2007 is behind us, and we’re all staring madly into a very promising 2008. And it is time for another StartupLounge.com Capital Connections event If you are an early-stage investor or entrepreneur in the Southeast United States, you won’t want to miss the party. We’re seeing 200-300 vetted attendees at these events, and we’re happy to report that deals are getting done and (more importantly) connections are being made that will serve everyone for years to come.

The thrice-yearly StartupLounge.com Capital Connections event now routinely draws a solid base of investors. Past attendees have included UPS, Imlay Investments, Croft-Bender, Southern Capitol Ventures, Chrysalis Ventures, Noro-Moseley, Atlanta Technology Angels, Smith Capital, Kinetic Ventures, Grotech, Leader Ventures, EGL Ventures, Monolith Capital Partners, and many others.

If you are a fast-growth entrepreneur in the Southeast U.S., or an investor who’d like to network among such innovators to scout for new deals, you won’t want to miss it.

For this next event, there will be some changes to the format:

1. There have been some changes to the application and acceptance process. We’ve done away with the two-step process (apply, then RSVP) and gone with a streamlined single-step process.
2. We’re seeing a lot more interest from emerging angel investors, and based on some suggestions from noted Atlanta angel Charlie Paparelli (now on the StartupLounge.com steering committee), we’re planning on hold an “AngelLounge” event a week before Capital Connections. If you are an angel investor, are are interested in joining us for a lunch/learn roundtable (meet other angels and get the lay of the land), please check the appropriate box on the application page.
3. Based upon feedback from both entrepreneurs and investors, we are introducing something new to the event. Investors will be let in an hour or so before entrepreneurs. This will afford investors with an opportunity to network among themselves prior to the event. Additionally, the StartupLounge.com team will hand-select a group of deals that will participate in a 2-minute “fast-pitch” on the microphone. No slides, no frills. Just two minutes presenting your deal to a room full of investors. After an hour of private networking and fast-pitching with the selected deals, we’ll open the venue to all attendees. Our goal here is threefold. First, we want to provide investors an opportunity to connect with each other, in a “less frenetic” environment. Second, we want to provide our investor attendees with a quick look at a handful of fresh (qualified) deals. Finally, the benefit to the entrepreneurial community is obvious. If you are interested in presenting your deal at the fast pitch pre-event, be sure to check the appropriate option on the application page.
4. Due to the logistics involved in throwing a party for 200-300 people every quarter, we are now going to close off registrations for the event a week or two before the actual event date. This will give us ample time to get name badges ready, and will allow the venue staff to prepare accordingly.
5. We are capping attendance from here on out. Fortunately (and I suppose unfortunately), the CapConn events have taken on a life of their own. And this means the venue is on the brink of getting filled to capacity. This has the side-effect of making it fairly difficult to navigate the room and find deals or investors. Therefore, we’ll be capping the attendance at around 225 people. What does this mean for everyone? It means you need to sign up sooner rather than later, in order to hold your spot!

The cost is still free, of course, and the room will be free of job-seekers and service-providers. However, we are seeking a few more sponsors to augment the sponsors we currently have. If your firm (or someone you know) is interested in helping us sponsor this event each quarter, please have them get in contact with us. Service-providers are welcome sponsors – in fact, it is the only way they can get in the room.

To apply to attend as an investor or entrepreneur/company, click here.

On a side, semi-related note … we’ll soon be rolling out a new web site here at StartupLounge.com.  In addition to providing a lot of tools and profile management (to help organize these events), it has evolved into a rather amazing new social networking and intelligence platform for early-stage entrepreneurs and investors. Stay tuned …
Cheers.