Standard Podcast [53:49m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Welcome to SL #18! In this show, we are joined by Genna Keller (of Trevelino-Keller Communications Group), who is also the co-founder of the Start-Up Council, a group in Atlanta that seeks to provide free mentoring and peer review for entrepreneurs. Genna was accompanied by Pat Huddleston, CEO of Investors Watchdog, one of the companies that has benefited through participation in the Start-Up Council.

As an added bonus Mike continues to earn a top spot in the rotation as he brings the heat again, this time by tossing business plan consultants under the bus. We round this show out with some of your emails, Capital Connections updates, & more!
Read the rest of this entry »

FYI – if you have signed up for PitchCamp this Wednesday, please note the time change.  It will be held at 2pm rather than 6:30pm.

Cheers.

 

 Standard Podcast [53:01m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Welcome to SL #17! In this show, we go one-on-one with Gregg Warren, the CEO of IVOX, winners of the 2007 TAG/GRA Business Launch Competition. Gregg shares his insights into the competition, how his company prepared for it, and what the impact has been on his company.

As an added bonus Mike takes his game to the “next level” and tosses someone under the bus. We also provide another update on our upcoming Capital Connections and PitchCamp events here in Atlanta.
Read the rest of this entry »

 

 Standard Podcast [70:44m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Welcome to SL #16! Sooner or later, every startup struggles with the issue of how best to offer healthcare benefits to their employees. We are joined in this episode by Angus Mcrae, a guy who does a ton of consulting and brokering for healthcare benefits for Atlanta-area high-tech startups (for companies like N2 Broadband/Tandberg, ViTrue, etc.)

As an added bonus we toss (under the bus) the knuckleheads holding up SB80 (the legislative bill that would allow the Georgia teacher’s pension fund to be invested in private equity). We also provide an update on our upcoming Capital Connections and PitchCamp events (as well as ATDC’s upcoming CapVenture program) here in Atlanta.
Read the rest of this entry »

In advance of the upcoming Fall date for Capital Connections, we are kicking it up a notch and offering a free training seminar called PitchCamp. PitchCamp is geared towards better preparing entrepreneurs to network with investors during Capital Connections (and other types of events). We wanted to do this before the last Capital Connections event, but we didn’t have time to adequately pull it all together.

The training will focus on four key areas:

1. The Elevator Pitch (led by Warren Bare, CEO, Jobkabob)
2. The Mythical One Pager (led By Scott Burkett, StartupLounge.com)
3. Investor Networking (led By Michael Blake, Adams Capital)
4. The Follow-up (led By Andy Monin, CEO, Vendormate)

We’ll cover a ton of stuff, including:

• how to craft an elevator pitch
• creating a dashboard-based one pager for your business
• expectations of today’s investors
• how to approach investors at the event
• how to fast pitch your company
• how to “read” an investor
• when to call investors back and when to back off
• how to approach the follow-up in-person pitch (including what it should look like).

The seminar will be held at the Atlanta offices of Adams Capital (near Galleria).

Slots are limited to around 20 or 30 (we’re still deciding), so if you’re interested in participating, let us know so we can get you on the list for consideration. NOTE: You must have already been approved for attendance at the Capital Connections event in order to apply for PitchCamp!

Cheers.