Venture Initiation and Entrepreneurship

for a wonderful class!

A brief review of what we discussed in class:

May 3rd:  Make-up class (review session) at the conference room in 161/163 William St., 21st Floor. 

May 10th:  Final exam. 

May 14th:  Project due (last day of finals).

As we’ve discussed  in class, what you choose to do for the final project is up to you.  The aim:  to give you a chance to use a class requirement to help you become a better entrepreneur.  Generally, the project should be 15-20 pages long.  Remember, though, that this is an entrepreneurship class, so if you want to create a website, podcasts or video, go to it.  

Examples: 

 You project could be . . .

• As in the original course description, a 15-20 page business plan for a real or imagined venture
• A marketing plan
• A detailed section or sections of a marketing or business plan
• An analytical assessment of potential new strategies for an existing business
• Research on a particularly interesting or problematic issue
• An analytical assessment of your goals + the prospects for meeting them or
• Whatever else you think might add value to your development as an entrepreneur.

If you have any uncertainty or questions, email me at jeff.trexler@gmail.com.   

From a Silicon Valley IP lawyer.

Startup Studio is a new series of podcasts featuring interviews with successful entrepreneurs.  Here’s a popular one with the founder of fashion biz Espirit.   Go to the main site for more.

This is a worthwhile talk, even if the sound is only so-so.

Check out the story linked at The Utube Blog.

One term we’ll talk about a bit this semester is “due diligence.”  When starting a new venture or acquiring an existing one, you want to conduct a thorough analysis of its viability and potential problems.

Due diligence is often treated as a huge waste of time by those charged to conduct it.   Yes, much of it is, and it’s often quite tedious, but it could make a real difference to your company’s wealth and your own. 

Case in point:  this account of a tech expert’s due diligence at Enron in 1999.  He had doubts, but the corporate jet seemed so impressive, and . . . . 

Let’s face it–there’s no end of advice for how to be a successful entrepreneur, and a lot of it is BS.  The video below, however, is pretty cool.  It’s only about three minutes long, but it’s pretty much everything you need to know.

Entrepreneurs seeking venture capital

Originally uploaded by YoChicago.