CU New Venture Challenge http://cunvc.org Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:46:08 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 NVC Boot Camp 1.18.12 http://cunvc.org/2011/save-the-date-entrepreneurs-boot-camp-1-18-12/ http://cunvc.org/2011/save-the-date-entrepreneurs-boot-camp-1-18-12/#comments Wed, 16 Nov 2011 19:42:36 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1156

(Read More...)]]> Attend CU New Venture Challenge Boot Camp to boost your chances of developing a successful business plan. January 18, 2012, 3-7pm, ATLAS Register today-- click here This CU New Venture Challenge (NVC) boot camp offers an intensive workshop in entrepreneurship basics taught by CU instructors and professional entrepreneurs. You’ll get tips and insights on various aspects of planning, starting, successfully pitching, and gaining funding for your new venture. Don’t miss this half-day session to get answers to your questions for whatever kind of business you want to start! Schedule The program starts at 3:00pm. Special sessions start at 5:15pm. Networking and refreshments at 6:30pm. Open to all. Come for some or all of the event. Who should attend? 
  • Anyone thinking about an idea for a new business
  • Anyone currently writing a business plan
  • Anyone wanting to learn more about startups
  • Anyone planning to participate in the CU New Venture Challenge business plan competition (Deadline: March 8; Competition: April 5)
NVC Boot Camp will teach you how to incorporate various business functions into your business plan and startup idea. Topics include: Business plan preparation, marketing, financial considerations for entrepreneurs, bootstrapping/funding, presentation + special sessions on starting a new venture in Cleantech, IT, Music, or for Social Impact. Contact: info@cunvc.org]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/save-the-date-entrepreneurs-boot-camp-1-18-12/feed/ 0 NVC Launch Night! Tue, Nov 15, 6pm http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-launch-night-tue-nov-15-6pm/ http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-launch-night-tue-nov-15-6pm/#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 03:47:31 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1089

(Read More...)]]> Learn how to get started on your new venture at NVC Launch Night 11.15.11

Tuesday, November 15, 6pm at Wolf Law Courtroom

Learn what it takes to turn an idea into a business concept. This NVC course focuses on developing a business plan and pitch for any idea. Frank Moyes, senior CU entrepreneurship professor and director of CU Cross Campus Entrepreneurship Education will present the basics to help all NVC teams successfully launch into the New Venture Challenge. Networking at 5:30pm, presentation at 6:00pm, light refreshments, Wolf Law Courtroom. Register Here Agenda with benefits (resource list, business model canvas outline, presentation tips): NVC Launch Night Agenda 15Nov'11 Business Model Canvas: business_model_canvas_poster Workshop presentation slides from Frank Moyes: NVC 11-15-11 presentation_WritingGreatBusinessPlans]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-launch-night-tue-nov-15-6pm/feed/ 0 Looking to build or join an NVC team? http://cunvc.org/2011/looking-to-build-or-join-an-nvc-team/ http://cunvc.org/2011/looking-to-build-or-join-an-nvc-team/#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 03:10:20 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1083

(Read More...)]]> http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com/), any team wanting to recruit additional members will be listed on the "Find a Team" page. Anyone interested in joining a team should visit the "Find a Team" page to find contact information for teams they are interested in joining. Build or Join a Team Any team recruiting additional team members should complete a survey to submit details: Click here to submit business details  ]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/looking-to-build-or-join-an-nvc-team/feed/ 0 PITCH NIGHT! Tuesday, November 8, 6pm http://cunvc.org/2011/pitch-night-tuesday-november-8-6pm/ http://cunvc.org/2011/pitch-night-tuesday-november-8-6pm/#comments Mon, 31 Oct 2011 20:32:48 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1061

(Read More...)]]> Have an idea but need help developing it? Pitch your idea!  

Don't have an idea but want to join a team? Find a team at Pitch Night!

  Pitch Night is not only an opportunity to form teams, but also to meet some of NVC's mentors. Approximately 30 business mentors will attend Pitch Night - teams can connect with mentors to get guidance on their business plans.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011 CU Wolf Law Courtroom 6:00p start / 5:30p networking

Attend or present at Pitch Night: (http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com)

Instructions for anyone wanting to present, join a team, or see what they missed:

Instructions for PRESENTERS All registered presenters get 1 minute to pitch with an option of submitting a presentation slide (by Nov. 5). Please RSVP to pitch by Monday, November 7, 11:59pm. 1) RSVP for Pitch Night (http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com) and check "Yes" to "Are you planning to pitch a business idea?" 2) Submit your business idea and presentation slide: Presenters submit a business description for inclusion on the NVC website. Presenters may also submit 1 PowerPoint slide for addition to the NVC presentation, optional (only slides submitted by 11:59pm, Saturday, November 5 will be included in the Pitch Night presentation).  Submit your description and slide here: http://bit.ly/nvcpitch 3) Plan a 1-minute pitch, including a description of your business idea and what skills sets you're looking to add to your team. 4) Attend Pitch Night on Tuesday, November 8. 5) Plan to stick around the Wolf Law café after the event to talk to anyone interested in learning more about your idea. We'll help organize the room so that people can easily find you.   Instructions for ANYONE LOOKING TO JOIN A TEAM 1) Attend Pitch Night (rsvp: http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com) 2) Write down the # of any idea you'd like to follow up on. 3) Stop by the Wolf Law café after the Pitch Night event to find the presenters (organized by #). Most presenters will be in the café to connect with anyone interested in joining their team.   Instructions for THOSE WHO MISSED Pitch Night 1) Want to join a team? Visit http://cunvc.org/findateam after the event to see a list of teams looking for team members. 2) Want to find team members? Get your business idea listed on the CUNVC website. Submit at: http://bit.ly/nvcpitch]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/pitch-night-tuesday-november-8-6pm/feed/ 0 NVC Kickoff Was a Great Success! http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-kickoff-was-a-great-success/ http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-kickoff-was-a-great-success/#comments Thu, 27 Oct 2011 00:55:46 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1056

(Read More...)]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-kickoff-was-a-great-success/feed/ 0 NVC is kicking off on October 25! http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-is-kicking-off-on-october-25/ http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-is-kicking-off-on-october-25/#comments Mon, 10 Oct 2011 01:18:44 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=931

(Read More...)]]> Interested in startups?  Want to connect to top entrepreneurs in the area? The New Venture Challenge is gearing up for another exciting year! Join us for our Kickoff night at 6:00 p.m. (networking at 5:30) on Tuesday, October 25 in the courtroom of the Wolf Law Building.  Sign up for Kickoff night here http://nvckickoff.eventbrite.com/ The NVC is a cross-campus business plan competition that gives students an excellent opportunity to:
  • Learn about how to develop business ideas into viable plans;
  • Develop meaningful connections with Boulder business leaders and mentors;
  • Meet other business-minded CU students across campus (including students from Leeds, Computer Science, Engineering, Law, and Music); and
  • Win prize money and other in-kind benefits (last year’s 1st place team won ,000)
Whether you have a business idea that you want to put into practice, want to contribute your skills to help develop someone else’s idea, or just want an opportunity for business mentorship and networking, the NVC is a great way to get involved in the CU and greater Boulder business community. This year’s kickoff will feature one of Boulder's most engaging and dynamic entrepreneurs: Orbotix CEO Paul Berberian.  Pre-event networking starts at 5:30 in Wolf Law on Tuesday, October 25 with a formal start at 6:00. Stick around after the main event for networking and light refreshments. In addition to Kickoff on October 25, we have scheduled Pitch Night for November 8, also at 5:30 in the courtroom of Wolf Law.  Have an idea but need help developing it? Pitch your idea! Don't have an idea but want to join a team? Connect with one of the pitchers! Pitch Night is not only an opportunity to form teams, but also to find mentors.  There will be approximately 30 business mentors in attendance - teams can connect with mentors for guidance on their business plans. Unlike in previous years, this year’s NVC will contain separate competitive tracks divided by industry; we will have four tracks: information technology, clean tech, music & arts, and social ventures.  After Pitch Night, teams will develop their plans for a spring competition in their respective industry track; winners from each track will go onto cross-campus finals, set for March 15.  WHATEVER YOUR IDEA, YOU CAN COMPETE IN ONE OF THE TRACKS.   To learn more, come to the NVC Kickoff on October 25 at 5:30 p.m. in the Wolf Law Building and to NVC Pitch Night on November 8 (also at 5:30 p.m. in the Wolf Law Building). Kickoff Sign Up http://nvckickoff.eventbrite.com/ Pitch Night Sign Up http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com/ If you have more specific questions in advance of Kickoff, email Dave Mangum: dcmangum@gmail.com or Jacqui Dietrich jacquelyn.dietrich@colorado.edu]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-is-kicking-off-on-october-25/feed/ 0 Packed House at 3rd Annual NVC Championships! http://cunvc.org/2011/packed-house-at-3rd-annual-nvc-championships/ http://cunvc.org/2011/packed-house-at-3rd-annual-nvc-championships/#comments Mon, 14 Mar 2011 17:04:33 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=887

(Read More...)]]> The Third Annual New Venture Challenge Championships were a huge success, bringing over 200 people to campus for the wild-card and semi-final rounds, job fair, final presentations, and reception! With great support across campus, there were many prizes given not only for the best business plans overall, but also for categories including music, clean tech, and social entrepreneurship. The top prize of ,000 went to Green Truck for their local organic soil plan, with second prize of ,000 going to Clean Plate for reusable take-out food containers and the ,000 third prize to L'Esperance for sustainable orphanage funding based on dried fruit production. Learn more about these teams in the Boulder County Business Report article, view photos of the event here, and read on below for further details and a video of the event! Brad Bernthal of the Silicon Flatirons Center began the Championships with an introduction of New Venture Challenge partners including the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, ATLAS, the Entrepreneurship Center for Music, e-Ship and e-Space, the Interdisciplinary Telecommunications Program, and the Center for Education on Social Responsibility. He also thanked sponsors such as Zayo Group and First Western Trust Bank, and introduced the judges for the finals including Nancy Pierce of Keld, LLC,; Tim Connor, a partner of Sequel Venture Partners and chief financial officer and vice president of business strategy of Boulder Wind Power Inc.; Ken desGarennes, chief financial officer of Zayo Group; and Nathan Seidle, CEO of SparkFun Electronics Inc., an online-retailer of electronic components. Following the first team presentation, Beth Hartman of Silicon Flatirons presented the "Almost Alumni Awards" to a few business leaders who were involved in the New Venture Challenge without officially entering the competition and then went on to become successful entrepreneurs. These prizes were designed to recognize the idea that whether or not a team wins a prize, or even decides not to officially submit a business plan, the important part of the CU New Venture Challenge is to learn more about the process of starting a business and get involved with entrepreneurship in the local community! The awards went to Nate Abbott and Natty Zola of Everlater, a travel blogging company that they developed with the support of TechStars, and Nick Little of Forge Aeronautics, which focuses on providing customers with the ability to easily access spatial information in real-time using the web-browser and manned and unmanned aircraft systems. Before the final presentation, Jacqui Dietrich of the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship presented the "CU Alumni Awards" to two university graduates who both started their own companies while they were still students. Sarah Schupp launched University Parent while she was still a freshman, and Nathan Seidle maxed out his ,500 student credit card to start SparkFun out of his college apartment. He later moved to a bigger house but decided that they would probably need to transition from a house to an office when using the printer one day, in addition to all the other electronic devices they were experimenting with, caused the entire basement to plunge into darkness. The company now has almost 100 employees and is well known for creative marketing, interesting projects, and fun events. The event concluded with a keynote address from Ryan Martens of Rally Software, the presentation of the awards, and a reception in the new Center for Community building. Congratulations once again to everyone who got involved this year with the CU New Venture Challenge! We are already looking forward to another exciting competition next year.
]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/packed-house-at-3rd-annual-nvc-championships/feed/ 0 Record Number of Business Plans Submitted! http://cunvc.org/2011/record-number-of-business-plans-submitted/ http://cunvc.org/2011/record-number-of-business-plans-submitted/#comments Thu, 03 Mar 2011 20:03:35 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=877

(Read More...)]]> The Third Annual New Venture Challenge received a record number of business plan submissions, with a 50% increase over last year's numbers! Kudos to everyone for taking the time to get involved in the CU NVC this year.  Each year, there are many entrepreneurs that go through the CU NVC process but do not participate in the presentation round, and then refine their plan and take it forward in an impressive way.  The purpose of the CU NVC is to stimulate engagement in entrepreneurship and we encourage everyone to remain focused on the objective of engaging CU students and faculty in entrepreneurship.  We hope that this year’s series of workshops, mentor matching, and events has been helpful! In addition to the great quantity of plans submitted this year, the quality of the plans was also extremely high, making the selection process very difficult. Read on below for more on some of the great ideas that the judges selected to continue to the presentation round next week, and make sure to register to attend the Championships on Thursday, March 10th at 5:30pm in the Wolf Law Building! The business plans selected ranged from online video tutoring services to Chilean potato chips, with everything from renewable energy platforms to party clean-up crews in between. One team has even partnered with Habitat for Humanity to provide hands-on LEED certification training! The creativity of all the plans was simply amazing, and the range in topics was equally remarkable. If the judges who read through the business plans had a hard time deciding, those who evaluate the live presentations next week will almost certainly have at least as much trouble! Join us on Thursday, March 10th at 5:30pm in the Wolf Law Building to see which three teams make it through to the Final Championships! We will also be recognizing CU graduates who have gone on to start their own businesses such as Sarah Schupp of University Parent and Nathan Seidle of SparkFun. Finally, if you're interested in working for a start-up like Next Big Sound or Everlater, show up early for the job fair that starts at 4pm on the second floor in the law school cafe!]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/record-number-of-business-plans-submitted/feed/ 0 Local Entrepreneurship Gains Momentum http://cunvc.org/2011/local-entrepreneurship-gains-momentum/ http://cunvc.org/2011/local-entrepreneurship-gains-momentum/#comments Thu, 03 Feb 2011 19:11:31 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=831

(Read More...)]]> With only two workshops remaining before business plans for the third annual New Venture Challenge are due at the end of February, the increase in entrepreneurial momentum on campus reflects a growing start-up scene in the community overall. This week alone, President Obama announced the launch of Startup America, a national campaign to celebrate, inspire, and accelerate high-growth entrepreneurship across all corners of the country based on Boulder's own TechStars Network. At the same time, NBC did a series called Opportunity USA featuring Boulder as a center for entrepreneurship, including a piece highlighting Brad Bernthal of Silicon Flatirons and a segment on Nate Abbott and Natty Zola of Everlater, a company they started after participating in the first New Venture Challenge and then continuing on with TechStars (the good part of the video starts at around 4 minutes in). Finally, NVC partner eSpace was featured on TechCrunch for making aerospace a start-up friendly industry, and web-based companies in downtown Boulder are organizing to work with the city on internet tax issues. The next NVC workshop is for finance at 6pm in ATLAS 100 on Wednesday, February 16th, followed by the final workshop on pitching the following Wednesday, February 23rd at the same time and place. Both of these workshops will feature an opportunity to receive individual feedback on business plans from business professionals, mentors, and MBA students, so bring your drafts if you've got them! You can also submit your draft for feedback here. Finally, remember to save the date for the final competition on the evening of Thursday, March 10th in the Wolf Law Building!]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/local-entrepreneurship-gains-momentum/feed/ 0 Mentor Matching Launches Entrepreneurs Forward http://cunvc.org Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:46:08 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 CU New Venture Challenge http://cunvc.org Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:46:08 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 NVC Boot Camp 1.18.12 http://cunvc.org/2011/save-the-date-entrepreneurs-boot-camp-1-18-12/ http://cunvc.org/2011/save-the-date-entrepreneurs-boot-camp-1-18-12/#comments Wed, 16 Nov 2011 19:42:36 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1156

(Read More...)]]> Attend CU New Venture Challenge Boot Camp to boost your chances of developing a successful business plan. January 18, 2012, 3-7pm, ATLAS Register today-- click here This CU New Venture Challenge (NVC) boot camp offers an intensive workshop in entrepreneurship basics taught by CU instructors and professional entrepreneurs. You’ll get tips and insights on various aspects of planning, starting, successfully pitching, and gaining funding for your new venture. Don’t miss this half-day session to get answers to your questions for whatever kind of business you want to start! Schedule The program starts at 3:00pm. Special sessions start at 5:15pm. Networking and refreshments at 6:30pm. Open to all. Come for some or all of the event. Who should attend? 
  • Anyone thinking about an idea for a new business
  • Anyone currently writing a business plan
  • Anyone wanting to learn more about startups
  • Anyone planning to participate in the CU New Venture Challenge business plan competition (Deadline: March 8; Competition: April 5)
NVC Boot Camp will teach you how to incorporate various business functions into your business plan and startup idea. Topics include: Business plan preparation, marketing, financial considerations for entrepreneurs, bootstrapping/funding, presentation + special sessions on starting a new venture in Cleantech, IT, Music, or for Social Impact. Contact: info@cunvc.org]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/save-the-date-entrepreneurs-boot-camp-1-18-12/feed/ 0 NVC Launch Night! Tue, Nov 15, 6pm http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-launch-night-tue-nov-15-6pm/ http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-launch-night-tue-nov-15-6pm/#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 03:47:31 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1089

(Read More...)]]> Learn how to get started on your new venture at NVC Launch Night 11.15.11

Tuesday, November 15, 6pm at Wolf Law Courtroom

Learn what it takes to turn an idea into a business concept. This NVC course focuses on developing a business plan and pitch for any idea. Frank Moyes, senior CU entrepreneurship professor and director of CU Cross Campus Entrepreneurship Education will present the basics to help all NVC teams successfully launch into the New Venture Challenge. Networking at 5:30pm, presentation at 6:00pm, light refreshments, Wolf Law Courtroom. Register Here Agenda with benefits (resource list, business model canvas outline, presentation tips): NVC Launch Night Agenda 15Nov'11 Business Model Canvas: business_model_canvas_poster Workshop presentation slides from Frank Moyes: NVC 11-15-11 presentation_WritingGreatBusinessPlans]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-launch-night-tue-nov-15-6pm/feed/ 0 Looking to build or join an NVC team? http://cunvc.org/2011/looking-to-build-or-join-an-nvc-team/ http://cunvc.org/2011/looking-to-build-or-join-an-nvc-team/#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 03:10:20 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1083

(Read More...)]]> http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com/), any team wanting to recruit additional members will be listed on the "Find a Team" page. Anyone interested in joining a team should visit the "Find a Team" page to find contact information for teams they are interested in joining. Build or Join a Team Any team recruiting additional team members should complete a survey to submit details: Click here to submit business details  ]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/looking-to-build-or-join-an-nvc-team/feed/ 0 PITCH NIGHT! Tuesday, November 8, 6pm http://cunvc.org/2011/pitch-night-tuesday-november-8-6pm/ http://cunvc.org/2011/pitch-night-tuesday-november-8-6pm/#comments Mon, 31 Oct 2011 20:32:48 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1061

(Read More...)]]> Have an idea but need help developing it? Pitch your idea!  

Don't have an idea but want to join a team? Find a team at Pitch Night!

  Pitch Night is not only an opportunity to form teams, but also to meet some of NVC's mentors. Approximately 30 business mentors will attend Pitch Night - teams can connect with mentors to get guidance on their business plans.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011 CU Wolf Law Courtroom 6:00p start / 5:30p networking

Attend or present at Pitch Night: (http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com)

Instructions for anyone wanting to present, join a team, or see what they missed:

Instructions for PRESENTERS All registered presenters get 1 minute to pitch with an option of submitting a presentation slide (by Nov. 5). Please RSVP to pitch by Monday, November 7, 11:59pm. 1) RSVP for Pitch Night (http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com) and check "Yes" to "Are you planning to pitch a business idea?" 2) Submit your business idea and presentation slide: Presenters submit a business description for inclusion on the NVC website. Presenters may also submit 1 PowerPoint slide for addition to the NVC presentation, optional (only slides submitted by 11:59pm, Saturday, November 5 will be included in the Pitch Night presentation).  Submit your description and slide here: http://bit.ly/nvcpitch 3) Plan a 1-minute pitch, including a description of your business idea and what skills sets you're looking to add to your team. 4) Attend Pitch Night on Tuesday, November 8. 5) Plan to stick around the Wolf Law café after the event to talk to anyone interested in learning more about your idea. We'll help organize the room so that people can easily find you.   Instructions for ANYONE LOOKING TO JOIN A TEAM 1) Attend Pitch Night (rsvp: http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com) 2) Write down the # of any idea you'd like to follow up on. 3) Stop by the Wolf Law café after the Pitch Night event to find the presenters (organized by #). Most presenters will be in the café to connect with anyone interested in joining their team.   Instructions for THOSE WHO MISSED Pitch Night 1) Want to join a team? Visit http://cunvc.org/findateam after the event to see a list of teams looking for team members. 2) Want to find team members? Get your business idea listed on the CUNVC website. Submit at: http://bit.ly/nvcpitch]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/pitch-night-tuesday-november-8-6pm/feed/ 0 NVC Kickoff Was a Great Success! http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-kickoff-was-a-great-success/ http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-kickoff-was-a-great-success/#comments Thu, 27 Oct 2011 00:55:46 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1056

(Read More...)]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-kickoff-was-a-great-success/feed/ 0 NVC is kicking off on October 25! http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-is-kicking-off-on-october-25/ http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-is-kicking-off-on-october-25/#comments Mon, 10 Oct 2011 01:18:44 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=931

(Read More...)]]> Interested in startups?  Want to connect to top entrepreneurs in the area? The New Venture Challenge is gearing up for another exciting year! Join us for our Kickoff night at 6:00 p.m. (networking at 5:30) on Tuesday, October 25 in the courtroom of the Wolf Law Building.  Sign up for Kickoff night here http://nvckickoff.eventbrite.com/ The NVC is a cross-campus business plan competition that gives students an excellent opportunity to:
  • Learn about how to develop business ideas into viable plans;
  • Develop meaningful connections with Boulder business leaders and mentors;
  • Meet other business-minded CU students across campus (including students from Leeds, Computer Science, Engineering, Law, and Music); and
  • Win prize money and other in-kind benefits (last year’s 1st place team won ,000)
Whether you have a business idea that you want to put into practice, want to contribute your skills to help develop someone else’s idea, or just want an opportunity for business mentorship and networking, the NVC is a great way to get involved in the CU and greater Boulder business community. This year’s kickoff will feature one of Boulder's most engaging and dynamic entrepreneurs: Orbotix CEO Paul Berberian.  Pre-event networking starts at 5:30 in Wolf Law on Tuesday, October 25 with a formal start at 6:00. Stick around after the main event for networking and light refreshments. In addition to Kickoff on October 25, we have scheduled Pitch Night for November 8, also at 5:30 in the courtroom of Wolf Law.  Have an idea but need help developing it? Pitch your idea! Don't have an idea but want to join a team? Connect with one of the pitchers! Pitch Night is not only an opportunity to form teams, but also to find mentors.  There will be approximately 30 business mentors in attendance - teams can connect with mentors for guidance on their business plans. Unlike in previous years, this year’s NVC will contain separate competitive tracks divided by industry; we will have four tracks: information technology, clean tech, music & arts, and social ventures.  After Pitch Night, teams will develop their plans for a spring competition in their respective industry track; winners from each track will go onto cross-campus finals, set for March 15.  WHATEVER YOUR IDEA, YOU CAN COMPETE IN ONE OF THE TRACKS.   To learn more, come to the NVC Kickoff on October 25 at 5:30 p.m. in the Wolf Law Building and to NVC Pitch Night on November 8 (also at 5:30 p.m. in the Wolf Law Building). Kickoff Sign Up http://nvckickoff.eventbrite.com/ Pitch Night Sign Up http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com/ If you have more specific questions in advance of Kickoff, email Dave Mangum: dcmangum@gmail.com or Jacqui Dietrich jacquelyn.dietrich@colorado.edu]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-is-kicking-off-on-october-25/feed/ 0 Packed House at 3rd Annual NVC Championships! http://cunvc.org/2011/packed-house-at-3rd-annual-nvc-championships/ http://cunvc.org/2011/packed-house-at-3rd-annual-nvc-championships/#comments Mon, 14 Mar 2011 17:04:33 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=887

(Read More...)]]> The Third Annual New Venture Challenge Championships were a huge success, bringing over 200 people to campus for the wild-card and semi-final rounds, job fair, final presentations, and reception! With great support across campus, there were many prizes given not only for the best business plans overall, but also for categories including music, clean tech, and social entrepreneurship. The top prize of ,000 went to Green Truck for their local organic soil plan, with second prize of ,000 going to Clean Plate for reusable take-out food containers and the ,000 third prize to L'Esperance for sustainable orphanage funding based on dried fruit production. Learn more about these teams in the Boulder County Business Report article, view photos of the event here, and read on below for further details and a video of the event! Brad Bernthal of the Silicon Flatirons Center began the Championships with an introduction of New Venture Challenge partners including the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, ATLAS, the Entrepreneurship Center for Music, e-Ship and e-Space, the Interdisciplinary Telecommunications Program, and the Center for Education on Social Responsibility. He also thanked sponsors such as Zayo Group and First Western Trust Bank, and introduced the judges for the finals including Nancy Pierce of Keld, LLC,; Tim Connor, a partner of Sequel Venture Partners and chief financial officer and vice president of business strategy of Boulder Wind Power Inc.; Ken desGarennes, chief financial officer of Zayo Group; and Nathan Seidle, CEO of SparkFun Electronics Inc., an online-retailer of electronic components. Following the first team presentation, Beth Hartman of Silicon Flatirons presented the "Almost Alumni Awards" to a few business leaders who were involved in the New Venture Challenge without officially entering the competition and then went on to become successful entrepreneurs. These prizes were designed to recognize the idea that whether or not a team wins a prize, or even decides not to officially submit a business plan, the important part of the CU New Venture Challenge is to learn more about the process of starting a business and get involved with entrepreneurship in the local community! The awards went to Nate Abbott and Natty Zola of Everlater, a travel blogging company that they developed with the support of TechStars, and Nick Little of Forge Aeronautics, which focuses on providing customers with the ability to easily access spatial information in real-time using the web-browser and manned and unmanned aircraft systems. Before the final presentation, Jacqui Dietrich of the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship presented the "CU Alumni Awards" to two university graduates who both started their own companies while they were still students. Sarah Schupp launched University Parent while she was still a freshman, and Nathan Seidle maxed out his ,500 student credit card to start SparkFun out of his college apartment. He later moved to a bigger house but decided that they would probably need to transition from a house to an office when using the printer one day, in addition to all the other electronic devices they were experimenting with, caused the entire basement to plunge into darkness. The company now has almost 100 employees and is well known for creative marketing, interesting projects, and fun events. The event concluded with a keynote address from Ryan Martens of Rally Software, the presentation of the awards, and a reception in the new Center for Community building. Congratulations once again to everyone who got involved this year with the CU New Venture Challenge! We are already looking forward to another exciting competition next year.
]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/packed-house-at-3rd-annual-nvc-championships/feed/ 0 Record Number of Business Plans Submitted! http://cunvc.org/2011/record-number-of-business-plans-submitted/ http://cunvc.org/2011/record-number-of-business-plans-submitted/#comments Thu, 03 Mar 2011 20:03:35 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=877

(Read More...)]]> The Third Annual New Venture Challenge received a record number of business plan submissions, with a 50% increase over last year's numbers! Kudos to everyone for taking the time to get involved in the CU NVC this year.  Each year, there are many entrepreneurs that go through the CU NVC process but do not participate in the presentation round, and then refine their plan and take it forward in an impressive way.  The purpose of the CU NVC is to stimulate engagement in entrepreneurship and we encourage everyone to remain focused on the objective of engaging CU students and faculty in entrepreneurship.  We hope that this year’s series of workshops, mentor matching, and events has been helpful! In addition to the great quantity of plans submitted this year, the quality of the plans was also extremely high, making the selection process very difficult. Read on below for more on some of the great ideas that the judges selected to continue to the presentation round next week, and make sure to register to attend the Championships on Thursday, March 10th at 5:30pm in the Wolf Law Building! The business plans selected ranged from online video tutoring services to Chilean potato chips, with everything from renewable energy platforms to party clean-up crews in between. One team has even partnered with Habitat for Humanity to provide hands-on LEED certification training! The creativity of all the plans was simply amazing, and the range in topics was equally remarkable. If the judges who read through the business plans had a hard time deciding, those who evaluate the live presentations next week will almost certainly have at least as much trouble! Join us on Thursday, March 10th at 5:30pm in the Wolf Law Building to see which three teams make it through to the Final Championships! We will also be recognizing CU graduates who have gone on to start their own businesses such as Sarah Schupp of University Parent and Nathan Seidle of SparkFun. Finally, if you're interested in working for a start-up like Next Big Sound or Everlater, show up early for the job fair that starts at 4pm on the second floor in the law school cafe!]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/record-number-of-business-plans-submitted/feed/ 0 Local Entrepreneurship Gains Momentum http://cunvc.org/2011/local-entrepreneurship-gains-momentum/ http://cunvc.org/2011/local-entrepreneurship-gains-momentum/#comments Thu, 03 Feb 2011 19:11:31 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=831

(Read More...)]]> With only two workshops remaining before business plans for the third annual New Venture Challenge are due at the end of February, the increase in entrepreneurial momentum on campus reflects a growing start-up scene in the community overall. This week alone, President Obama announced the launch of Startup America, a national campaign to celebrate, inspire, and accelerate high-growth entrepreneurship across all corners of the country based on Boulder's own TechStars Network. At the same time, NBC did a series called Opportunity USA featuring Boulder as a center for entrepreneurship, including a piece highlighting Brad Bernthal of Silicon Flatirons and a segment on Nate Abbott and Natty Zola of Everlater, a company they started after participating in the first New Venture Challenge and then continuing on with TechStars (the good part of the video starts at around 4 minutes in). Finally, NVC partner eSpace was featured on TechCrunch for making aerospace a start-up friendly industry, and web-based companies in downtown Boulder are organizing to work with the city on internet tax issues. The next NVC workshop is for finance at 6pm in ATLAS 100 on Wednesday, February 16th, followed by the final workshop on pitching the following Wednesday, February 23rd at the same time and place. Both of these workshops will feature an opportunity to receive individual feedback on business plans from business professionals, mentors, and MBA students, so bring your drafts if you've got them! You can also submit your draft for feedback here. Finally, remember to save the date for the final competition on the evening of Thursday, March 10th in the Wolf Law Building!]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/local-entrepreneurship-gains-momentum/feed/ 0 Mentor Matching Launches Entrepreneurs Forward http://cunvc.org/2011/save-the-date-entrepreneurs-boot-camp-1-18-12/ http://cunvc.org/2011/save-the-date-entrepreneurs-boot-camp-1-18-12/#comments Wed, 16 Nov 2011 19:42:36 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1156

(Read More...)]]> Attend CU New Venture Challenge Boot Camp to boost your chances of developing a successful business plan. January 18, 2012, 3-7pm, ATLAS Register today-- click here This CU New Venture Challenge (NVC) boot camp offers an intensive workshop in entrepreneurship basics taught by CU instructors and professional entrepreneurs. You’ll get tips and insights on various aspects of planning, starting, successfully pitching, and gaining funding for your new venture. Don’t miss this half-day session to get answers to your questions for whatever kind of business you want to start! Schedule The program starts at 3:00pm. Special sessions start at 5:15pm. Networking and refreshments at 6:30pm. Open to all. Come for some or all of the event. Who should attend? 
  • Anyone thinking about an idea for a new business
  • Anyone currently writing a business plan
  • Anyone wanting to learn more about startups
  • Anyone planning to participate in the CU New Venture Challenge business plan competition (Deadline: March 8; Competition: April 5)
NVC Boot Camp will teach you how to incorporate various business functions into your business plan and startup idea. Topics include: Business plan preparation, marketing, financial considerations for entrepreneurs, bootstrapping/funding, presentation + special sessions on starting a new venture in Cleantech, IT, Music, or for Social Impact. Contact: info@cunvc.org]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/save-the-date-entrepreneurs-boot-camp-1-18-12/feed/ 0 CU New Venture Challenge http://cunvc.org Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:46:08 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 NVC Boot Camp 1.18.12 http://cunvc.org/2011/save-the-date-entrepreneurs-boot-camp-1-18-12/ http://cunvc.org/2011/save-the-date-entrepreneurs-boot-camp-1-18-12/#comments Wed, 16 Nov 2011 19:42:36 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1156

(Read More...)]]> Attend CU New Venture Challenge Boot Camp to boost your chances of developing a successful business plan. January 18, 2012, 3-7pm, ATLAS Register today-- click here This CU New Venture Challenge (NVC) boot camp offers an intensive workshop in entrepreneurship basics taught by CU instructors and professional entrepreneurs. You’ll get tips and insights on various aspects of planning, starting, successfully pitching, and gaining funding for your new venture. Don’t miss this half-day session to get answers to your questions for whatever kind of business you want to start! Schedule The program starts at 3:00pm. Special sessions start at 5:15pm. Networking and refreshments at 6:30pm. Open to all. Come for some or all of the event. Who should attend? 
  • Anyone thinking about an idea for a new business
  • Anyone currently writing a business plan
  • Anyone wanting to learn more about startups
  • Anyone planning to participate in the CU New Venture Challenge business plan competition (Deadline: March 8; Competition: April 5)
NVC Boot Camp will teach you how to incorporate various business functions into your business plan and startup idea. Topics include: Business plan preparation, marketing, financial considerations for entrepreneurs, bootstrapping/funding, presentation + special sessions on starting a new venture in Cleantech, IT, Music, or for Social Impact. Contact: info@cunvc.org]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/save-the-date-entrepreneurs-boot-camp-1-18-12/feed/ 0 NVC Launch Night! Tue, Nov 15, 6pm http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-launch-night-tue-nov-15-6pm/ http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-launch-night-tue-nov-15-6pm/#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 03:47:31 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1089

(Read More...)]]> Learn how to get started on your new venture at NVC Launch Night 11.15.11

Tuesday, November 15, 6pm at Wolf Law Courtroom

Learn what it takes to turn an idea into a business concept. This NVC course focuses on developing a business plan and pitch for any idea. Frank Moyes, senior CU entrepreneurship professor and director of CU Cross Campus Entrepreneurship Education will present the basics to help all NVC teams successfully launch into the New Venture Challenge. Networking at 5:30pm, presentation at 6:00pm, light refreshments, Wolf Law Courtroom. Register Here Agenda with benefits (resource list, business model canvas outline, presentation tips): NVC Launch Night Agenda 15Nov'11 Business Model Canvas: business_model_canvas_poster Workshop presentation slides from Frank Moyes: NVC 11-15-11 presentation_WritingGreatBusinessPlans]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-launch-night-tue-nov-15-6pm/feed/ 0 Looking to build or join an NVC team? http://cunvc.org/2011/looking-to-build-or-join-an-nvc-team/ http://cunvc.org/2011/looking-to-build-or-join-an-nvc-team/#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 03:10:20 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1083

(Read More...)]]> http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com/), any team wanting to recruit additional members will be listed on the "Find a Team" page. Anyone interested in joining a team should visit the "Find a Team" page to find contact information for teams they are interested in joining. Build or Join a Team Any team recruiting additional team members should complete a survey to submit details: Click here to submit business details  ]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/looking-to-build-or-join-an-nvc-team/feed/ 0 PITCH NIGHT! Tuesday, November 8, 6pm http://cunvc.org/2011/pitch-night-tuesday-november-8-6pm/ http://cunvc.org/2011/pitch-night-tuesday-november-8-6pm/#comments Mon, 31 Oct 2011 20:32:48 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1061

(Read More...)]]> Have an idea but need help developing it? Pitch your idea!  

Don't have an idea but want to join a team? Find a team at Pitch Night!

  Pitch Night is not only an opportunity to form teams, but also to meet some of NVC's mentors. Approximately 30 business mentors will attend Pitch Night - teams can connect with mentors to get guidance on their business plans.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011 CU Wolf Law Courtroom 6:00p start / 5:30p networking

Attend or present at Pitch Night: (http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com)

Instructions for anyone wanting to present, join a team, or see what they missed:

Instructions for PRESENTERS All registered presenters get 1 minute to pitch with an option of submitting a presentation slide (by Nov. 5). Please RSVP to pitch by Monday, November 7, 11:59pm. 1) RSVP for Pitch Night (http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com) and check "Yes" to "Are you planning to pitch a business idea?" 2) Submit your business idea and presentation slide: Presenters submit a business description for inclusion on the NVC website. Presenters may also submit 1 PowerPoint slide for addition to the NVC presentation, optional (only slides submitted by 11:59pm, Saturday, November 5 will be included in the Pitch Night presentation).  Submit your description and slide here: http://bit.ly/nvcpitch 3) Plan a 1-minute pitch, including a description of your business idea and what skills sets you're looking to add to your team. 4) Attend Pitch Night on Tuesday, November 8. 5) Plan to stick around the Wolf Law café after the event to talk to anyone interested in learning more about your idea. We'll help organize the room so that people can easily find you.   Instructions for ANYONE LOOKING TO JOIN A TEAM 1) Attend Pitch Night (rsvp: http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com) 2) Write down the # of any idea you'd like to follow up on. 3) Stop by the Wolf Law café after the Pitch Night event to find the presenters (organized by #). Most presenters will be in the café to connect with anyone interested in joining their team.   Instructions for THOSE WHO MISSED Pitch Night 1) Want to join a team? Visit http://cunvc.org/findateam after the event to see a list of teams looking for team members. 2) Want to find team members? Get your business idea listed on the CUNVC website. Submit at: http://bit.ly/nvcpitch]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/pitch-night-tuesday-november-8-6pm/feed/ 0 NVC Kickoff Was a Great Success! http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-kickoff-was-a-great-success/ http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-kickoff-was-a-great-success/#comments Thu, 27 Oct 2011 00:55:46 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1056

(Read More...)]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-kickoff-was-a-great-success/feed/ 0 NVC is kicking off on October 25! http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-is-kicking-off-on-october-25/ http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-is-kicking-off-on-october-25/#comments Mon, 10 Oct 2011 01:18:44 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=931

(Read More...)]]> Interested in startups?  Want to connect to top entrepreneurs in the area? The New Venture Challenge is gearing up for another exciting year! Join us for our Kickoff night at 6:00 p.m. (networking at 5:30) on Tuesday, October 25 in the courtroom of the Wolf Law Building.  Sign up for Kickoff night here http://nvckickoff.eventbrite.com/ The NVC is a cross-campus business plan competition that gives students an excellent opportunity to:
  • Learn about how to develop business ideas into viable plans;
  • Develop meaningful connections with Boulder business leaders and mentors;
  • Meet other business-minded CU students across campus (including students from Leeds, Computer Science, Engineering, Law, and Music); and
  • Win prize money and other in-kind benefits (last year’s 1st place team won ,000)
Whether you have a business idea that you want to put into practice, want to contribute your skills to help develop someone else’s idea, or just want an opportunity for business mentorship and networking, the NVC is a great way to get involved in the CU and greater Boulder business community. This year’s kickoff will feature one of Boulder's most engaging and dynamic entrepreneurs: Orbotix CEO Paul Berberian.  Pre-event networking starts at 5:30 in Wolf Law on Tuesday, October 25 with a formal start at 6:00. Stick around after the main event for networking and light refreshments. In addition to Kickoff on October 25, we have scheduled Pitch Night for November 8, also at 5:30 in the courtroom of Wolf Law.  Have an idea but need help developing it? Pitch your idea! Don't have an idea but want to join a team? Connect with one of the pitchers! Pitch Night is not only an opportunity to form teams, but also to find mentors.  There will be approximately 30 business mentors in attendance - teams can connect with mentors for guidance on their business plans. Unlike in previous years, this year’s NVC will contain separate competitive tracks divided by industry; we will have four tracks: information technology, clean tech, music & arts, and social ventures.  After Pitch Night, teams will develop their plans for a spring competition in their respective industry track; winners from each track will go onto cross-campus finals, set for March 15.  WHATEVER YOUR IDEA, YOU CAN COMPETE IN ONE OF THE TRACKS.   To learn more, come to the NVC Kickoff on October 25 at 5:30 p.m. in the Wolf Law Building and to NVC Pitch Night on November 8 (also at 5:30 p.m. in the Wolf Law Building). Kickoff Sign Up http://nvckickoff.eventbrite.com/ Pitch Night Sign Up http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com/ If you have more specific questions in advance of Kickoff, email Dave Mangum: dcmangum@gmail.com or Jacqui Dietrich jacquelyn.dietrich@colorado.edu]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-is-kicking-off-on-october-25/feed/ 0 Packed House at 3rd Annual NVC Championships! http://cunvc.org/2011/packed-house-at-3rd-annual-nvc-championships/ http://cunvc.org/2011/packed-house-at-3rd-annual-nvc-championships/#comments Mon, 14 Mar 2011 17:04:33 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=887

(Read More...)]]> The Third Annual New Venture Challenge Championships were a huge success, bringing over 200 people to campus for the wild-card and semi-final rounds, job fair, final presentations, and reception! With great support across campus, there were many prizes given not only for the best business plans overall, but also for categories including music, clean tech, and social entrepreneurship. The top prize of ,000 went to Green Truck for their local organic soil plan, with second prize of ,000 going to Clean Plate for reusable take-out food containers and the ,000 third prize to L'Esperance for sustainable orphanage funding based on dried fruit production. Learn more about these teams in the Boulder County Business Report article, view photos of the event here, and read on below for further details and a video of the event! Brad Bernthal of the Silicon Flatirons Center began the Championships with an introduction of New Venture Challenge partners including the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, ATLAS, the Entrepreneurship Center for Music, e-Ship and e-Space, the Interdisciplinary Telecommunications Program, and the Center for Education on Social Responsibility. He also thanked sponsors such as Zayo Group and First Western Trust Bank, and introduced the judges for the finals including Nancy Pierce of Keld, LLC,; Tim Connor, a partner of Sequel Venture Partners and chief financial officer and vice president of business strategy of Boulder Wind Power Inc.; Ken desGarennes, chief financial officer of Zayo Group; and Nathan Seidle, CEO of SparkFun Electronics Inc., an online-retailer of electronic components. Following the first team presentation, Beth Hartman of Silicon Flatirons presented the "Almost Alumni Awards" to a few business leaders who were involved in the New Venture Challenge without officially entering the competition and then went on to become successful entrepreneurs. These prizes were designed to recognize the idea that whether or not a team wins a prize, or even decides not to officially submit a business plan, the important part of the CU New Venture Challenge is to learn more about the process of starting a business and get involved with entrepreneurship in the local community! The awards went to Nate Abbott and Natty Zola of Everlater, a travel blogging company that they developed with the support of TechStars, and Nick Little of Forge Aeronautics, which focuses on providing customers with the ability to easily access spatial information in real-time using the web-browser and manned and unmanned aircraft systems. Before the final presentation, Jacqui Dietrich of the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship presented the "CU Alumni Awards" to two university graduates who both started their own companies while they were still students. Sarah Schupp launched University Parent while she was still a freshman, and Nathan Seidle maxed out his ,500 student credit card to start SparkFun out of his college apartment. He later moved to a bigger house but decided that they would probably need to transition from a house to an office when using the printer one day, in addition to all the other electronic devices they were experimenting with, caused the entire basement to plunge into darkness. The company now has almost 100 employees and is well known for creative marketing, interesting projects, and fun events. The event concluded with a keynote address from Ryan Martens of Rally Software, the presentation of the awards, and a reception in the new Center for Community building. Congratulations once again to everyone who got involved this year with the CU New Venture Challenge! We are already looking forward to another exciting competition next year.
]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/packed-house-at-3rd-annual-nvc-championships/feed/ 0 Record Number of Business Plans Submitted! http://cunvc.org/2011/record-number-of-business-plans-submitted/ http://cunvc.org/2011/record-number-of-business-plans-submitted/#comments Thu, 03 Mar 2011 20:03:35 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=877

(Read More...)]]> The Third Annual New Venture Challenge received a record number of business plan submissions, with a 50% increase over last year's numbers! Kudos to everyone for taking the time to get involved in the CU NVC this year.  Each year, there are many entrepreneurs that go through the CU NVC process but do not participate in the presentation round, and then refine their plan and take it forward in an impressive way.  The purpose of the CU NVC is to stimulate engagement in entrepreneurship and we encourage everyone to remain focused on the objective of engaging CU students and faculty in entrepreneurship.  We hope that this year’s series of workshops, mentor matching, and events has been helpful! In addition to the great quantity of plans submitted this year, the quality of the plans was also extremely high, making the selection process very difficult. Read on below for more on some of the great ideas that the judges selected to continue to the presentation round next week, and make sure to register to attend the Championships on Thursday, March 10th at 5:30pm in the Wolf Law Building! The business plans selected ranged from online video tutoring services to Chilean potato chips, with everything from renewable energy platforms to party clean-up crews in between. One team has even partnered with Habitat for Humanity to provide hands-on LEED certification training! The creativity of all the plans was simply amazing, and the range in topics was equally remarkable. If the judges who read through the business plans had a hard time deciding, those who evaluate the live presentations next week will almost certainly have at least as much trouble! Join us on Thursday, March 10th at 5:30pm in the Wolf Law Building to see which three teams make it through to the Final Championships! We will also be recognizing CU graduates who have gone on to start their own businesses such as Sarah Schupp of University Parent and Nathan Seidle of SparkFun. Finally, if you're interested in working for a start-up like Next Big Sound or Everlater, show up early for the job fair that starts at 4pm on the second floor in the law school cafe!]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/record-number-of-business-plans-submitted/feed/ 0 Local Entrepreneurship Gains Momentum http://cunvc.org/2011/local-entrepreneurship-gains-momentum/ http://cunvc.org/2011/local-entrepreneurship-gains-momentum/#comments Thu, 03 Feb 2011 19:11:31 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=831

(Read More...)]]> With only two workshops remaining before business plans for the third annual New Venture Challenge are due at the end of February, the increase in entrepreneurial momentum on campus reflects a growing start-up scene in the community overall. This week alone, President Obama announced the launch of Startup America, a national campaign to celebrate, inspire, and accelerate high-growth entrepreneurship across all corners of the country based on Boulder's own TechStars Network. At the same time, NBC did a series called Opportunity USA featuring Boulder as a center for entrepreneurship, including a piece highlighting Brad Bernthal of Silicon Flatirons and a segment on Nate Abbott and Natty Zola of Everlater, a company they started after participating in the first New Venture Challenge and then continuing on with TechStars (the good part of the video starts at around 4 minutes in). Finally, NVC partner eSpace was featured on TechCrunch for making aerospace a start-up friendly industry, and web-based companies in downtown Boulder are organizing to work with the city on internet tax issues. The next NVC workshop is for finance at 6pm in ATLAS 100 on Wednesday, February 16th, followed by the final workshop on pitching the following Wednesday, February 23rd at the same time and place. Both of these workshops will feature an opportunity to receive individual feedback on business plans from business professionals, mentors, and MBA students, so bring your drafts if you've got them! You can also submit your draft for feedback here. Finally, remember to save the date for the final competition on the evening of Thursday, March 10th in the Wolf Law Building!]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/local-entrepreneurship-gains-momentum/feed/ 0 Mentor Matching Launches Entrepreneurs Forward http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-launch-night-tue-nov-15-6pm/ http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-launch-night-tue-nov-15-6pm/#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 03:47:31 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1089

(Read More...)]]> Learn how to get started on your new venture at NVC Launch Night 11.15.11

Tuesday, November 15, 6pm at Wolf Law Courtroom

Learn what it takes to turn an idea into a business concept. This NVC course focuses on developing a business plan and pitch for any idea. Frank Moyes, senior CU entrepreneurship professor and director of CU Cross Campus Entrepreneurship Education will present the basics to help all NVC teams successfully launch into the New Venture Challenge. Networking at 5:30pm, presentation at 6:00pm, light refreshments, Wolf Law Courtroom. Register Here Agenda with benefits (resource list, business model canvas outline, presentation tips): NVC Launch Night Agenda 15Nov'11 Business Model Canvas: business_model_canvas_poster Workshop presentation slides from Frank Moyes: NVC 11-15-11 presentation_WritingGreatBusinessPlans]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-launch-night-tue-nov-15-6pm/feed/ 0 CU New Venture Challenge http://cunvc.org Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:46:08 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 NVC Boot Camp 1.18.12 http://cunvc.org/2011/save-the-date-entrepreneurs-boot-camp-1-18-12/ http://cunvc.org/2011/save-the-date-entrepreneurs-boot-camp-1-18-12/#comments Wed, 16 Nov 2011 19:42:36 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1156

(Read More...)]]> Attend CU New Venture Challenge Boot Camp to boost your chances of developing a successful business plan. January 18, 2012, 3-7pm, ATLAS Register today-- click here This CU New Venture Challenge (NVC) boot camp offers an intensive workshop in entrepreneurship basics taught by CU instructors and professional entrepreneurs. You’ll get tips and insights on various aspects of planning, starting, successfully pitching, and gaining funding for your new venture. Don’t miss this half-day session to get answers to your questions for whatever kind of business you want to start! Schedule The program starts at 3:00pm. Special sessions start at 5:15pm. Networking and refreshments at 6:30pm. Open to all. Come for some or all of the event. Who should attend? 
  • Anyone thinking about an idea for a new business
  • Anyone currently writing a business plan
  • Anyone wanting to learn more about startups
  • Anyone planning to participate in the CU New Venture Challenge business plan competition (Deadline: March 8; Competition: April 5)
NVC Boot Camp will teach you how to incorporate various business functions into your business plan and startup idea. Topics include: Business plan preparation, marketing, financial considerations for entrepreneurs, bootstrapping/funding, presentation + special sessions on starting a new venture in Cleantech, IT, Music, or for Social Impact. Contact: info@cunvc.org]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/save-the-date-entrepreneurs-boot-camp-1-18-12/feed/ 0 NVC Launch Night! Tue, Nov 15, 6pm http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-launch-night-tue-nov-15-6pm/ http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-launch-night-tue-nov-15-6pm/#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 03:47:31 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1089

(Read More...)]]> Learn how to get started on your new venture at NVC Launch Night 11.15.11

Tuesday, November 15, 6pm at Wolf Law Courtroom

Learn what it takes to turn an idea into a business concept. This NVC course focuses on developing a business plan and pitch for any idea. Frank Moyes, senior CU entrepreneurship professor and director of CU Cross Campus Entrepreneurship Education will present the basics to help all NVC teams successfully launch into the New Venture Challenge. Networking at 5:30pm, presentation at 6:00pm, light refreshments, Wolf Law Courtroom. Register Here Agenda with benefits (resource list, business model canvas outline, presentation tips): NVC Launch Night Agenda 15Nov'11 Business Model Canvas: business_model_canvas_poster Workshop presentation slides from Frank Moyes: NVC 11-15-11 presentation_WritingGreatBusinessPlans]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-launch-night-tue-nov-15-6pm/feed/ 0 Looking to build or join an NVC team? http://cunvc.org/2011/looking-to-build-or-join-an-nvc-team/ http://cunvc.org/2011/looking-to-build-or-join-an-nvc-team/#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 03:10:20 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1083

(Read More...)]]> http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com/), any team wanting to recruit additional members will be listed on the "Find a Team" page. Anyone interested in joining a team should visit the "Find a Team" page to find contact information for teams they are interested in joining. Build or Join a Team Any team recruiting additional team members should complete a survey to submit details: Click here to submit business details  ]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/looking-to-build-or-join-an-nvc-team/feed/ 0 PITCH NIGHT! Tuesday, November 8, 6pm http://cunvc.org/2011/pitch-night-tuesday-november-8-6pm/ http://cunvc.org/2011/pitch-night-tuesday-november-8-6pm/#comments Mon, 31 Oct 2011 20:32:48 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1061

(Read More...)]]> Have an idea but need help developing it? Pitch your idea!  

Don't have an idea but want to join a team? Find a team at Pitch Night!

  Pitch Night is not only an opportunity to form teams, but also to meet some of NVC's mentors. Approximately 30 business mentors will attend Pitch Night - teams can connect with mentors to get guidance on their business plans.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011 CU Wolf Law Courtroom 6:00p start / 5:30p networking

Attend or present at Pitch Night: (http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com)

Instructions for anyone wanting to present, join a team, or see what they missed:

Instructions for PRESENTERS All registered presenters get 1 minute to pitch with an option of submitting a presentation slide (by Nov. 5). Please RSVP to pitch by Monday, November 7, 11:59pm. 1) RSVP for Pitch Night (http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com) and check "Yes" to "Are you planning to pitch a business idea?" 2) Submit your business idea and presentation slide: Presenters submit a business description for inclusion on the NVC website. Presenters may also submit 1 PowerPoint slide for addition to the NVC presentation, optional (only slides submitted by 11:59pm, Saturday, November 5 will be included in the Pitch Night presentation).  Submit your description and slide here: http://bit.ly/nvcpitch 3) Plan a 1-minute pitch, including a description of your business idea and what skills sets you're looking to add to your team. 4) Attend Pitch Night on Tuesday, November 8. 5) Plan to stick around the Wolf Law café after the event to talk to anyone interested in learning more about your idea. We'll help organize the room so that people can easily find you.   Instructions for ANYONE LOOKING TO JOIN A TEAM 1) Attend Pitch Night (rsvp: http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com) 2) Write down the # of any idea you'd like to follow up on. 3) Stop by the Wolf Law café after the Pitch Night event to find the presenters (organized by #). Most presenters will be in the café to connect with anyone interested in joining their team.   Instructions for THOSE WHO MISSED Pitch Night 1) Want to join a team? Visit http://cunvc.org/findateam after the event to see a list of teams looking for team members. 2) Want to find team members? Get your business idea listed on the CUNVC website. Submit at: http://bit.ly/nvcpitch]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/pitch-night-tuesday-november-8-6pm/feed/ 0 NVC Kickoff Was a Great Success! http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-kickoff-was-a-great-success/ http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-kickoff-was-a-great-success/#comments Thu, 27 Oct 2011 00:55:46 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1056

(Read More...)]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-kickoff-was-a-great-success/feed/ 0 NVC is kicking off on October 25! http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-is-kicking-off-on-october-25/ http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-is-kicking-off-on-october-25/#comments Mon, 10 Oct 2011 01:18:44 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=931

(Read More...)]]> Interested in startups?  Want to connect to top entrepreneurs in the area? The New Venture Challenge is gearing up for another exciting year! Join us for our Kickoff night at 6:00 p.m. (networking at 5:30) on Tuesday, October 25 in the courtroom of the Wolf Law Building.  Sign up for Kickoff night here http://nvckickoff.eventbrite.com/ The NVC is a cross-campus business plan competition that gives students an excellent opportunity to:
  • Learn about how to develop business ideas into viable plans;
  • Develop meaningful connections with Boulder business leaders and mentors;
  • Meet other business-minded CU students across campus (including students from Leeds, Computer Science, Engineering, Law, and Music); and
  • Win prize money and other in-kind benefits (last year’s 1st place team won ,000)
Whether you have a business idea that you want to put into practice, want to contribute your skills to help develop someone else’s idea, or just want an opportunity for business mentorship and networking, the NVC is a great way to get involved in the CU and greater Boulder business community. This year’s kickoff will feature one of Boulder's most engaging and dynamic entrepreneurs: Orbotix CEO Paul Berberian.  Pre-event networking starts at 5:30 in Wolf Law on Tuesday, October 25 with a formal start at 6:00. Stick around after the main event for networking and light refreshments. In addition to Kickoff on October 25, we have scheduled Pitch Night for November 8, also at 5:30 in the courtroom of Wolf Law.  Have an idea but need help developing it? Pitch your idea! Don't have an idea but want to join a team? Connect with one of the pitchers! Pitch Night is not only an opportunity to form teams, but also to find mentors.  There will be approximately 30 business mentors in attendance - teams can connect with mentors for guidance on their business plans. Unlike in previous years, this year’s NVC will contain separate competitive tracks divided by industry; we will have four tracks: information technology, clean tech, music & arts, and social ventures.  After Pitch Night, teams will develop their plans for a spring competition in their respective industry track; winners from each track will go onto cross-campus finals, set for March 15.  WHATEVER YOUR IDEA, YOU CAN COMPETE IN ONE OF THE TRACKS.   To learn more, come to the NVC Kickoff on October 25 at 5:30 p.m. in the Wolf Law Building and to NVC Pitch Night on November 8 (also at 5:30 p.m. in the Wolf Law Building). Kickoff Sign Up http://nvckickoff.eventbrite.com/ Pitch Night Sign Up http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com/ If you have more specific questions in advance of Kickoff, email Dave Mangum: dcmangum@gmail.com or Jacqui Dietrich jacquelyn.dietrich@colorado.edu]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-is-kicking-off-on-october-25/feed/ 0 Packed House at 3rd Annual NVC Championships! http://cunvc.org/2011/packed-house-at-3rd-annual-nvc-championships/ http://cunvc.org/2011/packed-house-at-3rd-annual-nvc-championships/#comments Mon, 14 Mar 2011 17:04:33 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=887

(Read More...)]]> The Third Annual New Venture Challenge Championships were a huge success, bringing over 200 people to campus for the wild-card and semi-final rounds, job fair, final presentations, and reception! With great support across campus, there were many prizes given not only for the best business plans overall, but also for categories including music, clean tech, and social entrepreneurship. The top prize of ,000 went to Green Truck for their local organic soil plan, with second prize of ,000 going to Clean Plate for reusable take-out food containers and the ,000 third prize to L'Esperance for sustainable orphanage funding based on dried fruit production. Learn more about these teams in the Boulder County Business Report article, view photos of the event here, and read on below for further details and a video of the event! Brad Bernthal of the Silicon Flatirons Center began the Championships with an introduction of New Venture Challenge partners including the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, ATLAS, the Entrepreneurship Center for Music, e-Ship and e-Space, the Interdisciplinary Telecommunications Program, and the Center for Education on Social Responsibility. He also thanked sponsors such as Zayo Group and First Western Trust Bank, and introduced the judges for the finals including Nancy Pierce of Keld, LLC,; Tim Connor, a partner of Sequel Venture Partners and chief financial officer and vice president of business strategy of Boulder Wind Power Inc.; Ken desGarennes, chief financial officer of Zayo Group; and Nathan Seidle, CEO of SparkFun Electronics Inc., an online-retailer of electronic components. Following the first team presentation, Beth Hartman of Silicon Flatirons presented the "Almost Alumni Awards" to a few business leaders who were involved in the New Venture Challenge without officially entering the competition and then went on to become successful entrepreneurs. These prizes were designed to recognize the idea that whether or not a team wins a prize, or even decides not to officially submit a business plan, the important part of the CU New Venture Challenge is to learn more about the process of starting a business and get involved with entrepreneurship in the local community! The awards went to Nate Abbott and Natty Zola of Everlater, a travel blogging company that they developed with the support of TechStars, and Nick Little of Forge Aeronautics, which focuses on providing customers with the ability to easily access spatial information in real-time using the web-browser and manned and unmanned aircraft systems. Before the final presentation, Jacqui Dietrich of the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship presented the "CU Alumni Awards" to two university graduates who both started their own companies while they were still students. Sarah Schupp launched University Parent while she was still a freshman, and Nathan Seidle maxed out his ,500 student credit card to start SparkFun out of his college apartment. He later moved to a bigger house but decided that they would probably need to transition from a house to an office when using the printer one day, in addition to all the other electronic devices they were experimenting with, caused the entire basement to plunge into darkness. The company now has almost 100 employees and is well known for creative marketing, interesting projects, and fun events. The event concluded with a keynote address from Ryan Martens of Rally Software, the presentation of the awards, and a reception in the new Center for Community building. Congratulations once again to everyone who got involved this year with the CU New Venture Challenge! We are already looking forward to another exciting competition next year.
]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/packed-house-at-3rd-annual-nvc-championships/feed/ 0 Record Number of Business Plans Submitted! http://cunvc.org/2011/record-number-of-business-plans-submitted/ http://cunvc.org/2011/record-number-of-business-plans-submitted/#comments Thu, 03 Mar 2011 20:03:35 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=877

(Read More...)]]> The Third Annual New Venture Challenge received a record number of business plan submissions, with a 50% increase over last year's numbers! Kudos to everyone for taking the time to get involved in the CU NVC this year.  Each year, there are many entrepreneurs that go through the CU NVC process but do not participate in the presentation round, and then refine their plan and take it forward in an impressive way.  The purpose of the CU NVC is to stimulate engagement in entrepreneurship and we encourage everyone to remain focused on the objective of engaging CU students and faculty in entrepreneurship.  We hope that this year’s series of workshops, mentor matching, and events has been helpful! In addition to the great quantity of plans submitted this year, the quality of the plans was also extremely high, making the selection process very difficult. Read on below for more on some of the great ideas that the judges selected to continue to the presentation round next week, and make sure to register to attend the Championships on Thursday, March 10th at 5:30pm in the Wolf Law Building! The business plans selected ranged from online video tutoring services to Chilean potato chips, with everything from renewable energy platforms to party clean-up crews in between. One team has even partnered with Habitat for Humanity to provide hands-on LEED certification training! The creativity of all the plans was simply amazing, and the range in topics was equally remarkable. If the judges who read through the business plans had a hard time deciding, those who evaluate the live presentations next week will almost certainly have at least as much trouble! Join us on Thursday, March 10th at 5:30pm in the Wolf Law Building to see which three teams make it through to the Final Championships! We will also be recognizing CU graduates who have gone on to start their own businesses such as Sarah Schupp of University Parent and Nathan Seidle of SparkFun. Finally, if you're interested in working for a start-up like Next Big Sound or Everlater, show up early for the job fair that starts at 4pm on the second floor in the law school cafe!]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/record-number-of-business-plans-submitted/feed/ 0 Local Entrepreneurship Gains Momentum http://cunvc.org/2011/local-entrepreneurship-gains-momentum/ http://cunvc.org/2011/local-entrepreneurship-gains-momentum/#comments Thu, 03 Feb 2011 19:11:31 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=831

(Read More...)]]> With only two workshops remaining before business plans for the third annual New Venture Challenge are due at the end of February, the increase in entrepreneurial momentum on campus reflects a growing start-up scene in the community overall. This week alone, President Obama announced the launch of Startup America, a national campaign to celebrate, inspire, and accelerate high-growth entrepreneurship across all corners of the country based on Boulder's own TechStars Network. At the same time, NBC did a series called Opportunity USA featuring Boulder as a center for entrepreneurship, including a piece highlighting Brad Bernthal of Silicon Flatirons and a segment on Nate Abbott and Natty Zola of Everlater, a company they started after participating in the first New Venture Challenge and then continuing on with TechStars (the good part of the video starts at around 4 minutes in). Finally, NVC partner eSpace was featured on TechCrunch for making aerospace a start-up friendly industry, and web-based companies in downtown Boulder are organizing to work with the city on internet tax issues. The next NVC workshop is for finance at 6pm in ATLAS 100 on Wednesday, February 16th, followed by the final workshop on pitching the following Wednesday, February 23rd at the same time and place. Both of these workshops will feature an opportunity to receive individual feedback on business plans from business professionals, mentors, and MBA students, so bring your drafts if you've got them! You can also submit your draft for feedback here. Finally, remember to save the date for the final competition on the evening of Thursday, March 10th in the Wolf Law Building!]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/local-entrepreneurship-gains-momentum/feed/ 0 Mentor Matching Launches Entrepreneurs Forward http://cunvc.org/2011/looking-to-build-or-join-an-nvc-team/ http://cunvc.org/2011/looking-to-build-or-join-an-nvc-team/#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 03:10:20 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1083

(Read More...)]]> http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com/), any team wanting to recruit additional members will be listed on the "Find a Team" page. Anyone interested in joining a team should visit the "Find a Team" page to find contact information for teams they are interested in joining. Build or Join a Team Any team recruiting additional team members should complete a survey to submit details: Click here to submit business details  ]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/looking-to-build-or-join-an-nvc-team/feed/ 0 CU New Venture Challenge http://cunvc.org Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:46:08 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 NVC Boot Camp 1.18.12 http://cunvc.org/2011/save-the-date-entrepreneurs-boot-camp-1-18-12/ http://cunvc.org/2011/save-the-date-entrepreneurs-boot-camp-1-18-12/#comments Wed, 16 Nov 2011 19:42:36 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1156

(Read More...)]]> Attend CU New Venture Challenge Boot Camp to boost your chances of developing a successful business plan. January 18, 2012, 3-7pm, ATLAS Register today-- click here This CU New Venture Challenge (NVC) boot camp offers an intensive workshop in entrepreneurship basics taught by CU instructors and professional entrepreneurs. You’ll get tips and insights on various aspects of planning, starting, successfully pitching, and gaining funding for your new venture. Don’t miss this half-day session to get answers to your questions for whatever kind of business you want to start! Schedule The program starts at 3:00pm. Special sessions start at 5:15pm. Networking and refreshments at 6:30pm. Open to all. Come for some or all of the event. Who should attend? 
  • Anyone thinking about an idea for a new business
  • Anyone currently writing a business plan
  • Anyone wanting to learn more about startups
  • Anyone planning to participate in the CU New Venture Challenge business plan competition (Deadline: March 8; Competition: April 5)
NVC Boot Camp will teach you how to incorporate various business functions into your business plan and startup idea. Topics include: Business plan preparation, marketing, financial considerations for entrepreneurs, bootstrapping/funding, presentation + special sessions on starting a new venture in Cleantech, IT, Music, or for Social Impact. Contact: info@cunvc.org]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/save-the-date-entrepreneurs-boot-camp-1-18-12/feed/ 0 NVC Launch Night! Tue, Nov 15, 6pm http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-launch-night-tue-nov-15-6pm/ http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-launch-night-tue-nov-15-6pm/#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 03:47:31 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1089

(Read More...)]]> Learn how to get started on your new venture at NVC Launch Night 11.15.11

Tuesday, November 15, 6pm at Wolf Law Courtroom

Learn what it takes to turn an idea into a business concept. This NVC course focuses on developing a business plan and pitch for any idea. Frank Moyes, senior CU entrepreneurship professor and director of CU Cross Campus Entrepreneurship Education will present the basics to help all NVC teams successfully launch into the New Venture Challenge. Networking at 5:30pm, presentation at 6:00pm, light refreshments, Wolf Law Courtroom. Register Here Agenda with benefits (resource list, business model canvas outline, presentation tips): NVC Launch Night Agenda 15Nov'11 Business Model Canvas: business_model_canvas_poster Workshop presentation slides from Frank Moyes: NVC 11-15-11 presentation_WritingGreatBusinessPlans]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-launch-night-tue-nov-15-6pm/feed/ 0 Looking to build or join an NVC team? http://cunvc.org/2011/looking-to-build-or-join-an-nvc-team/ http://cunvc.org/2011/looking-to-build-or-join-an-nvc-team/#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 03:10:20 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1083

(Read More...)]]> http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com/), any team wanting to recruit additional members will be listed on the "Find a Team" page. Anyone interested in joining a team should visit the "Find a Team" page to find contact information for teams they are interested in joining. Build or Join a Team Any team recruiting additional team members should complete a survey to submit details: Click here to submit business details  ]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/looking-to-build-or-join-an-nvc-team/feed/ 0 PITCH NIGHT! Tuesday, November 8, 6pm http://cunvc.org/2011/pitch-night-tuesday-november-8-6pm/ http://cunvc.org/2011/pitch-night-tuesday-november-8-6pm/#comments Mon, 31 Oct 2011 20:32:48 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1061

(Read More...)]]> Have an idea but need help developing it? Pitch your idea!  

Don't have an idea but want to join a team? Find a team at Pitch Night!

  Pitch Night is not only an opportunity to form teams, but also to meet some of NVC's mentors. Approximately 30 business mentors will attend Pitch Night - teams can connect with mentors to get guidance on their business plans.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011 CU Wolf Law Courtroom 6:00p start / 5:30p networking

Attend or present at Pitch Night: (http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com)

Instructions for anyone wanting to present, join a team, or see what they missed:

Instructions for PRESENTERS All registered presenters get 1 minute to pitch with an option of submitting a presentation slide (by Nov. 5). Please RSVP to pitch by Monday, November 7, 11:59pm. 1) RSVP for Pitch Night (http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com) and check "Yes" to "Are you planning to pitch a business idea?" 2) Submit your business idea and presentation slide: Presenters submit a business description for inclusion on the NVC website. Presenters may also submit 1 PowerPoint slide for addition to the NVC presentation, optional (only slides submitted by 11:59pm, Saturday, November 5 will be included in the Pitch Night presentation).  Submit your description and slide here: http://bit.ly/nvcpitch 3) Plan a 1-minute pitch, including a description of your business idea and what skills sets you're looking to add to your team. 4) Attend Pitch Night on Tuesday, November 8. 5) Plan to stick around the Wolf Law café after the event to talk to anyone interested in learning more about your idea. We'll help organize the room so that people can easily find you.   Instructions for ANYONE LOOKING TO JOIN A TEAM 1) Attend Pitch Night (rsvp: http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com) 2) Write down the # of any idea you'd like to follow up on. 3) Stop by the Wolf Law café after the Pitch Night event to find the presenters (organized by #). Most presenters will be in the café to connect with anyone interested in joining their team.   Instructions for THOSE WHO MISSED Pitch Night 1) Want to join a team? Visit http://cunvc.org/findateam after the event to see a list of teams looking for team members. 2) Want to find team members? Get your business idea listed on the CUNVC website. Submit at: http://bit.ly/nvcpitch]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/pitch-night-tuesday-november-8-6pm/feed/ 0 NVC Kickoff Was a Great Success! http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-kickoff-was-a-great-success/ http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-kickoff-was-a-great-success/#comments Thu, 27 Oct 2011 00:55:46 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1056

(Read More...)]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-kickoff-was-a-great-success/feed/ 0 NVC is kicking off on October 25! http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-is-kicking-off-on-october-25/ http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-is-kicking-off-on-october-25/#comments Mon, 10 Oct 2011 01:18:44 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=931

(Read More...)]]> Interested in startups?  Want to connect to top entrepreneurs in the area? The New Venture Challenge is gearing up for another exciting year! Join us for our Kickoff night at 6:00 p.m. (networking at 5:30) on Tuesday, October 25 in the courtroom of the Wolf Law Building.  Sign up for Kickoff night here http://nvckickoff.eventbrite.com/ The NVC is a cross-campus business plan competition that gives students an excellent opportunity to:
  • Learn about how to develop business ideas into viable plans;
  • Develop meaningful connections with Boulder business leaders and mentors;
  • Meet other business-minded CU students across campus (including students from Leeds, Computer Science, Engineering, Law, and Music); and
  • Win prize money and other in-kind benefits (last year’s 1st place team won ,000)
Whether you have a business idea that you want to put into practice, want to contribute your skills to help develop someone else’s idea, or just want an opportunity for business mentorship and networking, the NVC is a great way to get involved in the CU and greater Boulder business community. This year’s kickoff will feature one of Boulder's most engaging and dynamic entrepreneurs: Orbotix CEO Paul Berberian.  Pre-event networking starts at 5:30 in Wolf Law on Tuesday, October 25 with a formal start at 6:00. Stick around after the main event for networking and light refreshments. In addition to Kickoff on October 25, we have scheduled Pitch Night for November 8, also at 5:30 in the courtroom of Wolf Law.  Have an idea but need help developing it? Pitch your idea! Don't have an idea but want to join a team? Connect with one of the pitchers! Pitch Night is not only an opportunity to form teams, but also to find mentors.  There will be approximately 30 business mentors in attendance - teams can connect with mentors for guidance on their business plans. Unlike in previous years, this year’s NVC will contain separate competitive tracks divided by industry; we will have four tracks: information technology, clean tech, music & arts, and social ventures.  After Pitch Night, teams will develop their plans for a spring competition in their respective industry track; winners from each track will go onto cross-campus finals, set for March 15.  WHATEVER YOUR IDEA, YOU CAN COMPETE IN ONE OF THE TRACKS.   To learn more, come to the NVC Kickoff on October 25 at 5:30 p.m. in the Wolf Law Building and to NVC Pitch Night on November 8 (also at 5:30 p.m. in the Wolf Law Building). Kickoff Sign Up http://nvckickoff.eventbrite.com/ Pitch Night Sign Up http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com/ If you have more specific questions in advance of Kickoff, email Dave Mangum: dcmangum@gmail.com or Jacqui Dietrich jacquelyn.dietrich@colorado.edu]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-is-kicking-off-on-october-25/feed/ 0 Packed House at 3rd Annual NVC Championships! http://cunvc.org/2011/packed-house-at-3rd-annual-nvc-championships/ http://cunvc.org/2011/packed-house-at-3rd-annual-nvc-championships/#comments Mon, 14 Mar 2011 17:04:33 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=887

(Read More...)]]> The Third Annual New Venture Challenge Championships were a huge success, bringing over 200 people to campus for the wild-card and semi-final rounds, job fair, final presentations, and reception! With great support across campus, there were many prizes given not only for the best business plans overall, but also for categories including music, clean tech, and social entrepreneurship. The top prize of ,000 went to Green Truck for their local organic soil plan, with second prize of ,000 going to Clean Plate for reusable take-out food containers and the ,000 third prize to L'Esperance for sustainable orphanage funding based on dried fruit production. Learn more about these teams in the Boulder County Business Report article, view photos of the event here, and read on below for further details and a video of the event! Brad Bernthal of the Silicon Flatirons Center began the Championships with an introduction of New Venture Challenge partners including the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, ATLAS, the Entrepreneurship Center for Music, e-Ship and e-Space, the Interdisciplinary Telecommunications Program, and the Center for Education on Social Responsibility. He also thanked sponsors such as Zayo Group and First Western Trust Bank, and introduced the judges for the finals including Nancy Pierce of Keld, LLC,; Tim Connor, a partner of Sequel Venture Partners and chief financial officer and vice president of business strategy of Boulder Wind Power Inc.; Ken desGarennes, chief financial officer of Zayo Group; and Nathan Seidle, CEO of SparkFun Electronics Inc., an online-retailer of electronic components. Following the first team presentation, Beth Hartman of Silicon Flatirons presented the "Almost Alumni Awards" to a few business leaders who were involved in the New Venture Challenge without officially entering the competition and then went on to become successful entrepreneurs. These prizes were designed to recognize the idea that whether or not a team wins a prize, or even decides not to officially submit a business plan, the important part of the CU New Venture Challenge is to learn more about the process of starting a business and get involved with entrepreneurship in the local community! The awards went to Nate Abbott and Natty Zola of Everlater, a travel blogging company that they developed with the support of TechStars, and Nick Little of Forge Aeronautics, which focuses on providing customers with the ability to easily access spatial information in real-time using the web-browser and manned and unmanned aircraft systems. Before the final presentation, Jacqui Dietrich of the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship presented the "CU Alumni Awards" to two university graduates who both started their own companies while they were still students. Sarah Schupp launched University Parent while she was still a freshman, and Nathan Seidle maxed out his ,500 student credit card to start SparkFun out of his college apartment. He later moved to a bigger house but decided that they would probably need to transition from a house to an office when using the printer one day, in addition to all the other electronic devices they were experimenting with, caused the entire basement to plunge into darkness. The company now has almost 100 employees and is well known for creative marketing, interesting projects, and fun events. The event concluded with a keynote address from Ryan Martens of Rally Software, the presentation of the awards, and a reception in the new Center for Community building. Congratulations once again to everyone who got involved this year with the CU New Venture Challenge! We are already looking forward to another exciting competition next year.
]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/packed-house-at-3rd-annual-nvc-championships/feed/ 0 Record Number of Business Plans Submitted! http://cunvc.org/2011/record-number-of-business-plans-submitted/ http://cunvc.org/2011/record-number-of-business-plans-submitted/#comments Thu, 03 Mar 2011 20:03:35 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=877

(Read More...)]]> The Third Annual New Venture Challenge received a record number of business plan submissions, with a 50% increase over last year's numbers! Kudos to everyone for taking the time to get involved in the CU NVC this year.  Each year, there are many entrepreneurs that go through the CU NVC process but do not participate in the presentation round, and then refine their plan and take it forward in an impressive way.  The purpose of the CU NVC is to stimulate engagement in entrepreneurship and we encourage everyone to remain focused on the objective of engaging CU students and faculty in entrepreneurship.  We hope that this year’s series of workshops, mentor matching, and events has been helpful! In addition to the great quantity of plans submitted this year, the quality of the plans was also extremely high, making the selection process very difficult. Read on below for more on some of the great ideas that the judges selected to continue to the presentation round next week, and make sure to register to attend the Championships on Thursday, March 10th at 5:30pm in the Wolf Law Building! The business plans selected ranged from online video tutoring services to Chilean potato chips, with everything from renewable energy platforms to party clean-up crews in between. One team has even partnered with Habitat for Humanity to provide hands-on LEED certification training! The creativity of all the plans was simply amazing, and the range in topics was equally remarkable. If the judges who read through the business plans had a hard time deciding, those who evaluate the live presentations next week will almost certainly have at least as much trouble! Join us on Thursday, March 10th at 5:30pm in the Wolf Law Building to see which three teams make it through to the Final Championships! We will also be recognizing CU graduates who have gone on to start their own businesses such as Sarah Schupp of University Parent and Nathan Seidle of SparkFun. Finally, if you're interested in working for a start-up like Next Big Sound or Everlater, show up early for the job fair that starts at 4pm on the second floor in the law school cafe!]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/record-number-of-business-plans-submitted/feed/ 0 Local Entrepreneurship Gains Momentum http://cunvc.org/2011/local-entrepreneurship-gains-momentum/ http://cunvc.org/2011/local-entrepreneurship-gains-momentum/#comments Thu, 03 Feb 2011 19:11:31 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=831

(Read More...)]]> With only two workshops remaining before business plans for the third annual New Venture Challenge are due at the end of February, the increase in entrepreneurial momentum on campus reflects a growing start-up scene in the community overall. This week alone, President Obama announced the launch of Startup America, a national campaign to celebrate, inspire, and accelerate high-growth entrepreneurship across all corners of the country based on Boulder's own TechStars Network. At the same time, NBC did a series called Opportunity USA featuring Boulder as a center for entrepreneurship, including a piece highlighting Brad Bernthal of Silicon Flatirons and a segment on Nate Abbott and Natty Zola of Everlater, a company they started after participating in the first New Venture Challenge and then continuing on with TechStars (the good part of the video starts at around 4 minutes in). Finally, NVC partner eSpace was featured on TechCrunch for making aerospace a start-up friendly industry, and web-based companies in downtown Boulder are organizing to work with the city on internet tax issues. The next NVC workshop is for finance at 6pm in ATLAS 100 on Wednesday, February 16th, followed by the final workshop on pitching the following Wednesday, February 23rd at the same time and place. Both of these workshops will feature an opportunity to receive individual feedback on business plans from business professionals, mentors, and MBA students, so bring your drafts if you've got them! You can also submit your draft for feedback here. Finally, remember to save the date for the final competition on the evening of Thursday, March 10th in the Wolf Law Building!]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/local-entrepreneurship-gains-momentum/feed/ 0 Mentor Matching Launches Entrepreneurs Forward http://cunvc.org/2011/pitch-night-tuesday-november-8-6pm/ http://cunvc.org/2011/pitch-night-tuesday-november-8-6pm/#comments Mon, 31 Oct 2011 20:32:48 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1061

(Read More...)]]> Have an idea but need help developing it? Pitch your idea!  

Don't have an idea but want to join a team? Find a team at Pitch Night!

  Pitch Night is not only an opportunity to form teams, but also to meet some of NVC's mentors. Approximately 30 business mentors will attend Pitch Night - teams can connect with mentors to get guidance on their business plans.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011 CU Wolf Law Courtroom 6:00p start / 5:30p networking

Attend or present at Pitch Night: (http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com)

Instructions for anyone wanting to present, join a team, or see what they missed:

Instructions for PRESENTERS All registered presenters get 1 minute to pitch with an option of submitting a presentation slide (by Nov. 5). Please RSVP to pitch by Monday, November 7, 11:59pm. 1) RSVP for Pitch Night (http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com) and check "Yes" to "Are you planning to pitch a business idea?" 2) Submit your business idea and presentation slide: Presenters submit a business description for inclusion on the NVC website. Presenters may also submit 1 PowerPoint slide for addition to the NVC presentation, optional (only slides submitted by 11:59pm, Saturday, November 5 will be included in the Pitch Night presentation).  Submit your description and slide here: http://bit.ly/nvcpitch 3) Plan a 1-minute pitch, including a description of your business idea and what skills sets you're looking to add to your team. 4) Attend Pitch Night on Tuesday, November 8. 5) Plan to stick around the Wolf Law café after the event to talk to anyone interested in learning more about your idea. We'll help organize the room so that people can easily find you.   Instructions for ANYONE LOOKING TO JOIN A TEAM 1) Attend Pitch Night (rsvp: http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com) 2) Write down the # of any idea you'd like to follow up on. 3) Stop by the Wolf Law café after the Pitch Night event to find the presenters (organized by #). Most presenters will be in the café to connect with anyone interested in joining their team.   Instructions for THOSE WHO MISSED Pitch Night 1) Want to join a team? Visit http://cunvc.org/findateam after the event to see a list of teams looking for team members. 2) Want to find team members? Get your business idea listed on the CUNVC website. Submit at: http://bit.ly/nvcpitch]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/pitch-night-tuesday-november-8-6pm/feed/ 0 CU New Venture Challenge http://cunvc.org Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:46:08 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 NVC Boot Camp 1.18.12 http://cunvc.org/2011/save-the-date-entrepreneurs-boot-camp-1-18-12/ http://cunvc.org/2011/save-the-date-entrepreneurs-boot-camp-1-18-12/#comments Wed, 16 Nov 2011 19:42:36 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1156

(Read More...)]]> Attend CU New Venture Challenge Boot Camp to boost your chances of developing a successful business plan. January 18, 2012, 3-7pm, ATLAS Register today-- click here This CU New Venture Challenge (NVC) boot camp offers an intensive workshop in entrepreneurship basics taught by CU instructors and professional entrepreneurs. You’ll get tips and insights on various aspects of planning, starting, successfully pitching, and gaining funding for your new venture. Don’t miss this half-day session to get answers to your questions for whatever kind of business you want to start! Schedule The program starts at 3:00pm. Special sessions start at 5:15pm. Networking and refreshments at 6:30pm. Open to all. Come for some or all of the event. Who should attend? 
  • Anyone thinking about an idea for a new business
  • Anyone currently writing a business plan
  • Anyone wanting to learn more about startups
  • Anyone planning to participate in the CU New Venture Challenge business plan competition (Deadline: March 8; Competition: April 5)
NVC Boot Camp will teach you how to incorporate various business functions into your business plan and startup idea. Topics include: Business plan preparation, marketing, financial considerations for entrepreneurs, bootstrapping/funding, presentation + special sessions on starting a new venture in Cleantech, IT, Music, or for Social Impact. Contact: info@cunvc.org]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/save-the-date-entrepreneurs-boot-camp-1-18-12/feed/ 0 NVC Launch Night! Tue, Nov 15, 6pm http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-launch-night-tue-nov-15-6pm/ http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-launch-night-tue-nov-15-6pm/#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 03:47:31 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1089

(Read More...)]]> Learn how to get started on your new venture at NVC Launch Night 11.15.11

Tuesday, November 15, 6pm at Wolf Law Courtroom

Learn what it takes to turn an idea into a business concept. This NVC course focuses on developing a business plan and pitch for any idea. Frank Moyes, senior CU entrepreneurship professor and director of CU Cross Campus Entrepreneurship Education will present the basics to help all NVC teams successfully launch into the New Venture Challenge. Networking at 5:30pm, presentation at 6:00pm, light refreshments, Wolf Law Courtroom. Register Here Agenda with benefits (resource list, business model canvas outline, presentation tips): NVC Launch Night Agenda 15Nov'11 Business Model Canvas: business_model_canvas_poster Workshop presentation slides from Frank Moyes: NVC 11-15-11 presentation_WritingGreatBusinessPlans]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-launch-night-tue-nov-15-6pm/feed/ 0 Looking to build or join an NVC team? http://cunvc.org/2011/looking-to-build-or-join-an-nvc-team/ http://cunvc.org/2011/looking-to-build-or-join-an-nvc-team/#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 03:10:20 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1083

(Read More...)]]> http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com/), any team wanting to recruit additional members will be listed on the "Find a Team" page. Anyone interested in joining a team should visit the "Find a Team" page to find contact information for teams they are interested in joining. Build or Join a Team Any team recruiting additional team members should complete a survey to submit details: Click here to submit business details  ]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/looking-to-build-or-join-an-nvc-team/feed/ 0 PITCH NIGHT! Tuesday, November 8, 6pm http://cunvc.org/2011/pitch-night-tuesday-november-8-6pm/ http://cunvc.org/2011/pitch-night-tuesday-november-8-6pm/#comments Mon, 31 Oct 2011 20:32:48 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1061

(Read More...)]]> Have an idea but need help developing it? Pitch your idea!  

Don't have an idea but want to join a team? Find a team at Pitch Night!

  Pitch Night is not only an opportunity to form teams, but also to meet some of NVC's mentors. Approximately 30 business mentors will attend Pitch Night - teams can connect with mentors to get guidance on their business plans.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011 CU Wolf Law Courtroom 6:00p start / 5:30p networking

Attend or present at Pitch Night: (http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com)

Instructions for anyone wanting to present, join a team, or see what they missed:

Instructions for PRESENTERS All registered presenters get 1 minute to pitch with an option of submitting a presentation slide (by Nov. 5). Please RSVP to pitch by Monday, November 7, 11:59pm. 1) RSVP for Pitch Night (http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com) and check "Yes" to "Are you planning to pitch a business idea?" 2) Submit your business idea and presentation slide: Presenters submit a business description for inclusion on the NVC website. Presenters may also submit 1 PowerPoint slide for addition to the NVC presentation, optional (only slides submitted by 11:59pm, Saturday, November 5 will be included in the Pitch Night presentation).  Submit your description and slide here: http://bit.ly/nvcpitch 3) Plan a 1-minute pitch, including a description of your business idea and what skills sets you're looking to add to your team. 4) Attend Pitch Night on Tuesday, November 8. 5) Plan to stick around the Wolf Law café after the event to talk to anyone interested in learning more about your idea. We'll help organize the room so that people can easily find you.   Instructions for ANYONE LOOKING TO JOIN A TEAM 1) Attend Pitch Night (rsvp: http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com) 2) Write down the # of any idea you'd like to follow up on. 3) Stop by the Wolf Law café after the Pitch Night event to find the presenters (organized by #). Most presenters will be in the café to connect with anyone interested in joining their team.   Instructions for THOSE WHO MISSED Pitch Night 1) Want to join a team? Visit http://cunvc.org/findateam after the event to see a list of teams looking for team members. 2) Want to find team members? Get your business idea listed on the CUNVC website. Submit at: http://bit.ly/nvcpitch]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/pitch-night-tuesday-november-8-6pm/feed/ 0 NVC Kickoff Was a Great Success! http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-kickoff-was-a-great-success/ http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-kickoff-was-a-great-success/#comments Thu, 27 Oct 2011 00:55:46 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1056

(Read More...)]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-kickoff-was-a-great-success/feed/ 0 NVC is kicking off on October 25! http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-is-kicking-off-on-october-25/ http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-is-kicking-off-on-october-25/#comments Mon, 10 Oct 2011 01:18:44 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=931

(Read More...)]]> Interested in startups?  Want to connect to top entrepreneurs in the area? The New Venture Challenge is gearing up for another exciting year! Join us for our Kickoff night at 6:00 p.m. (networking at 5:30) on Tuesday, October 25 in the courtroom of the Wolf Law Building.  Sign up for Kickoff night here http://nvckickoff.eventbrite.com/ The NVC is a cross-campus business plan competition that gives students an excellent opportunity to:
  • Learn about how to develop business ideas into viable plans;
  • Develop meaningful connections with Boulder business leaders and mentors;
  • Meet other business-minded CU students across campus (including students from Leeds, Computer Science, Engineering, Law, and Music); and
  • Win prize money and other in-kind benefits (last year’s 1st place team won ,000)
Whether you have a business idea that you want to put into practice, want to contribute your skills to help develop someone else’s idea, or just want an opportunity for business mentorship and networking, the NVC is a great way to get involved in the CU and greater Boulder business community. This year’s kickoff will feature one of Boulder's most engaging and dynamic entrepreneurs: Orbotix CEO Paul Berberian.  Pre-event networking starts at 5:30 in Wolf Law on Tuesday, October 25 with a formal start at 6:00. Stick around after the main event for networking and light refreshments. In addition to Kickoff on October 25, we have scheduled Pitch Night for November 8, also at 5:30 in the courtroom of Wolf Law.  Have an idea but need help developing it? Pitch your idea! Don't have an idea but want to join a team? Connect with one of the pitchers! Pitch Night is not only an opportunity to form teams, but also to find mentors.  There will be approximately 30 business mentors in attendance - teams can connect with mentors for guidance on their business plans. Unlike in previous years, this year’s NVC will contain separate competitive tracks divided by industry; we will have four tracks: information technology, clean tech, music & arts, and social ventures.  After Pitch Night, teams will develop their plans for a spring competition in their respective industry track; winners from each track will go onto cross-campus finals, set for March 15.  WHATEVER YOUR IDEA, YOU CAN COMPETE IN ONE OF THE TRACKS.   To learn more, come to the NVC Kickoff on October 25 at 5:30 p.m. in the Wolf Law Building and to NVC Pitch Night on November 8 (also at 5:30 p.m. in the Wolf Law Building). Kickoff Sign Up http://nvckickoff.eventbrite.com/ Pitch Night Sign Up http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com/ If you have more specific questions in advance of Kickoff, email Dave Mangum: dcmangum@gmail.com or Jacqui Dietrich jacquelyn.dietrich@colorado.edu]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-is-kicking-off-on-october-25/feed/ 0 Packed House at 3rd Annual NVC Championships! http://cunvc.org/2011/packed-house-at-3rd-annual-nvc-championships/ http://cunvc.org/2011/packed-house-at-3rd-annual-nvc-championships/#comments Mon, 14 Mar 2011 17:04:33 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=887

(Read More...)]]> The Third Annual New Venture Challenge Championships were a huge success, bringing over 200 people to campus for the wild-card and semi-final rounds, job fair, final presentations, and reception! With great support across campus, there were many prizes given not only for the best business plans overall, but also for categories including music, clean tech, and social entrepreneurship. The top prize of ,000 went to Green Truck for their local organic soil plan, with second prize of ,000 going to Clean Plate for reusable take-out food containers and the ,000 third prize to L'Esperance for sustainable orphanage funding based on dried fruit production. Learn more about these teams in the Boulder County Business Report article, view photos of the event here, and read on below for further details and a video of the event! Brad Bernthal of the Silicon Flatirons Center began the Championships with an introduction of New Venture Challenge partners including the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, ATLAS, the Entrepreneurship Center for Music, e-Ship and e-Space, the Interdisciplinary Telecommunications Program, and the Center for Education on Social Responsibility. He also thanked sponsors such as Zayo Group and First Western Trust Bank, and introduced the judges for the finals including Nancy Pierce of Keld, LLC,; Tim Connor, a partner of Sequel Venture Partners and chief financial officer and vice president of business strategy of Boulder Wind Power Inc.; Ken desGarennes, chief financial officer of Zayo Group; and Nathan Seidle, CEO of SparkFun Electronics Inc., an online-retailer of electronic components. Following the first team presentation, Beth Hartman of Silicon Flatirons presented the "Almost Alumni Awards" to a few business leaders who were involved in the New Venture Challenge without officially entering the competition and then went on to become successful entrepreneurs. These prizes were designed to recognize the idea that whether or not a team wins a prize, or even decides not to officially submit a business plan, the important part of the CU New Venture Challenge is to learn more about the process of starting a business and get involved with entrepreneurship in the local community! The awards went to Nate Abbott and Natty Zola of Everlater, a travel blogging company that they developed with the support of TechStars, and Nick Little of Forge Aeronautics, which focuses on providing customers with the ability to easily access spatial information in real-time using the web-browser and manned and unmanned aircraft systems. Before the final presentation, Jacqui Dietrich of the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship presented the "CU Alumni Awards" to two university graduates who both started their own companies while they were still students. Sarah Schupp launched University Parent while she was still a freshman, and Nathan Seidle maxed out his ,500 student credit card to start SparkFun out of his college apartment. He later moved to a bigger house but decided that they would probably need to transition from a house to an office when using the printer one day, in addition to all the other electronic devices they were experimenting with, caused the entire basement to plunge into darkness. The company now has almost 100 employees and is well known for creative marketing, interesting projects, and fun events. The event concluded with a keynote address from Ryan Martens of Rally Software, the presentation of the awards, and a reception in the new Center for Community building. Congratulations once again to everyone who got involved this year with the CU New Venture Challenge! We are already looking forward to another exciting competition next year.
]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/packed-house-at-3rd-annual-nvc-championships/feed/ 0 Record Number of Business Plans Submitted! http://cunvc.org/2011/record-number-of-business-plans-submitted/ http://cunvc.org/2011/record-number-of-business-plans-submitted/#comments Thu, 03 Mar 2011 20:03:35 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=877

(Read More...)]]> The Third Annual New Venture Challenge received a record number of business plan submissions, with a 50% increase over last year's numbers! Kudos to everyone for taking the time to get involved in the CU NVC this year.  Each year, there are many entrepreneurs that go through the CU NVC process but do not participate in the presentation round, and then refine their plan and take it forward in an impressive way.  The purpose of the CU NVC is to stimulate engagement in entrepreneurship and we encourage everyone to remain focused on the objective of engaging CU students and faculty in entrepreneurship.  We hope that this year’s series of workshops, mentor matching, and events has been helpful! In addition to the great quantity of plans submitted this year, the quality of the plans was also extremely high, making the selection process very difficult. Read on below for more on some of the great ideas that the judges selected to continue to the presentation round next week, and make sure to register to attend the Championships on Thursday, March 10th at 5:30pm in the Wolf Law Building! The business plans selected ranged from online video tutoring services to Chilean potato chips, with everything from renewable energy platforms to party clean-up crews in between. One team has even partnered with Habitat for Humanity to provide hands-on LEED certification training! The creativity of all the plans was simply amazing, and the range in topics was equally remarkable. If the judges who read through the business plans had a hard time deciding, those who evaluate the live presentations next week will almost certainly have at least as much trouble! Join us on Thursday, March 10th at 5:30pm in the Wolf Law Building to see which three teams make it through to the Final Championships! We will also be recognizing CU graduates who have gone on to start their own businesses such as Sarah Schupp of University Parent and Nathan Seidle of SparkFun. Finally, if you're interested in working for a start-up like Next Big Sound or Everlater, show up early for the job fair that starts at 4pm on the second floor in the law school cafe!]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/record-number-of-business-plans-submitted/feed/ 0 Local Entrepreneurship Gains Momentum http://cunvc.org/2011/local-entrepreneurship-gains-momentum/ http://cunvc.org/2011/local-entrepreneurship-gains-momentum/#comments Thu, 03 Feb 2011 19:11:31 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=831

(Read More...)]]> With only two workshops remaining before business plans for the third annual New Venture Challenge are due at the end of February, the increase in entrepreneurial momentum on campus reflects a growing start-up scene in the community overall. This week alone, President Obama announced the launch of Startup America, a national campaign to celebrate, inspire, and accelerate high-growth entrepreneurship across all corners of the country based on Boulder's own TechStars Network. At the same time, NBC did a series called Opportunity USA featuring Boulder as a center for entrepreneurship, including a piece highlighting Brad Bernthal of Silicon Flatirons and a segment on Nate Abbott and Natty Zola of Everlater, a company they started after participating in the first New Venture Challenge and then continuing on with TechStars (the good part of the video starts at around 4 minutes in). Finally, NVC partner eSpace was featured on TechCrunch for making aerospace a start-up friendly industry, and web-based companies in downtown Boulder are organizing to work with the city on internet tax issues. The next NVC workshop is for finance at 6pm in ATLAS 100 on Wednesday, February 16th, followed by the final workshop on pitching the following Wednesday, February 23rd at the same time and place. Both of these workshops will feature an opportunity to receive individual feedback on business plans from business professionals, mentors, and MBA students, so bring your drafts if you've got them! You can also submit your draft for feedback here. Finally, remember to save the date for the final competition on the evening of Thursday, March 10th in the Wolf Law Building!]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/local-entrepreneurship-gains-momentum/feed/ 0 Mentor Matching Launches Entrepreneurs Forward http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-kickoff-was-a-great-success/ http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-kickoff-was-a-great-success/#comments Thu, 27 Oct 2011 00:55:46 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1056

(Read More...)]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-kickoff-was-a-great-success/feed/ 0 CU New Venture Challenge http://cunvc.org Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:46:08 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 NVC Boot Camp 1.18.12 http://cunvc.org/2011/save-the-date-entrepreneurs-boot-camp-1-18-12/ http://cunvc.org/2011/save-the-date-entrepreneurs-boot-camp-1-18-12/#comments Wed, 16 Nov 2011 19:42:36 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1156

(Read More...)]]> Attend CU New Venture Challenge Boot Camp to boost your chances of developing a successful business plan. January 18, 2012, 3-7pm, ATLAS Register today-- click here This CU New Venture Challenge (NVC) boot camp offers an intensive workshop in entrepreneurship basics taught by CU instructors and professional entrepreneurs. You’ll get tips and insights on various aspects of planning, starting, successfully pitching, and gaining funding for your new venture. Don’t miss this half-day session to get answers to your questions for whatever kind of business you want to start! Schedule The program starts at 3:00pm. Special sessions start at 5:15pm. Networking and refreshments at 6:30pm. Open to all. Come for some or all of the event. Who should attend? 
  • Anyone thinking about an idea for a new business
  • Anyone currently writing a business plan
  • Anyone wanting to learn more about startups
  • Anyone planning to participate in the CU New Venture Challenge business plan competition (Deadline: March 8; Competition: April 5)
NVC Boot Camp will teach you how to incorporate various business functions into your business plan and startup idea. Topics include: Business plan preparation, marketing, financial considerations for entrepreneurs, bootstrapping/funding, presentation + special sessions on starting a new venture in Cleantech, IT, Music, or for Social Impact. Contact: info@cunvc.org]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/save-the-date-entrepreneurs-boot-camp-1-18-12/feed/ 0 NVC Launch Night! Tue, Nov 15, 6pm http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-launch-night-tue-nov-15-6pm/ http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-launch-night-tue-nov-15-6pm/#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 03:47:31 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1089

(Read More...)]]> Learn how to get started on your new venture at NVC Launch Night 11.15.11

Tuesday, November 15, 6pm at Wolf Law Courtroom

Learn what it takes to turn an idea into a business concept. This NVC course focuses on developing a business plan and pitch for any idea. Frank Moyes, senior CU entrepreneurship professor and director of CU Cross Campus Entrepreneurship Education will present the basics to help all NVC teams successfully launch into the New Venture Challenge. Networking at 5:30pm, presentation at 6:00pm, light refreshments, Wolf Law Courtroom. Register Here Agenda with benefits (resource list, business model canvas outline, presentation tips): NVC Launch Night Agenda 15Nov'11 Business Model Canvas: business_model_canvas_poster Workshop presentation slides from Frank Moyes: NVC 11-15-11 presentation_WritingGreatBusinessPlans]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-launch-night-tue-nov-15-6pm/feed/ 0 Looking to build or join an NVC team? http://cunvc.org/2011/looking-to-build-or-join-an-nvc-team/ http://cunvc.org/2011/looking-to-build-or-join-an-nvc-team/#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 03:10:20 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1083

(Read More...)]]> http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com/), any team wanting to recruit additional members will be listed on the "Find a Team" page. Anyone interested in joining a team should visit the "Find a Team" page to find contact information for teams they are interested in joining. Build or Join a Team Any team recruiting additional team members should complete a survey to submit details: Click here to submit business details  ]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/looking-to-build-or-join-an-nvc-team/feed/ 0 PITCH NIGHT! Tuesday, November 8, 6pm http://cunvc.org/2011/pitch-night-tuesday-november-8-6pm/ http://cunvc.org/2011/pitch-night-tuesday-november-8-6pm/#comments Mon, 31 Oct 2011 20:32:48 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1061

(Read More...)]]> Have an idea but need help developing it? Pitch your idea!  

Don't have an idea but want to join a team? Find a team at Pitch Night!

  Pitch Night is not only an opportunity to form teams, but also to meet some of NVC's mentors. Approximately 30 business mentors will attend Pitch Night - teams can connect with mentors to get guidance on their business plans.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011 CU Wolf Law Courtroom 6:00p start / 5:30p networking

Attend or present at Pitch Night: (http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com)

Instructions for anyone wanting to present, join a team, or see what they missed:

Instructions for PRESENTERS All registered presenters get 1 minute to pitch with an option of submitting a presentation slide (by Nov. 5). Please RSVP to pitch by Monday, November 7, 11:59pm. 1) RSVP for Pitch Night (http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com) and check "Yes" to "Are you planning to pitch a business idea?" 2) Submit your business idea and presentation slide: Presenters submit a business description for inclusion on the NVC website. Presenters may also submit 1 PowerPoint slide for addition to the NVC presentation, optional (only slides submitted by 11:59pm, Saturday, November 5 will be included in the Pitch Night presentation).  Submit your description and slide here: http://bit.ly/nvcpitch 3) Plan a 1-minute pitch, including a description of your business idea and what skills sets you're looking to add to your team. 4) Attend Pitch Night on Tuesday, November 8. 5) Plan to stick around the Wolf Law café after the event to talk to anyone interested in learning more about your idea. We'll help organize the room so that people can easily find you.   Instructions for ANYONE LOOKING TO JOIN A TEAM 1) Attend Pitch Night (rsvp: http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com) 2) Write down the # of any idea you'd like to follow up on. 3) Stop by the Wolf Law café after the Pitch Night event to find the presenters (organized by #). Most presenters will be in the café to connect with anyone interested in joining their team.   Instructions for THOSE WHO MISSED Pitch Night 1) Want to join a team? Visit http://cunvc.org/findateam after the event to see a list of teams looking for team members. 2) Want to find team members? Get your business idea listed on the CUNVC website. Submit at: http://bit.ly/nvcpitch]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/pitch-night-tuesday-november-8-6pm/feed/ 0 NVC Kickoff Was a Great Success! http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-kickoff-was-a-great-success/ http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-kickoff-was-a-great-success/#comments Thu, 27 Oct 2011 00:55:46 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1056

(Read More...)]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-kickoff-was-a-great-success/feed/ 0 NVC is kicking off on October 25! http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-is-kicking-off-on-october-25/ http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-is-kicking-off-on-october-25/#comments Mon, 10 Oct 2011 01:18:44 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=931

(Read More...)]]> Interested in startups?  Want to connect to top entrepreneurs in the area? The New Venture Challenge is gearing up for another exciting year! Join us for our Kickoff night at 6:00 p.m. (networking at 5:30) on Tuesday, October 25 in the courtroom of the Wolf Law Building.  Sign up for Kickoff night here http://nvckickoff.eventbrite.com/ The NVC is a cross-campus business plan competition that gives students an excellent opportunity to:
  • Learn about how to develop business ideas into viable plans;
  • Develop meaningful connections with Boulder business leaders and mentors;
  • Meet other business-minded CU students across campus (including students from Leeds, Computer Science, Engineering, Law, and Music); and
  • Win prize money and other in-kind benefits (last year’s 1st place team won ,000)
Whether you have a business idea that you want to put into practice, want to contribute your skills to help develop someone else’s idea, or just want an opportunity for business mentorship and networking, the NVC is a great way to get involved in the CU and greater Boulder business community. This year’s kickoff will feature one of Boulder's most engaging and dynamic entrepreneurs: Orbotix CEO Paul Berberian.  Pre-event networking starts at 5:30 in Wolf Law on Tuesday, October 25 with a formal start at 6:00. Stick around after the main event for networking and light refreshments. In addition to Kickoff on October 25, we have scheduled Pitch Night for November 8, also at 5:30 in the courtroom of Wolf Law.  Have an idea but need help developing it? Pitch your idea! Don't have an idea but want to join a team? Connect with one of the pitchers! Pitch Night is not only an opportunity to form teams, but also to find mentors.  There will be approximately 30 business mentors in attendance - teams can connect with mentors for guidance on their business plans. Unlike in previous years, this year’s NVC will contain separate competitive tracks divided by industry; we will have four tracks: information technology, clean tech, music & arts, and social ventures.  After Pitch Night, teams will develop their plans for a spring competition in their respective industry track; winners from each track will go onto cross-campus finals, set for March 15.  WHATEVER YOUR IDEA, YOU CAN COMPETE IN ONE OF THE TRACKS.   To learn more, come to the NVC Kickoff on October 25 at 5:30 p.m. in the Wolf Law Building and to NVC Pitch Night on November 8 (also at 5:30 p.m. in the Wolf Law Building). Kickoff Sign Up http://nvckickoff.eventbrite.com/ Pitch Night Sign Up http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com/ If you have more specific questions in advance of Kickoff, email Dave Mangum: dcmangum@gmail.com or Jacqui Dietrich jacquelyn.dietrich@colorado.edu]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-is-kicking-off-on-october-25/feed/ 0 Packed House at 3rd Annual NVC Championships! http://cunvc.org/2011/packed-house-at-3rd-annual-nvc-championships/ http://cunvc.org/2011/packed-house-at-3rd-annual-nvc-championships/#comments Mon, 14 Mar 2011 17:04:33 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=887

(Read More...)]]> The Third Annual New Venture Challenge Championships were a huge success, bringing over 200 people to campus for the wild-card and semi-final rounds, job fair, final presentations, and reception! With great support across campus, there were many prizes given not only for the best business plans overall, but also for categories including music, clean tech, and social entrepreneurship. The top prize of ,000 went to Green Truck for their local organic soil plan, with second prize of ,000 going to Clean Plate for reusable take-out food containers and the ,000 third prize to L'Esperance for sustainable orphanage funding based on dried fruit production. Learn more about these teams in the Boulder County Business Report article, view photos of the event here, and read on below for further details and a video of the event! Brad Bernthal of the Silicon Flatirons Center began the Championships with an introduction of New Venture Challenge partners including the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, ATLAS, the Entrepreneurship Center for Music, e-Ship and e-Space, the Interdisciplinary Telecommunications Program, and the Center for Education on Social Responsibility. He also thanked sponsors such as Zayo Group and First Western Trust Bank, and introduced the judges for the finals including Nancy Pierce of Keld, LLC,; Tim Connor, a partner of Sequel Venture Partners and chief financial officer and vice president of business strategy of Boulder Wind Power Inc.; Ken desGarennes, chief financial officer of Zayo Group; and Nathan Seidle, CEO of SparkFun Electronics Inc., an online-retailer of electronic components. Following the first team presentation, Beth Hartman of Silicon Flatirons presented the "Almost Alumni Awards" to a few business leaders who were involved in the New Venture Challenge without officially entering the competition and then went on to become successful entrepreneurs. These prizes were designed to recognize the idea that whether or not a team wins a prize, or even decides not to officially submit a business plan, the important part of the CU New Venture Challenge is to learn more about the process of starting a business and get involved with entrepreneurship in the local community! The awards went to Nate Abbott and Natty Zola of Everlater, a travel blogging company that they developed with the support of TechStars, and Nick Little of Forge Aeronautics, which focuses on providing customers with the ability to easily access spatial information in real-time using the web-browser and manned and unmanned aircraft systems. Before the final presentation, Jacqui Dietrich of the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship presented the "CU Alumni Awards" to two university graduates who both started their own companies while they were still students. Sarah Schupp launched University Parent while she was still a freshman, and Nathan Seidle maxed out his ,500 student credit card to start SparkFun out of his college apartment. He later moved to a bigger house but decided that they would probably need to transition from a house to an office when using the printer one day, in addition to all the other electronic devices they were experimenting with, caused the entire basement to plunge into darkness. The company now has almost 100 employees and is well known for creative marketing, interesting projects, and fun events. The event concluded with a keynote address from Ryan Martens of Rally Software, the presentation of the awards, and a reception in the new Center for Community building. Congratulations once again to everyone who got involved this year with the CU New Venture Challenge! We are already looking forward to another exciting competition next year.
]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/packed-house-at-3rd-annual-nvc-championships/feed/ 0 Record Number of Business Plans Submitted! http://cunvc.org/2011/record-number-of-business-plans-submitted/ http://cunvc.org/2011/record-number-of-business-plans-submitted/#comments Thu, 03 Mar 2011 20:03:35 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=877

(Read More...)]]> The Third Annual New Venture Challenge received a record number of business plan submissions, with a 50% increase over last year's numbers! Kudos to everyone for taking the time to get involved in the CU NVC this year.  Each year, there are many entrepreneurs that go through the CU NVC process but do not participate in the presentation round, and then refine their plan and take it forward in an impressive way.  The purpose of the CU NVC is to stimulate engagement in entrepreneurship and we encourage everyone to remain focused on the objective of engaging CU students and faculty in entrepreneurship.  We hope that this year’s series of workshops, mentor matching, and events has been helpful! In addition to the great quantity of plans submitted this year, the quality of the plans was also extremely high, making the selection process very difficult. Read on below for more on some of the great ideas that the judges selected to continue to the presentation round next week, and make sure to register to attend the Championships on Thursday, March 10th at 5:30pm in the Wolf Law Building! The business plans selected ranged from online video tutoring services to Chilean potato chips, with everything from renewable energy platforms to party clean-up crews in between. One team has even partnered with Habitat for Humanity to provide hands-on LEED certification training! The creativity of all the plans was simply amazing, and the range in topics was equally remarkable. If the judges who read through the business plans had a hard time deciding, those who evaluate the live presentations next week will almost certainly have at least as much trouble! Join us on Thursday, March 10th at 5:30pm in the Wolf Law Building to see which three teams make it through to the Final Championships! We will also be recognizing CU graduates who have gone on to start their own businesses such as Sarah Schupp of University Parent and Nathan Seidle of SparkFun. Finally, if you're interested in working for a start-up like Next Big Sound or Everlater, show up early for the job fair that starts at 4pm on the second floor in the law school cafe!]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/record-number-of-business-plans-submitted/feed/ 0 Local Entrepreneurship Gains Momentum http://cunvc.org/2011/local-entrepreneurship-gains-momentum/ http://cunvc.org/2011/local-entrepreneurship-gains-momentum/#comments Thu, 03 Feb 2011 19:11:31 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=831

(Read More...)]]> With only two workshops remaining before business plans for the third annual New Venture Challenge are due at the end of February, the increase in entrepreneurial momentum on campus reflects a growing start-up scene in the community overall. This week alone, President Obama announced the launch of Startup America, a national campaign to celebrate, inspire, and accelerate high-growth entrepreneurship across all corners of the country based on Boulder's own TechStars Network. At the same time, NBC did a series called Opportunity USA featuring Boulder as a center for entrepreneurship, including a piece highlighting Brad Bernthal of Silicon Flatirons and a segment on Nate Abbott and Natty Zola of Everlater, a company they started after participating in the first New Venture Challenge and then continuing on with TechStars (the good part of the video starts at around 4 minutes in). Finally, NVC partner eSpace was featured on TechCrunch for making aerospace a start-up friendly industry, and web-based companies in downtown Boulder are organizing to work with the city on internet tax issues. The next NVC workshop is for finance at 6pm in ATLAS 100 on Wednesday, February 16th, followed by the final workshop on pitching the following Wednesday, February 23rd at the same time and place. Both of these workshops will feature an opportunity to receive individual feedback on business plans from business professionals, mentors, and MBA students, so bring your drafts if you've got them! You can also submit your draft for feedback here. Finally, remember to save the date for the final competition on the evening of Thursday, March 10th in the Wolf Law Building!]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/local-entrepreneurship-gains-momentum/feed/ 0 Mentor Matching Launches Entrepreneurs Forward http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-is-kicking-off-on-october-25/ http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-is-kicking-off-on-october-25/#comments Mon, 10 Oct 2011 01:18:44 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=931

(Read More...)]]> Interested in startups?  Want to connect to top entrepreneurs in the area? The New Venture Challenge is gearing up for another exciting year! Join us for our Kickoff night at 6:00 p.m. (networking at 5:30) on Tuesday, October 25 in the courtroom of the Wolf Law Building.  Sign up for Kickoff night here http://nvckickoff.eventbrite.com/ The NVC is a cross-campus business plan competition that gives students an excellent opportunity to:
  • Learn about how to develop business ideas into viable plans;
  • Develop meaningful connections with Boulder business leaders and mentors;
  • Meet other business-minded CU students across campus (including students from Leeds, Computer Science, Engineering, Law, and Music); and
  • Win prize money and other in-kind benefits (last year’s 1st place team won $7,000)
Whether you have a business idea that you want to put into practice, want to contribute your skills to help develop someone else’s idea, or just want an opportunity for business mentorship and networking, the NVC is a great way to get involved in the CU and greater Boulder business community. This year’s kickoff will feature one of Boulder's most engaging and dynamic entrepreneurs: Orbotix CEO Paul Berberian.  Pre-event networking starts at 5:30 in Wolf Law on Tuesday, October 25 with a formal start at 6:00. Stick around after the main event for networking and light refreshments. In addition to Kickoff on October 25, we have scheduled Pitch Night for November 8, also at 5:30 in the courtroom of Wolf Law.  Have an idea but need help developing it? Pitch your idea! Don't have an idea but want to join a team? Connect with one of the pitchers! Pitch Night is not only an opportunity to form teams, but also to find mentors.  There will be approximately 30 business mentors in attendance - teams can connect with mentors for guidance on their business plans. Unlike in previous years, this year’s NVC will contain separate competitive tracks divided by industry; we will have four tracks: information technology, clean tech, music & arts, and social ventures.  After Pitch Night, teams will develop their plans for a spring competition in their respective industry track; winners from each track will go onto cross-campus finals, set for March 15.  WHATEVER YOUR IDEA, YOU CAN COMPETE IN ONE OF THE TRACKS.   To learn more, come to the NVC Kickoff on October 25 at 5:30 p.m. in the Wolf Law Building and to NVC Pitch Night on November 8 (also at 5:30 p.m. in the Wolf Law Building). Kickoff Sign Up http://nvckickoff.eventbrite.com/ Pitch Night Sign Up http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com/ If you have more specific questions in advance of Kickoff, email Dave Mangum: dcmangum@gmail.com or Jacqui Dietrich jacquelyn.dietrich@colorado.edu]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-is-kicking-off-on-october-25/feed/ 0 CU New Venture Challenge http://cunvc.org Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:46:08 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 NVC Boot Camp 1.18.12 http://cunvc.org/2011/save-the-date-entrepreneurs-boot-camp-1-18-12/ http://cunvc.org/2011/save-the-date-entrepreneurs-boot-camp-1-18-12/#comments Wed, 16 Nov 2011 19:42:36 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1156

(Read More...)]]> Attend CU New Venture Challenge Boot Camp to boost your chances of developing a successful business plan. January 18, 2012, 3-7pm, ATLAS Register today-- click here This CU New Venture Challenge (NVC) boot camp offers an intensive workshop in entrepreneurship basics taught by CU instructors and professional entrepreneurs. You’ll get tips and insights on various aspects of planning, starting, successfully pitching, and gaining funding for your new venture. Don’t miss this half-day session to get answers to your questions for whatever kind of business you want to start! Schedule The program starts at 3:00pm. Special sessions start at 5:15pm. Networking and refreshments at 6:30pm. Open to all. Come for some or all of the event. Who should attend? 
  • Anyone thinking about an idea for a new business
  • Anyone currently writing a business plan
  • Anyone wanting to learn more about startups
  • Anyone planning to participate in the CU New Venture Challenge business plan competition (Deadline: March 8; Competition: April 5)
NVC Boot Camp will teach you how to incorporate various business functions into your business plan and startup idea. Topics include: Business plan preparation, marketing, financial considerations for entrepreneurs, bootstrapping/funding, presentation + special sessions on starting a new venture in Cleantech, IT, Music, or for Social Impact. Contact: info@cunvc.org]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/save-the-date-entrepreneurs-boot-camp-1-18-12/feed/ 0 NVC Launch Night! Tue, Nov 15, 6pm http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-launch-night-tue-nov-15-6pm/ http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-launch-night-tue-nov-15-6pm/#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 03:47:31 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1089

(Read More...)]]> Learn how to get started on your new venture at NVC Launch Night 11.15.11

Tuesday, November 15, 6pm at Wolf Law Courtroom

Learn what it takes to turn an idea into a business concept. This NVC course focuses on developing a business plan and pitch for any idea. Frank Moyes, senior CU entrepreneurship professor and director of CU Cross Campus Entrepreneurship Education will present the basics to help all NVC teams successfully launch into the New Venture Challenge. Networking at 5:30pm, presentation at 6:00pm, light refreshments, Wolf Law Courtroom. Register Here Agenda with benefits (resource list, business model canvas outline, presentation tips): NVC Launch Night Agenda 15Nov'11 Business Model Canvas: business_model_canvas_poster Workshop presentation slides from Frank Moyes: NVC 11-15-11 presentation_WritingGreatBusinessPlans]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-launch-night-tue-nov-15-6pm/feed/ 0 Looking to build or join an NVC team? http://cunvc.org/2011/looking-to-build-or-join-an-nvc-team/ http://cunvc.org/2011/looking-to-build-or-join-an-nvc-team/#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 03:10:20 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1083

(Read More...)]]> http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com/), any team wanting to recruit additional members will be listed on the "Find a Team" page. Anyone interested in joining a team should visit the "Find a Team" page to find contact information for teams they are interested in joining. Build or Join a Team Any team recruiting additional team members should complete a survey to submit details: Click here to submit business details  ]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/looking-to-build-or-join-an-nvc-team/feed/ 0 PITCH NIGHT! Tuesday, November 8, 6pm http://cunvc.org/2011/pitch-night-tuesday-november-8-6pm/ http://cunvc.org/2011/pitch-night-tuesday-november-8-6pm/#comments Mon, 31 Oct 2011 20:32:48 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1061

(Read More...)]]> Have an idea but need help developing it? Pitch your idea!  

Don't have an idea but want to join a team? Find a team at Pitch Night!

  Pitch Night is not only an opportunity to form teams, but also to meet some of NVC's mentors. Approximately 30 business mentors will attend Pitch Night - teams can connect with mentors to get guidance on their business plans.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011 CU Wolf Law Courtroom 6:00p start / 5:30p networking

Attend or present at Pitch Night: (http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com)

Instructions for anyone wanting to present, join a team, or see what they missed:

Instructions for PRESENTERS All registered presenters get 1 minute to pitch with an option of submitting a presentation slide (by Nov. 5). Please RSVP to pitch by Monday, November 7, 11:59pm. 1) RSVP for Pitch Night (http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com) and check "Yes" to "Are you planning to pitch a business idea?" 2) Submit your business idea and presentation slide: Presenters submit a business description for inclusion on the NVC website. Presenters may also submit 1 PowerPoint slide for addition to the NVC presentation, optional (only slides submitted by 11:59pm, Saturday, November 5 will be included in the Pitch Night presentation).  Submit your description and slide here: http://bit.ly/nvcpitch 3) Plan a 1-minute pitch, including a description of your business idea and what skills sets you're looking to add to your team. 4) Attend Pitch Night on Tuesday, November 8. 5) Plan to stick around the Wolf Law café after the event to talk to anyone interested in learning more about your idea. We'll help organize the room so that people can easily find you.   Instructions for ANYONE LOOKING TO JOIN A TEAM 1) Attend Pitch Night (rsvp: http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com) 2) Write down the # of any idea you'd like to follow up on. 3) Stop by the Wolf Law café after the Pitch Night event to find the presenters (organized by #). Most presenters will be in the café to connect with anyone interested in joining their team.   Instructions for THOSE WHO MISSED Pitch Night 1) Want to join a team? Visit http://cunvc.org/findateam after the event to see a list of teams looking for team members. 2) Want to find team members? Get your business idea listed on the CUNVC website. Submit at: http://bit.ly/nvcpitch]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/pitch-night-tuesday-november-8-6pm/feed/ 0 NVC Kickoff Was a Great Success! http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-kickoff-was-a-great-success/ http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-kickoff-was-a-great-success/#comments Thu, 27 Oct 2011 00:55:46 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1056

(Read More...)]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-kickoff-was-a-great-success/feed/ 0 NVC is kicking off on October 25! http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-is-kicking-off-on-october-25/ http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-is-kicking-off-on-october-25/#comments Mon, 10 Oct 2011 01:18:44 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=931

(Read More...)]]> Interested in startups?  Want to connect to top entrepreneurs in the area? The New Venture Challenge is gearing up for another exciting year! Join us for our Kickoff night at 6:00 p.m. (networking at 5:30) on Tuesday, October 25 in the courtroom of the Wolf Law Building.  Sign up for Kickoff night here http://nvckickoff.eventbrite.com/ The NVC is a cross-campus business plan competition that gives students an excellent opportunity to:
  • Learn about how to develop business ideas into viable plans;
  • Develop meaningful connections with Boulder business leaders and mentors;
  • Meet other business-minded CU students across campus (including students from Leeds, Computer Science, Engineering, Law, and Music); and
  • Win prize money and other in-kind benefits (last year’s 1st place team won ,000)
Whether you have a business idea that you want to put into practice, want to contribute your skills to help develop someone else’s idea, or just want an opportunity for business mentorship and networking, the NVC is a great way to get involved in the CU and greater Boulder business community. This year’s kickoff will feature one of Boulder's most engaging and dynamic entrepreneurs: Orbotix CEO Paul Berberian.  Pre-event networking starts at 5:30 in Wolf Law on Tuesday, October 25 with a formal start at 6:00. Stick around after the main event for networking and light refreshments. In addition to Kickoff on October 25, we have scheduled Pitch Night for November 8, also at 5:30 in the courtroom of Wolf Law.  Have an idea but need help developing it? Pitch your idea! Don't have an idea but want to join a team? Connect with one of the pitchers! Pitch Night is not only an opportunity to form teams, but also to find mentors.  There will be approximately 30 business mentors in attendance - teams can connect with mentors for guidance on their business plans. Unlike in previous years, this year’s NVC will contain separate competitive tracks divided by industry; we will have four tracks: information technology, clean tech, music & arts, and social ventures.  After Pitch Night, teams will develop their plans for a spring competition in their respective industry track; winners from each track will go onto cross-campus finals, set for March 15.  WHATEVER YOUR IDEA, YOU CAN COMPETE IN ONE OF THE TRACKS.   To learn more, come to the NVC Kickoff on October 25 at 5:30 p.m. in the Wolf Law Building and to NVC Pitch Night on November 8 (also at 5:30 p.m. in the Wolf Law Building). Kickoff Sign Up http://nvckickoff.eventbrite.com/ Pitch Night Sign Up http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com/ If you have more specific questions in advance of Kickoff, email Dave Mangum: dcmangum@gmail.com or Jacqui Dietrich jacquelyn.dietrich@colorado.edu]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-is-kicking-off-on-october-25/feed/ 0 Packed House at 3rd Annual NVC Championships! http://cunvc.org/2011/packed-house-at-3rd-annual-nvc-championships/ http://cunvc.org/2011/packed-house-at-3rd-annual-nvc-championships/#comments Mon, 14 Mar 2011 17:04:33 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=887

(Read More...)]]> The Third Annual New Venture Challenge Championships were a huge success, bringing over 200 people to campus for the wild-card and semi-final rounds, job fair, final presentations, and reception! With great support across campus, there were many prizes given not only for the best business plans overall, but also for categories including music, clean tech, and social entrepreneurship. The top prize of ,000 went to Green Truck for their local organic soil plan, with second prize of ,000 going to Clean Plate for reusable take-out food containers and the ,000 third prize to L'Esperance for sustainable orphanage funding based on dried fruit production. Learn more about these teams in the Boulder County Business Report article, view photos of the event here, and read on below for further details and a video of the event! Brad Bernthal of the Silicon Flatirons Center began the Championships with an introduction of New Venture Challenge partners including the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, ATLAS, the Entrepreneurship Center for Music, e-Ship and e-Space, the Interdisciplinary Telecommunications Program, and the Center for Education on Social Responsibility. He also thanked sponsors such as Zayo Group and First Western Trust Bank, and introduced the judges for the finals including Nancy Pierce of Keld, LLC,; Tim Connor, a partner of Sequel Venture Partners and chief financial officer and vice president of business strategy of Boulder Wind Power Inc.; Ken desGarennes, chief financial officer of Zayo Group; and Nathan Seidle, CEO of SparkFun Electronics Inc., an online-retailer of electronic components. Following the first team presentation, Beth Hartman of Silicon Flatirons presented the "Almost Alumni Awards" to a few business leaders who were involved in the New Venture Challenge without officially entering the competition and then went on to become successful entrepreneurs. These prizes were designed to recognize the idea that whether or not a team wins a prize, or even decides not to officially submit a business plan, the important part of the CU New Venture Challenge is to learn more about the process of starting a business and get involved with entrepreneurship in the local community! The awards went to Nate Abbott and Natty Zola of Everlater, a travel blogging company that they developed with the support of TechStars, and Nick Little of Forge Aeronautics, which focuses on providing customers with the ability to easily access spatial information in real-time using the web-browser and manned and unmanned aircraft systems. Before the final presentation, Jacqui Dietrich of the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship presented the "CU Alumni Awards" to two university graduates who both started their own companies while they were still students. Sarah Schupp launched University Parent while she was still a freshman, and Nathan Seidle maxed out his ,500 student credit card to start SparkFun out of his college apartment. He later moved to a bigger house but decided that they would probably need to transition from a house to an office when using the printer one day, in addition to all the other electronic devices they were experimenting with, caused the entire basement to plunge into darkness. The company now has almost 100 employees and is well known for creative marketing, interesting projects, and fun events. The event concluded with a keynote address from Ryan Martens of Rally Software, the presentation of the awards, and a reception in the new Center for Community building. Congratulations once again to everyone who got involved this year with the CU New Venture Challenge! We are already looking forward to another exciting competition next year.
]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/packed-house-at-3rd-annual-nvc-championships/feed/ 0 Record Number of Business Plans Submitted! http://cunvc.org/2011/record-number-of-business-plans-submitted/ http://cunvc.org/2011/record-number-of-business-plans-submitted/#comments Thu, 03 Mar 2011 20:03:35 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=877

(Read More...)]]> The Third Annual New Venture Challenge received a record number of business plan submissions, with a 50% increase over last year's numbers! Kudos to everyone for taking the time to get involved in the CU NVC this year.  Each year, there are many entrepreneurs that go through the CU NVC process but do not participate in the presentation round, and then refine their plan and take it forward in an impressive way.  The purpose of the CU NVC is to stimulate engagement in entrepreneurship and we encourage everyone to remain focused on the objective of engaging CU students and faculty in entrepreneurship.  We hope that this year’s series of workshops, mentor matching, and events has been helpful! In addition to the great quantity of plans submitted this year, the quality of the plans was also extremely high, making the selection process very difficult. Read on below for more on some of the great ideas that the judges selected to continue to the presentation round next week, and make sure to register to attend the Championships on Thursday, March 10th at 5:30pm in the Wolf Law Building! The business plans selected ranged from online video tutoring services to Chilean potato chips, with everything from renewable energy platforms to party clean-up crews in between. One team has even partnered with Habitat for Humanity to provide hands-on LEED certification training! The creativity of all the plans was simply amazing, and the range in topics was equally remarkable. If the judges who read through the business plans had a hard time deciding, those who evaluate the live presentations next week will almost certainly have at least as much trouble! Join us on Thursday, March 10th at 5:30pm in the Wolf Law Building to see which three teams make it through to the Final Championships! We will also be recognizing CU graduates who have gone on to start their own businesses such as Sarah Schupp of University Parent and Nathan Seidle of SparkFun. Finally, if you're interested in working for a start-up like Next Big Sound or Everlater, show up early for the job fair that starts at 4pm on the second floor in the law school cafe!]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/record-number-of-business-plans-submitted/feed/ 0 Local Entrepreneurship Gains Momentum http://cunvc.org/2011/local-entrepreneurship-gains-momentum/ http://cunvc.org/2011/local-entrepreneurship-gains-momentum/#comments Thu, 03 Feb 2011 19:11:31 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=831

(Read More...)]]> With only two workshops remaining before business plans for the third annual New Venture Challenge are due at the end of February, the increase in entrepreneurial momentum on campus reflects a growing start-up scene in the community overall. This week alone, President Obama announced the launch of Startup America, a national campaign to celebrate, inspire, and accelerate high-growth entrepreneurship across all corners of the country based on Boulder's own TechStars Network. At the same time, NBC did a series called Opportunity USA featuring Boulder as a center for entrepreneurship, including a piece highlighting Brad Bernthal of Silicon Flatirons and a segment on Nate Abbott and Natty Zola of Everlater, a company they started after participating in the first New Venture Challenge and then continuing on with TechStars (the good part of the video starts at around 4 minutes in). Finally, NVC partner eSpace was featured on TechCrunch for making aerospace a start-up friendly industry, and web-based companies in downtown Boulder are organizing to work with the city on internet tax issues. The next NVC workshop is for finance at 6pm in ATLAS 100 on Wednesday, February 16th, followed by the final workshop on pitching the following Wednesday, February 23rd at the same time and place. Both of these workshops will feature an opportunity to receive individual feedback on business plans from business professionals, mentors, and MBA students, so bring your drafts if you've got them! You can also submit your draft for feedback here. Finally, remember to save the date for the final competition on the evening of Thursday, March 10th in the Wolf Law Building!]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/local-entrepreneurship-gains-momentum/feed/ 0 Mentor Matching Launches Entrepreneurs Forward http://cunvc.org/2011/packed-house-at-3rd-annual-nvc-championships/ http://cunvc.org/2011/packed-house-at-3rd-annual-nvc-championships/#comments Mon, 14 Mar 2011 17:04:33 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=887

(Read More...)]]> The Third Annual New Venture Challenge Championships were a huge success, bringing over 200 people to campus for the wild-card and semi-final rounds, job fair, final presentations, and reception! With great support across campus, there were many prizes given not only for the best business plans overall, but also for categories including music, clean tech, and social entrepreneurship. The top prize of $7,000 went to Green Truck for their local organic soil plan, with second prize of $3,000 going to Clean Plate for reusable take-out food containers and the $2,000 third prize to L'Esperance for sustainable orphanage funding based on dried fruit production. Learn more about these teams in the Boulder County Business Report article, view photos of the event here, and read on below for further details and a video of the event! Brad Bernthal of the Silicon Flatirons Center began the Championships with an introduction of New Venture Challenge partners including the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, ATLAS, the Entrepreneurship Center for Music, e-Ship and e-Space, the Interdisciplinary Telecommunications Program, and the Center for Education on Social Responsibility. He also thanked sponsors such as Zayo Group and First Western Trust Bank, and introduced the judges for the finals including Nancy Pierce of Keld, LLC,; Tim Connor, a partner of Sequel Venture Partners and chief financial officer and vice president of business strategy of Boulder Wind Power Inc.; Ken desGarennes, chief financial officer of Zayo Group; and Nathan Seidle, CEO of SparkFun Electronics Inc., an online-retailer of electronic components. Following the first team presentation, Beth Hartman of Silicon Flatirons presented the "Almost Alumni Awards" to a few business leaders who were involved in the New Venture Challenge without officially entering the competition and then went on to become successful entrepreneurs. These prizes were designed to recognize the idea that whether or not a team wins a prize, or even decides not to officially submit a business plan, the important part of the CU New Venture Challenge is to learn more about the process of starting a business and get involved with entrepreneurship in the local community! The awards went to Nate Abbott and Natty Zola of Everlater, a travel blogging company that they developed with the support of TechStars, and Nick Little of Forge Aeronautics, which focuses on providing customers with the ability to easily access spatial information in real-time using the web-browser and manned and unmanned aircraft systems. Before the final presentation, Jacqui Dietrich of the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship presented the "CU Alumni Awards" to two university graduates who both started their own companies while they were still students. Sarah Schupp launched University Parent while she was still a freshman, and Nathan Seidle maxed out his $2,500 student credit card to start SparkFun out of his college apartment. He later moved to a bigger house but decided that they would probably need to transition from a house to an office when using the printer one day, in addition to all the other electronic devices they were experimenting with, caused the entire basement to plunge into darkness. The company now has almost 100 employees and is well known for creative marketing, interesting projects, and fun events. The event concluded with a keynote address from Ryan Martens of Rally Software, the presentation of the awards, and a reception in the new Center for Community building. Congratulations once again to everyone who got involved this year with the CU New Venture Challenge! We are already looking forward to another exciting competition next year.
]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/packed-house-at-3rd-annual-nvc-championships/feed/ 0 CU New Venture Challenge http://cunvc.org Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:46:08 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 NVC Boot Camp 1.18.12 http://cunvc.org/2011/save-the-date-entrepreneurs-boot-camp-1-18-12/ http://cunvc.org/2011/save-the-date-entrepreneurs-boot-camp-1-18-12/#comments Wed, 16 Nov 2011 19:42:36 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1156

(Read More...)]]> Attend CU New Venture Challenge Boot Camp to boost your chances of developing a successful business plan. January 18, 2012, 3-7pm, ATLAS Register today-- click here This CU New Venture Challenge (NVC) boot camp offers an intensive workshop in entrepreneurship basics taught by CU instructors and professional entrepreneurs. You’ll get tips and insights on various aspects of planning, starting, successfully pitching, and gaining funding for your new venture. Don’t miss this half-day session to get answers to your questions for whatever kind of business you want to start! Schedule The program starts at 3:00pm. Special sessions start at 5:15pm. Networking and refreshments at 6:30pm. Open to all. Come for some or all of the event. Who should attend? 
  • Anyone thinking about an idea for a new business
  • Anyone currently writing a business plan
  • Anyone wanting to learn more about startups
  • Anyone planning to participate in the CU New Venture Challenge business plan competition (Deadline: March 8; Competition: April 5)
NVC Boot Camp will teach you how to incorporate various business functions into your business plan and startup idea. Topics include: Business plan preparation, marketing, financial considerations for entrepreneurs, bootstrapping/funding, presentation + special sessions on starting a new venture in Cleantech, IT, Music, or for Social Impact. Contact: info@cunvc.org]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/save-the-date-entrepreneurs-boot-camp-1-18-12/feed/ 0 NVC Launch Night! Tue, Nov 15, 6pm http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-launch-night-tue-nov-15-6pm/ http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-launch-night-tue-nov-15-6pm/#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 03:47:31 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1089

(Read More...)]]> Learn how to get started on your new venture at NVC Launch Night 11.15.11

Tuesday, November 15, 6pm at Wolf Law Courtroom

Learn what it takes to turn an idea into a business concept. This NVC course focuses on developing a business plan and pitch for any idea. Frank Moyes, senior CU entrepreneurship professor and director of CU Cross Campus Entrepreneurship Education will present the basics to help all NVC teams successfully launch into the New Venture Challenge. Networking at 5:30pm, presentation at 6:00pm, light refreshments, Wolf Law Courtroom. Register Here Agenda with benefits (resource list, business model canvas outline, presentation tips): NVC Launch Night Agenda 15Nov'11 Business Model Canvas: business_model_canvas_poster Workshop presentation slides from Frank Moyes: NVC 11-15-11 presentation_WritingGreatBusinessPlans]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-launch-night-tue-nov-15-6pm/feed/ 0 Looking to build or join an NVC team? http://cunvc.org/2011/looking-to-build-or-join-an-nvc-team/ http://cunvc.org/2011/looking-to-build-or-join-an-nvc-team/#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 03:10:20 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1083

(Read More...)]]> http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com/), any team wanting to recruit additional members will be listed on the "Find a Team" page. Anyone interested in joining a team should visit the "Find a Team" page to find contact information for teams they are interested in joining. Build or Join a Team Any team recruiting additional team members should complete a survey to submit details: Click here to submit business details  ]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/looking-to-build-or-join-an-nvc-team/feed/ 0 PITCH NIGHT! Tuesday, November 8, 6pm http://cunvc.org/2011/pitch-night-tuesday-november-8-6pm/ http://cunvc.org/2011/pitch-night-tuesday-november-8-6pm/#comments Mon, 31 Oct 2011 20:32:48 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1061

(Read More...)]]> Have an idea but need help developing it? Pitch your idea!  

Don't have an idea but want to join a team? Find a team at Pitch Night!

  Pitch Night is not only an opportunity to form teams, but also to meet some of NVC's mentors. Approximately 30 business mentors will attend Pitch Night - teams can connect with mentors to get guidance on their business plans.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011 CU Wolf Law Courtroom 6:00p start / 5:30p networking

Attend or present at Pitch Night: (http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com)

Instructions for anyone wanting to present, join a team, or see what they missed:

Instructions for PRESENTERS All registered presenters get 1 minute to pitch with an option of submitting a presentation slide (by Nov. 5). Please RSVP to pitch by Monday, November 7, 11:59pm. 1) RSVP for Pitch Night (http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com) and check "Yes" to "Are you planning to pitch a business idea?" 2) Submit your business idea and presentation slide: Presenters submit a business description for inclusion on the NVC website. Presenters may also submit 1 PowerPoint slide for addition to the NVC presentation, optional (only slides submitted by 11:59pm, Saturday, November 5 will be included in the Pitch Night presentation).  Submit your description and slide here: http://bit.ly/nvcpitch 3) Plan a 1-minute pitch, including a description of your business idea and what skills sets you're looking to add to your team. 4) Attend Pitch Night on Tuesday, November 8. 5) Plan to stick around the Wolf Law café after the event to talk to anyone interested in learning more about your idea. We'll help organize the room so that people can easily find you.   Instructions for ANYONE LOOKING TO JOIN A TEAM 1) Attend Pitch Night (rsvp: http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com) 2) Write down the # of any idea you'd like to follow up on. 3) Stop by the Wolf Law café after the Pitch Night event to find the presenters (organized by #). Most presenters will be in the café to connect with anyone interested in joining their team.   Instructions for THOSE WHO MISSED Pitch Night 1) Want to join a team? Visit http://cunvc.org/findateam after the event to see a list of teams looking for team members. 2) Want to find team members? Get your business idea listed on the CUNVC website. Submit at: http://bit.ly/nvcpitch]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/pitch-night-tuesday-november-8-6pm/feed/ 0 NVC Kickoff Was a Great Success! http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-kickoff-was-a-great-success/ http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-kickoff-was-a-great-success/#comments Thu, 27 Oct 2011 00:55:46 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1056

(Read More...)]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-kickoff-was-a-great-success/feed/ 0 NVC is kicking off on October 25! http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-is-kicking-off-on-october-25/ http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-is-kicking-off-on-october-25/#comments Mon, 10 Oct 2011 01:18:44 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=931

(Read More...)]]> Interested in startups?  Want to connect to top entrepreneurs in the area? The New Venture Challenge is gearing up for another exciting year! Join us for our Kickoff night at 6:00 p.m. (networking at 5:30) on Tuesday, October 25 in the courtroom of the Wolf Law Building.  Sign up for Kickoff night here http://nvckickoff.eventbrite.com/ The NVC is a cross-campus business plan competition that gives students an excellent opportunity to:
  • Learn about how to develop business ideas into viable plans;
  • Develop meaningful connections with Boulder business leaders and mentors;
  • Meet other business-minded CU students across campus (including students from Leeds, Computer Science, Engineering, Law, and Music); and
  • Win prize money and other in-kind benefits (last year’s 1st place team won ,000)
Whether you have a business idea that you want to put into practice, want to contribute your skills to help develop someone else’s idea, or just want an opportunity for business mentorship and networking, the NVC is a great way to get involved in the CU and greater Boulder business community. This year’s kickoff will feature one of Boulder's most engaging and dynamic entrepreneurs: Orbotix CEO Paul Berberian.  Pre-event networking starts at 5:30 in Wolf Law on Tuesday, October 25 with a formal start at 6:00. Stick around after the main event for networking and light refreshments. In addition to Kickoff on October 25, we have scheduled Pitch Night for November 8, also at 5:30 in the courtroom of Wolf Law.  Have an idea but need help developing it? Pitch your idea! Don't have an idea but want to join a team? Connect with one of the pitchers! Pitch Night is not only an opportunity to form teams, but also to find mentors.  There will be approximately 30 business mentors in attendance - teams can connect with mentors for guidance on their business plans. Unlike in previous years, this year’s NVC will contain separate competitive tracks divided by industry; we will have four tracks: information technology, clean tech, music & arts, and social ventures.  After Pitch Night, teams will develop their plans for a spring competition in their respective industry track; winners from each track will go onto cross-campus finals, set for March 15.  WHATEVER YOUR IDEA, YOU CAN COMPETE IN ONE OF THE TRACKS.   To learn more, come to the NVC Kickoff on October 25 at 5:30 p.m. in the Wolf Law Building and to NVC Pitch Night on November 8 (also at 5:30 p.m. in the Wolf Law Building). Kickoff Sign Up http://nvckickoff.eventbrite.com/ Pitch Night Sign Up http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com/ If you have more specific questions in advance of Kickoff, email Dave Mangum: dcmangum@gmail.com or Jacqui Dietrich jacquelyn.dietrich@colorado.edu]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-is-kicking-off-on-october-25/feed/ 0 Packed House at 3rd Annual NVC Championships! http://cunvc.org/2011/packed-house-at-3rd-annual-nvc-championships/ http://cunvc.org/2011/packed-house-at-3rd-annual-nvc-championships/#comments Mon, 14 Mar 2011 17:04:33 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=887

(Read More...)]]> The Third Annual New Venture Challenge Championships were a huge success, bringing over 200 people to campus for the wild-card and semi-final rounds, job fair, final presentations, and reception! With great support across campus, there were many prizes given not only for the best business plans overall, but also for categories including music, clean tech, and social entrepreneurship. The top prize of ,000 went to Green Truck for their local organic soil plan, with second prize of ,000 going to Clean Plate for reusable take-out food containers and the ,000 third prize to L'Esperance for sustainable orphanage funding based on dried fruit production. Learn more about these teams in the Boulder County Business Report article, view photos of the event here, and read on below for further details and a video of the event! Brad Bernthal of the Silicon Flatirons Center began the Championships with an introduction of New Venture Challenge partners including the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, ATLAS, the Entrepreneurship Center for Music, e-Ship and e-Space, the Interdisciplinary Telecommunications Program, and the Center for Education on Social Responsibility. He also thanked sponsors such as Zayo Group and First Western Trust Bank, and introduced the judges for the finals including Nancy Pierce of Keld, LLC,; Tim Connor, a partner of Sequel Venture Partners and chief financial officer and vice president of business strategy of Boulder Wind Power Inc.; Ken desGarennes, chief financial officer of Zayo Group; and Nathan Seidle, CEO of SparkFun Electronics Inc., an online-retailer of electronic components. Following the first team presentation, Beth Hartman of Silicon Flatirons presented the "Almost Alumni Awards" to a few business leaders who were involved in the New Venture Challenge without officially entering the competition and then went on to become successful entrepreneurs. These prizes were designed to recognize the idea that whether or not a team wins a prize, or even decides not to officially submit a business plan, the important part of the CU New Venture Challenge is to learn more about the process of starting a business and get involved with entrepreneurship in the local community! The awards went to Nate Abbott and Natty Zola of Everlater, a travel blogging company that they developed with the support of TechStars, and Nick Little of Forge Aeronautics, which focuses on providing customers with the ability to easily access spatial information in real-time using the web-browser and manned and unmanned aircraft systems. Before the final presentation, Jacqui Dietrich of the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship presented the "CU Alumni Awards" to two university graduates who both started their own companies while they were still students. Sarah Schupp launched University Parent while she was still a freshman, and Nathan Seidle maxed out his ,500 student credit card to start SparkFun out of his college apartment. He later moved to a bigger house but decided that they would probably need to transition from a house to an office when using the printer one day, in addition to all the other electronic devices they were experimenting with, caused the entire basement to plunge into darkness. The company now has almost 100 employees and is well known for creative marketing, interesting projects, and fun events. The event concluded with a keynote address from Ryan Martens of Rally Software, the presentation of the awards, and a reception in the new Center for Community building. Congratulations once again to everyone who got involved this year with the CU New Venture Challenge! We are already looking forward to another exciting competition next year.
]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/packed-house-at-3rd-annual-nvc-championships/feed/ 0 Record Number of Business Plans Submitted! http://cunvc.org/2011/record-number-of-business-plans-submitted/ http://cunvc.org/2011/record-number-of-business-plans-submitted/#comments Thu, 03 Mar 2011 20:03:35 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=877

(Read More...)]]> The Third Annual New Venture Challenge received a record number of business plan submissions, with a 50% increase over last year's numbers! Kudos to everyone for taking the time to get involved in the CU NVC this year.  Each year, there are many entrepreneurs that go through the CU NVC process but do not participate in the presentation round, and then refine their plan and take it forward in an impressive way.  The purpose of the CU NVC is to stimulate engagement in entrepreneurship and we encourage everyone to remain focused on the objective of engaging CU students and faculty in entrepreneurship.  We hope that this year’s series of workshops, mentor matching, and events has been helpful! In addition to the great quantity of plans submitted this year, the quality of the plans was also extremely high, making the selection process very difficult. Read on below for more on some of the great ideas that the judges selected to continue to the presentation round next week, and make sure to register to attend the Championships on Thursday, March 10th at 5:30pm in the Wolf Law Building! The business plans selected ranged from online video tutoring services to Chilean potato chips, with everything from renewable energy platforms to party clean-up crews in between. One team has even partnered with Habitat for Humanity to provide hands-on LEED certification training! The creativity of all the plans was simply amazing, and the range in topics was equally remarkable. If the judges who read through the business plans had a hard time deciding, those who evaluate the live presentations next week will almost certainly have at least as much trouble! Join us on Thursday, March 10th at 5:30pm in the Wolf Law Building to see which three teams make it through to the Final Championships! We will also be recognizing CU graduates who have gone on to start their own businesses such as Sarah Schupp of University Parent and Nathan Seidle of SparkFun. Finally, if you're interested in working for a start-up like Next Big Sound or Everlater, show up early for the job fair that starts at 4pm on the second floor in the law school cafe!]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/record-number-of-business-plans-submitted/feed/ 0 Local Entrepreneurship Gains Momentum http://cunvc.org/2011/local-entrepreneurship-gains-momentum/ http://cunvc.org/2011/local-entrepreneurship-gains-momentum/#comments Thu, 03 Feb 2011 19:11:31 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=831

(Read More...)]]> With only two workshops remaining before business plans for the third annual New Venture Challenge are due at the end of February, the increase in entrepreneurial momentum on campus reflects a growing start-up scene in the community overall. This week alone, President Obama announced the launch of Startup America, a national campaign to celebrate, inspire, and accelerate high-growth entrepreneurship across all corners of the country based on Boulder's own TechStars Network. At the same time, NBC did a series called Opportunity USA featuring Boulder as a center for entrepreneurship, including a piece highlighting Brad Bernthal of Silicon Flatirons and a segment on Nate Abbott and Natty Zola of Everlater, a company they started after participating in the first New Venture Challenge and then continuing on with TechStars (the good part of the video starts at around 4 minutes in). Finally, NVC partner eSpace was featured on TechCrunch for making aerospace a start-up friendly industry, and web-based companies in downtown Boulder are organizing to work with the city on internet tax issues. The next NVC workshop is for finance at 6pm in ATLAS 100 on Wednesday, February 16th, followed by the final workshop on pitching the following Wednesday, February 23rd at the same time and place. Both of these workshops will feature an opportunity to receive individual feedback on business plans from business professionals, mentors, and MBA students, so bring your drafts if you've got them! You can also submit your draft for feedback here. Finally, remember to save the date for the final competition on the evening of Thursday, March 10th in the Wolf Law Building!]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/local-entrepreneurship-gains-momentum/feed/ 0 Mentor Matching Launches Entrepreneurs Forward http://cunvc.org/2011/record-number-of-business-plans-submitted/ http://cunvc.org/2011/record-number-of-business-plans-submitted/#comments Thu, 03 Mar 2011 20:03:35 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=877

(Read More...)]]> The Third Annual New Venture Challenge received a record number of business plan submissions, with a 50% increase over last year's numbers! Kudos to everyone for taking the time to get involved in the CU NVC this year.  Each year, there are many entrepreneurs that go through the CU NVC process but do not participate in the presentation round, and then refine their plan and take it forward in an impressive way.  The purpose of the CU NVC is to stimulate engagement in entrepreneurship and we encourage everyone to remain focused on the objective of engaging CU students and faculty in entrepreneurship.  We hope that this year’s series of workshops, mentor matching, and events has been helpful! In addition to the great quantity of plans submitted this year, the quality of the plans was also extremely high, making the selection process very difficult. Read on below for more on some of the great ideas that the judges selected to continue to the presentation round next week, and make sure to register to attend the Championships on Thursday, March 10th at 5:30pm in the Wolf Law Building! The business plans selected ranged from online video tutoring services to Chilean potato chips, with everything from renewable energy platforms to party clean-up crews in between. One team has even partnered with Habitat for Humanity to provide hands-on LEED certification training! The creativity of all the plans was simply amazing, and the range in topics was equally remarkable. If the judges who read through the business plans had a hard time deciding, those who evaluate the live presentations next week will almost certainly have at least as much trouble! Join us on Thursday, March 10th at 5:30pm in the Wolf Law Building to see which three teams make it through to the Final Championships! We will also be recognizing CU graduates who have gone on to start their own businesses such as Sarah Schupp of University Parent and Nathan Seidle of SparkFun. Finally, if you're interested in working for a start-up like Next Big Sound or Everlater, show up early for the job fair that starts at 4pm on the second floor in the law school cafe!]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/record-number-of-business-plans-submitted/feed/ 0 CU New Venture Challenge http://cunvc.org Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:46:08 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 NVC Boot Camp 1.18.12 http://cunvc.org/2011/save-the-date-entrepreneurs-boot-camp-1-18-12/ http://cunvc.org/2011/save-the-date-entrepreneurs-boot-camp-1-18-12/#comments Wed, 16 Nov 2011 19:42:36 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1156

(Read More...)]]> Attend CU New Venture Challenge Boot Camp to boost your chances of developing a successful business plan. January 18, 2012, 3-7pm, ATLAS Register today-- click here This CU New Venture Challenge (NVC) boot camp offers an intensive workshop in entrepreneurship basics taught by CU instructors and professional entrepreneurs. You’ll get tips and insights on various aspects of planning, starting, successfully pitching, and gaining funding for your new venture. Don’t miss this half-day session to get answers to your questions for whatever kind of business you want to start! Schedule The program starts at 3:00pm. Special sessions start at 5:15pm. Networking and refreshments at 6:30pm. Open to all. Come for some or all of the event. Who should attend? 
  • Anyone thinking about an idea for a new business
  • Anyone currently writing a business plan
  • Anyone wanting to learn more about startups
  • Anyone planning to participate in the CU New Venture Challenge business plan competition (Deadline: March 8; Competition: April 5)
NVC Boot Camp will teach you how to incorporate various business functions into your business plan and startup idea. Topics include: Business plan preparation, marketing, financial considerations for entrepreneurs, bootstrapping/funding, presentation + special sessions on starting a new venture in Cleantech, IT, Music, or for Social Impact. Contact: info@cunvc.org]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/save-the-date-entrepreneurs-boot-camp-1-18-12/feed/ 0 NVC Launch Night! Tue, Nov 15, 6pm http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-launch-night-tue-nov-15-6pm/ http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-launch-night-tue-nov-15-6pm/#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 03:47:31 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1089

(Read More...)]]> Learn how to get started on your new venture at NVC Launch Night 11.15.11

Tuesday, November 15, 6pm at Wolf Law Courtroom

Learn what it takes to turn an idea into a business concept. This NVC course focuses on developing a business plan and pitch for any idea. Frank Moyes, senior CU entrepreneurship professor and director of CU Cross Campus Entrepreneurship Education will present the basics to help all NVC teams successfully launch into the New Venture Challenge. Networking at 5:30pm, presentation at 6:00pm, light refreshments, Wolf Law Courtroom. Register Here Agenda with benefits (resource list, business model canvas outline, presentation tips): NVC Launch Night Agenda 15Nov'11 Business Model Canvas: business_model_canvas_poster Workshop presentation slides from Frank Moyes: NVC 11-15-11 presentation_WritingGreatBusinessPlans]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-launch-night-tue-nov-15-6pm/feed/ 0 Looking to build or join an NVC team? http://cunvc.org/2011/looking-to-build-or-join-an-nvc-team/ http://cunvc.org/2011/looking-to-build-or-join-an-nvc-team/#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 03:10:20 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1083

(Read More...)]]> http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com/), any team wanting to recruit additional members will be listed on the "Find a Team" page. Anyone interested in joining a team should visit the "Find a Team" page to find contact information for teams they are interested in joining. Build or Join a Team Any team recruiting additional team members should complete a survey to submit details: Click here to submit business details  ]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/looking-to-build-or-join-an-nvc-team/feed/ 0 PITCH NIGHT! Tuesday, November 8, 6pm http://cunvc.org/2011/pitch-night-tuesday-november-8-6pm/ http://cunvc.org/2011/pitch-night-tuesday-november-8-6pm/#comments Mon, 31 Oct 2011 20:32:48 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1061

(Read More...)]]> Have an idea but need help developing it? Pitch your idea!  

Don't have an idea but want to join a team? Find a team at Pitch Night!

  Pitch Night is not only an opportunity to form teams, but also to meet some of NVC's mentors. Approximately 30 business mentors will attend Pitch Night - teams can connect with mentors to get guidance on their business plans.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011 CU Wolf Law Courtroom 6:00p start / 5:30p networking

Attend or present at Pitch Night: (http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com)

Instructions for anyone wanting to present, join a team, or see what they missed:

Instructions for PRESENTERS All registered presenters get 1 minute to pitch with an option of submitting a presentation slide (by Nov. 5). Please RSVP to pitch by Monday, November 7, 11:59pm. 1) RSVP for Pitch Night (http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com) and check "Yes" to "Are you planning to pitch a business idea?" 2) Submit your business idea and presentation slide: Presenters submit a business description for inclusion on the NVC website. Presenters may also submit 1 PowerPoint slide for addition to the NVC presentation, optional (only slides submitted by 11:59pm, Saturday, November 5 will be included in the Pitch Night presentation).  Submit your description and slide here: http://bit.ly/nvcpitch 3) Plan a 1-minute pitch, including a description of your business idea and what skills sets you're looking to add to your team. 4) Attend Pitch Night on Tuesday, November 8. 5) Plan to stick around the Wolf Law café after the event to talk to anyone interested in learning more about your idea. We'll help organize the room so that people can easily find you.   Instructions for ANYONE LOOKING TO JOIN A TEAM 1) Attend Pitch Night (rsvp: http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com) 2) Write down the # of any idea you'd like to follow up on. 3) Stop by the Wolf Law café after the Pitch Night event to find the presenters (organized by #). Most presenters will be in the café to connect with anyone interested in joining their team.   Instructions for THOSE WHO MISSED Pitch Night 1) Want to join a team? Visit http://cunvc.org/findateam after the event to see a list of teams looking for team members. 2) Want to find team members? Get your business idea listed on the CUNVC website. Submit at: http://bit.ly/nvcpitch]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/pitch-night-tuesday-november-8-6pm/feed/ 0 NVC Kickoff Was a Great Success! http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-kickoff-was-a-great-success/ http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-kickoff-was-a-great-success/#comments Thu, 27 Oct 2011 00:55:46 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1056

(Read More...)]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-kickoff-was-a-great-success/feed/ 0 NVC is kicking off on October 25! http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-is-kicking-off-on-october-25/ http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-is-kicking-off-on-october-25/#comments Mon, 10 Oct 2011 01:18:44 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=931

(Read More...)]]> Interested in startups?  Want to connect to top entrepreneurs in the area? The New Venture Challenge is gearing up for another exciting year! Join us for our Kickoff night at 6:00 p.m. (networking at 5:30) on Tuesday, October 25 in the courtroom of the Wolf Law Building.  Sign up for Kickoff night here http://nvckickoff.eventbrite.com/ The NVC is a cross-campus business plan competition that gives students an excellent opportunity to:
  • Learn about how to develop business ideas into viable plans;
  • Develop meaningful connections with Boulder business leaders and mentors;
  • Meet other business-minded CU students across campus (including students from Leeds, Computer Science, Engineering, Law, and Music); and
  • Win prize money and other in-kind benefits (last year’s 1st place team won ,000)
Whether you have a business idea that you want to put into practice, want to contribute your skills to help develop someone else’s idea, or just want an opportunity for business mentorship and networking, the NVC is a great way to get involved in the CU and greater Boulder business community. This year’s kickoff will feature one of Boulder's most engaging and dynamic entrepreneurs: Orbotix CEO Paul Berberian.  Pre-event networking starts at 5:30 in Wolf Law on Tuesday, October 25 with a formal start at 6:00. Stick around after the main event for networking and light refreshments. In addition to Kickoff on October 25, we have scheduled Pitch Night for November 8, also at 5:30 in the courtroom of Wolf Law.  Have an idea but need help developing it? Pitch your idea! Don't have an idea but want to join a team? Connect with one of the pitchers! Pitch Night is not only an opportunity to form teams, but also to find mentors.  There will be approximately 30 business mentors in attendance - teams can connect with mentors for guidance on their business plans. Unlike in previous years, this year’s NVC will contain separate competitive tracks divided by industry; we will have four tracks: information technology, clean tech, music & arts, and social ventures.  After Pitch Night, teams will develop their plans for a spring competition in their respective industry track; winners from each track will go onto cross-campus finals, set for March 15.  WHATEVER YOUR IDEA, YOU CAN COMPETE IN ONE OF THE TRACKS.   To learn more, come to the NVC Kickoff on October 25 at 5:30 p.m. in the Wolf Law Building and to NVC Pitch Night on November 8 (also at 5:30 p.m. in the Wolf Law Building). Kickoff Sign Up http://nvckickoff.eventbrite.com/ Pitch Night Sign Up http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com/ If you have more specific questions in advance of Kickoff, email Dave Mangum: dcmangum@gmail.com or Jacqui Dietrich jacquelyn.dietrich@colorado.edu]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-is-kicking-off-on-october-25/feed/ 0 Packed House at 3rd Annual NVC Championships! http://cunvc.org/2011/packed-house-at-3rd-annual-nvc-championships/ http://cunvc.org/2011/packed-house-at-3rd-annual-nvc-championships/#comments Mon, 14 Mar 2011 17:04:33 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=887

(Read More...)]]> The Third Annual New Venture Challenge Championships were a huge success, bringing over 200 people to campus for the wild-card and semi-final rounds, job fair, final presentations, and reception! With great support across campus, there were many prizes given not only for the best business plans overall, but also for categories including music, clean tech, and social entrepreneurship. The top prize of ,000 went to Green Truck for their local organic soil plan, with second prize of ,000 going to Clean Plate for reusable take-out food containers and the ,000 third prize to L'Esperance for sustainable orphanage funding based on dried fruit production. Learn more about these teams in the Boulder County Business Report article, view photos of the event here, and read on below for further details and a video of the event! Brad Bernthal of the Silicon Flatirons Center began the Championships with an introduction of New Venture Challenge partners including the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, ATLAS, the Entrepreneurship Center for Music, e-Ship and e-Space, the Interdisciplinary Telecommunications Program, and the Center for Education on Social Responsibility. He also thanked sponsors such as Zayo Group and First Western Trust Bank, and introduced the judges for the finals including Nancy Pierce of Keld, LLC,; Tim Connor, a partner of Sequel Venture Partners and chief financial officer and vice president of business strategy of Boulder Wind Power Inc.; Ken desGarennes, chief financial officer of Zayo Group; and Nathan Seidle, CEO of SparkFun Electronics Inc., an online-retailer of electronic components. Following the first team presentation, Beth Hartman of Silicon Flatirons presented the "Almost Alumni Awards" to a few business leaders who were involved in the New Venture Challenge without officially entering the competition and then went on to become successful entrepreneurs. These prizes were designed to recognize the idea that whether or not a team wins a prize, or even decides not to officially submit a business plan, the important part of the CU New Venture Challenge is to learn more about the process of starting a business and get involved with entrepreneurship in the local community! The awards went to Nate Abbott and Natty Zola of Everlater, a travel blogging company that they developed with the support of TechStars, and Nick Little of Forge Aeronautics, which focuses on providing customers with the ability to easily access spatial information in real-time using the web-browser and manned and unmanned aircraft systems. Before the final presentation, Jacqui Dietrich of the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship presented the "CU Alumni Awards" to two university graduates who both started their own companies while they were still students. Sarah Schupp launched University Parent while she was still a freshman, and Nathan Seidle maxed out his ,500 student credit card to start SparkFun out of his college apartment. He later moved to a bigger house but decided that they would probably need to transition from a house to an office when using the printer one day, in addition to all the other electronic devices they were experimenting with, caused the entire basement to plunge into darkness. The company now has almost 100 employees and is well known for creative marketing, interesting projects, and fun events. The event concluded with a keynote address from Ryan Martens of Rally Software, the presentation of the awards, and a reception in the new Center for Community building. Congratulations once again to everyone who got involved this year with the CU New Venture Challenge! We are already looking forward to another exciting competition next year.
]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/packed-house-at-3rd-annual-nvc-championships/feed/ 0 Record Number of Business Plans Submitted! http://cunvc.org/2011/record-number-of-business-plans-submitted/ http://cunvc.org/2011/record-number-of-business-plans-submitted/#comments Thu, 03 Mar 2011 20:03:35 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=877

(Read More...)]]> The Third Annual New Venture Challenge received a record number of business plan submissions, with a 50% increase over last year's numbers! Kudos to everyone for taking the time to get involved in the CU NVC this year.  Each year, there are many entrepreneurs that go through the CU NVC process but do not participate in the presentation round, and then refine their plan and take it forward in an impressive way.  The purpose of the CU NVC is to stimulate engagement in entrepreneurship and we encourage everyone to remain focused on the objective of engaging CU students and faculty in entrepreneurship.  We hope that this year’s series of workshops, mentor matching, and events has been helpful! In addition to the great quantity of plans submitted this year, the quality of the plans was also extremely high, making the selection process very difficult. Read on below for more on some of the great ideas that the judges selected to continue to the presentation round next week, and make sure to register to attend the Championships on Thursday, March 10th at 5:30pm in the Wolf Law Building! The business plans selected ranged from online video tutoring services to Chilean potato chips, with everything from renewable energy platforms to party clean-up crews in between. One team has even partnered with Habitat for Humanity to provide hands-on LEED certification training! The creativity of all the plans was simply amazing, and the range in topics was equally remarkable. If the judges who read through the business plans had a hard time deciding, those who evaluate the live presentations next week will almost certainly have at least as much trouble! Join us on Thursday, March 10th at 5:30pm in the Wolf Law Building to see which three teams make it through to the Final Championships! We will also be recognizing CU graduates who have gone on to start their own businesses such as Sarah Schupp of University Parent and Nathan Seidle of SparkFun. Finally, if you're interested in working for a start-up like Next Big Sound or Everlater, show up early for the job fair that starts at 4pm on the second floor in the law school cafe!]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/record-number-of-business-plans-submitted/feed/ 0 Local Entrepreneurship Gains Momentum http://cunvc.org/2011/local-entrepreneurship-gains-momentum/ http://cunvc.org/2011/local-entrepreneurship-gains-momentum/#comments Thu, 03 Feb 2011 19:11:31 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=831

(Read More...)]]> With only two workshops remaining before business plans for the third annual New Venture Challenge are due at the end of February, the increase in entrepreneurial momentum on campus reflects a growing start-up scene in the community overall. This week alone, President Obama announced the launch of Startup America, a national campaign to celebrate, inspire, and accelerate high-growth entrepreneurship across all corners of the country based on Boulder's own TechStars Network. At the same time, NBC did a series called Opportunity USA featuring Boulder as a center for entrepreneurship, including a piece highlighting Brad Bernthal of Silicon Flatirons and a segment on Nate Abbott and Natty Zola of Everlater, a company they started after participating in the first New Venture Challenge and then continuing on with TechStars (the good part of the video starts at around 4 minutes in). Finally, NVC partner eSpace was featured on TechCrunch for making aerospace a start-up friendly industry, and web-based companies in downtown Boulder are organizing to work with the city on internet tax issues. The next NVC workshop is for finance at 6pm in ATLAS 100 on Wednesday, February 16th, followed by the final workshop on pitching the following Wednesday, February 23rd at the same time and place. Both of these workshops will feature an opportunity to receive individual feedback on business plans from business professionals, mentors, and MBA students, so bring your drafts if you've got them! You can also submit your draft for feedback here. Finally, remember to save the date for the final competition on the evening of Thursday, March 10th in the Wolf Law Building!]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/local-entrepreneurship-gains-momentum/feed/ 0 Mentor Matching Launches Entrepreneurs Forward http://cunvc.org/2011/local-entrepreneurship-gains-momentum/ http://cunvc.org/2011/local-entrepreneurship-gains-momentum/#comments Thu, 03 Feb 2011 19:11:31 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=831

(Read More...)]]> With only two workshops remaining before business plans for the third annual New Venture Challenge are due at the end of February, the increase in entrepreneurial momentum on campus reflects a growing start-up scene in the community overall. This week alone, President Obama announced the launch of Startup America, a national campaign to celebrate, inspire, and accelerate high-growth entrepreneurship across all corners of the country based on Boulder's own TechStars Network. At the same time, NBC did a series called Opportunity USA featuring Boulder as a center for entrepreneurship, including a piece highlighting Brad Bernthal of Silicon Flatirons and a segment on Nate Abbott and Natty Zola of Everlater, a company they started after participating in the first New Venture Challenge and then continuing on with TechStars (the good part of the video starts at around 4 minutes in). Finally, NVC partner eSpace was featured on TechCrunch for making aerospace a start-up friendly industry, and web-based companies in downtown Boulder are organizing to work with the city on internet tax issues. The next NVC workshop is for finance at 6pm in ATLAS 100 on Wednesday, February 16th, followed by the final workshop on pitching the following Wednesday, February 23rd at the same time and place. Both of these workshops will feature an opportunity to receive individual feedback on business plans from business professionals, mentors, and MBA students, so bring your drafts if you've got them! You can also submit your draft for feedback here. Finally, remember to save the date for the final competition on the evening of Thursday, March 10th in the Wolf Law Building!]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/local-entrepreneurship-gains-momentum/feed/ 0 CU New Venture Challenge http://cunvc.org Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:46:08 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 NVC Boot Camp 1.18.12 http://cunvc.org/2011/save-the-date-entrepreneurs-boot-camp-1-18-12/ http://cunvc.org/2011/save-the-date-entrepreneurs-boot-camp-1-18-12/#comments Wed, 16 Nov 2011 19:42:36 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1156

(Read More...)]]> Attend CU New Venture Challenge Boot Camp to boost your chances of developing a successful business plan. January 18, 2012, 3-7pm, ATLAS Register today-- click here This CU New Venture Challenge (NVC) boot camp offers an intensive workshop in entrepreneurship basics taught by CU instructors and professional entrepreneurs. You’ll get tips and insights on various aspects of planning, starting, successfully pitching, and gaining funding for your new venture. Don’t miss this half-day session to get answers to your questions for whatever kind of business you want to start! Schedule The program starts at 3:00pm. Special sessions start at 5:15pm. Networking and refreshments at 6:30pm. Open to all. Come for some or all of the event. Who should attend? 
  • Anyone thinking about an idea for a new business
  • Anyone currently writing a business plan
  • Anyone wanting to learn more about startups
  • Anyone planning to participate in the CU New Venture Challenge business plan competition (Deadline: March 8; Competition: April 5)
NVC Boot Camp will teach you how to incorporate various business functions into your business plan and startup idea. Topics include: Business plan preparation, marketing, financial considerations for entrepreneurs, bootstrapping/funding, presentation + special sessions on starting a new venture in Cleantech, IT, Music, or for Social Impact. Contact: info@cunvc.org]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/save-the-date-entrepreneurs-boot-camp-1-18-12/feed/ 0 NVC Launch Night! Tue, Nov 15, 6pm http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-launch-night-tue-nov-15-6pm/ http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-launch-night-tue-nov-15-6pm/#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 03:47:31 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1089

(Read More...)]]> Learn how to get started on your new venture at NVC Launch Night 11.15.11

Tuesday, November 15, 6pm at Wolf Law Courtroom

Learn what it takes to turn an idea into a business concept. This NVC course focuses on developing a business plan and pitch for any idea. Frank Moyes, senior CU entrepreneurship professor and director of CU Cross Campus Entrepreneurship Education will present the basics to help all NVC teams successfully launch into the New Venture Challenge. Networking at 5:30pm, presentation at 6:00pm, light refreshments, Wolf Law Courtroom. Register Here Agenda with benefits (resource list, business model canvas outline, presentation tips): NVC Launch Night Agenda 15Nov'11 Business Model Canvas: business_model_canvas_poster Workshop presentation slides from Frank Moyes: NVC 11-15-11 presentation_WritingGreatBusinessPlans]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-launch-night-tue-nov-15-6pm/feed/ 0 Looking to build or join an NVC team? http://cunvc.org/2011/looking-to-build-or-join-an-nvc-team/ http://cunvc.org/2011/looking-to-build-or-join-an-nvc-team/#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 03:10:20 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1083

(Read More...)]]> http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com/), any team wanting to recruit additional members will be listed on the "Find a Team" page. Anyone interested in joining a team should visit the "Find a Team" page to find contact information for teams they are interested in joining. Build or Join a Team Any team recruiting additional team members should complete a survey to submit details: Click here to submit business details  ]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/looking-to-build-or-join-an-nvc-team/feed/ 0 PITCH NIGHT! Tuesday, November 8, 6pm http://cunvc.org/2011/pitch-night-tuesday-november-8-6pm/ http://cunvc.org/2011/pitch-night-tuesday-november-8-6pm/#comments Mon, 31 Oct 2011 20:32:48 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1061

(Read More...)]]> Have an idea but need help developing it? Pitch your idea!  

Don't have an idea but want to join a team? Find a team at Pitch Night!

  Pitch Night is not only an opportunity to form teams, but also to meet some of NVC's mentors. Approximately 30 business mentors will attend Pitch Night - teams can connect with mentors to get guidance on their business plans.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011 CU Wolf Law Courtroom 6:00p start / 5:30p networking

Attend or present at Pitch Night: (http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com)

Instructions for anyone wanting to present, join a team, or see what they missed:

Instructions for PRESENTERS All registered presenters get 1 minute to pitch with an option of submitting a presentation slide (by Nov. 5). Please RSVP to pitch by Monday, November 7, 11:59pm. 1) RSVP for Pitch Night (http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com) and check "Yes" to "Are you planning to pitch a business idea?" 2) Submit your business idea and presentation slide: Presenters submit a business description for inclusion on the NVC website. Presenters may also submit 1 PowerPoint slide for addition to the NVC presentation, optional (only slides submitted by 11:59pm, Saturday, November 5 will be included in the Pitch Night presentation).  Submit your description and slide here: http://bit.ly/nvcpitch 3) Plan a 1-minute pitch, including a description of your business idea and what skills sets you're looking to add to your team. 4) Attend Pitch Night on Tuesday, November 8. 5) Plan to stick around the Wolf Law café after the event to talk to anyone interested in learning more about your idea. We'll help organize the room so that people can easily find you.   Instructions for ANYONE LOOKING TO JOIN A TEAM 1) Attend Pitch Night (rsvp: http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com) 2) Write down the # of any idea you'd like to follow up on. 3) Stop by the Wolf Law café after the Pitch Night event to find the presenters (organized by #). Most presenters will be in the café to connect with anyone interested in joining their team.   Instructions for THOSE WHO MISSED Pitch Night 1) Want to join a team? Visit http://cunvc.org/findateam after the event to see a list of teams looking for team members. 2) Want to find team members? Get your business idea listed on the CUNVC website. Submit at: http://bit.ly/nvcpitch]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/pitch-night-tuesday-november-8-6pm/feed/ 0 NVC Kickoff Was a Great Success! http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-kickoff-was-a-great-success/ http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-kickoff-was-a-great-success/#comments Thu, 27 Oct 2011 00:55:46 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=1056

(Read More...)]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-kickoff-was-a-great-success/feed/ 0 NVC is kicking off on October 25! http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-is-kicking-off-on-october-25/ http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-is-kicking-off-on-october-25/#comments Mon, 10 Oct 2011 01:18:44 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=931

(Read More...)]]> Interested in startups?  Want to connect to top entrepreneurs in the area? The New Venture Challenge is gearing up for another exciting year! Join us for our Kickoff night at 6:00 p.m. (networking at 5:30) on Tuesday, October 25 in the courtroom of the Wolf Law Building.  Sign up for Kickoff night here http://nvckickoff.eventbrite.com/ The NVC is a cross-campus business plan competition that gives students an excellent opportunity to:
  • Learn about how to develop business ideas into viable plans;
  • Develop meaningful connections with Boulder business leaders and mentors;
  • Meet other business-minded CU students across campus (including students from Leeds, Computer Science, Engineering, Law, and Music); and
  • Win prize money and other in-kind benefits (last year’s 1st place team won ,000)
Whether you have a business idea that you want to put into practice, want to contribute your skills to help develop someone else’s idea, or just want an opportunity for business mentorship and networking, the NVC is a great way to get involved in the CU and greater Boulder business community. This year’s kickoff will feature one of Boulder's most engaging and dynamic entrepreneurs: Orbotix CEO Paul Berberian.  Pre-event networking starts at 5:30 in Wolf Law on Tuesday, October 25 with a formal start at 6:00. Stick around after the main event for networking and light refreshments. In addition to Kickoff on October 25, we have scheduled Pitch Night for November 8, also at 5:30 in the courtroom of Wolf Law.  Have an idea but need help developing it? Pitch your idea! Don't have an idea but want to join a team? Connect with one of the pitchers! Pitch Night is not only an opportunity to form teams, but also to find mentors.  There will be approximately 30 business mentors in attendance - teams can connect with mentors for guidance on their business plans. Unlike in previous years, this year’s NVC will contain separate competitive tracks divided by industry; we will have four tracks: information technology, clean tech, music & arts, and social ventures.  After Pitch Night, teams will develop their plans for a spring competition in their respective industry track; winners from each track will go onto cross-campus finals, set for March 15.  WHATEVER YOUR IDEA, YOU CAN COMPETE IN ONE OF THE TRACKS.   To learn more, come to the NVC Kickoff on October 25 at 5:30 p.m. in the Wolf Law Building and to NVC Pitch Night on November 8 (also at 5:30 p.m. in the Wolf Law Building). Kickoff Sign Up http://nvckickoff.eventbrite.com/ Pitch Night Sign Up http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com/ If you have more specific questions in advance of Kickoff, email Dave Mangum: dcmangum@gmail.com or Jacqui Dietrich jacquelyn.dietrich@colorado.edu]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/nvc-is-kicking-off-on-october-25/feed/ 0 Packed House at 3rd Annual NVC Championships! http://cunvc.org/2011/packed-house-at-3rd-annual-nvc-championships/ http://cunvc.org/2011/packed-house-at-3rd-annual-nvc-championships/#comments Mon, 14 Mar 2011 17:04:33 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=887

(Read More...)]]> The Third Annual New Venture Challenge Championships were a huge success, bringing over 200 people to campus for the wild-card and semi-final rounds, job fair, final presentations, and reception! With great support across campus, there were many prizes given not only for the best business plans overall, but also for categories including music, clean tech, and social entrepreneurship. The top prize of ,000 went to Green Truck for their local organic soil plan, with second prize of ,000 going to Clean Plate for reusable take-out food containers and the ,000 third prize to L'Esperance for sustainable orphanage funding based on dried fruit production. Learn more about these teams in the Boulder County Business Report article, view photos of the event here, and read on below for further details and a video of the event! Brad Bernthal of the Silicon Flatirons Center began the Championships with an introduction of New Venture Challenge partners including the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, ATLAS, the Entrepreneurship Center for Music, e-Ship and e-Space, the Interdisciplinary Telecommunications Program, and the Center for Education on Social Responsibility. He also thanked sponsors such as Zayo Group and First Western Trust Bank, and introduced the judges for the finals including Nancy Pierce of Keld, LLC,; Tim Connor, a partner of Sequel Venture Partners and chief financial officer and vice president of business strategy of Boulder Wind Power Inc.; Ken desGarennes, chief financial officer of Zayo Group; and Nathan Seidle, CEO of SparkFun Electronics Inc., an online-retailer of electronic components. Following the first team presentation, Beth Hartman of Silicon Flatirons presented the "Almost Alumni Awards" to a few business leaders who were involved in the New Venture Challenge without officially entering the competition and then went on to become successful entrepreneurs. These prizes were designed to recognize the idea that whether or not a team wins a prize, or even decides not to officially submit a business plan, the important part of the CU New Venture Challenge is to learn more about the process of starting a business and get involved with entrepreneurship in the local community! The awards went to Nate Abbott and Natty Zola of Everlater, a travel blogging company that they developed with the support of TechStars, and Nick Little of Forge Aeronautics, which focuses on providing customers with the ability to easily access spatial information in real-time using the web-browser and manned and unmanned aircraft systems. Before the final presentation, Jacqui Dietrich of the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship presented the "CU Alumni Awards" to two university graduates who both started their own companies while they were still students. Sarah Schupp launched University Parent while she was still a freshman, and Nathan Seidle maxed out his ,500 student credit card to start SparkFun out of his college apartment. He later moved to a bigger house but decided that they would probably need to transition from a house to an office when using the printer one day, in addition to all the other electronic devices they were experimenting with, caused the entire basement to plunge into darkness. The company now has almost 100 employees and is well known for creative marketing, interesting projects, and fun events. The event concluded with a keynote address from Ryan Martens of Rally Software, the presentation of the awards, and a reception in the new Center for Community building. Congratulations once again to everyone who got involved this year with the CU New Venture Challenge! We are already looking forward to another exciting competition next year.
]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/packed-house-at-3rd-annual-nvc-championships/feed/ 0 Record Number of Business Plans Submitted! http://cunvc.org/2011/record-number-of-business-plans-submitted/ http://cunvc.org/2011/record-number-of-business-plans-submitted/#comments Thu, 03 Mar 2011 20:03:35 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=877

(Read More...)]]> The Third Annual New Venture Challenge received a record number of business plan submissions, with a 50% increase over last year's numbers! Kudos to everyone for taking the time to get involved in the CU NVC this year.  Each year, there are many entrepreneurs that go through the CU NVC process but do not participate in the presentation round, and then refine their plan and take it forward in an impressive way.  The purpose of the CU NVC is to stimulate engagement in entrepreneurship and we encourage everyone to remain focused on the objective of engaging CU students and faculty in entrepreneurship.  We hope that this year’s series of workshops, mentor matching, and events has been helpful! In addition to the great quantity of plans submitted this year, the quality of the plans was also extremely high, making the selection process very difficult. Read on below for more on some of the great ideas that the judges selected to continue to the presentation round next week, and make sure to register to attend the Championships on Thursday, March 10th at 5:30pm in the Wolf Law Building! The business plans selected ranged from online video tutoring services to Chilean potato chips, with everything from renewable energy platforms to party clean-up crews in between. One team has even partnered with Habitat for Humanity to provide hands-on LEED certification training! The creativity of all the plans was simply amazing, and the range in topics was equally remarkable. If the judges who read through the business plans had a hard time deciding, those who evaluate the live presentations next week will almost certainly have at least as much trouble! Join us on Thursday, March 10th at 5:30pm in the Wolf Law Building to see which three teams make it through to the Final Championships! We will also be recognizing CU graduates who have gone on to start their own businesses such as Sarah Schupp of University Parent and Nathan Seidle of SparkFun. Finally, if you're interested in working for a start-up like Next Big Sound or Everlater, show up early for the job fair that starts at 4pm on the second floor in the law school cafe!]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/record-number-of-business-plans-submitted/feed/ 0 Local Entrepreneurship Gains Momentum http://cunvc.org/2011/local-entrepreneurship-gains-momentum/ http://cunvc.org/2011/local-entrepreneurship-gains-momentum/#comments Thu, 03 Feb 2011 19:11:31 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=831

(Read More...)]]> With only two workshops remaining before business plans for the third annual New Venture Challenge are due at the end of February, the increase in entrepreneurial momentum on campus reflects a growing start-up scene in the community overall. This week alone, President Obama announced the launch of Startup America, a national campaign to celebrate, inspire, and accelerate high-growth entrepreneurship across all corners of the country based on Boulder's own TechStars Network. At the same time, NBC did a series called Opportunity USA featuring Boulder as a center for entrepreneurship, including a piece highlighting Brad Bernthal of Silicon Flatirons and a segment on Nate Abbott and Natty Zola of Everlater, a company they started after participating in the first New Venture Challenge and then continuing on with TechStars (the good part of the video starts at around 4 minutes in). Finally, NVC partner eSpace was featured on TechCrunch for making aerospace a start-up friendly industry, and web-based companies in downtown Boulder are organizing to work with the city on internet tax issues. The next NVC workshop is for finance at 6pm in ATLAS 100 on Wednesday, February 16th, followed by the final workshop on pitching the following Wednesday, February 23rd at the same time and place. Both of these workshops will feature an opportunity to receive individual feedback on business plans from business professionals, mentors, and MBA students, so bring your drafts if you've got them! You can also submit your draft for feedback here. Finally, remember to save the date for the final competition on the evening of Thursday, March 10th in the Wolf Law Building!]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/local-entrepreneurship-gains-momentum/feed/ 0 Mentor Matching Launches Entrepreneurs Forward http://cunvc.org/2011/mentor-matching-launches-entrepreneurs-forward/ http://cunvc.org/2011/mentor-matching-launches-entrepreneurs-forward/#comments Thu, 27 Jan 2011 18:39:55 +0000 admin http://cunvc.org/?p=812

(Read More...)]]> If only Obama could have been there. On the night after our President urged the nation to focus on education, innovation and competition, the CU New Venture Challenge couldn't have showcased a more perfect example of exactly that focus. By combining some of the most successful business leaders in our community with a room full of motivated entrepreneurs, it literally felt as if we were looking into the future, previewing the next generation of emerging talent. Almost 20 mentors specializing in fields as diverse as law, finance and technology shared their time and expertise with more than that many teams hoping to start businesses ranging from financing solar panels in India to creating business cards with flash memory. Mentors involved with projects like providing internet on airplanes, publishing multiple books on marketing, and financing ventures that went on to successful IPOs connected with teams to provide guidance on topics such as taking a successful local business like Hangover Helpers to the national level, increasing retail sales with real-time data analysis, or creating an Angie's List in Brasil. The business plans that these teams and others are creating with the help of their mentors and the guidance provided by a series of workshops will certainly present the judges with challenging choices to make for the finals on March 1oth. The most important part of the competition, however, is not who wins but how many people gain valuable experience for the future. We look forward to seeing you all again soon and we're planning to make this year's final event the biggest one yet, with hundreds of people from the campus and the community coming together to recognize dynamic entrepreneurship in our city, our state and our country.]]> http://cunvc.org/2011/mentor-matching-launches-entrepreneurs-forward/feed/ 0