie web surfing for angels, VCs and other potential investors, revenue estimates, cost estimates, job creation stats and 'other'). All of this can be done remotely (and will be since there is no Chapel Hill office yet) but with rich and frequent interaction with the founder.

This would be an unpaid effort but provide real-world entrepreneurial experience and a solid few lines on the resume. OBOE is doing real entrepreneurial financial boot strapping in the recession. Whatever it takes to get the dream going...a firm with very little cash really needs to make it last a while. This is why I am coming back to my old stomping grounds for grassroots talent. 

Why (should you?): the experience, your resume, social & environmental good, for fun. You participate now and later, down the road, you will find out that OBOE crashed and burned big-time or in 7 years you'll read in the WSJ that it was sold for an obscene amount. Either way you can say you participated and wear that with a badge of honor.

Where: flexible

When: now through the end of the school year or through the summer.

Who: 

-Don Evans, CEO. Don is a serial entrepreneur and speculator. In the past he has dug for natural gas reserves, profitably sold an LED company that supplied its products to the government so it could efficiently light up the desert, and has a whole bunch of years of experience to impart.

-Dr. John Bane, principal scientist, and physics/marine science professor at UNC.

-A whole bunch of academics in Dr. Bane's field across universities in the southeastern US.

-Me, I spent few years, before and after Fuqua, in investment banking in NYC and recently started a position in Venture Lending and Capital Markets at Square 1 Bank, Durham. My full-time job is:

https://www.square1financial.com/content1397

https://www.square1financial..com/bank/index.php

Additional Info:

This is a huge endeavor that will take many years to realize and massive capital investment, to the tune of 10 digits over time. Fortunately off-shore wind energy is an existing technology. It is in place and running in a few spots in Europe 

http://www.hornsrev.dk/Engelsk/nyheder/nyh_dec_02/uk-dec_02.htm

And in the US there are comparable efforts, Cape Wind, in Nantucket, that is a few steps away from trying to arrange $1billion in financing; and Principle Power in Oregon. So far the Cape Wind effort has cost +$30mm (much of it in litigation, because the project started too soon before the alternative energy movement and because wealthy Nantucket residents don't want a wind park in their backyard). The +$30mm has been entirely personally funded by the projects founder!

http://capewind.org/article27.htm

http://www.capecodtoday.com/blogs/index.php/2007/07/11/cep_wind_s_jim_gordon_in_fast_company?blog=109

http://principlepowerinc.com/

In the US efforts like these are created by 'independents', think T. Boone Pickens in Texas, while in Europe they subsidized by the government and developed by utilities. Why? Because in Europe fossil fuel electricity costs north of $0.23 per kw and in the US its about $0.10 per kw. So the US monopoly utilities have little incentive; they can keep burning cheap fossil fuel until independents create projects like this and can offer cheaper alternatives to bring down average costs and to meet alternative quotas. The economics are there, it just takes a huge capital investment to reach stabilized operations.

Finally, I spoke to Prof. Jim Sheldon and this opportunity could be rolled into a full-time summer, for-class-credit, internship for those going that route.

Please let me know if you or any targeted classmates may be interested. I am happy to hear feedback. (Please note that for the purpose of this project I am using my personal email and not my corporate one from the link above)

Thanks!

 

Ian Enverga
ian.enverga@yahoo.com

RTI International Summer '09 Internship

The Office of Commercialization at RTI International is interested in recruiting students for co-ops during the semesters and full-time intern positions for the summer. As interns at RTI, students will be introduced to the process of commercializing new technologies developed out of the research work at RTI. The qualifications needed for consideration are as follows:

1.       U.S. citizens / Permanent residents / International students are welcome.

2.       International work / study experience is highly valuable.  

3.       Experience with statistics, modeling, and presentations is highly valuable.  

4.       Students with strong analytic / reporting skills are highly preferred.

5.       Background and familiarity with (appreciation for) Intellectual Property (patents, trademarks, copyrights) is valuable.

6.       Strong leadership skills (self-starters) / social skills.

7.       Creative (out-of-the-box) thinkers.

8.       Majors include but not limited to sociology, psychology, statistics, economics, political science, chemistry, biology, computer science / engineering, and electrical engineering.

 

If interested, please submit your resume to internships@rti.org.