One 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!

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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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

# # #

1. Stay Top-of-Mind
2. Find New Talent
3. Crowdsource Solutions and Get Feedback
4. Promote Special Event You Host or Attend
5. Lead Local and Industry Thought

Be sure to read the rest of the article for the nitty-gritty know how.

What woman do you want to blog about and celebrate in technology and science? For me, it’s my Aunt Carol. She’s an amazing, all-knowing, all-seeing woman of all things computer related, especially Macs. She got me hooked on Twitter and is always there to help me through my technological glitches; she always keeps me learning. Learn more about Ada Lovelace Day and how to get involved at Finding Ada!

For me the biggest take away from the article was this quote: “Location matters for your startup, but it doesn’t define success. Hard work, smart execution, and the right team are far more important. Don’t compromise those things in your quest to find your perfect startup city.” On that note, what were some of the factors that played into you choosing a city to start your business?

You may think I’m wasting you’re time by posting some silly little tips about organization and efficiency, but think again. In the words of the author, Joe Ippolito, “The people who are succeeding are those who’ve found ways, methods, and routines to help them get things done.”

Check out the interview with some of the author’s favorite entrepreneurs from GOOD’s Diary of Social Venture Start-up. So all you entrepreneurs out there, get ‘er done (sorry, I couldn’t help myself)!

Being someone myself who will be unleashed into vast unknown (a.k.a., the scary job market) this June, I found this movie refreshing and inspiring. I hope you do too.