Venture Fast Track 2015

Registration:

Agenda

8:30am

Registration and Mentor Lunch Sign-Up

9:15am – Funding Strategies

How do you figure out how much money you need, and when? We’ll look at a case study and talk P&L to help you determine the right market for your product and which funding source is most appropriate to maximize the exit for your company.

Speakers:

• Jean Hammond, Golden Seeds
• Monica Brady-Myerov, Listen Current

10:00am

10:10am – Critical IP Issues for Startups

Entrepreneurs build their businesses, their competitive advantage, and their long-term defensibility around a core of intellectual property. For some entrepreneurs, that will mean a patent portfolio. For many others, however, it will mean a sticky web of trademarks, trade dress rights, copyright, know-how, trade secrets, contractual exclusivity, and non-disclosure agreements. Our experts will help entrepreneurs untangle common and critical intellectual property issues to help them with business planning and with explaining the investment proposition and risks to investors.

Speakers:

• Heather Repicky, Nutter McClennen & Fish
• Derek Roller, Nutter McClennen & Fish

10:30am – Tackling Term Sheets

As an entrepreneur, understanding the parts of an Angel or Venture Capital term sheet can be a daunting task. The session discusses common practices and pitfalls surrounding the use of term sheets and the current market terms for early-stage angel and venture investments. Some sample term sheets will be reviewed and explained.

Speakers:

• Christopher Mirabile, Launchpad Venture Group
• Vikram Aggarwal, EnergySage
• Adam Ghander, Nutter McClennen & Fish
• Will Bernat, Nutter McClennen & Fish

11:30am – Mentor Lunch

The Entrepreneur-Advisor matching lunch is an opportunity for you to ask questions and receive advice from experienced entrepreneurs, strategic professionals, or early-stage investors, all who are active supporters of New England’s entrepreneurial community. Spend the lunch hour in a small group discussion with fellow entrepreneurs and our handpicked advisors to discuss your startup. Come ready with your one-minute pitch and a burning question. Click the “Faculty & Advisors” tab to see the full list of advisors.

12:45 pm – Startup Operations Breakout Workshops

Building the Team

It is an oft-repeated truism that angels and VCs value people in your startup more than they value the idea or technology. The largest dilemma entrepreneurs face is how to attract the team that will attract the money without having the money upfront. So which comes first?

Other topics discussed will include:What is a founder’s role on the management team?
Is the current team complete enough for the stage of the company?
Does the current team need someone to play an interim role to fill in a critical need?
At what stage of the company growth would it be appropriate to have management reorganization?

Speakers:

• Allan Telio, Startup Institute
• David Rubin, Nutter McClennen & Fish

Scaling with sales and marketing, and defining KPIs

You have a working product, your technology seems strong, now sell it! Take your company to the next level with sales and marketing, and hear how to measure your success. Most investors will tell you they need to see traction before they sign a check. Hear from the experts on what that means and how to scale your sales and show real traction!

Speakers:

• Christa Carone, Fidelity Investments
• Josh Todd, Localytics

2:00pm - Company Valuation and Metrics – top down or bottom up?

Defending your corporate valuation to Angels & VCs is nearly impossible. In this program, we will discuss valuation methodologies, metrics, tactics, and tips for early-stage corporate valuations.

Speakers:

• David Verrill, Hub Investment Group
• Kent Bennett, Bessemer Venture Partners
• Peter Sally, BlueCross BlueShield

3:00pm – Perfect Pitch

You never get a second chance at a first impression. Early-stage ventures seeking investment need to know how to target, locate, approach, and close with venture capitalists, angels, and strategic investors. Hear first-hand a successful pitch from an entrepreneur who has closed a funding round (or two) and how the company’s pitch evolved over time.

Speakers:

• Joshua Herzig-Marx, Google
• Jeremy Halpern, Nutter McClennen & Fish

Follow-up Lunch TBD to include more IP - free for all Fast Track attendees!