Whether you’re a local resident or an out-of-towner attending the 2014 Venture Madness Conference in March, you will experience Scottsdale at its best time of year. The weather is perfect – highs in the high 70s and nighttime lows in the mid 40s – and the desert is blooming with activity. “A major draw of […]
Albert Martinez, leader of the relationship management team at Silicon Valley Bank, provides solid advice to entrepreneurs looking to raise capital: What is your role at Silicon Valley Bank? I primarily work with early and mid-stage software and digital media companies. Silicon Valley Bank works with innovation companies in all tech and life science sectors and regions […]
The Venture Madness judges have deliberated and the verdict is in. It was no easy decision to select 64 finalists from the field of 119, as the quality of all applications was impressive. This is a true testament to the vibrant startup scene in the Southwest. Now that the 64 have been chosen, the first […]
Venture Madness is already living up to its name, with nearly 120 startups from five states across 26 different industries applying to compete in the inaugural event. Only 64 ventures will make the cut to be seeded in the first bracket, which will be announced on Jan. 30, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. MST. Follow the […]
The year 2014 could be The Year of the Startup. The SEC is poised to enact Title III of the JOBS Act, which would ease equity-based crowdfunding and loosen restrictions on the way businesses may solicit funds from investors. Arizona attorneys Michael Hool of Hool Law Group and Tom Curzon of Osborn Maledon were quoted […]
Your startup pitch video for Venture Madness 2014 does not have to be a professionally filmed production. In fact, the more genuine it is, the better chance voters will recognize you as the fledgling startup that you are. Skip the fancy stuff. You can create inexpensive footage on your own, using a smartphone, apps and […]
The elevator speech is the basis for the 90-second videos that Venture Madness judges and the voting public will use to advance startup companies through the brackets starting in February. The application videos are the most important part of the startups’ applications because not only will they be the voters’ first impressions, they will create […]
The concept of pooling resources to launch businesses, build buildings and support causes is nothing new. It’s been around for centuries, and in the last three years “crowdfunding” has become part of American pop culture thanks to sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo, which have produced some of the most noteworthy successes and failures. It’s important […]
In October, the SEC released a 585-page document that proposes rules for crowdfunding under Title III of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (JOBS Act). To be fair, about 20 pages refer to letters of comment from various legislators and government agencies, so you’d read only about 560 pages. The JOBS Act was enacted in […]
Crowdfunding became part of the pop culture lexicon in 2013 after a few projects gained fame, thanks to platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo. Five basic types of crowdfunding have emerged: equity, reward, gift, debt and revenue. First a look at two crowdfunding success stories. Crowdfunding Success Story Pebble Watch exceeded its $100,000 goal by a […]