Venture Fast Track: Fundraising Bootcamp for Entrepreneurs

Thursday, June 30, 2016 9:15 am – 3:30 pm
Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP, 155 Seaport Boulevard, Boston, MA 02210

The Capital Network’s annual Fast Track Boot Camp for Entrepreneurs, is an intensive, interactive full-day seminar designed to provide entrepreneurs and innovators an in-depth understanding of what it takes to raise early stage capital.

You will spend the day learning from and interacting with New England’s leading investors, entrepreneurs, and early-stage experts through workshops, panels and discussions. You will leave the Venture Fast Track with concrete materials and knowledge that will help you move your company forward through the various stages of the fundraising process, and with a new network of mentors and peers from which to draw.

Mentors and Faculty for the day are drawn from New England’s Investment and Entrepreneurship Community and include members of:

Launchpad Ventures, Bessemer Ventures, Boston Harbor Angels, Golden Seeds, Cherrystone Angels, Walnut Angels, Mass Med Angels. LearnLaunch, Edible Ventures, Betaspring, Mass Challenge, Hub Angels, Clean Energy Center, Nutter, MassVentures, b to v Partners, PGS Venture Partners, Healthbox, Beta Fund, Converge Ventures and many more!

Agenda:

9:15 – 9:30 Introductions & Breakfast

9:30 – 10:30 Money & Metrics: Understanding your Stage and What it Means for Fundraising with Jess McLear, Angel Investor & MassChallenge Industry Champion.
Using Scoring Sheets & Lean Canvas methods, you will be able to walk away with a clear picture of what pieces are missing in your company structure to maximize your fundraising prospects.

10:40 – 11:40 Pitches & Decks - Elevator Pitches to Formal Presentations - an Evolution With Jeremy Halpern (Edible Ventures & Nutter) & Ken Deckinger (Jess Meet Ken)
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. Learn about refining elevator pitches and 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.

Jeremy Halpern Partner & Director of Business Development Nutter, McClennen & Fish LLP

Ken Deckinger Co-Founder & CEO Jess Meet Ken

11:45 – 1:00 – Mentor Lunch
The Entrepreneur-Mentor matching lunch is an opportunity for entrepreneurs 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 entrepreneurs and handpicked advisors to discuss their startup. Entrepreneurs come ready with one-minute pitches and a burning question.

Katie Schuller-Bleakie Managing Director Golden Seeds	Kent Bennett Venture Capital Investor Bessemer Venture Capital	Norman Meisner Principal, Beta Fund Member, Sky Ventures Group
Lauren Celano CEO Propel Careers	Jeffrey Arnold Mass Med Angels & Boston Harbor Angels	Sheldon Borkin Strategic Angels & Launchpad Ventures
Martin Omid Akhavan Investment Principal MVM Life Science Partners LLP	Steven Saunders Angel Investor Launchpad Venture Group	Jill Wittels CEO Mentor, Angel Investor Launchpad Venture Group
Eric Evans Executive Committee, Mass Medical Angels Interim CEO, Growth Analytics	Jessica McLear COO, Entrepreneur & Angel Investor Launchpad Ventures Industry Champion, MassChallenge	Michael Gordon Angel Investor, Launchpad Venture Group CEO Center for Competitive Success
Pete Mann Group VP at Deltek Ex VP at Fidelity Investment	Tod Loofbourrow CEO ViralGains	Tetyana Astashkina Early Stage Financing & Business Development, b to v partners
Jennifer Schwall Executive Director Cherrystone Angel Group	Joe DeMartino Managing Director, Angel Investor Forum Member, Launchpad Venture Group	Glenn Champagne Managing Director, Data point Ventures Member, Launchpad Venture Group
Margo Layton Venture Capital Breakaway	Heather Sears Founder, CMO Aston Plus LLC	Saleh Daher Partner, Early Stage Hub Member, Walnut Ventures
Asad Butt Operations Director LearnLaunch	Melissa Withers Managing Director, Betaspring	Scott Barnett CEO Career Numbers

1:10 - 2:10 - Seed to Series A: The Fundraising Process with Tod Loofbourrow (ViralGains), Pete Mann (Deltek (ex VP of Fidelity Investment)) and Adam Ghander (Nutter). Follow a discussion between an entrepreneur and his investor and how they managed their communications, networking and growth to get the right investment at the right time.

Tod Loofbourrow CEO ViralGains

Adam Ghander Partner Nutter McClennen & Fish

Pete Mann Group VP at Deltek Ex VP at Fidelity Investment

1:10 - 2:10 - Seed to Series A: The Fundraising Process with Tod Loofbourrow (ViralGains), Pete Mann (Deltek (ex VP of Fidelity Investment)) and Adam Ghander (Nutter). Follow a discussion between an entrepreneur and his investor and how they managed their communications, networking and growth to get the right investment at the right time.

2:25 - 3:25 Mini Break-Outs

1 - Business Growth: PayRoll, Bookkeeping, Insurance, CPA…
Early stage entrepreneurs often need help understanding complex accounting, payroll, and insurance issues – especially those that affect the ability to raise capital. These are the day-to-day tasks that often get pushed aside but are vital for fundraising. This compact, in-depth session, led by some of the Boston area’s premier experts, helps entrepreneurs navigate potential roadblocks to fundraising.

Mitch Zucker Payrologist ConnectPay

Greg Pierce President NorthStar Insurance

Jason Pulsifer Director of Business Development Consero Global LLC

2 - The Terms of Term Sheets - With Will Bernat (Nutter) & Wanda Reindorf (Clean Energy Venture Group)
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.

Will Bernat Partner Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP

Wanda Reindorf Managing Director Clean Energy Venture Group

3 - What’s Your Valuation? With David Verrill (Hub Investment Group) and Kent Bennett (Bessemer Ventures)
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.

David Verrill Founder & Managing Director Hub Investment Group

Kent Bennett Venture Capital Investor Bessemer Venture Capital

4 - Fine Tune Your Pitch - With Jeremy Halpern (Edible Ventures & Nutter) & Melissa Withers (Betaspring)
You only have a few minutes to get an investor’s attention and convey the essence of your business concisely and convincingly. Don’t let a few words (or lengthy ones) trip you up. Join us for this intimate, hands-on, peer pitch practice workshop. You will have the opportunity to practice your 60 sec pitch in front of the group and get real-time feedback from experts and fellow entrepreneurs.

Jeremy Halpern Partner & Director of Business Development Nutter, McClennen & Fish LLP

Melissa Withers Managing Director, Betaspring

3:30 Unofficial After Party at Rosa Mexicano!

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