Giving in to what organisations want instead of sticking to what you know is right….or being too flexible so stakeholders take you for a ride……you are selling your birthright for power, prestige and connections.

Would you lose all morals for that……and it doesn’t have to be big, it can be as small as agreeing to something that you internally know you don’t like.

Don’t do it!  Stick to your guns…will it mean shooting yourself in the foot? sometimes but if you do things from a place of truth that is more important and it sets standards for those around you as well.

In the beginning of SSE when I knew I got in I shared what was happening with an American Indian/ Maori Seer that is a good friend of mine and she had simply shared how people will be in it for more than what you think etc

Sitting in a more realistic position now at the end of the year and reflecting on the amount of time I have put into this school, the people involved including stakeholders connected to the School and what they’ve asked from me is quite a sobering reflection. 

I have set up a social enterprise before and I haven’t set up this organisation yet and all year I’ve been disseminating information gained and entertaining relationships with everyone who pulls at you and your project and now I just want to withdrawal from all of it feeling distracted and so I can concentrate.  I’m disappointed with how little resources have been given to support our projects such as a Social Enterprise Business Plan – a basic tool I would have thought.

I can see clearly how SSE comes under SVA and how they organise everything including the Business Angels.  They’ve been writing an article about my relationship with the Angels throughout the year to encourage more Angels to work with students which is fantastic.  However, all the information I gave has been ‘edited’ which means changed to suit and some of it no longer true…… I’ve been asked to look over it but they want it signed off by lunchtime today.  incredible…..so I’ve asked for my contribution to be withdrawn…..and SSE now wants to help me find common language to complete it, adding insult to injury as no apology or acknowledgement has come from SVA .  It shall be an interesting day.

To be quite frank I think social enterprises were done before SVA came along or SSE for that matter and if anyone wants you to think that you can’t do it without them and their input than they’re kidding themselves.

I also feel passionate about Social Entrepreneurs needing the space and isolation like a butterfly in a cocoon because all of the things they do on their own, all of the little breakthroughs stretch our muscle and pump our blood to our wings to make these projects fly – some of us need the struggle to make things happen and I know I don’t need someone helping me to break open the cocoon for me because that will do more damage than good, it can ruin the potential to fly.  i.e don’t let anyone else tell you what they think is best for you and your project because you will know deep within you what is right and you are the only one who knows all the details and no one else can see in your head.

I have heard a speaker with a very successful Social Enterprise that helps thousands of people annually – she talked about how she built this successful enterprise and then was introduced to some very savvy business women who became her board members and they guided her in a direction that was away from her purpose and the mission of her Social Enterprise……..so I want to point out that yes the corporate sector has alot to offer however they also need to respect our space, knowledge, expertise and inherent abilities to do our projects often with intuitive skillsets they know nothing about and could learn alot from us as well.

I have learnt a great deal this year and all of which I am very grateful for and I write these experiences knowing it could shoot myself in the foot regarding connections, networks, reputations but I’m not selling what I believe in to anybody for limited success, position, prestige, money or power and I want to speak the truth of my experience because if I’ve gone through it there will be others coming after me who will go through this too and they need to know wht they’re feeling is absolutely legitimate.

Taking place next Thursday 26th;  II SeedRocket Investors’ Day at Sala Empren del Vivero de Empresas de Barcelona Activa – Glorias.

The companies that are going to present have been followed by the SeedRocket team for  a while and are showing a positive trend in these times of crisis (a good sign).   So, I truly believe that these companies have tremendous growth potential:

• Masterbranch: http://www.masterbranch.com/ (Winner of II Campus de Emprendedores)
• Ongest: http://www.ongest.com/ (Winner of del Campus de Emprendedores)
• 3Scale: http://www.3scale.net/
• Beabloo: http://www.beabloo.com/

It is a private event for SeedRocket mentors and some investors and business angels.  However, if there are potential investors interested in attending, please do not hesitate to contact the organizers at www.seedrocket.com.

RESEARCH TO BUSINESS – BOLOGNA
Resarch to Business chiude i battenti. La fiera della ricerca che incontra l’impresa ha registrato un elevato numero di presenze ma ha soprattuto favorito un notevole scambio di informazioni tra gli operatori e un ancora più elevato scambio di contatti.
Resarch to Business nata per stimolare l’interazione tra qualificati centri di ricerca e il mondo delle imprese, per fare scaturire opportunità di collaborazione e di trasferimento tecnologico e per favorire lo sviluppo di nuovi prodotti e processi quest’anno è diventata anche il luogo per fare incontrare il mondo della finanza alternativa e quello dell’impresa innovativa.

Il networking è alla base di ogni processo innovativo. Le informazioni che rimangono isolate non sono destinate a creare valore e opportunità di business. Le fiere sono diventate troppo costose e lo sono ancora di più per le start-up e gli spin-off universitari e d’impresa i quali non hanno ingenti capitali e devono, in tempi di crisi, ridurre al minimo spese di pubblicità e consulenze di marketing.

Reaserach to Business attraverso vari eventi di newtorking e la presenza di moltissime start-up, idee d’impresa e spin-off universitari – che potevano esporre gratuitamente – ha favorito lo scambio di contatti, di idee, ha fornito opportunità per trovare partners e finanziatori e ha stimolato la loro contaminazione – nel corso del pitching event un fondo americano che finanzia unicamente start-up nel settore delle biotecnologie è stato così colpito dall’idea di un team di giovani imprenditori bolognesi da chiedergli di fissare ulteriori incontri -

INNOVA DAY- MODENA
Finita la fiera non è finita la festa! Ancora qualche settimana ed è il turno di Modena. Il 16 e il 17 Dicembre Modena diventa la capitale dell’innovazione con INNOVA DAY.

INNOVA DAY non è una fiera ma un evento di networking nel quale le start-up innovative e gli aspiranti imprenditori attraverso molti momenti organizzati – pitching session, incontri to one, presentazioni aziendali a gruppi ristretti, workshop e convegni – potranno scambiarsi informazioni utili sui loro prodotti e servizi, per realizzare partnership per partecipare a Bandi Nazionali ed Europei, potranno presentarsi a potenziali finanziatori clienti e fornitori. L’obiettivo non nascoso di INNOVA DAY è infatti quello di offrire alle start-up innovative:
1.nuove opportunità di mercato
2.nuove occasioni di finanziamento.
Lo slogan è chiaro: “Dall’innovazione all’investimento”.

Da quando è on-line il sito www.innovaday.it sono 36 le start-up, gli spin-off e le idee d’impresa che si sono iscritte all’evento. Provengono da tutta Italia anche se una fetta consistente è rappresentata da imprese e aspiranti imprenditori emiliano-romagnoli. Le iscrizioni chiuderanno il 6 di Dicembre.

L’Emilia Romagna sembra volere guardare la crisi come un’opportunità da cogliere al volo per favorire lo svilluppo di processi innovativi all’interno delle imprese, che costituiranno il motore della crescita quando la crisi economica terminerà. Dopo l’approvazione dei finanziamenti regionali ai progetti dei TECNOPOLI tra cui anche quello di Modena e dopo il successo della fiera Research to Business sarà INNOVA DAY organizzato da DemoCenter-Sipe e dall’Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia ad offrire nuove opportunità alle start-up innovative per incontrare fondi di seed e di venture capital, banche, business angels e scout d’impresa. Hanno già aderito fondi americani e italiani, banche nazionali e locali, business angels che operano su tutto il territorio nazionale e buiness angels che si concentrano solo su investimenti in Regione.

INNOVA DAY costituirà una buona occasione per fare vera innovazione! A testimonianza di quanto DemoCenter-Sipe e l’Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia credano in questo progetto è stato chiamato Emil Abirascid l’organizzatore di Percorsi dell’Innovazione a SMAU, nonchè giornalista di Wired e de “Il Sole 24 Ore”.

Per informazioni: www.innovaday.it

Il Corriere Economia di oggi, in un articolo a firma Alfio Sciacca, nell’ambito di una pagina dedicata al “Viaggio nella crisi. Il fronte dei finanziamenti” oltre a prevedere code allo sportello per la costituenda Banca per il Sud, racconta due storie, quelle di Arabicaffè di Catania e di Finamore a Napoli, quali esempio di cecità bancaria di fronte ai problemi delle Pmi.
Colpisce, non disponendo di elementi concreti per discutere su quanto riportato dai due giornalisti riguardo alle due imprese in questione -sono riportati solo i dati relativi al fatturato ed ai dipendenti: forse sarebbe interessante conoscere anche l’ammontare della posizione finanziaria netta e dell’utile- colpisce, si diceva, il riferimento alla prassi bancaria nel modo seguente:” (Se si presenta un giovane) semplicemente gli sbattono la porta in faccia (..) a meno che non sia in grado di offrire non solo garanzie immobiliari, ma anche di reddito. Oggi un giovane può avviare un’attività solo se ha qualche casa di proprietà e porta in garanzia anche lo stipendio del padre e la pensione della nonna”.

Colpisce non tanto la descrizione della prassi bancaria nel Mezzogiorno, certamente nota e che, purtroppo, non fa più notizia, quanto piuttosto che “passino”, sottintesi nel discorso, due concetti sui quali varrebbe la pena riflettere: le banche dovrebbero finanziare le nuove imprese; la capacità di reddito è una richiesta iniqua.

Ora, che le banche debbano finanziare le start-up, ovvero le imprese che nascono e che mostrano, nei primi tre anni di vita, la più elevata mortalità, è tutto da dimostrare. E’ noto, o dovrebbe esserlo, che le fasi iniziali della vita di un’impresa, all’interno della divisione del lavoro esistente nei sistemi finanziari, secondo logica e secondo buonsenso, dovrebbe essere appannaggio di venture capitalist e di business angels. Non delle banche, che rischiano denari dei risparmiatori e che non dovrebbero farsi carico al 100% del rischio d’impresa.

In secondo luogo, la capacità di reddito, ovvero la capacità dell’impresa di generare un volume di ricavi adeguato a coprire i costi ed a generare una sufficiente redditività operativa non può essere considerata né un orpello inutile, né una pretesa ingiustificata. Per quale ragione un risparmiatore, uno qualunque, compreso uno di quelli che si lamenta delle banche, dovrebbe prestare denari senza prospettive reddituali?

Forse sarebbe il caso di pensare, sul solco di quanto accade per esempio in Francia, non solo a sviluppare gli incubatori di impresa e fondi chiusi a partecipazione mista, pubblico-privato, che intervengano nel capitale di rischio delle imprese neo-costituite. Forse sarebbe il caso anche di pensare a implementare ed accrescere la formazione in materia gestionale e manageriale. Altrimenti si fa solo ideologia e facile propaganda: ma non si costruisce nulla.

Intro

We’ve been re-working our website, and also reviewing our wider web presence (YouTube, Blip.TV, Slideshare, Twitter etc.).

We’re building a conversation with various stakeholders, but at CNE Towers, we felt it would be good to know more about you and what we can help you with.

Photo credit to City On Fire

CONNECT North East mission

The home page of our websites states:

CONNECT North East […] brokers introductions between young technology companies and investors.

CONNECT North East’s role is to strengthen the links between the region’s young technology businesses and the people and organisations they need to know if they are going to attract investment and grow.

CONNECT North East facilitates introductions to encourage partnership working, joint ventures, knowledge transfer and financial investment.

You have come across us

• At the Secure Futures conference
• At events – e.g. Meet the Investor
• At various places online etc.

With these activities in mind, we’d love you to tell us how / what we could do better!

The Nub

We’ve also been doing market research, which we’ll hopefully be able to talk more about soon.

In the meantime, I’m putting together an online survey, and hope you might be able to help with the questions. Ones I’ve thought of so far include:

• What you think of the following, and whether / how they could improve:
  • Events – although you have might have given feedback already in writing (in which case – thanks very much!)
  • The website
  • The blog & social media presence
  • The newsletter
• We try to find out what people are saying about us online, but please feel free to suggest
  • What forums we should be contributing in
• Also, who could you refer to become part of the network
  • E.g. we’d love you to follow us on Twitter
• How we can integrate online and offline better
• Anything else – e.g. what’s missing / wrong
• What services would you like to see that we’re not doing already – what would add value for you?
  • One thing we picked up at the Meet the Investor event was to know how best to win over investors
  • If you’re an Investor, how can we help you?
• What do you do – are you an Investor, or a Tech start-up

btw we’ve recently created a CNE group on Digital Dockyard, and will be putting an invitation to input to the survey on there.

Please help us to help you

You might argue that should know this stuff already! However, we feel that consulting with our stakeholders, and be open to feedback and good ideas is important in itself.

So – please could you give some feedback about the questions above, and whether you have any amendments and / or additions – that would be fantastic.

Rather than second-guess what you’re after – we want to use these tools to better serve you and your needs.

Thanks for reading this, and thank you again for your support.

Despite Manchester and the North West having, besides London and the South East,the highest amount of venture capital activity,the average size of a deal was amongst the lowest in the country.

According to the findings of the New Economy working paper on the impact of public policy on investments talent and networks which presented its findings today,Venture Capital should be regarded as an industry in its own right that can stimulate high growth and provide benefits to the region.

The report’s authors,Adrian Nolan and Michael Corbishley in their working paper, found that in the long term public funds may not be sustainable as they can impact on private enterprise putting the latter at an unfair advantage and clashing with its objectives.

Specifically the report looked at the business angel network and found in the city that there are several private networks but that they are not that well understood and their activity is not dense enough to generate what they described as a critical mass of activity.

The report makes a number of key recommendations for local policy makers.

1.That they adopt a private sector approach to managing public funds especially that of ensuring sufficiently high ceilings of investment for high growth companies.

2.to work with relevent partners to ensure public support is structured to attract talent

3.that a detailed study be made into the demand for early stage equity finance in Manchester.

Public sector VC money is important for Manchester but the challenge for the sector is to ensure that it develops commercial viability.

The seeds of the angel market are there but there needs to be more connectivity.

The working papers draw on work originally commissioned by Manchester Knowledge Capital,Manchester Enterprise Exchange and Manchester city council

A post to give you some feedback about the CONNECT North East event last Tuesday 13th October.

Introduction

As you’ll know if you read the post publicising the event, Andrew Burton is a successful investor – based in Yorkshire.

His presentation was basically a list of do’s and don’ts when trying to raise money through Business Angels; also what makes them tick, and how they operate.

I understand that Andrew had 30 phone calls the day after the event – showing clear demand in the North East for funding, and probably that Andrew’s call to action was effective!

Hopefully by viewing the slides and the video together, you will gain most of the understanding garnered by participants.

Slides

Here is Andrew’s deck. Btw there’ll be some guesswork needed to match up Andrew’s slides with the video, as he doesn’t call out which slide he’s talking about, but I’m sure you’ll work this out for yourselves!:

Video

Andrew’s presentation

The video has a couple of moments where the footage skips a second or so, but I believe the message should still be undiluted.

Also, please let me know whether the sound is ok – when I did the initial .wmv file, the sound seemed rather faint, so I upped it & created a new file (the one I uploaded).

Reflections on a successful event

Thoughts of Caroline Theobald and John Sargent on the evening’s activities.

Photos

Wash-up

I hope Andrew’s presentation and video give you an insight in how to tap one route for funding.

If you would like to know more about CONNECT North East and our events, please visit our website.

UPDATE: Tech Mission II has been postponed – more asap.

UPDATE 2: Apparently there have been some practical issues in getting the Tech Mission organised, and we are working on doing the mission as soon as they are resolved. Thanks for your understanding, and we’ll keep you posted when we have news.

Seconds away, Round 1

You may have heard of the original Tech Mission London 2009, as a result of the fall-out from a now infamous article in the Daily Telegraph.

In the best traditions of polemic, Milo Yiannopoulos wrote:

Companies in the North of England still suffer from a lack of expert advice and connections, despite some great ideas.

The article must have made Milo’s editor very happy because, at the time of writing, there are 67 comments. North East businesses made a point of responding to Milo’s article.

To be fair, Milo then visited the North East to see conditions for himself – but I see he’s now off to Cambridge (I think to do a Masters in English).

Ding Ding, Round 2

Undaunted, Manoj Ranaweera founder of Northern Startup 2.0 (NS20) and organiser of June’s Tech Mission, is organising the next event in what could be a series. Fyi he responded to Milo’s article here, of which this should hopefully give you a flavour:

The key objective of this event was to provide an environment for tech companies and investors from both the north and the south to share knowledge and best practise and explore partnership and investment opportunities. The event featured a keynote speech by Michael Birch, a free-flow workshop (3 break-out groups) and Dragons Lair.

*Anyway*, round two is billed as:

Tech Mission London 2009 – Part II (#TML09A) provides a dynamic environment for Northern Tech community (tech entrepreneurs, investors, deal makers and service providers) to engage with their counterparts from London. Key objectives of this mission are to build new relationships and partnerships, share knowledge and best practices, and explore investment opportunities. The Mission includes a 3-hour workshop and a Dragon’s Lair, where 8 tech startups will pitch up to 6 Dragons.

[I realise these two quotes are quite similar, but hopefully you held your nose & you’ve got the general idea!]

According to NS20, the following will meet you at Sun Microsystems’ offices in London – and be hosted by Stewart Townsend

Investors

• Andrew Nutter – Balderton Capital
• Ed French – Rising Stars Fund (Enterprise Ventures)

Mentors

• Damon Oldcorn – CEO, Zebtab and StuffedAnimalsMedia
• Ian Gotts – Founder and CEO, Nimbus

Details of #TML09A

[#TML09A is the Twitter hashtag, btw]

CONNECT North East, delivered by Bridge Club Limited, is pleased to announce it has 10 places on #TML09A up for grabs.

Priority will be given to those wanting to pitch at the event, although the final decision will be taken by Manoj and the Dragons themselves.

Contact Toni Allen & attach anything you need to support your application over to her asap!

UPDATE: Tech Mission II has been postponed – more asap.

UPDATE 2: Apparently there have been some practical issues in getting the Tech Mission organised, and we are working on doing the mission as soon as they are resolved. Thanks for your understanding, and we’ll keep you posted when we have news.

Introduction

I was talking with Caroline yesterday about the upcoming CONNECT North East event, featuring Andrew Burton.

At the Meet the Investor event back in July, delegates were asked what event they would most like next. Caroline tells me:

I gave them a choice, and this come top of the pile – by a long way. It’s about how to put your best foot forward to attract investors

[Caroline adds that the rapidly approaching Tech Mission London 2009 - Part II, on October 22nd, is part of a parallel track to help North East businesses meet investors (more on this in a future post)].

Andrew’s background

Why we think Andrew can help you:

Andrew has spent the last 25 years working with entrepreneurs and high growth firms in the UK and overseas advising and coaching them on how to deliver success… He’s been there and done it himself too – a qualified engineer he launched his first company at 24 and sold it within eight years! He has also just sold Inkopo, the Yorkshire technology consultancy he founded in 2002, to Braveheart Investment Group plc.

Event Details

The Billing

Andrew Burton, managing director of the Viking Fund – which co-invests with private firms in fledgling technology businesses in Yorkshire and the Humber – will give a valuable insight into what investors are looking for during the ‘How to catch the eyes of an angel’ event. His presentation will cover the importance of a compelling proposition; preparedness to accept investment and whether early stage companies are really ready to deploy the money.

Organised in partnership with CELS and North Star Equity Investors, ‘catching the eye of an angel’ has been timed to help companies prepare for the £125m JEREMIE super-funds that come into the region in January 2010. Andrew has a wealth of experience working with technology start-ups. The Viking Fund has made a real tangible difference in the financing of Yorkshire’s young technology firms. We know his advice will make a difference to firms in the North East and help them prepare to bid into the JEREMIE funds coming on stream in early 2010.

The Nitty Gritty

• Where: Brewin Dolphin’s offices in Time Central
• When: October 13th between 6pm – 8pm
• For whom? – Early growth technology companies, North Star Equity Investors Clients; CELS clients; University Spin-outs. Any early stage company wanting hints and tips on how to attract investor attention
• How much? – £10 to cover catering
• What’s your return on investment? – Lots – how to prepare for the JEREMIE funds for starters
• How do I Register? – To register for this event contact Toni Allen at t.allen@bridgeclubnorth.comor telephone  0191 2305742.

Am vergangenen Freitag, den 2.10.09, fand an der European Business School (ebs) ein aus meiner Sicht gelungenes Gründerforum mit solch interessanten Referenten wie Arndt Kwiatkowski (dem Mitgründer von Immobilienscout24), Rainer Schaller (dem Gründer von McFit) und Cornelius Boersch (Gründer von Mountain Partners) statt. Alle Referenten gaben einen offenen und nicht minder faszinierenden Einblick in ihre jeweilige Gründerstory. Hierbei wurde zumindest aus meiner Sicht deutlich, dass es so etwas wie “das” Erfolgsrezept nicht gibt und Erfolg nur schwer vorhersagbar ist. So standen auch fast alle erfolgreichen Unternehmensgründungen mindestens einmal kurz vor dem Aus.

Interessant war auch die Aussage von Herrn Boersch, wonach knapp 90% der Investments in der VC Branche nicht erfolgreich seien. Unisono wurde auf die herausragende Bedeutung von Business Angels für den Erfolg von Start-Ups hingewiesen.

An verschiedenen Stellen kam auch die Frage auf, warum es nur so wenige Unternehmensgründer an der ebs gibt. Für mich ergeben sich hierbei verschiedene mögliche Gründe:

Aufgrund der überdurchschnittlichen Einstiegsgehälter von ebs Absolventen fällt es schwerer, sich der Verlockung des fixen Gehalts zu entziehen und stattdessen das unternehmerische Risiko zu suchen. Ebenso werden Studenten von Business Schools dank oft aufwendigen Recruiting Veranstaltungen von Beratungen und Banken auf diese Branchen bereits in frühen Semestern geprägt.

Hiergegen (zumindest als einziger Grund) spricht, dass andere private “Eliteunis” wie die Handelshochschule Leipzig (HHL) oder die WHU bereits eine Vielzahl erfolgreicher Gründer hervorgebracht haben, trotz mindestens genauso hoher Einstiegsgehälter und intensiver Recruitingveranstaltungen.

Generell kann auch der risiko-averse Einfluss des Elternhauses und der Umgebung (“studier´ doch erstmal und geh anschließend zur Beratung, da lernst du verschiedene Unternehmen kennen und kannst dich dann noch immer entscheiden, ob du dich selbständig machst”) einen vom Gründen abhalten.

Aus welchen Gründen auch immer sich so wenige ebsler bisher als Unternehmensgründer betätigen, es lässt sich meines Erachtens generell für deutsche Unis festhalten, dass meistens die besten Absolventen zu Unternehmensberatungen, Investmentbanken und vielleicht einer gewissen Auswahl an bekannten “Blue Chips” aus der Industrie gehen, während in den USA die TOP Absolventen eher eigene Unternehmen gründen (übrigens eine These, die auch während des Gründerforums erwähnt wurde).

Auch Wiesbaden und der Rheingau ist zu meinem Bedauern weniger als innovative Startup-Region wie Berlin oder München, sondern vielmehr für den guten Wein bekannt. Auch hier muss sich in den nächsten Jahren einiges ändern, weswegen ich auch solch eine Veranstaltung wie das ebspreneurship Gründerforum so willkommen heiße.

Das ebs Gründerforum war insgesamt eine sehr gelungene und informative Veranstaltung für alle Gründungswillige und ebs Studenten. Da machte es auch nicht viel aus, dass leider einer der angebotenen Workshops (just für den ich mich interessierte) nicht stattfand. Die lebendigen Vorträge von u.a. Schaller, Boersch und Kolja Hebenstreit machten dies mehr als wieder wett. Hoffentlich lassen sich hiervon auch die ebs Studenten und der Rheingau anstecken.

Finanzierung beim Hausbau

Wer ein eigenes Haus bauen möchte sollte sich vorab genau überlegen wie das Projekt finanziert werden soll. Hier finden Sie einige Tipps und Vorschläge für eine Mögliche Finanzierung für den Hausbau. Die Planung und Konstruktion sollten Sie in jedem Fall einem Architekt überlassen. So erleben Sie später keine bösen Überraschungen.  Planen Sie Ihre Vorstellungen und Vorgaben  in jdem Fall mit einer Person Ihres Vertrauens. Gut geeignet für die Aufgabe sind auch Wirtschaftsberater oder Business Angels. Diese haben oft schon wichtige Erfahrungen gesammelt und könne Sie beraten als auch finanziell unterstützen.

Für die Finanzierung beim Hausbau sollten Sie bereits genug Geld gespart haben und oft ist es auch zusätzlich nötig auf einen Kredit zurück zu greifen. Hier sollten Sie sich an eine Bank Ihres Vertrauens wenden,  da es oft starke Unterschiede bei den Zinsen für einen Kredit gibt. In dem Falls lohnt sich auf jeden Fall die Zinsen zu vergleichen. Beim Zinsen vergleichen finden Sie oft einen günstigen Kreditanbieter somit wird die Finanzierung für Ihr Projekt insgesamt kostengünstiger. Im Internet finden Sie viele Seiten wo Sie Zinsen und Kredite vergleichen können. Zusätzlich ist aber ein persönliches Gespräch mit einem Berater sinvoll.

There’s something about the tough times that always bring out the more inventive methods when attempting to access capital. The reality is that there is no easy way to raise money for a new or small venture. Business owners have big ideas and often their appetite for risk or growth is greater than their capital.

Worse still, financial institutions and private equity are built around taking risks but in a controlled environment with pre-defined hurdles and significant controls. There are very few institutions that have a ‘gut feeling’ and act on it, even though the numbers cannot be guaranteed or secured against tangible assets. Enter come Business Angels.

But Business Angels should not be thought of as a bunch of glorified punters. They are more than betting investors. They also provide a wealth of knowledge and are often consultants or industry experts in the field in which they invest, which is why their ‘hunch’ is almost always more founded that people give them credit for.

So what does a Business Angels look like and what do they do for your business?

1. Private. They are usually wealthy private individuals, and tend to prefer to remain so. You would be wise not to discuss or disclose their identity going forward.
2. Massive returns. They want a massive return. Not something necessarily steady eddy. So don’t come to them proposing 5-6% per annum returns, they aren’t likely to be interested, you need to be creative.
3. Not Venture Capitalists. Make no mistake this money is not coming from a “Fund” it is coming from thier own pockets. So you need to treat it as such and respect the investment they make in your business.
4. Prepare to take advice. You might think that you know your business inside out. The reality is that you don’t necessarily because you are too close to it. Don’t close your mind to suggestions that an Angel investor will supply, they’ve usually done what you are doing all before.
5. Convertible notes. This is the most interesting and probably most convenient method of investing at the moment. And it is something that a Business Angel will want to invest in at first during the early stage to give themselves the option to convert to equity in the event that things go really well.
6. Ratchet clauses. If you investment is going well this is when Business Angels usually like to put the hammer down, they may invest even more to grow your business faster and provide management network connections to help you cope with the growth.
7. Prepare to spend yourself. You need to be prepared to spend $10,000 – $25,000 on lawyers, financial agreements, tax consultants and general due diligence. Put this money aside first as a Business Angel will want to see that you are committed to the process by engaging these people.
8. Short meetings. These people are busy, don’t waste their time over a long lunch. Straight to the point, a quick coffee, then move onto the next thing you have to do. Have plenty of shorter meetings over specific topics and give them a brief email agenda so they know what you want to raise and agree.

Don’t waste time with Business Angels if you are not prepared to listen, learn and provide them with a significant return. They don’t want to run your company for you, if you are incompetent, over value yourself or your business they will not invest. Remember it’s their personal money they will lose if the deal goes sour. Hope this helps in the quest for capital.

Til later.

The Lad.

¡¡Ya hemos lanzado el programa de VENTURE ACADEMY para emprendedores!!

Ayer jueves día 10 de septiembre, presentamos en el Club Marítimo del Abra de Getxo el programa de la Venture Academy que ofrece a los emprendedores con el objetivo de prepararlos en la búsqueda de inversión por parte de Capitales Riesgo Informales o Business Angels.

El acto fue presidido quien suscribe este post, Alfonso Urien (Entrinnova) y por d. Tomaso Marzotto Caortota y d. Paolo Anselmo, fundadores de IBAN (Asociación Italiana de Redes de Business Angels) y Secretario General y Presidente de la misma respectivamente , y contó con intervenciones muy activas por parte de los invitados al acto.

A la presentación se convocó a cuantos centros y asociaciones implicadas con el emprendizaje y promoción de empresas (Sociedades de Promoción y desarrollo, CEEIs, BICs, Centros Tecnológicos, incubadoras…) que se encuentran en el mapa a un radio de 150 Km de Bilbao. El objetivo de la misma fue ofrecer a todos estos miembros del ecosistema emprendedor una herramienta de formación que ayude a rellenar los huecos de conocimiento dentro de la cadena de suministro de capital de empresas jóvenes.

Entre los asistentes se encontraron representantes de BEAZ, INASMET, TEKNIKER, TECNALIA, TECNUN, SODERCAN, CEIN, CEIA, FATRONIK, la FER, IBAN, entre otros.

El programa ReadyForEquity es un proyecto europeo en el que trabajamos junto con redes de business angels y agencias de promoción de Europa tales como: Finance South East (UK), IBAN (Italia), Netzwerk-Nordbayern (Alemania), Sunrisevalley (Lituania), Poslovniangeli (Eslovenia), Poland Business Angels (Polonia) y la red de business angels de Hungría, junto con el apoyo de la Universidad de Windchester (UK).

El objetivo del programa es cubrir huecos en algunas de las áreas de conocimiento de la cadena de suministro de capitales en las empresas de reciente creación. Es decir, desarrollar e impartir cursos y seminarios de formación orientados a empresas no cotizadas que buscan socios capitalistas (Business Angels o capital riesgo informal) que apoyen el desarrollo y crecimiento de sus empresas, y orientados a potenciales inversores capitalistas que deseen tomar participaciones en empresas no cotizadas con gran potencial de crecimiento.

Además, tenemos como objetivo involucrar a todos los agentes que componen el ecosistema emprendedor para facilitar la cultura emprendedora y reducir las barreras de entrada de los inversores en toma de participaciones en no empresas no cotizadas.

Próximamente, el día 14 de octubre, tendrá lugar, por la mañana,  la primera sesión de las Jornadas de Venture Academy para emprendedores y, por la tarde, la segunda sesión de las Jornadas de Venture Academy para Business Angels. Ambas sesiones forman parte del ciclo de formación que impartiremos de manera periódica tanto a inversores como a promotores.

The economic outlook continues to improve according to most financial experts. However most agree that it is still too early to be looking for the ‘green shoots of recovery’.

In years to come what will historians say? Was it quantitative easing that allowed the global economy to react so positively to the banking crisis, or did the weather have much more to play in this forecasted economic come back?

Those who took a holiday in the UK this summer seemed to spend most of August dodging the rain, whilst those who went abroad were met with 40-degree temperatures. But with a low pound, both the dollar and euro have significantly increased our holiday costs. Research suggests that the simple local French meal has increased by 20% over the last two years, and the pound for dollar rate feels like 1 for 1. This is partly due to weak sterling but also to an increase in taxation and cost of sales both home and abroad.

Next year, will the economy continue to expand because ‘frustrated’ Britain went abroad again? The airlines certainly hope so, and the travel agents has been longing for it this year. It would certainly boost the High Street as we shop for those new outfits and maybe JLP could put it’s ‘make do and mend’ pamphlet way for another year.

The High Street will come back to life sooner rather than later, if the banks ease credit or private equity closes that gap. For the government to keep spending at current rates, will only prolong the recovery as the tax bill increases for us all and quantitative easing takes longer to pay back.

The British consumer has always spearheaded economic recovery, and this time is no exception. Confidence must return to the High Street, before we can call an end to the recession. But here’s the killer fact. Historically the general economy recovers 2 – 5 years after the financial markets. So if today is the end of the financial recession, (according to the Financial Times) how will you be competing in two years time?

Today petrol has gone up 2p per litre and UK PLC has agreed to lend the IMF £11bn. Youth unemployment is rising at an alarming rate and Universities are reducing admissions. None of this suggests recovery until you look at our biggest growth sector according toUK Trade and Investment Services

We all need to eat and drink. Maybe global warming will be the economic saviour that the Prime Minster has been looking for.

Nachhaltig gründen und Investieren präsentiert auf dieser Seite eine Übersicht der Business Angel Netzwerke in Deutschland.

Baden-Württemberg

Business Angel Forum Region Stuttgart e.V.
c/o Wirtschaftsförderung Region Stuttgart
Dr. Andreas Chatzis
Friedrichstr. 10, 70174 Stuttgart
(0711) 22 83 550
(0711) 22 83 533
andreas.chatzis(at)region-stuttgart.de
http://www.business-chance.region-stuttgart.de

Business Angels im CyberForum
Georgine Ludin
Haid-und-Neu-Str. 18, 76131 Karlsruhe
0721/6183338
0721/6183335
ba(at)cyberforum.de
http://www.cyberforum.de

Business Angels Netzwerk Baden-Baden
Elmar Hohmann
Scheuerner Straße 26, 76593 Gernsbach/Baden
(07224) 503 77
(07224) 65 25 77
info(at)business-angels-baden-baden.de
http://www.business-angels-baden-baden.de

Quantum Board GmbH
- The European High-Tech Scouting Club
Helge Hardacker
Bärengasse 5, 78050 Villingen-Schwenningen
07721/903950
07721/903951
info(at)quantumboard.eu

venture forum neckar e.V.
Sigrid Rögner
Weipertstr. 8-10, 74076 Heilbronn
(07131) 7 669 110
(07131) 7 669 119
info(at)venture-forum-neckar.de
http://www.venture-forum-neckar.de

Bayern

BACS Business Angel Club Schwaben
c/o IHK Innotec GmbH
Thomas Gutjahr
Stettenstr. 1&3, 86150 Augsburg
0821 3162 233
0821 3162 393
thomas.gutjahr(at)schwaben.ihk.de
www.gruenderregion-schwaben.de

BANSPLUS business angel netzwerk südbayern PLUS e.V.
Peter Walter
Sepp-Heindl-Str. 5, 83026 Rosenheim
info(at)bansplus.de
http://www.bansplus.de

Business Angel netzwerk|nordbayern
c/o f.u.n. netzwerk|nordbayern gmbh
Arne-G. Hostrup
Neumeyerstraße 48, 90411 Nürnberg
(0911) 597 248 000
(0911) 597 248 049
ba(at)netzwerk-nordbayern.de
http://www.netzwerk-nordbayern.de

Munich Network
Prinzregentenstr. 18, 80538 München
(089) 63 02 53 – 0
(089) 63 02 53 – 10
http://www.munichnetwork.com

Berlin

Business Angels Club Berlin Brandenburg e.V
Standort Berlin
Ingrid Abel
Bundesalle 171, 10715 Berlin
(030) 2125 4884
(030) 2125 4883
info(at)bacb.de
http://www.bacb.de

eVentureCat Investors
Thomas R. Schröter
Pascalstr. 10, 10587 Berlin
(030) 72 61 32 321
(030) 72 61 32 323
thomas.schroeter(at)eventurecat.com
http://www.eventurecat.com

Brandenburg

Business Angels Club Berlin Brandenburg e.V
Standort Potsdam (Brandenburg)
Ingrid Abel
Steinstrasse 104 – 105, 14480 Potsdam
(0031) – 660 1260
(0031) – 660 1891
potsdam(at)bacbb.de
http://www.bacbb.de

Business Angels Netzwerk Lausitz e.V.
Dirk Puzicha
Dresdener Str. 44, 03050 Cottbus
(0355) 58 45 860
(0355) 58 45 864
info(at)banl.net
http://www.banl.net

Bremen

Business Angels Weser-Ems-Bremen
Frank Reiners
Bloherfelder straße 39, 26129 Oldenburg
0441 – 217 60 96
0441 – 770 30 13
reiners(at)B-A-WEB.de
http://www.B-A-WEB.de

Hamburg

Business Angels Weser-Ems-Bremen
Frank Reiners
Bloherfelder straße 39, 26129 Oldenburg
0441 – 217 60 96
0441 – 770 30 13
reiners(at)B-A-WEB.de
http://www.B-A-WEB.de

Hessen

A.B.A.N. – Accelerate Business Angels Nordhessen
c/o Regionalmanagement NordHessen GmbH
Robert Ribicki
Am Ständeplatz 13, 34117 Kassel
(0561) /70 62 13
(0561) /70 62 22
ribicki(at)regionnordhessen.de
http://www.regionnordhessen.de

BANE – Business Angel Network Europe GbR
Jürgen A. Cujé
Krautweg 10, 61440 Oberursel-Oberstedten
(06172) 937410
(06172) 937415
jac(at)baneonline.com
http://www.baneonline.com

Business Angels FrankfurtRheinMain e.V.
Frank Müller
Börsenplatz 4, 60313 Frankfurt am Main
(069) 21 97 – 15 91
(069) 21 97 – 13 83
info(at)ba-frm.de
http://www.ba-frm.de

A.B.A.N. – Accelerate Business Angels Nordhessen
c/o Regionalmanagement NordHessen GmbH
Robert Ribicki
Am Ständeplatz 13, 34117 Kassel
(0561) /70 62 13
(0561) /70 62 22
ribicki(at)regionnordhessen.de
http://www.regionnordhessen.de

BANE – Business Angel Network Europe GbR
Jürgen A. Cujé
Krautweg 10, 61440 Oberursel-Oberstedten
(06172) 937410
(06172) 937415
jac(at)baneonline.com
http://www.baneonline.com

Business Angels FrankfurtRheinMain e.V.
Frank Müller
Börsenplatz 4, 60313 Frankfurt am Main
(069) 21 97 – 15 91
(069) 21 97 – 13 83
info(at)ba-frm.de
http://www.ba-frm.de

Cleantech Angel Network (CAN)
Marc Grimm
Kaiserstrasse 69, 60329 Frankfurt
0176 6433 6401
machessi(at)hotmail.com

EXBA Exchange for Business Angels GmbH
Thomas Henrich
Kaiserstraße 54, 60329 Frankfurt am Main
069 – 257812-50
069 – 257812-51
henrich(at)exchangeba.com
http://www.exchangeba.com

Forum KIEDRICH GmbH
Claudia Erben
Wilhelmstraße 14, 65185 Wiesbaden
(0611) 5 05 88 – 44
(0611) 5 05 88 – 46
info(at)forum-kiedrich.de
http://www.forum-kiedrich.de

green venture.net
Egbert Hünewaldt
Rober-Koch-Str. 116 I, 65779 Kelkheim
06174 256 590
06174 256 591
ehuenewaldt(at)green-venture.net
http://www.green-venture.net

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

BANO – Business Angels Nord-Ost
c/o Forschungsverbund Mecklenburg-Vorpommern e.V.
Frank Büttner
Friedrich-Barnewitz-Straße 3, 18119 Rostock
(0381) 5 10 79 – 0
(0381) 5 10 79 – 20
info(at)fmvev.net

Niedersachsen

BANSON Business Angel Netzwerk Süd Ost Niedersachsen e.V.
Gründervilla im Technologiepark
Rolf Richter Uwe Köhler
Rebenring 33, 38106 Braunschweig
(0531) 38 04 26 5
(0531) 38 04 26 9
info(at)banson.net
http://www.banson.net

BASS Business Angels SüdniederSachsen
c/o GWG mbH
Dr. Bernd Schieche
Marie-Curie-Str. 7, 37079 Göttingen
0551/37078-14
0551/49969-23
bernd.schieche(at)gwg-online.de
http://www.gwg-online.de

Business Angel Netzwerk Niedersachsen (BAN-NDS)
c/o NBank
Georg Henze
Günther-Wagner-Allee 12 – 14, 30177 Hannover
(0511) 30 03 – 13 58
(0511) 30 03 – 11 358
georg.henze(at)nbank.de
http://www.nbank.de

Business Angel Netzwerk Nordwestdeutschland e.V. (BANN)
Jörg Rensmann, Michael Borges
Westerbreite 7, 49084 Osnabrück
(0541) 97 78 559
(0541) 97 78 599
jr(at)springstep.de

Nordhrein-Westfalen

Business Angels Agentur Ruhr e.V. (BAAR)
Maria Theresia Gerstung
Semperstraße 51, 45138 Essen
(0201) 8 94 15-34
(0201) 8 94 15-10
gerstung(at)baar-ev.de
http://www.baar-ev.de

Business Angels Initiative Südwestfalen e.V. (BAIS)
Kornelia Mühmel
Westfälische Str. 75, 57462 Olpe
(02761) 81 134
(02761) 81 708
info(at)bais-online.de
http://www.bais-online.de

euBAn euregionales Business Angels netzwerk
c/o AGIT mbH
Daniel Schulteis
Technologiezentrum am Europaplatz, Dennewartsstr. 25-27, 52068 Aachen
(0241) 96 31 026
(0241) 96 31 033
d.schulteis(at)agit.de
http://www.euban.net

NUK Neues Unternehmertum Rheinland e.V.
Jörg Püschel
Hahnenstr. 57, 50667 Köln
(0221) 2 26 – 22 22
(0221) 2 26 – 59 88
info(at)neuesunternehmertum.de
http://www.neuesunternehmertum.de

win NRW.BANK Business Angels Initiative
Torsten Klink
Kavalleriestr. 22, 40213 Düsseldorf
(0211) 91 74 17 126
torsten.klink(at)nrwbank.de
http://www.win-nrw.de

Rheinland-Pfalz

Business Angels Rheinland-Pfalz e.V.
c/o Institut für unternehmerisches Handel (IUH) Fachhochschule Mainz
Lucy-Hillebrand-Str. 2, 55128 Mainz
info(at)business-angels-rlp.de
http://www.business-angels-rlp.de

Saarland

Business Angels Netzwerk Saarland c/o IHK Saarland
Dr. Mathias Hafner
Franz-Josef-Röder-Strasse 9, 66119 Saarbrücken
(0681) 95 20 – 300
(0681) 95 20 – 388
business-angels(at)saarland.ihk.de
http://www.business-angels-saarland.de

Sachsen

Business Angels Sachsen e.V.
Horezky Jutta
Pirnaische Straße 9, 10069 Dresden
0172 3503223
0351 49103110
www.business-angels-sachsen.de

Raphael – Sächsisches Business Angels Netzwerk e.V.
Dr. Bertram Mayer
Blasewitzer Str. 41, 01307 Dresden
(0351) 48 48 601
(0351) 48 48 602
info(at)raphael-ev.de

Sachsen-Anhalt

Business Angels Netzwerk Sachsen-Anhalt
c/o Investitionsbank Sachsen-Anhalt
Jöran Fricke
Domplatz 12, 39104 Magdeburg
(0391) 55 56 142
(0391) 55 56 143
business.angels(at)ib-lsa.de
http://www.businessangels-netzwerk.de

Thüringen

IQ2b GmbH Business Angels Network
Frank Siegmund
Helmholtzstr. 15, 99425 Weimar
03643/906578
03643/906341
office(at)IQ2b.net
http://www.IQ2b.net

Una nota de Juan Re Crivello, “un escritor argentino que vive hace 33 años en Barcelona” según él mismo declara – y que ha tenido la deferencia de citar uno de nuestros posts.
Y dice: Luego de escribrir el articulo sobre las iniciativas de Business Angels en España, me intereso contrastar con lo que pasaba en Argentina. Para ello he escogido diversas iniciativas de emprendedores que hablan de la misma dificultad y su tremenda fuerza mental para crear una salida ante las dificultades inherentes a su ilusion. La nota, y un link a una anterior suya sobre el fenómeno en España:

“La empresa que creo Maschwitz hace tres años Frontera Sur, una firma que inicialmente encontró su nicho en la exportación de productos argentinos y luego con el asesoramiento de inversores descubrió oportunidades en el mercado interno.

“Mr. Maschwitz was co-founder and Sales and Marketing manager of SiCompra, Argentina’s first catalog marketing company offering imported products for sale in Argentina”

El emprendedor contó con la ayuda de la Fundación Endeavor, que le contactó con un profesor del Massachusetts Institute of Techonology. Tras el encuentro, quien aceptó el proyecto para que los estudiantes del MIT lo ayudaran con el plan de negocios. El ingeniero reunió 100.000 dólares de inversores conocidos y puso en marcha el proyecto.

Armó una sociedad en la Argentina y otra en Estados Unidos y comenzó a ofrecer productos argentinos artesanales a consumidores de alto poder en comercios minoristas del exterior”.

“Eduardo Fernández, Hugo Olivera y Javier Ramírez Bermejo fundaron Eco Cav el año último. Los primeros se acercaron al Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires (ITBA) con la idea del cesto y allí conocieron a Olivera, que era alumno del Centro de Emprendedores del instituto.

“Yo había trabajado en relación de dependencia en mi país y quería ver algo más. Cuando Eduardo y Hugo presentaron su invento me sumé inmediatamente a la idea de convertirlo en una empresa”, contó Bermejo. Tras conversar el proyecto, el trío lo presentó en el club de inversores del IAE en donde consiguió nueve socios interesados, que colocaron 200.000 dólares para el desarrollo del producto”.

El emprendedor, ganador del premio de 2006, del concurso de la revista Pymes, en la categoría General —la más numerosa, con 115 proyectos— fue Ricardo Morchio por su producto Binder Up —un ingeniero mendocino de 54 años, que desde 2003 va y viene entre Buenos Aires y Mendoza para impulsar el proyecto— quiere ensayar primero en el mercado de Cuyo, para luego copar la Argentina y de aquí al mundo.
Según sus declaraciones:: “Yo digo siempre que en las escuelas de negocios enseñan desde el cuarto escalón para arriba, pero nunca cómo empezar un proyecto desde cero. Y al principio el emprendedor está solo. ¡Solo!”, enfatiza Morchio. El mismo nos cuenta que su “descubrimiento” del problema de las carpetas –para archivar- ocurrió en agosto de 2003, y que de inmediato encontró la solución técnica. Pero eso fue apenas el comienzo. Porque luego tuvo que armar un primer plan de negocios, investigar las patentes existentes (“en el sitio Web de la Oficina de Patentes de Estados Unidos encontré 29 patentes similares a la mía, pero ninguna supo identificar el problema”), y también desarrollar su propia patente y su marca. “Y pensar hasta que duela”, insiste Morchio, “simplificar la idea cada vez más. Me llevó meses resolver algunas cosas elementales”.
Recién a principios de 2005, un año y medio después del comienzo, el hombre quiso pasar a otra etapa. Sumó a Fernando Lizaso, al principio como consultor y más tarde como socio minoritario. “Es muy importante en su papel de interlocutor y sintetizador, para ‘ponerle plan’ a mi empuje”. Pero Morchio aclara: “no fui a buscar a mi primo, porque eso sería una banda, no un equipo. A Fernando lo seleccioné de una escuela de negocios”.

“Es como nos ha pasado a muchos de nosotros comenzamos un negocio con el menor capital posible, el cual es dinero prestado de un familiar o amigo (en mi caso con SKALD Digital , comenzamos con una inversión de u$s 1500) y generamos el valor necesario como para que comience a funcionar el proyecto. Luego para pegar un pequeño salto debemos tener una ayuda de un “Angel”, que no solo aporta capital, sino también conocimientos, contactos y relaciones (estas dos últimas sumamente útiles para nuestra vida como emprendedores)”

Estamos ante diferentes experiencias, en las cuales todas tienen un denominador comun: Un emprendedor, un grupo de angels (familiares, conocidos, financiacion bancaria o ahorros personales) y el producto o servicio escogido.

En cada situación siempre aparece la necesidad de un business angel.

Puede consultar un artículo referido a los emprendedores argentinos en españa:

http://blogs.clarin.com/losargentinoshandejadodesaludarme/2009/4/13/los-emprendedores-argentinos-espana

Clubes, foros y links de Business Angels en Argentina

• http://www.businessangelsclub.com.ar/main.html
• http://foros.uniban.org/
• http://www.masemprendedor.com/2008/02/19/los-vc-y-business-angels-en-argentina-all-you-need-is-passion/
• http://www.emprender-online.com.ar/el-business-angels-club-como-alternativa-para-conseguir-inversores
• http://ventadirecta.wordpress.com/2007/03/28/business-angels-crecen-10-en-usa-en-2006/

Link a la nota original: aquí

In Sydney City on the 30th floor with heart inspiring views of the Sydney “Coathanger” Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House. 
I’m getting used to these high rise buildings enough now that I could look down onto the street and not “shyt” myself….smile….

Two angels weren’t there today and I can feel when someones not around because they bring an energy and presence to a meeting don’t they?  Have you ever noticed that…..It was a great meeting nevertheless and I’m really glad to have had the opportunity to meet and know these amazing women - I feel more comfortable with them now……which helps to relax, feel more confident to share ideas and be teachable! 

You know what……I recognised something in myself in that meeting that was an attitude of the past – it stirred up within me like a proud protective voice that went something like this, ” I don’t have to be told what to do” and I was well aware of that behaviour and I had to almost pull myself aside and say, “Jackie, you have to be teachable, this attitude will only hold you back! Be teachable, Be teachable!” After I spoke to myself like that I was okay and able to listen to their invaluable feedback and receive it willingly – like drinking water to quench a thirst I really needed to hear them and what they had to say only encouraged me to go further, do better, think bigger……

Please don’t let attitudes or baggage from the past hold you back any longer from achieving your dreams – break off the chains…..I think to myself I’ve come too far and I’ve worked too hard to blow it now because of a bad attitude or negative thinking SNAP OUT OF IT …..smile…..it’s well worth it gurlfriend, just give it your best shot!!

Initially, the first few times I’ve met them I didn’t quite know what to do and what was expected but it’s been pretty easy going actually and yesterday it seemed like the start of a good pattern has emerged…..we catch up, share project updates, I gain invaluable feedback and from engaging in relationship with them it has placed such great value on my project and what I’m doing …..they are beautiful women…..they carry themselves with dignity, integrity and respect…..they’ve worked hard to get to where they are and they have great respect for one another ….I’m really blessed to get to know them….grateful…

Keeping a journal I write into each night answering the question, “How have I moved forward in this project today?” has been really helpful. When I’m reflecting on the day I’m gaining insight/ ideas as to what my next steps should/ could be and make note of those too.
All it takes is 15 mins when i’m in bed at the end of the day – I just need a book light…smile….

I’m now on the Youth Services Advisory Committee for Local Council and my first meeting is next Wednesday in which we are given an overview of the Youth Services and I’ll meet everyone involved.
Approximately 6 wks ago I went on the website of my local council pressed the RSS button so I receive updates to my email and regularly know whats happening and because of this I was aware they were forming a committee for their Youth Services in the Local Government Area. I got in touch with the contact person and we meet for coffee and had great conversation because they are currently working on their Crime Prevention Plan to get funding for a Case Mgr/ Mentor to work with young ppl at risk of reoffending – so considering all the research I had been doing we had lots to share and then I filled out the applications to get on the committee and had to wait a month or so before I heard that my nomination was accepted.
I’ve worked in this area with young ppl in the past & after talks with relevant ppl I have a good idea of what the issues are and how they’re currently being met. I will be looking at what I can contribute to my local community, to build relationships with staff and understand how council works and in which ways “The Butterfly Project” could fit into this area or if it is best suited to another LGA for whatever reasons. I’m preparing because there is a right time for everything!
I believe that when we create practical programs that address the root issues of offending behaviours and give young ppl a hand up then we will see dramatic improvements.
If we look at this situation like a tree – most programs are designed to address the rotten fruit – they simply come along and pick the rotten fruit off the tree and all they’re doing is removing the visible signs that something is wrong with the tree & thats fine but if you want lasting change then you need to do much more than that….So much research is done on root issues of offending behaviour too so why do ppl continue to muck around with quick fix methods when the statistics show that offending is increasing in NSW and not decreasing.

Great News! My submission was accepted at Shopfront UTS to work with 4, third year design students on the branding and logo of “The Butterfly Project”. I’m so excited and can’t wait to meet these guys to get started.

Had an informal dinner with the Business Angels last week in the city in this chinese restaurant and it was good having a private room so we could hear each other talk.
I was really tired and prefer morning or afternoon catch ups while the mind is still fresh because there were awkward moments in which I couldn’t find the words to express knowledge I know and feel.
Sometimes there are things that my spirit knows that are simply ingrained in my dna so to speak that are very hard to put into words.
It was doing my head in after a while because they would ask one question that had me thinking from a tribe or sub-tribe worldview to answer it and then they would ask another question that was for NZ Maori in general but I’d still be thinking from my tribe perspective and then they asked about my opinion on the differences between the two countries and indigenous peoples and you know what…..
nothing was going to come out of my mouth no matter how hard I tried to find the words to express how I felt or thought, it just wasnt going to come out ……there is so much in my spirit for this land and people and all I could say was the character of my own people and when it comes to the indigenous of this land in Australia that I would need to spend time with an indigenous person from this land to understand their worldview, and that there is dna in land and social dna in which you have to know the history and observe the patterns in history within a particular community or nation to have any kind of inkling as to the uniqueness of the people and land and what they’re specific gifts are…..thats about as far as I got – i’ve never had to put in words before things that you just know or feel and sometimes you just can’t…..and thats ok too

Unternehmensgründer haben in der Regel eine Idee, aber kein Kapital. Geld haben wiederum Business Angel. Wie mir einer auf einem Gründertreffen erzählte, liegen die von ihm in “vielversprechende” Gründer investierten Beträge zwischen 25.000 Euro und 50.000 Euro. “Vielversprechend” bedeute für ihn, dass ein interessantes Produkt, Qualifikation und Persönlichkeit zusammenkommen,

Bis sich ein Gründer und ein Partner finden, kann es dauern, meinte er. Aus rund 50 längeren Gesprächen mit Unternehmen, ergäben sich ein bis zwei Beteiligungen, berichtete er aus seiner Praxis. Die aktuelle Wirtschaftskrise spüre man auch, die Gründeranzahl sei nahezu konstant aber es gebe weniger Business Angels.

This post is to speak my truth about my experience as a so-called Social Entrepreneur.  I am a  Maori Woman who cares about her community in Australia and in New Zealand, my roots.

Estuardo Robles Asturias, especialista en mercadeo y desarrollo de negocios afirma que ha querido hacer algunas pero está esperando un proyecto del edificio tecnológico que todavía se esta construyendo, actualmente ya está casi terminado pero aún falta un poco. (Ver Figura abajo)

El edificio de Tecnologia de 4grados.com es un proyecto impulsado por emprendedores Guatemaltecos y contempla una red de inversion y una incubadora. Fuente: Presentacion “Fomentando el emprendedurismo en Guate, oportunidades de inversión y financiamiento capital”, Business Angels Network America Central, Presentación digital, slide No. 11, Guatemala, http://www.inversionistasangel.com http://www.4grados.com

Existen instituciones donde sí hay financiamiento (e.g Centro TICs de Intecap) y hay una línea de crédito para hacer una de estas cosas, el business plan según Robles, es un business plan donde tienen hasta el presupuesto de bolsas de café que se van a utilizar, datallan todo, hasta lo más mínimo. Sin embargo en la parte de recurso humano, asesores y del director de la incubadora. Pretenden pagarle al director de la incubadora un sueldo muy regular (El sueldo mínimo en Guatemala para actividades no agricolas es Para Actividades No Agrícolas: Q52/día)[Según el Ministerio de Trabajo] para el mercado guatemalteco, entonces nunca van a lograr conseguir a la persona que se necesita

Existe una incubadora de proyectos culturales llamada Incuba Guatemala, es una asociación no lucrativa comprometida con el desarrollo cultural y la lucha contra la pobreza. En sus seis diferentes programas gestiona lo artístico-cultural, el apoyo a la educación local, la formación, la investigación, la gestión cultural y la gestión del conocimiento. Su principal compromiso en la investigación es la creatividad como herramienta para la reducción de la pobreza y nuestros proyectos surgen como propuestas de aplicación de este compromiso. [22][23][24]

Hay grupos de ángeles inversionistas informales que en su tiempo libre, a quienes le dan capital semilla, los asesoran. Robles también asegura conocer a algunos empresarios han dado capital semilla desde hace unos 20 años a personas que hoy en día tienen empresas muy éxitosas tambien de tecnología y que crea tecnología tambien.