A chapter of OEN.org Oregon Entrepreneurs Network

Submitting to SWAN

Eugene Area Chamber horiz logo

 

SWAN-horiz-colorOne of the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce’s main organizational goals is Entrepreneurial Development. We recognize that entrepreneurs are the backbone of our economy, and it’s the innovators who take the risks, launch new ideas into market, invest in business growth, create jobs and provide great products and services to our community and beyond. 

Entrepreneurs and innovators who have or need to raise somewhere between $200,000 – $2 million to launch their idea into the market can submit their business plans to the Southern Willamette Angel Network (SWAN). Below are the submission requirements:

Executive Summary Outline (not to exceed 5 pages):

  1. Need in the Market – including an overview of your company
  2. Your Product/Solution – including any information about patents/intellectual property
  3. Your Traction – highlighting the successes you’ve currently attained (i.e. money raised, customers secured, signed Letters of Intent, significant hire, significant media coverage, etc.)
  4. Your Target Market – including your addressable market, and any barriers to entering this market
  5. Your Customer Acquisition Strategy – including any data to back-up your proposed strategy
  6. Your Competition – including your value proposition
  7. Your Revenue Model – including how you will phase your growth over time
  8. Your Financial Projections – including key assumptions and the number of human resources you’ll need to reach these goals.
    • Note: You will also be required to provide your detailed financial projections as an attachment to the Executive Summary
  9. Your Management Team – highlighting successes relevant to this venture

     10. Your Key Advisers – noting if they have any ownership in your company

     11. Your Funding Needs – including your use of these funds

     12. Your Exit Strategy – including any market comparables

 

Investor Pitch Deck Outline (Presentations should take 12-15 minutes to deliver – which gives you around 1 minute per slide; therefore, it’s important to practice you pitch. Investors need to walk away understanding the value proposition of your product):

 

Slide #1:            Title Slide

Slide #2:            The Problem in the Market (tell in story format)

Slide #3:            Your Solution (your product/service)

Slide #4:            Your Business Model (how you’ll make money)

Slide #5:            Your Special Sauce (why you’re product is so unique)

Slide #6:            Your Customer Acquisition Strategy

Slide #7:            Your Competition (best to present in a matrix format)

Slide #8:            Your Team (including key advisers)

Slide #9:            Traction (key milestones you’ve met)

Slide #10:            Your Current Status and Timeline for Growth

Slide #11:            Your Financial Projections (key assumptions)

Slide #12:            Your Funding Needs (including use of funds)

Slide #13:            Your Exit Strategy (highlight comparables where appropriate

 

Process for Submitting to SWAN:

 

  1. E-mail your Executive Summary and Pitch Deck to JJ O’Connell: jjo@eugenechamber.com                                                                                                        
  2. Your submission will be reviewed and you can expect to hear back within 2 weeks after your submission. You will be notified whether or not you’re selected to pitch to SWAN. We will inform you if additional coaching is required, and where possible, we will recommend advisers.
  3. SWAN hosts company pitch meetings once a quarter – and sometimes more frequently (depending on the time of year and the quality of the deal flow). Contact Ben Sappington: bens@eugenechamber.com for more information.
  4. If selected to pitch to SWAN, you will be invited in prior to the SWAN meeting to deliver a dry-run of your slides, and additional coaching will be provided.
  5. Upon delivery of your presentation to SWAN, individual members will decide whether or not they choose to inquire further about your company. The Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce does not have any involvement in the investment decisions.

Best of luck to you in your venture!

 

 

3rd Annual Willamette Angel Conference

May 12, 2011
7:30 amto3:30 pm

 

 

wac-logo1

 

 

 

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$200,000 investment prize will be awarded to one Oregon start-up company!

Location: CH2M Hill Alumni Center, Corvallis, OR

Purchase your ticket to attend the conference BEFORE April 29th and save $50.

pamslimAfternoon Keynote Speaker

Pamela Slim

Author of Escape from Cubicle Nation.

Pamela Slim is a seasoned coach and writer who helps frustrated employees incorporate jobs break out and start their own business. Her blog, Escape from Cubicle Nation, is one of the top career and marketing blogs on the web.  A former corporate manager and entrepreneur herself for more than a decade, she deeply understands the questions and concerns faced by first-time entrepreneurs.  Her expertise in personal and business change was developed through many years consulting inside corporations such as Cisco Systems, Hewlett-Packard and Charles Schwab, where she coached thousands of executives, managers and employees.

Click here to read more about Pamela.

 

Purchase your ticket to attend the conference BEFORE April 29th and save $50.

 

Ignite-Style Speed Pitch Competition

March 31, 2011
5:00 pmto8:00 pm

Ignite-Style Pitch Competition – winner pitches at WAC!

speed pitch-baseball w fire

Location: Mookie’s Northwest Grill, 400 International Way, Springfield | location

Time: 5 – 8pm       

Register: $20 if your pre-register (click button below); $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 vote for the company they think delivered the best overall pitch. The winner will be guaranteed a spot to deliver a “wildcard” pitch at the Willamette Angel Conference on May 12th in Corvallis. Come out and support the amazing and talented start-ups companies in our region!

*** Entrepreneurs: You must submit your executive summary and your 13 slides BEFORE 5pm, March 18th.

Please click here for submission guidelines.

This 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! 

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.

The winner of this event will receive:

  • A slot to present again in the “wildcard” segment of the Willamette Angel Conference submission process (conference is May 12, 2010 in Corvallis) – meaning they will have their $199 conference submission fee waived, and they will deliver a 3.5 minute speed pitch at the conference. One “wildcard” pitch at the WAC will get the opportunity to deliver a full 10-minutes pitch and become eligible for the investment prize.

*** You must submit your executive summary and your 13 slides BEFORE 5pm, March 18th.

Please click here for submission guidelines.

Click here to register

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

TITLE SPONSOR:

endeavorlawlogo

 

SUPPORTING SPONSORS:

pas-small

moss-adams-logo

pcb-logo

 

 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.

 

Media Advisory: Meet Our Region’s Super Entrepreneurs

For Immediate Release

Contact:

Caroline Cummings, Smart-ups Co-founder | Director of  Entrepreneurial Development at the Eugene Chamber of Commerce

carolineineugene@gmail.com | 541-968-2982

DM via Twitter @iamcarolina

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superman-E on chest

First-Ever Start-up Expo in Eugene, Oregon

The hottest/hippest super entrepreneurs will be showcasing their cool innovations on Aug 26th

 

Smart-ups, a program of the Eugene Chamber of Commerce, is hosting its first-ever Start-up Expo at the Valley River Inn on August 26, 2010 from 5:00 – 8:00 PM. Don’t miss the opportunity to meet our region’s coolest and hippest Super Entrepreneurs as they come out of their garages, back offices, home offices and university research labs, to showcase their start-up super powers.

WHO

Entrepreneurs — showcase their start-up companies, and share their entrepreneurial Super Powers with their peers, investors, service providers and the media. Industries represented include: software, clean/green tech, Internet-based, biotechnology and consumer goods.

Exhibiting Companies Currently Registered:

Arcimoto (electric vehicle)

Dune Sciences (nano technology)

Elements Naturals (natural, compostable baby wipes)

Floragenex (bio technology/planet genomics)

Forward Thinking (internet media and hardware)

Good Clean Love (consumer goods/natural intimacy products)

IDX, Inc (internet/real estate technology market)

Incisive (spreadsheet analysis solutions)

Investing Ventures (factor services/alternative commercial finance solutions)

Moonshadow Mobile (content management system/mobile-optimized Web site and mobile apps)

One Click Sports Now (internet/sports news advertising platform)

Opa Cove (consumer goods/fun-themed life jackets for kids)

Pharmacopia Herbals (consumer goods/herbal extracts)

Planet Verde (internet/sustainable e-commerce)

Precision Plant Systems (technology/agriculture field measurement hardware and software)

Rainwild Rehabilitation (medical devices/robotic-assisted fine-motor therapy device)

Restaurant Tech (internet/restaurant training software)

Sipping Dreams (consumer goods/drinkable chocolate)

UGo Furniture (consumer goods/easy-to-move and assemble furniture)

VizMe (social media)

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. 

Sponsors of this event include: Title (Endeavor Law Group); Supporting (Palo Alto Software, Moss Adams LLP, and Pacific Continental Bank).

WHAT:  

Smart-ups is a program of the Eugene Chamber of Commerce, and a chapter of the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network headquartered in Portland.  Smart-ups was started by two entrepreneurs in Feb 2008. Smart-ups hosts eight “pub-talks” a year where the focus is to provide emerging growth/traded sector start-up companies with education, access to capital and networking.  This Start-up Expo is our first event of this type and we will be featuring up to 20 start-up companies from our region.

WHERE:  

Valley River Inn, McKenzie Ballroom | 1000 Valley River Way, Eugene, OR 97401-2115

WHEN:  

Thursday, August 26, 2010 | 5 – 8PM

WHY:  

The Willamette Valley has numerous emerging growth start-up companies, but most people are not aware of these companies and/or the entrepreneurs starting, running and growing them. Many of these companies are started in garages, back offices, home-based offices and university labs – so they are under the radar of most people in the community. You may remember the Willamette Angel Conference that was hosted in Eugene for the first-time this past May – where Eugene-based start-up Good Clean Love walked away with a $165,000 seed investment prize. There are many “firsts” happening in our community related to supporting entrepreneurship. Don’t miss this next first!

This Start-up Expo will give people the opportunity to mingle with these Super Entrepreneurs and see the exciting new innovations coming out of our region. Investors, entrepreneurs, lawyers, bankers, accountants, educators, politicians, students, and people from the media are encouraged to attend this event.

HOW:  Online registration is closed – you can pay at the door…

Fees:

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

$15 for Eugene and Corvallis Chamber and SAO members

$10 for students

Table Space to Showcase Company: + $29 (when you display you get an extra free ticket into the event)

The following individuals are also available for interviews:

Dave Hauser | president of the Eugene Chamber of Commerce

Caroline Cummings | co-founder of Smart-ups, and leader of the Eugene Chamber’s entrepreneurial efforts; regional representative for the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network

Don Gerhart | associate vice president for research and innovation, UO, and member of the Eugene Chamber’s Entrepreneurial Advisory Board

Tim Berry | founder/president of Palo Alto Software, sponsor of Smart-ups, member of the Smart-ups Committee, and local angel investor

 

# # #

FREE EVENT: Start-up Speed Networking at WiN in Corvallis

November 11, 2010
4:00 pmto7:00 pm

5 Minutes of free advice from Start-up Experts!

sand timer hourglassLocation: CH2M HILL Alumni Center, Oregon State University, Corvallis

 

Register: This is a FREE event, but you should RSVP on the WiN networking site so they can track the number of attendees (food will be provided + cash bar)

 

*** Visit the Willamette Innovators Night Web site for more information ***

Smart-ups “Speed Start-up Networking“: Visit the Smart-ups Booth at the WiN event between 4:30 – 6:00pm to participate in a speed networking opportunity and get 5 minutes of free advice from from each the following emerging growth company experts:

 

Dean Hansen: Pacific Continental Bank, active angel investor, and coaches emerging growth companies for growth

Joacim Trybom: Moss Adams – specialty working with emerging growth companies

Marci Hansen: Palo Alto Software, awarded the “Guerrilla Marketer of the Year Award” from Brandweek Magazine

David Brabender/Katherine Moyer: Endeavor Law Group, specializing in legal work emerging growth companies – including securities law


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

TITLE SPONSOR:

endeavorlawlogo

 

SUPPORTING SPONSORS:

pas-small

moss-adams-logo

pcb-logo

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: Online registration is closed [$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:

endeavorlawlogo

 

SUPPORTING SPONSORS:

pas-small

moss-adams-logo

pcb-logo

 

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:

endeavorlawlogo

 

SUPPORTING SPONSORS:

pas-small

moss-adams-logo

pcb-logo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 New Rules of Angel Investing

I found this great article in the Small Business section of the New York Times website; “The New Rules of Angel Investing.” If your start-up is currently looking for capital I highly recommend this article! Even though times are tough, angel investing is still increasing. However, investors are “…picky and less tolerant of risk,” thus contributing less money. Get to reading so you learn how to secure some funding for your company!

Here are some quick tips from the article:

“Bootstrap as long as you can. Finding early ways to get revenue.”

“Get to break even quickly and remember that VC financing has gotten harder to obtain.”

“Be realistic about valuations. Be coachable.”

“Practice pitching and be prepared to make your case to dozens or hundreds of angels.”

“Look for angels who complement your strengths and can help you with more than money.”

 

 

“Meet the Investors” Pub-talk

At the October 1st Smart-ups “Meet Investors” Pub-talk at the Oregon Electric Station, attendees were able to gain insight from three Willamette Angel Conference investors.  Those investors were Tim Berry, founder of Palo Alto Software; Nick Fowler, founder of Orion Ventures, LCC and CEO of Perpetua Power Source Technologies; and Christopher Klemm, director of OSU’s Austin Entrepreneurship Program. Anne Carney Nelson, having experience in investing in young technology companies, was a great moderator in asking the investors why certain companies were chosen for (or won) the WAC and why some were not.

 

Some of the most helpful pieces of advice?

·      Tim: A thorough and to the point executive summary and a great pitch are essential.

·      Steve: Go where the venture capitalists aren’t; the markets where people aren’t begging for money. Market research is key and do your due diligence!

·      Chris: Get experience!

 

The business card selected at the end of the pub-talk to give a five-minute elevator pitch was that of Keern Haslem, founder of Hogan’s Angle.

 

On a side note, local start-up Acrimoto was a an exhibitor at last week’s Lane County Home Show and will be a vendor at next month’s Seattle Auto Show.