A chapter of OEN.org Oregon Entrepreneurs Network

Mini Pub-Talk at WiN in Corvallis

November 11, 2010
4:00 pmto7:00 pm

Smart-ups usually hosts an Ignite-Style pitch competition in November. This year we are hosting a mini Pub-Talk event with the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network November 11th at the Willamette Innovators Night in Corvallis.

 

More info soon to come…

Fall Pub-Talk: Opa Cove’s Start-up Story

September 23, 2010
9:00 amto3:00 pm

“Wolves and Angels”

Location: Oregon Electric Station, Eugene | directions

Register: Click here [$20 - includes food and bev | $15 for Eugene Chamber, Corvallis Chamber and SAO members | $10 for students | $25 at the door]

*** And bring your business cards because we’re bringing back the “5 Minutes of Start-up Fame” – where you can enter into a drawing for an opportunity to deliver a 5 minute pitch about your start-up company! ***

opacove logo

 

 

 

Rich-BarbisRich Barbis – CEO and founder of Opa Cove™ will share his story about starting, running and growing his emerging growth company – including how to know the difference between the “Wolves” and the “Angels” out there!

One of the best learning opportunities is listening to other entrepreneurs share their stories – learn from their successes and their mistakes. Rich will talk about the importance of his business plan, deciding on the right way to structure his company (LLC v. C-Corp, v S-Corp) – including why this is so important, the manufacturing of his prototype, the importance of the right attorney at the right time – and ultimately – launching his product into the market. Visit www.opacove.com for more information.

 

Opa Cove creates Neoprene water safety products that are safe and fun for kids ages 2-7.

*** And bring your business cards because we’re bringing back the “5 Minutes of Start-up Fame” – where you can enter into a drawing for an opportunity to deliver a 5 minute pitch about your start-up company! ***

opa cove-kid in vestopacove-kid2

 

Thanks to our great sponsors for supporting entrepreneurship in our community!

TITLE SPONSOR:

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SUPPORTING SPONSORS:

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Smart-ups Summer Social – Start-up Expo

August 26, 2010
5:00 pmto8:00 pm

Entrepreneurs — showcase your start-up company, and share your entrepreneurial Super Powers with your peers, investors, service providers and the media!

superhero-E file

 

Investors, Service Providers and the Media — meet the hottest/hippest start-up companies in our region and the Superhero Entrepreneurs starting, running and growing them. 

Location: Valley River Inn, McKenzie Ballroom

Save the Date: Aug 26th (5-8pm)

 

Registration: Online registration closed | Pay at the Door (see Fees below). 

Fees:

$20 if you pre-registered ($25 at the door)

$15 for Eugene and Corvallis Chamber and SAO members

$10 for students

Thanks to our great sponsors for supporting entrepreneurship in our community!

TITLE SPONSOR:

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SUPPORTING SPONSORS:

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moss-adams-logo

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Alternative Financing for Start-ups

June 24, 2010
5:00 pmto8:00 pm

SAVE THIS DATE!

 

Additional Pub-Talk info to be added soon…

Willamette Angel Conference

May 13, 2010
8:00 amto4:30 pm

SAVE THIS DATE!

 

This will be held at the McDonald Theatre in Eugene. Visit www.willametteconference.com for more info…

The Coconut Bliss Story – Speed Pitches – Investor Feedback

April 22, 2010
5:00 pmto8:00 pm

 

Click here to register to attend

Luna_Larry-in fieldLarry Kaplowitz (co-founder of of Luna and Larry’s Coconut Bliss) will share his personal story about how he and his co-founder (Luna Marcus) started, grew and sold their business in less than 6 years. Hear how they started the business with just $10,000, how they quickly became cash-flow positive, how they built their team, marketed their business, hit their first million, explored partnerships — and ultimately sold  their business.

 

Larry has truly come full-circle. He’s now excited to become an angel investor and share his knowledge and skills with other local start-up companies. Larry is a member of the Willamette Angel Conference investor LLC. You won’t want to miss hearing his amazing story!

Following Larry’s talk we’ll begin the “Speed Pitch” competition (where Larry is one of the investor panelists – see other investors below…).

speed pitch-baseball w fireCalling Oregon-based Start-up Companies to Deliver a Speed Pitch! There’s no fee to submit, no fee to present and presenting companies do not pay a fee to attend — so you have nothing to loose and a lot to gain!

Location: Oregon Electric Station  Directions

27 East 5th Avenue
Eugene, OR 97401-2616

Time: 5 – 8pm

Fee: $20 if you pre-register ($25 at the door); $15 for Eugene and Corvallis Chamber and SAO members, $10 for students

Register to attend by clicking here

Includes food and beverages   |    Note: Seats are limited! 

Speed Pitches: 3 minutes each to pitch, 3 minutes of real investor feedback

The audience will vote for the winner – and the one winner will receive a free hour of coaching from the Executive Team for the Willamette Angel Conference (includes investors, entrepreneurs, and lawyers). Note: Any start-up in Oregon is eligible to submit to pitch at Smart-ups — including those who submitted to pitch at the WAC and those who have not submitted to pitch at the WAC. All investors from the WAC will be invited to attend this event, and the investor panel are members of the WAC Investor LLC – so this allows for a great educational and networking opportunity.

Investor Panelists Include:

tim berryTim Berry | president and founder of Palo Alto Software

Investor in the 2009 and 2010 Willamette Angel Conference LLC

 

 

 

scott larsonScott Larson | Bend Venture Catalyst at EDCO

Founder of Vashon Partners | Seasoned Entrepreneur

 

 

 

 

larry kaplowitzLarry Kaplowitz | Co-founder of Luna and Larry’s Coconut Bliss

Investor in the 2010 Willamette Angel Conference LLC

 

 

 

 

Entrepreneurs Wanting to Pitch at This Event:

  • Create a single slide (slide should include your company logo, tag line, and no more than 7 bullets describing what’s unique about your business)
  • Submit your single slide to Smart-ups by clicking here – you will be contacted if selected to deliver a speed pitch at the pub-talk. Note: Up to 10 companies be be selected to deliver Speed Pitches
  • Deadline to submit is 5pm, April 9th.
  • If selected to deliver a Speed Pitch you will be given 3 minutes to pitch your business (you will be timed).
  • Tips for what to say in your 3 minutes include: your name/title, the problem in the market you’re product is addressing, 2-3 sentences that describes your business, your target market, how you will generate revenue, your competitive advantage/value proposition, and key team members/advisers
  • The investor panel will take 3 minutes to ask you questions/share suggestions.
  • The audience will vote for the company they feel delivered the best pitch. The winner will receive one free hour of coaching from the WAC Executive Team
  • Rehearse! Rehearse! Rehearse!

Thanks to our great sponsors for supporting entrepreneurship in our community!

TITLE SPONSOR:

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SUPPORTING SPONSORS:

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moss-adams-logo

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Dissolved Start-ups – Hear What Happened

January 21, 2010
5:00 pmto8:00 pm

We all know that starting a business is very difficult —- well dissolving one is even more challenging! This panel is going to be one of the most educational events of the year. You’ll get to hear the good, bad and ugly from a panel of your peers. These entrepreneurs will share the valuable lessons they learned in their respective start-ups. They each have a very different story to share, and these lessons could change how you start, run and grow your start-up.

Location: Oregon Electric Station | directions

Fee: $20 if you pre-register; $25 at the door, $15 for Eugene and Corvallis Chamber and SAO members; $10 for students (present valid ID at the door)

Click Here to Register

Panelists:

luke sontagLUKE SONTAG

co-founder of Vidoop

password-based authentication system

 

 

peter vomocilPETER VOMOCIL

co-founder of TakeShape (body scanning technology)

dissolved in December 2008

 

 

cummingsCAROLINE CUMMINGS

co-founder of OsoEco (Web 2.0/healthy social shopping)

dissolved in December 2008

 

Thanks to our great sponsors for supporting entrepreneurship in our community!

TITLE SPONSOR:

endeavorlawlogo

 

 

SUPPORTING SPONSORS:

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moss-adams-logo

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Business Growth Workshop

February 25, 2010
5:00 pmto8:00 pm

Business Growth Workshop 

grow moneyDate/Time: Thursday, Feb 25 | 5-8pm

Location: Moss Adams LLP Training Room | 975 Oak St, 6th flr, Eugene 97401

Fee: $25 if you pre-register ($30 at the door); $20 for Eugene and Corvallis Chamber and SAO members, $15 for students

Includes pizza and beverages

 

Note: Seats limited to the first 60 people who register.

Click here to register

Come join us for an evening of training relevant to any start-up. Whether you’re a start-up company or not, these principals apply to all companies – especially in these tough economic times. We will cover two topics during the evening:


1) Top 10 Business Planning Mistakes: Submitting a Winning Plan to Investors, Banks, Business Partners, etc…

The business plan experts from Palo Alto Software will discuss the top 10 mistakes made in the business planing process. Learn how to avoid these mistakes and create a truly buzz worthy business plan.  The competition is fierce and you owe it to yourself to present the best business plan you can.


2) Accounting: Financial Statements and Forecasting for Growing Companies

Expert accountants from Moss Adams, LLP with knowledge in the emerging-growth business space will be leading this section of the workshop. Accounting is pure overhead and won’t help you increase revenue, but if you spend your resources wisely then your accounting information can help you make decisions and save money. A poor accounting system or lack of financial statements could be detrimental to both your bottom line and your ability to attract funding.


The presentation will focus on how you can make sure you have financial records that will be ready for due diligence by potential investors or helping you secure business loans or partners. We’ll start with your day-to-day accounting and hit the main points all the way through to the 5-yr forecast focusing on cost effective processes for small companies.

Click here to register

Thanks to our great sponsors for supporting entrepreneurship in our community!

TITLE SPONSOR:

endeavorlawlogo

 

 

SUPPORTING SPONSORS:

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moss-adams-logo

pcb-logo

 

Smart-ups Ignite Pitch Pub-Talk

November 19, 2009
5:00 pmto8:00 pm

Ignite Pitch Competition

Location: Oregon Electric Station | 27 E. 5th Ave, Eugene | directions

Time: 5 – 8pm

Register: $20 if your pre-register; $25 at the door; $15 for Eugene and Corvallis Chamber members; $10 for students (INCLUDES FOOD AND BEV)

Click here to register

Come and vote for the company you think has the most viable business plan. Audience members will be given a fake million dollar bill and asked to give it to the company they think deserves to win. Come out and support the amazing and talented start-ups companies in our region!

*** You must submit your executive summary and your 13 slides BEFORE 5pm, October 19th.

Please click here for submission guidelines.

ignite-eugeneThis Smart-ups is going to be an Ignite-style business plan competition (13 slides, slides automatically advance every 15 seconds = 3.5 minutes to pitch your business plan). It’s an exciting competition – one you won’t want to miss! Click here to view Ignite Pitches from Feb 2009 Pub-Talk.

Any emerging growth start-up company (with an “investor-ready” plan) in the Willamette Valley can submit for the opportunity to present at this pub-talk. The audience will vote for the best overall pitch/plan.

 Note: Ignite Eugene is a business-plan pitch competition sponsored by Smart-ups and is not affiliated with the worldwide network of O’Rielly Ignite community events.

The winner of this event will receive two prizes:

  • The winner will feed into the Willamette Angel Conference submission process (conference is May 13, 2010 in Eugene) – meaning they will have their $199 conference submission fee waived, and receive additional coaching from the conference’s Selection Committee (consisting of investors, and seasoned entrepreneurs). Up to six companies will be selected to pitch.
  • The winner will also receive 20 hours of business consulting donated by Moss Adams LLP. These free services will follow Moss Adams’ SCORE (Systems, Control and Operations Risk Evaluation) consulting services. This prize is estimated at $4500 in value.


*** You must submit your executive summary and your 13 slides BEFORE 5pm, October 19th.

Please click here for submission guidelines.

 

Thanks to our great sponsors for supporting entrepreneurship in our community!

TITLE SPONSOR:

endeavorlawlogo

 

 

 

SUPPORTING SPONSORS:

pas-small

 

 

moss-adams-logo

 

 

Smart-ups “Meet Investors” Pub-Talk

October 1, 2009
5:00 pmto7:30 pm

Meet and Ask Willamette Angel Conference Investors Questions…

Panel Moderator:            Investors Sitting on the Panel:

ann-carney-nelson-photo1

            tim-berry nick-cropped klemm1

Location: Oregon Electric Station | 27 E. 5th Ave, Eugene | directions

Time: 5 – 8pm

Register: $20 if your pre-register; $25 at the door; $15 for Eugene and Corvallis Chamber members; $10 for students

Click here to register

If you’ve ever wondered why investors choose to invest in one company over another, or why the companies in the recent Willamette Angel Conference were chosen, or why the winner was awarded the $125,000 investment prize, or why certain companies were not selected – this is the Smart-ups Pub-Talk for you! We are hosting a panel of investors from the May 2009 Willamette Angel Conference. They are looking forward to hearing your questions and sharing the qualities of “investor-ready” business plans. Whether your raising funds for your business or not – this is going to be a valuable conversation you won’t want to miss…

ann-carney-nelson-photoAnn Carney Nelson will be the panel moderator. Ann has over 11 years of experience investing in and supporting young and innovative technology companies.

 

Previously, Ann was the Senior Associate at Menlo Ventures, an early-stage high-technology venture capital firm based in Menlo Park, CA.

 

Also – don’t forget to bring your business cards – as we’ll be doing the “10 Minutes of Start-up Fame” after the panel. These are fun and offer great experience about how to pitch your business opportunity in 5 minutes. And who knows – maybe you’ll even get some live feedback from investors! It’s also great practice to prepare for the Nov 19th Smart-ups Ignite Pitch competition.

Panelists include:

tim-berry

Tim Berry

Founder, Palo Alto Software

Angel Investor

Invested in the May 09 Willamette Angel Conference

Judge of several Venture Competitions

Click here to read Tim’s full bio

 

 

 

nff-photo

Nick Fowler

Founder, Orion Ventures, LLC

CEO, Perpetua Power Source Technologies

Angel Investor

Fund Manager of May 09 Willamette Angel Conference’s Investor LLC

Click here to read Nick’s full bio

 

 

 

klemm

Christopher Klemm

Director, OSU Austin Entrepreneurship Program

Angel Investor

Invested in the May 09 Willamette Angel Conference

Click here to read Christopher’s full bio

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to our great sponsors for continuing to support entrepreneurship in our community!

TITLE SPONSOR:

endeavorlawlogo

 

 

 

SUPPORTING SPONSORS:

pas-small


 

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