The Connecticut Venture Group has changed its name to Crossroads Venture Group, and it has a new website: www.cvg.org. I first learned of CVG in 1995, when I helped run the Business Formation Network at Norwalk Community College.
CVG has been instrumental in promoting venture funding in our state.
I've gone to their Crossroads Venture Fair, their networking events and their presentations for entrepreneurs. Every time, I learned something new and met amazing people -- investors, lawyers, accountants and potential clients. A few times, I was fortunate enough to attend their boot camps for entrepreneurs along with my clients. The boot camps were set up to help people know how to make a good pitch to investors.
A couple of times, I got to be a judge, screening the applications to present at the venture fair. That was absolutely fascinating. I couldn't believe how many people failed to follow directions when filling out their applications to present. It made me wonder if people were actually reading the questions.
Over time, the organization has morphed. In the dot-com boom, hundreds of people packed their conferences. And investors were willing to hear pitches from pre-revenue companies. But after the meltdown in 2000, investors became far more picky. And the Crossroads fair only allowed growth stage companies to present.
I'm interested to see what happens to CVG in its new guise and to see if more new ventures can be encouraged in Connecticut. We need something to help our economy get going again.
Showing posts with label Connecticut Venture Group. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Connecticut Venture Group. Show all posts
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Monday, October 26, 2009
Connecticut Venture Group Events
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| © 2009 Connecticut Venture Group |
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
CVG Workshop for Entrepreneurs
This Wednesday, the Connecticut Venture Group is giving a workshop for entrepreneurs in Stamford, CT, to help them with business planning and with finding capital. The next day, there's one in Hartford on resources available through UCONN. Worth attending, if you're in the area:
http://www.cvg.org/
http://www.cvg.org/
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Friday, January 23, 2009
Angel Funding Forum - Stamford, CT
The Connecticut Venture Group is running a forum for entrepreneurs on how how to attract angel investors. Two of my friends, Andy Hanson and Doug Campbell, are on the panel. They are worth hearing.
Here is the scoop on the event --
http://www.cvg.org/upcoming_events.asp
Here is the scoop on the event --
http://www.cvg.org/upcoming_events.asp
Upcoming Events:
| |||||||||||||||||
Monday, April 14, 2008
Crossroads Venture Fair - April 29-30, 2008
The Crossroads Venture Fair is coming up -- April 29-30 in Stamford, Connecticut. Now is the time to sign up for a chance to present at the fair, the largest venture event in the Northeast. I was a judge for last year's fair. We had to turn down half the companies that applied to exhibit and present. Let me give you some tips for when you fill out the forms:,
To sign up for a chance to present, go to:
http://www.cvg.org/entrepreneurzone.asp.
You'll see that there are many categories. Fill out the form for your business's stage:
2008 Connecticut Venture Group Funding Applications:
PRE-SEED and SEED STAGE Funding Application (R&D or Proof-of-Concept Phase)
Apply here if your product, technology or service requires funding for further development or testing, patent protection, or you require assistance to complete a comprehensive business plan, or other resources before you are ready to start up.START-UP Funding Application (Ready to Launch)
Apply here if you have a business plan, a proven concept or product, a management team identified, and are ready to start up.EARLY STAGE and EXPANSION STAGE Application (Sales < $5,000,000)
Apply here if you have started up and have annual sales under $500,000 [EARLY STAGE], or sales are over $500,000 but lest than $5,000,000 [EXPANSION STAGE].LATE STAGE Companies (Sales > $5,000,000)
Apply here if you have annual sales of at least $5,000,000.
- Use full sentences that make sense.
- Ask someone else to read over your responses before you send them in.
- Make sure you answer the questions asked.
To sign up for a chance to present, go to:
http://www.cvg.org/entrepreneurzone.asp.
You'll see that there are many categories. Fill out the form for your business's stage:
2008 Connecticut Venture Group Funding Applications:
PRE-SEED and SEED STAGE Funding Application (R&D or Proof-of-Concept Phase)
Apply here if your product, technology or service requires funding for further development or testing, patent protection, or you require assistance to complete a comprehensive business plan, or other resources before you are ready to start up.START-UP Funding Application (Ready to Launch)
Apply here if you have a business plan, a proven concept or product, a management team identified, and are ready to start up.EARLY STAGE and EXPANSION STAGE Application (Sales < $5,000,000)
Apply here if you have started up and have annual sales under $500,000 [EARLY STAGE], or sales are over $500,000 but lest than $5,000,000 [EXPANSION STAGE].LATE STAGE Companies (Sales > $5,000,000)
Apply here if you have annual sales of at least $5,000,000.
Friday, January 25, 2008
What I Learned at the Connecticut Venture Group - 1
Last night I attended the Connecticut Venture Group's ("CVG") forum on venture funding and term sheets. For the next week, I'm going to write about all the things I learned at the meeting.
Entrepreneurship is hot in Fairfield County, Connecticut. Typically, when the economy is disrupted, people turn to starting businesses. The meeting was packed with about 150 entrepreneurs all seeking capital. We did hear from 10 investors (an angel, a banker and eight VCs), who spoke about their areas of interest, their firms and how much they are looking to invest. What amazed me is how much venture capital is available in my area -- millions of dollars. However, each venture capitalist or angel tends to want to invest in specific areas that mesh with their own expertise and their investment criteria. Some want software companies with $5 million in revenue seeking expansion capital. Others want to invest only $500,000 in early stage companies which actually manufacture something and have at least one paying customer. The list goes on.
It's important for anyone seeking capital to be strategic. Discover what the investors want before sending out your plans or executive summaries. One way to do this is to attend meetings like the one I attended or to attend venture fairs. CVG runs the largest venture fair in the Northeast, called Crossroads. I was a judge for last year's event. About half the companies that apply to present are accepted. Go to the CVG's website to learn more about Crossroads and other CVG events.
http://www.cvg.org/
Entrepreneurship is hot in Fairfield County, Connecticut. Typically, when the economy is disrupted, people turn to starting businesses. The meeting was packed with about 150 entrepreneurs all seeking capital. We did hear from 10 investors (an angel, a banker and eight VCs), who spoke about their areas of interest, their firms and how much they are looking to invest. What amazed me is how much venture capital is available in my area -- millions of dollars. However, each venture capitalist or angel tends to want to invest in specific areas that mesh with their own expertise and their investment criteria. Some want software companies with $5 million in revenue seeking expansion capital. Others want to invest only $500,000 in early stage companies which actually manufacture something and have at least one paying customer. The list goes on.
It's important for anyone seeking capital to be strategic. Discover what the investors want before sending out your plans or executive summaries. One way to do this is to attend meetings like the one I attended or to attend venture fairs. CVG runs the largest venture fair in the Northeast, called Crossroads. I was a judge for last year's event. About half the companies that apply to present are accepted. Go to the CVG's website to learn more about Crossroads and other CVG events.
http://www.cvg.org/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)