LaunchMemphis Inaugural Boot Camp
On Saturday, June 14th, LaunchMemphis held its inaugural Boot Camp for entrepreneurs. Nearly 20 passionate entrepreneurs attended the day-long event held at EmergeMemphis. They saw presentations on various areas of starting a business such as: Business Plan Development, Marketing, Technology in Small Business, Finance/Accounting, Legal Considerations When Starting a Business, and Moving Forward. An extended lunch provided an opportunity for attendees to meet with presenters and gain valuable feedback on their business ideas. Participant response for this “fantastic opportunity” was great and ranged from calling the $25 registration fee a “steal” to unanimous agreement that they would definately recommend the LaunchMemphis Boot Camp to other entrepreneurs. Currently there are plans to hold another boot camp in 4-6 months, but no final date has been selected yet. Please stay tuned to this space or contact Chris Allen at chris@mercurylaunchpad.com for more information. LaunchMemphis would like to thank all the presenters: Andrea Valenzuela (Business Plan Development) Lori Turner (Marketing) Sridhar Sunkara (Technology in Small Business) Jason Brink (Finance/Accounting) Harry Brown (Legal) Eric Mathews (Moving Forward) as well as the attendees for making this event such a success! . Finally, to show our commitment to the entrepreneurial community here in Memphis, LaunchMemphis is providing all the presentations, free of charge, via download (5.32 mb .rar). Download LaunchMemphis Boot Camp Materials here.
Boot Camp: June 14th, Take Business Ideas into Business Plans
Boot Camp: Intensive Session to Take Business Ideas into Business Plans June 14th, 2008 Location: EmergeMemphis Time: 9am-4pm Sponsors: Mercury Technology Labs, EmergeMemphis Cost: $25 per person for food and materials To catalyze entrepreneurship, an intensive “boot camp” session will be offered for startup teams and individuals looking to gather the knowledge and skills that will help take business ideas and articulate them in business plans. This one day session covers many important start-up issues and provides prospective entrepreneurs detailed feedback on their ideas and planning. Furthermore, participating entrepreneurs benefit from networking with other like-minded individuals going through similar experiences. These sessions genuinely help entrepreneurs move forward with solid feedback and real plans for their business. To sign up and learn more contact Chris at chris@mercurylaunchpad.com.
Commercial Appeal: One idea, 54 hours: Startup Weekenders build real company
Memphis Startup Weekend was recently featured in the Commercial Appeal . . . One idea, 54 hours: Startup Weekenders build real company By Daniel Connolly Commercial Appeal Tuesday, June 3, 2008 Michael Synk was crying quietly as people left the Emerge Memphis building Sunday night. Two days earlier, he had stood in front of an audience and pitched a vague idea for company based on Ultimate Frisbee, a sport like touch football but played with a flying disk. His peers chose his idea over alternatives, and made it the focus for Startup Weekend, an exercise in which entrepreneurs try to build a real company in 54 hours. Over the next few days, some were so consumed with the project that they spent the nights in the converted warehouse near the river. He said he was overwhelmed by their cooperation. “It’s just a whole bunch of people took an idea and created something out of nothing,” said Synk, a 51-year-old business coach. “And it’s inspirational.” It’s too early to say if the fledgling company will survive, but the event and the social events that led up to it appeared to have met organizers’ main goal of strengthening links among local entrepreneurs. “I met a lot of people I didn’t think existed in my area,” said Jonathan McCarver, a 25-year-old Web developer for Signature Advertising. Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Startup Weekend LLC holds the events in cities around the country, and the Memphis event had the backing of several local organizations that promote entrepreneurship.
Spinning a Startup
Walk by a table and see brains churning as they practically bubble over with ideas to lend to the brainstorming session. Sit at that table and listen to the group, whether it is PR/Marketing or User Experience, and see lightbulbs actually going off over thier heads. Ok, maybe they are no lightbulbs shining over heads, but there might as well be. The 100 or so great minds gathered together at LaunchMemphis‘ StartUp Weekend are excited (and busy!) developing a business plan for a grassroots campaign to generate interest in a new social network presence. This network is unique and “organized” around the idea of unorganization. Interested yet? While names, logos, business models and developments are still being worked out at the time of this writing, the overall concept is set: A community, utilizing Facebook, uniting pickup-game players and facilitating game assembly and peer ratings of one’s related skills. Focusing on underground sports lacking standard rules, leagues or organizations (starting with ultimate frisbee), this social community will provide a platform for players to connect with others who are on the same level as them, as well as find ways to improve their own games. StartUp Weekend is in full swing in Memphis, and there’s still a full day left! Keep checking back to see how the concept progresses–just watch out for random lightbulbs overhead. View recent photos on Flickr and get updates via Twitter. (- Emily)
Memphis Business Journal: Memphis Startup Weekend a go for May 30
Memphis Startup Weekend was recently covered by the Memphis Business Journal Memphis Business Journal Thursday, May 22, 2008 100 technology entrepreneurs will meet in Memphis May 30-June 1 for the city’s first Startup Weekend, during which they will create a start-up company from scratch. Startup Weekend will take place at business incubator EmergeMemphis for 54 hours and will host developers, business managers, start-up enthusiasts, marketing professionals and graphic artists. By the end of the weekend, a viable business will be built, a management team will be appointed and each participant will own a piece of the company, according to organizing group LaunchMemphis. Startup Weekend is the brainchild of Andrew Hyde, who kicked it off in Boulder, Colo., last year. The program has run in several cities in North America and Europe. 600 people were involved in bringing Startup Weekend to Memphis. “We are really inspired by the amount of support Startup Weekend has received from local entrepreneurs, startups and established businesses,” said Gwin Scott, president of EmergeMemphis, in a statement. “This support really says something about Memphis as a hub of innovation, entrepreneurship and technology advancement.” Copyright(c) American City Business Journals Inc. All rights reserved.
Calling All Angels *
When we began forming LaunchMemphis, one of the things that we discussed quite a bit was what the demand for events really was. We felt there was a ground swell desire to enliven and engage the Memphis entrepreneurial community, but were pleasantly surprised with the flurry of activity around the LaunchMemphis events. Now that we have received more than 34 applications for the investment forum, we are certain that we were right in believing that there was (and is) a need for what we are doing. There has also been incredible support from the institutional investors in the area; many of these firms have agreed to make time for the investment forum and listen to the companies we have managed to pull together. And, of course, we greatly appreciate all those that have applied to the investment forums. All of these things have exceeded our expectations, and we are incredibly thrilled.! But the one thing that has been noticeably absent is the involvement of “Angel” investors. Angels are those individuals and groups that have the resources to invest in small companies. They are the critical cog in the machine that is necessary to allow companies that start in Memphis to stay in Memphis. When you look at Silicon Valley, Washington, DC, Austin, TX, and other places with strong startup environments, it is the angels that enable many companies to get over the chasm**. So, to all the angel investors and potential angel investors in Memphis, please contact us (forum@launchmemphis.com). Hopefully,
Commercial Appeal Coffee Break Section: “Looking for Entrepreneurs”
The LaunchMemphis Early Stage Investment Forum was recently featured in the Commercial Appeal. Commercial Appeal — Coffee Break Section May 17, 2008 Looking for Entrepreneurs Got the entrepreneurial spirit? Or maybe need a little help taking your business to the next level? If so, LaunchMemphis is looking for you. The recently formed organization of Memphis business leaders is dedicated to growing the entrepreneurial community. To forward that mission, the group will host a forum on June 9 at the University of Memphis that will pair entrepreneurs and small business owners with potential investors. The program is geared toward entrepreneurs who need funding assistance and small firms with high growth potential. Investors include Innova Memphis and the Mercury Alpha Fund by Mercury Technology Labs. The forum is free, but application deadline is Tuesday. For more information, visit online at launchmemphis.com
Developing the Launch Ramp to the Future
As we have talked with entrepreneurs and investors over the past couple of months, one theme comes up quite often. It’s often subtle, but the essence is “This isn’t Silicon Valley. What do you hope to achieve?” The answers, respectively, are “nope–it’s not” and “a lot.” What we are striving to achieve through the networking events, speaker series, Startup Weekend, and (most directly) the investment forums is a ramp. A ramp that will allow a person with an idea and talent to launch a business. For this ramp to work, we have to make sure that those with capital can connect to those with the ideas. This includes the whole range of investment, from small loans and financing to Angel investors to institutional investors. This ramp needs to allow institutional investors be on the front row as companies develop from ideas to outstanding investment opportunities. The ramp needs to include resources for young companies, such as those provided by EmergeMemphis and BioWorks. When this ramp is in place, talent will remain in Memphis, and the investment rewards will also reside in Memphis, providing a powerful multi-faceted attack on some of the issues we have in the city. Optimistic? Sure. A big goal? Yep. Going to happen tomorrow? Nope. But, we believe it can. It requires the work of multiple organizations–we applaud the activities of BioWorks and Memphis Fast Forward, and we know that what we are doing is only a part of the overall puzzle. It’s going to take work.
LaunchMemphis events will build up ties among entrepreneurs
LaunchMemphis was recently featured in the Commercial Appeal. Read more here. Commercial Appeal LaunchMemphis events will build up ties among entrepreneurs By Daniel Connolly Tuesday, May 6, 2008 If you’ve recently started a company in technology or biosciences — or you’re just thinking about it — you’re the target audience for LaunchMemphis, a series of networking and educational events that starts this week. The events are meant to build up social links among tech and science entrepreneurs in the area. The key organizers are Eric Matthews and Marc Diaz, principals with Mercury Technology Labs LLC, a relatively new company that helps scientists and researchers turn their ideas into working firms. The pair have attracted a wide range of sponsors and collaborators, including EmergeMemphis, an organization that provides office space and other support to small businesses, and the Memphis Bioworks Foundation, a nonprofit that promotes the development of science-based industry. The highlight of the LaunchMemphis series is Startup Weekend, which comes at the end of this month. Dozens of people are scheduled to gather at the FedEx Institute of Technology to create a real company in 54 hours. Participants in the event will make a short pitch for their ideas before the group picks one and starts working on it. Everyone from lawyers to Web developers will offer input as a facilitator tries to keep the process running smoothly, Diaz and Matthews said. The organization is accepting 100 people, and 20 slots were still open as of Monday. Those interested may
Commercial Appeal Coffee Break Section: “Fill up on ‘TechFuel'”
The Commercial Appeal recently reported on our upcoming networking event. Commercial Appeal — Coffee Break Section May 1, 2008 Fill up on ‘TechFuel’ “TechFuel,” an idea-sharing and networking event for businesspeople, entrepreneurs and technologists, is set for 5-7 p.m. May 8 at the Fox and Hound, 5101 Sanderlin. The event is sponsored by LaunchMemphis, recently established by area business leaders to promote entrepreneurship. Get details at launchmemphis.com.