Effective Pitching
MIT Enterprise Forum DFW Chapter started 2010 with the January event: Effective Pitching. We wanted to provide entrepreneurs a well-rounded view of how to pitch to investors and how to handle sales in a Sales 2.0 age. Jeff Crilley shared great tips about how to pitch to journalists and get free publicity. With real life examples drawn from his career, Jeff offered valuable and practical information for entrepreneurs.
We plan to post video clips from the event soon. Here are some resources that entrepreneurs can benefit from.
- Pitching Hacks - Venture Hacks (PDF)
- Book: Free Publicity – Jeff Crilley – Link
- Art of the Start (Presentation) – Guy Kawasaki – PDF
- Outline of the talk from JR Atkins on Selling for Non-Sellers
- Sales 1.0 vs. Sales 2.0
- Who are you selling too?
- What are the needs of your prospect?
- Pull vs. Push
- The power of questions.
- What is your value proposition?
- Write and speak in the word of your prospect.
- How do you like to buy?
- KISS with details available
- Use visual images
- Use a simple leave behind.
- How do you define selling?
- What are the feelings associated with your product or service?
- Be aware of feelings vs. figures
- Be aware of Communication styles
Here’s the program summary.
As an entrepreneur you have often heard about the elevator pitch. There is more to pitching than 30 second pitches. It is critical for entrepreneurs to sell their ideas and products to customers and investors. Can you effectively communicate the value of your products and ideas? Do you know what does it take to sell to a CEO? What are the things that investors want to hear? Our panel of experts will share what works and what does not work.
Learn the rules for Effective Pitching with:
* Jeff Crilley, an Emmy award winning communication expert
* Laurence Briggs, President of InvestIn Forum, Private Investor Network
* JR Atkins, Sales specialist and social media speakerDate: Jan 28, 5.30pm.
Location: Company|Dallas, Floor 2, 1701 N Collins Blvd, Richardson TX 75080.
November Events – Entrepreneurship Week
In November MIT Enterprise Forum DFW teamed up with other area organizations to support the various activities related to Kaufman Foundation. Here are the details. Also check out our related blog posts.
Dallas Startup Weekend
Dates: Friday Nov 20- Sunday Nov 22, 2009.
Location: Infomart, 1950 Stemmon Freeway, Dallas 75207
As contributor to the Global Entrepreneurship Week, MIT Enterprise Forum is proud to support the first Startup Weekend in Dallas, scheduled for Nov 20-22. If you ever wondered about the startup scene in DFW or wanted to make connections with the entrepreneurs, this is the event for you.
Check out the video from Startup Weekend Dallas
Other November Events:
MIT Enterprise Forum DFW is supporting UTA, the local partner with Kauffman Foundation to participate in the week of “Unleashing Ideas” event.Nov 17 – Free event on Branding for Entrepreneurs. See details in this brochure.
Nov 18 – The Texas governor’s office is sponsoring a free, one-day event on November 18, 2009 organized by the Small Business Development Center for Enterprise Excellence headquartered at UTA’s ARRI campus. Details are here.
SBIR Workshop: Funding Your Innovations with Government Money
On Saturday, October 24, 2009, attendees of this limited space event heard about winning Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) awards. This highly interactive seminar discussed how to write winning proposals and how to deal with “registration” with the Government’s on line sites and the various required codes, numbers, and identifiers. Attendees learned what is involved in running an SBIR contract or grant and the significant benefits that an award brings to the winning firm. These include “sole source” treatment in certain Federal contracting situations, retention of “data rights,” including software by the firm, and ownership of principal worldwide rights to intellectual property. We will likely repeat this event in the near future. Here are the slides for the workshop.
Startups and Funding Panel – BizSpark Event
For those who could not make it to the September Event of MIT enterprise forum DFW chapter, here’s the first of a series of videos from the investor panel of the BizSpark program. Panelists, from left to right, are Brad Taylor from AUSUM, Brian Gorbett, part of the Microsoft Biz Spark team, Brent Sorrells, Operations Manager for TECH Fort Worth and Eric Engineer a Senior Associate wtih Sevin Rosen Funds. The panelists field questions about funding startups with angel investors and venture capital.
Here’s the complete video – about 35 minutes.
Produced for MIT Enterprise Forum by DaveCurlee Media
Aug 13 Event On Energy Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Join MIT Enterprise Forum of DFW and UT Arlington for an evening discussion with energy innovators and entrepreneurs about the future of the energy industry. Key research and market challenges will be explored that are central to the search for efficient and cost-effective renewable energy generation. Program includes a panel discussion and a video of the global broadcast on energy entrepreneurship and innovation by MIT.
RSVP: online by Saturday, August 9th. After that please contact us.
Cost: $20 includes sit-down dinner
Online registration is closed now – please contact organizers directly for registration.
Schedule:
Thursday August 13, 2009
6:00-6:30pm: Dinner & Networking
6:30-8:00pm: Program & discussion
Where:
The Carlisle Suite – University of Texas at Arlington
300 W 1st St., Arlington, TX 76010
Map: http://bit.ly/K3o69
Parking information is available here (lot 11 or lot 12). Please make sure that you don’t park in a reserved spot.
Contact:
Babar Bhatti
babar at alum.mit.edu
Karl Fultz
kfultz at uta.edu
Panelists:
Paul Dickerson, Partner, Haynes and Boone, LLP
Formally a senior official with DOE and a clean tech expert. Paul is a recognized leader and sought-after speaker on issues of clean tech and energy efficiency, launched Haynes and Boone’s Clean Tech practice group in 2008. Paul, a partner who offices in the firm’s Houston and D.C. offices, returned to the firm to launch the group, a new concentration for the firm that builds upon the firm’s broad experience in intellectual property, litigation, technology, financing and many other legal issues that companies in the nascent industry must face.
Paul served as Chief Operating Officer of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) from 2006 until his return to Haynes and Boone (where he worked as an associate from 2000 to 2005). He oversaw the EERE’s $1.8 billion budget and helped move alternative and renewable energy technologies from the “vision” stage to real-world development.
Ed Ireland, Executive Director, Barnett Shale Energy Education Council
Ed brings a combination of academics, industry and business experience. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Texas Tech University and was formerly a professor and head of the Department of Economics at Clemson University. His career includes 20 years in the oil and gas industry in Houston, Texas. Ed spends a majority of his time working with the community, from community leaders to neighborhood associations and schools.
Victor Liu, Vice President, Hunt Energy Enterprises, LLC
Prior to joining Hunt Power in 2006, Liu was active in high tech venture capital as a general partner with Vortex Partners and at Sevin Rosen Funds. He was active in internet infrastructure and wireless investment decisions that included Cyneta Networks, Navarro Networks, ipMobile, RealManage and GlobeRanger. Liu earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Southern Methodist University.
Moderator:
Dr. Richard E. Billo, UT Arlington, Professor-College of Engineering, Associate Dean of Engineering for Research-College of Engineering.
Dr. Billo is a known innovator in engineering education, receiving a commendation from the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology for his leadership in curriculum development. At Oregon State, he developed a new bachelor’s degree program in manufacturing engineering, created undergraduate options in information systems and business engineering, and modernized the graduate curriculum to include information systems, nanotechnology, management systems and manufacturing systems.
Also at Oregon State, Dr. Billo directed a $20 million fund raising campaign for nanoscience and microtechnology programs and secured more than $16 million in new research grants and gifts. Research expenditures tripled during his four years of leadership of the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering.
Navigating the Cloud: Finding Solutions That Make Sense for Your Business
Forum Date
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
About The Event
In today’s challenging business environment, it is imperative that leaders find solutions that can help with both cost cutting and the innovation needed to drive their business forward. Many leaders are turning to the “cloud” for solutions.
The cloud offers opportunities to leverage new productivity-enhancing applications quickly, lower ownership costs, manage risk, and better allocate internal IT resources. Within the cloud, there are many options for businesses of all sizes. Network with fellow thought leaders and join a discussion about emerging cloud options and how your business can put the cloud to work.
- Gain insight into available solutions and put its power to work for you
- Discover ways to boost productivity and interaction for your team while lowering costs
- Learn how different cloud options work with your existing technology
Moderated by Jason Pontin, Editor and Publisher of MIT Technology Review, and featuring Sean Poulley, VP for Online Collaboration Services for Lotus IBM, and Leon Kappelman, Professor of Information Systems, University of North Texas.
Location
IBM Innovation Center
13800 Diplomat Drive, Dallas, TX
Time
5:30 pm to 9.00 pm
5.30-7.00pm Networking & Refreshments
7.00-8.00pm Presentation & QA session
Fee
$30
Air Safety: Nothing but Blue Skies?
Do you want to experience the best of MIT? Do you want to meet the nation’s leading expert on aviation safety? Do you want to expand your professional network? Join MIT Club of DFW and MIT Enterprise Forum for an evening with Professor Arnie Barnett, recipient of several honors including the President’s Award from INFORMS, the President’s Citation from Flight Safety Foundation and eleven Teacher of the Year awards from MIT Sloan. Read more
Bootstrapping: Doing It Yourself
Program Date
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Event Description
In the best of times, entrepreneurs generally had several options to fund and grow their ventures. But in the current economic environment – with the credit crunch, the withering of investment portfolios, and the deepening recession – many of the traditional options have vanished. Enterprising entrepreneurs are on a new quest to grow their revenues streams without borrowing money or selling equity in this tough economy. One solution is “bootstrapping.”
Come join the Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter of the MIT Enterprise Forum for a five hour event on “Bootstrapping: Doing It Yourself.” The focus will be on starting and growing your own personal business with little or no outside investment. This event will be packed with practical knowledge about bootstrapping in tough times. Topics such as:
How to finance your business when traditional startup money is simply not available
How to generate revenue and sell your products and services with minimal resources
What are the operational challenges, and how to address them? Legal, accounting, benefits.
Who you need to start or grow your business and the available resources you can tap into.
Join us to network with successful entrepreneurs and service providers in the DFW area and get tips on how to bootstrap your business.
Speakers
Alexander Muse is a Dallas based serial entrepreneur with more than a decade of startup experience. His ShopSavvy application for Google’s Android phone won the Google Challenge in 2008. Alexander is actively involved with startups in area and has created Springstage, a network of community catalysts to promote entrepreneurship. See Alexander’s boostrapping presentation on slideshare.net.
Darlene Ryan is the executive director of Tech Fort Worth, a business incubator which helps entrepreneurs commercialize innovative technologies that will impact the environment, empower the community and improve healthcare. Darlene successfully bootstrapped a pharmaceutical manufacturing company. Darlene was named 2003 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in Life Sciences for North Texas and a 2004 Leading Woman Entrepreneur of the World.
Dan Owen is a Dallas venture capitalist and entrepreneur with extensive experience building successful digital media and technology businesses. Dan is a General Partner at HO2 Partners, which he co-founded in 1998. Dan is a senior advisor to EmFinders, a cellular-based emergency location service company. He is on the advisory committee for the North Texas Regional Commission for Innovation and Commercialization and is a member of World President’s Organization.
John Willding is an attorney with Haynes and Boone. John has a good deal of experience working with early stage start-up companies. See his presentation on Top 10 Legal Mistakes of Early-Stage Companies (pdf).
Brad Taylor is the principal at Ausum, a technology consulting and investment company. Brad will talk about low cost business, government and technical resources to jumpstart your business. Brad will be joined by Christian Ross who is managing director of TxGeeks.com, a web design and marketing firm. Presentation (~12 MB pdf)
Maryann Nichols is a business development specialist with the Small Business Administration (SBA) of DFW. Maryann is also SCORE liaison representative and has been with the federal service for 29 years.
Location
4835 LBJ Freeway, Suite 1000 (BravoTech)
Time
10am – 3pm
Fee
$25
