TCN Venture Fast Track

Led by leading experts in the field of startup financing, the limited-seat Fast Track is an intensive, interactive full-day seminar designed to provide entrepreneurs and investors an in-depth understanding of what it takes to raise early-stage capital for a startup.

The TCN Venture Fast Track is a dynamic, fast-track version of TCN’s comprehensive roundtables and expert lunches. So if you want an invigorating refresher, or are new to TCN events, this is the event for you!

Agenda

9:00am – 10:00am	Registration and Mentor Lunch Sign up
10:00am – 11:00am	Building Your Company From Square One
11:00am – 11:15am	Break
11:15am – 12:30pm	Fundraising Strategy Breakout Workshops
12:30pm – 1:45pm	Mentor Lunch
1:45pm – 2:45pm	Startup Operations Breakout Workshops
2:45pm – 3:00pm	Break
3:00pm – 4:00pm	Company Valuation and Metrics – top down or bottom up?
4:00pm – 5:00pm	Pitch Perfect
5:00pm – 6:00pm	Fast Track Slow Down with the Speakers and Mentors

 

9:00am – 10:00am

Registration and Mentor Lunch Sign-Up

10:00am – 11:00am – Building Your Company From Square One

Start the day off with a crash course in building your company from the beginning to be an investable one.

Topics covered:

• How do you make your funding decisions? Equity? Non-equity?
• How do you find investors and get funded?
• What do investors need to know about your financials?
• Once you find an investor, how do you wade through the term sheets?
• How do you track your equity? How do you compensate your employees?
• How do you build your team? Will a strong board and advisory board be the key to your investment?
• What are some of the other key aspects of building your business to get it up and running?

Hear from the experts who have been there before and the investors that do it all the time.

Speakers:

Sheryl Schultz, Golden Seeds

Beth Marcus, Playrific

Will Bernat, Nutter McClennen & Fish

11:00am – 11:15am Break

11:15am– 12:30pm – Fundraising Strategy Breakout Discussions

Spinning Out: The Ins and Outs of Spin-Out Companies and Financing

This discussion is ideal for entrepreneurs and companies who are licensing technology from an academic institution or hospital. Hear from experts in this process on how to best go about financing these companies and how the technology transfer process is normally structured.

Speakers:

Vinit Nijhawan, Boston University

Mike Koeris, Sample6 Technologies, Inc

Growing from the Ground up: Seed Financing and Convertible Debt

This discussion is ideal for companies looking for the first seed round of funding to get their company up and running- companies that are looking at friends and family and smaller rounds before they are ready to approach VCs and Angel groups. Topics discussed will include how to structure early stage deals, convertible debt pros and cons, and more.

Speakers:

Gerard Murphy, Mosaic Archive

Ben Littauer, Walnut Ventures and Boston Harbor Angels

Capturing the “A Team” of Investors: Series A Round with Venture Capital and Angel Money

This session is ideal for companies who have had some seed funding, whether in the form of small investments from individual angels or friends and family, and are now looking to approach VCs and angel groups for a larger round to get them to their first big milestone. Topics covered will include typical investments amounts, tactics for structuring deals, deciding if VC or angels are the right route for your company, and more.

Speakers:

Gail Hoffman, Golden Seeds

Jennifer Jordan – MassVentures

Going from A to B: Series A-Round to B-Round

This discussion is ideal for companies who have Series A funding and are thinking about that next round. The session brings together an investor and entrepreneur who have been through several rounds of funding together. Hear how to utilize your current investors to get that next round and what the differences are when you go for that next round versus the first round of financing.

Speakers:

Kent Bennett, Bessemer Venture Partners

Chuck Goldman, Great Hill Partners

12:30pm – 1:45pm 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.

1:45 pm – 2:45pm 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:

Adam Ghander, Nutter McClennen & Fish

Win Burke, iGetBetter

Rick Harris, Launchpad Venture Group

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:

Paul Cronin, Nutter McClennen & Fish

Derek Roller, 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:

Charles de Gaspe Beaubien, Groupize

Norm Meisner, Launchpad Venture Group

Defining your market

When talking to investors about your company and product, they will ultimately ask you about your market and competitors. It’s imperative to know exactly where you fit into the market, who your customers are, and exactly how the market segments itself. Knowing this will help you build your product, sell it precisely, and grow exponentially.

Speakers:

Anita Brearton, Golden Seeds & MassVentures

Prahar Shah, Mobee

2:45pm – 3:00pm Break

3:00pm – 4:00pm 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.

Christopher Mirabile, Launchpad Venture Group

Jeremy Halpern, Nutter McClennen & Fish

Paulina Hill, Polaris Partners

4:00pm – 5:00pm 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:

Matt Douglas, Punchbowl

Jeremy Halpern, Nutter McClennen & Fish

5:00pm – 6:00pm Fast Track Slow Down with the Speakers and Mentors