11/8/11
Good morning, All,
First, our thanks to those who came to our first EW+SOS+ER breakfast last week. We really enjoyed meeting you in a more intime setting for a change and we promise the next one is more geographically desirable/accessible to public transportation – Wichcraft at 555 Fifth Avenue, on December 6. RSVP here: http://roottbreakfast2.eventbrite.com/ and looking forward to seeing you there! In the meantime, our next rooftop event is coming up November 15th, and make sure to register now: http://terraceparty5-auto.eventbrite.com/ And note: in keeping with the theme of the newsletter – we’ve got some new investors for you to meet, and this time, we’ll be conveniently located in midtown!
We’re getting to that time of year again: holiday season, when people start to take off for points unknown, hit the party re: networking’circuit (as if we’re not out networking every night, anyway – or potentially can be) – and the flow of investment money into startups start to slow down. But tech never rests, and it’s not over yet. For inspiration this week: the angels are out there, and here’s how to find them, no matter where in the world you happen to be:
To find an angel anywhere in the world: http://www.angelinvestmentnetwork.net/
Closer to home: Complete list of angel investors– http://angel.co/ – PS: AngelList has opened up shop at Dogpatch Labs: http://read.bi/pRyRgU
Angel investors on twitter and FB. One of the best ways to develop a relationship with an angel investor is to follow them on Twitter, their blogs and on Facebook. Before contacting an angel, you should read everything they’ve written, tweeted, blogged or said (publicly)–that’s just startup 101. Here’s a lists of some of the world’s most notable angel investors (sorted by location), their Twitter handles, Facebook pages and links to a sampling of their investments. Focus: http://bit.ly/mGLKcD
Indian Angel Network to fund about two dozen start-ups with $150K each. Full story is here, and they’re still looking for more companies: http://bit.ly/tXSNhV
Awesome Foundation Grants Need some funding for your crazy brilliant idea? We award $1,000 grants every month. No strings attached. Your idea is yours alone. We don’t want a stake in it. We just want to help you make it happen. Apply now: http://awesomefoundation.org/submissions/new We started in Boston, but chapters are sprouting up around the world, including Providence, New York City and San Francisco. Want to help start one in your city? See how: http://awesomefoundation.org/chapters/
State governments also have programs to help fund entrepreneurs, so check there as well, and as always – there are the accelerators, including the list from our friends at chubbybrain: http://bit.ly/hTNLSN and while we’re on the subject, chubbybrain has also put together the list of Top 20 NYC Startup Lawyers – and a few of them are SOS members: http://bit.ly/lKqdIi
Deadlines:
A quick reminder that WEDNESDAY, November 9th, is the deadline to both submit your plan to apply to present at the 6th Annual New England Venture Summit being held on December 14th, 2011 at the Hilton in Boston/Dedham MA, as well as the deadline to take advantage of the “early bird” registration savings discount of 50% off. If you are a startup seeking capital and/or partnerships, submit your plan for the opportunity to present at the premier venue connecting emerging growth companies with active Venture Capitalists, Angel Investors, Corporate VCs and Investment Firms. A select group of 50 Top Innovators from the technology, life sciences and Clean-tech sectors will be chosen to present their breakthrough investment opportunities to an exclusive audience of investors.. E-mail iwant2present@youngstartup.com for more details and an application. To nominate a company please forward: company name, main contact at firm, contact details and why you think they should present to nominations@youngstartup.com. To register: http://bit.ly/nCkYN6 For a further discount, the code is: sos.
SXSW Accelerator, deadline November 18th. Do you have a tech startup that began after SXSW last year? Will your product or service be ready to show off at SXSW this year? Does your product or service totally rock? The fourth annual SXSW Accelerator will take place March 12-14 at SXSW in Austin, Texas. Show off your innovative web, social media, mobile, web entertainment, health or news technology startup in front of an audience and top judges. (One of last year’s winners was Storify, to give you a point of reference.) Think your company can compete with the best of the best? There’s a $175 fee to apply but if you don’t get in, you still get a great rate on a badge for SXSW. Head over to http://sxsw.com/interactive/startupvillage/accelerator/enter.
ER Accelerator is now accepting applications for its winter session: Deadine November 19th. You don’t have to be NYC based, but you will have to move here during the program – and it is worth your while: each company gets $25,000 in seed funding and three months of:
Free collaborative office space in the heart of New York City
Best-of-class one-on-one mentoring from 140+ of industry’s best experts (both during and after the three month session)
Access to experienced technologists, UI gurus and other product experts
Free legal and other services
Hands-on help from inSITE business interns and engineering interns
Exposure to dozens of leading seed investors and VCs during the Accelerator
At the end of the session, startups will pitch to hundreds of angel investors and venture capitalists and continue to utilize the ER Accelerator network indefinitely! So get those applications in. http://eranyc.com/apply/
Startup Colorado to launch in November. Silicon Flatirons, a program of the University of Colorado Law School, announced Thursday the creation of Startup Colorado, a program that will attempt to expand the breadth and depth of entrepreneurial networks throughout the state. Program kicks off November 9th. For more information: http://bit.ly/qTjkc4
6th Annual New England Venture Summit – Call for Top Innovators and an SOS discount! The early deadline for presenting company applications is October 26thIf you are a Startup seeking capital and/or partnerships, submit your plan for the opportunity to present at the premier venue connecting emerging growth companies with active Venture Capitalists, Angel Investors, Corporate VCs and Investment Firms. A select group of 50 Top Innovators from the technology, life sciences and Clean-tech sectors will be chosen to present their breakthrough investment opportunities to an exclusive audience of investors.. E-mail iwant2present@youngstartup.com for more details and an application. To nominate a company please forward: company name, main contact at firm, contact details and why you think they should present to nominations@youngstartup.com. The event happens December 14th; 50% off if you register by November 9th: http://bit.ly/nCkYN6For a further discount, the code is: sos.
Finishweekend, Holland, MI November 12-13. Starting isn’t difficult, but finishing certainly is and we LOVE this concept. Members in Michigan, lucky you. Organizers elsewhere, take note: http://finishweekend.com/
Women 2.0 Startup Weekend in SF, November 18th– 20th. We provide the co-working space and brain fuel, and you bring the energy and innovation to build something big over the weekend. Both men and women are invited to get your ticket for Women 2.0 Startup Weekend now! To register: http://w2.startupweekend.org/tickets/
Blueprint Health, Deadline November 13th. Blueprint Health is a startup accelerator based in New York City that helps entrepreneurs improve the health and wellness industry. We offer an intensive three-month program and provide $20,000 of seed capital, extensive mentorship and a shared work environment to help entrepreneurs go from idea to prototype and provide access to angel and venture capital investors. To apply: http://bit.ly/qzwW7K
Samsung’s $100k Challenge to Developers, deadline November 29th. Samsung is offering $225,000 in cash and prizes for the most innovative converged apps that enable an interactive home entertainment experience between Samsung TVs and other devices. The 2011 Samsung Free the TV Challenge invites software developers to create compelling converged apps that offer seamless user interaction between a Samsung Smart TV and at least one other screen, such as a phone, tablet or computer. Last year, we released the first-ever Samsung TV App SDK and launched the 2010 Free the TV Challenge to develop native apps on our line of Smart TVs and Blu-ray devices. This year we take another leap forward to free the TV with “converged apps” — multi-screen apps that offer immersive, interactive home entertainment experiences. For more information and to apply: http://www.freethetvchallenge.com/
4 Reasons Why You Should Apply To Women 2.0 PITCH, deadline November 30th. Forbes did a piece on it. Link to apply is there as well: http://onforb.es/tnj94Y
NYC Big App Awards – New York City is challenging software developers to create apps that use city data to make NYC better. $50k in cash and prizes! You have from now until January 25th to enter. For more information and to apply: http://2011.nycbigapps.com/
The Appy Awards – enter once and you could win twice. Deadline March 21, 2012 but any entry you submit today may also be selected as our “Featured App of the Week“, scoring you some seriously instant gratification. And we doesn’t love that? For more information and to enter – any time – http://appyawards.net/
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For you edification this week
Peter Thiel launches Breakout Labs to fund bold early-stage research. Breakout Labs is aimed at funding cutting-edge, early-stage science and technology research ideas. For more information: http://bit.ly/t9wGSi
4 Start-ups Help Entrepreneurs Get Cash. Lighter Capital, Rebirth Financial, Weemba, and Kabbage are four start-ups on a mission to connect you with cash. http://bit.ly/qM30nS
9 Tips for Raising Startup Funds on AngelList: http://on.mash.to/sYmxSK
Legal checklist for Startups. “I’ve been a corporate lawyer for 17+ years,” writes Scott Edward Walker, “and there are certain fundamental legal mistakes that I’ve seen startups repeatedly make.” Accordingly, he has provided this helpful checklist and we thought we’d share: http://bit.ly/rCTFRk Now that you know what you need, here’s how to create some of those documents you may need: http://www.lawdepot.com/
A lesson for you: If you believe that first mover advantage is everything, think again. Klout changed their algorithm and pissed off more than a few people, and lo and behold: 17 Alternatives to Klout. What goes up, must come down, and thank you, Tom Lehrer: http://rww.to/w3cjWO
Too Many Startups or Too Few Venture Dollars? Starting a company has never been easier. Which doesn’t mean that every idea is a good one. More sound advice from Roger Ehrenberg: http://bit.ly/ruMK7C
100 Must See Interviews with the World’s Most Successful Entrepreneurs. Don’t let the number scare you. 100 is a lot and honestly? They’re not all ‘must sees.’ Choose wisely: http://bit.ly/tJ5uoe
How Entrepreneurs Can Create Their Own Luck: http://tcrn.ch/vS7012 James Altucher, who wrote this piece, has been lucky and unlucky. He sold his first company. His second company started on a napkin and immediately raised $100MM. He had a great apartment, a family and $15MM in the bank. Then he lost it all. And he started over – successfully. Note: And he’ll be in NYC in December, if you’re in town: http://winningatyourgame.eventbrite.com/
Accelerator deadlines are coming up all the time. We’ve already told you about the 7 Common Mistakes Startups Make on Accelerator Applications (http://on.mash.to/er9xJQ). Now, the other side of the coin, 8 reasons why we think we got in: http://bit.ly/tWtz1D
Chuckle of the week and from the Ain’t It the Truth Department: how users see programmers – and vice versa: http://bit.ly/vGxYOC. And, OK, we’re not at all happy that it’s getting darker so much earlier, now that some of us had to turn our clocks back, and we thought we’d share this with you, in case you’re wondering how it all came about: Daylight Savings Time Explained: http://youtu.be/84aWtseb2-4 That’s it from us for now. Hope to see you on the 15th and until then, help is on the way…