Posts by marie meslin

New Equity Crowdfunding Rules Discussion: Video

The Capital Network and Venture Cafe recorded a conversation on the SEC’s new Equity Crowdfunding Rules on June 16th 2016.

A month on from the May 16 Equity Crowdfunding New Guidelines listen to the experts discuss the benefits and potential downsides from the viewpoints for both startups and investors.

Speakers:

Entrepreneur - Ed Damiano from BetaBionics which is developing a bionic pancreas system called the iLet, a fully integrated and wearable bionic pancreas medical device platform that automatically and autonomously manages blood sugar levels in people with insulin-dependent Type 1 Diabetes. A clinical trial is expected to begin mid-2017 and is required before any FDA approval can be received. More on their Wefunder campaign here. TedX talk given by Ed Damiano here.

Investor - Ben Littauer is a business and technology management consultant with expertise in Internet and communications technologies, as well as healthcare IT and is an active angel investor, member of Walnut Venture Associates & Boston Harbor Angels. Ben was Technology Strategist for Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, where he defined the architecture for PatientSite, a system that allows patients to communicate securely with their healthcare team and view their own medical records. He also was a consultant to the Massachusetts Health Data Consortium on healthcare data security projects.

Investor - Christopher Mirabile (@cmirabile) is the Chair of Angel Capital Association and an early stage investor in Boston MA, USA. He is the co-Managing Director of Launchpad Venture Group and the co-Founder of angel portfolio management tool www.Seraf-Investor.com.

Lawyer - Jerry O’Connor - The Founder of O’Connor Law Office which provides comprehensive transactional legal counsel to entrepreneurs and business ventures at all stages of their life cycles in many industries including: software and technology, life science, medical device, manufacturing, cleantech, including storage, solar and wind technology, waste-to-energy and fuel cell, professional services, franchising…
Areas of practice include: Start-Up and Early Stage, General Counsel and Exits and Transitions.

 
Moderated by Kevin Wiant, Executive Director of the Venture Cafe Foundation

Understanding Angel & Venture Term Sheets: A Play In 3 Acts

Thursday, January 21 11:45 - 2:00pm
Morgan Lewis, 1 Federal St, Boston, MA 02110

Term sheets got you tearing your hair out? Come to Understanding Angel & Venture Term Sheets: A Play In 3 Acts where you will experience an in-depth discussion hosted by some of Boston’s most experienced attorneys. Through re-enactment of negotiations, you’ll understand how all parties: entrepreneurs, engineers and investors understand this process from their own perspectives.

High growth investments are complex: but rest assured this workshop will cut through it all to help you understand what it means for you. A sample term sheet will be provided and analyzed.

Experts:

Will Perkins, Partner at Morgan Lewis

Stefan P Lefebvre, Associate at Morgan Lewis

Know Your Valuation for Equity Compensation (And Avoid the Perils of 409A)

If you are a CEO or a CFO of a high growth startup, it is vital to understand how to value your company correctly.

Here is a quick list of questions this document will help you answer:

Do you offer or are you planning to offer your employees stock options? Do you know the difference between ISOs and non-ISOs? Do you understand the general valuation concepts and approaches that the IRS has outlined, especially as they apply to early-stage companies? Did you know that if you run afoul of the 409A rules, your employees could have an unpleasant tax surprise and that some of that responsibility could revert back to you as the employer? Do you know if and when you need to engage an outside expert to assist with a valuation?

Experts:

– John O’Brien, The Business Valuation and Consulting Group

– Scott Goodwin, Wolf & Company