Last year was a big year for some
961_ 01/31/11 - We're hearing so much about Colorado's venture capital business and the lack of new funds. We contacted Vipanj Patel, managing partner of iSherpa Capital for his take on the situation. A few years back when we talked with Vipanj they were just moving into their offices in Greenwood Village, today they were preparing to move out. That's actually up and out. They're expanding, moving up and taking additional space. Vipanj said, "We're actually going to be housing a couple of companies that we're going to be working with. Actively work in an operating fashion in some of the companies we are investing in and help get them off the ground. Last year was a big year for iSherpa. They expanded beyond wireless into media and entertainment, Internet type of play, a few years ago. There's one company out in San Diego called Taaz, (they do virtual makeovers) that iSherpa invested in about three years ago. Recently hired a new CEO (replacing Vipanj) Harry Lin. "Harry used to run Evite and before that abc.com. He actually was the first one to introduce video to the Internet, well before YouTube and all that. So he's on board full time and running the show day-to-day. He's doing a great job and Taaz is getting a lot of traction. In the last year we've closed Clinique as a client; rolled out Estée Lauder across 13 countries; In Style magazine, People magazine, Revlon, and we've got quite a few exciting things coming out this year. So that's a company we're excited about. They've grown over 100% each of the last three years. Probably the biggest thing for iSherpa in 2010 was the sale of a company, Sequent, which was in the wireless caller and ID name space, based out of Seattle, WA. iSherpa sold Sequent to a publicly traded company and got a nice exit." Larry asked Vipanj what he saw for VC firms. "It's still an interesting time for the VC industry. The term you'll hear is, 'it's frothy out there right now. There's definitely frothiness in the market, but there are differences too. In other words, back in '99 everyone was chasing everything. The second thing I've seen is a fundamental shift in people's attitude and what it takes to build a business. In the last three years we've been approached by entrepreneurs that have a much more realistic view, in our opinion, of what it takes to build a business. That mind-shift to me has been huge." Vipanj has more to say about wireless...listen now...
RELATED LINKS: iSherpa Capital || Tazz || Venture Capital || Podcasting Directory || KEYWORDS: Vipanj Patel, iSherpa Capital, Wireless, Venture Capital, Tazz, Virtual Makeovers, Sequent, Evite > bytes=11217923
LISTEN TO: Vipanj Patel, Managing Partner, iSherpa Cap

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Silicon Valley's biggest IPO since Google
959_ 01/31/11 - w3w3® Media Network is proud and honored to bring another NCWIT interview to our audience. We've long since recognized the need for education and support for our youth and particularly for young women, in math and science, engineering and technology. The women we interview are bright guiding lights for the future of our youth, generously sharing their experiences - challenges and all. They are inspiring, often humorous and motivating. This series is a real jewel and a valuable set of tools for the future of young women and everyone who has the good fortune to listen. Lucy Sanders, the CEO for the National Center for Women and Information Technology or NCWIT along with Lee Kennedy, Founder, Bolder Search and board member for the National Center for Women and Information Technology or NCWIT along with Larry Nelson, Director of w3w3® Media Network interviewed Diane Greene, founder of VMware. VMware introduced something really innovative which was a virtualization layer between hardware and software that allowed different operating systems to run on the same machine. When the company went public in 2007, it was Silicon Valley's biggest IPO since Google. She was asked how she came to be an entrepreneur. Diane explained, "I had always been an organizer, like working with people if their visions are aligned and that led to reading people and being in charge. So, it's a desire to do new things, make things happen. When you need to work on a passion and vision you are sometimes left with no option but to do it yourself. When asked for her advice to young people who are thinking of entrepreneurship, she said. If you see something that really excites you then set about doing it and doing it right. Don't cut any corners, go about it with absolute quality in every way that you approach it and think it through, and execute on it." There's more advice for entrepreneurs...
RELATED LINKS: NCWIT Home || NCWIT Blog || VMware || NCWIT Channel || KEYWORDS: Diane Greene, VMware, National Center for Women and Information Technology, Lucinda Sanders, NCWIT, Lee Kennedy, Bolder Search, Entrepreneurs, Technology, > bytes=12086442
LISTEN TO: Diane Greene, founder VMware

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Venture capitalists looking into the newest
1340_ 1/21/13 - The line between the digital and physical worlds has blurred. We are talking with two of the young men who watch that line, understand and encourage development and bet their futures on what it all means. We're here at the Defrag / blur 2012 Conferences talking with Seth Levine and Ryan McIntyre from Foundry Group. The two conferences are really loaded with some high powered stuff everything from devices that enable [non-invasive] brain-computer interaction to 3D printers and gaming with helicopters that are controlled wirelessly and nearly intuitively, by wrist action. We're looking for an overview and we think Ryan and Seth can help us with that in terms of what the Foundry Group is looking at today. Ryan tells us they have a handful of investment themes they like to explore in the investing process. Here at Defrag and blur Foundry Group has had a number of their portfolio companies represented within those themes. Defrag came out of conversations around how technology was evolving in the enterprise and the inter-connection of computers, glue applications, protocol applications - these are some of the themes we talked about. And blur really came out of our interest in the evolution of human-computer interaction. So the notion that the ways we interact with computers and computer systems is undergoing a massive, seismic shift right now. So your keyboard and mouse, windows gooey - is behind us. You know, we have new touch screen interaction with our pads and our tablets, just the way we interact with and even what we recognize with computers is undergoing this seismic shift and changes. The exhibits and companies that are here really represent that. That's why we're here and deeply interested in what's going on in the world of human-computer interaction. Seth explained that last year's blur [2011] was exactly that. Ryan said, "That's the evolution of the core idea, that it's expanded the footprint. It’s the notion of how we interact with the computer in the real world. It really allows us to take the digital world and push it out into the physical world. That's a fascinating development that really expands the kind of things we can talk about in computer interaction and digital life and blur..." ...listen for more ...
RELATED LINKS: Foundry Group || Defrag 1 Site, 2 Shows 3 Days || Defrag/blur Info || Blur Conference Photos || Defrag Conference Photos || KEYWORDS: Ryan McIntyre, Seth Levine, Foundry Group, Venture Capitalist, DefragCon 2012, blur, Software, Non-Invasive Brain-Computer Interfaces, Glue Applications, Protocol Applications > bytes=3783265
LISTEN TO: Seth Levine & Ryan McIntyre, Foundry Group

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Submit your winning nominations now...
1335_ 1/14/13 - COLORADO COMPANIES TO WATCH ACCEPTING NOMINATIONS Colorado Companies to Watch recognizes second- stage companies that are developing valuable products and services and creating quality jobs. They are currently accepting nominations for the 2013 Colorado Companies to Watch award. Companies may apply without being nominated. The nomination deadline is January 28, 2013. To learn more, please click here. This program is a perfect example of public/private partnership We're talking to Sam Bailey the Relationship Manager for the Governor's Office of Economic Development and International Trade. That means he primarily works in business retention and expansion, helping existing businesses grow and expand their businesses. Sam is also the new program director for Colorado Companies to Watch, which is now four years into the program with 200 companies highlighted and close to, if not over a thousand finalists. Sam said, "We have really seen a lot of companies and communities come out and support these businesses - highlight them, recognize them - so the program has grown to quite a prestigious honor. This year alone we had a wonderful geographical diversity across the state of Colorado. We had companies from rural and urban communities - communities that we haven't seen on stage before. So this has been a banner year for COCTW. We're looking to continue that through outreach to our community partners across the state. It's important to note this is not a program just for the Front Range. It's for the entire state; we have companies from Durango, Carbondale, Craig, and Holly." Listen for more...
RELATED LINKS: Colorado Companies to Watch || Colorado Companies to Watch Channel || Nomination Link || w3w3.com Blog || Gala Event Photos || KEYWORDS: Sam Bailey, Office of Economic Development and International Trade, OEDIT, Colorado Companies to Watch, COCTW, Nominations, Colorado, Second Stage Companies, Lowe Foundation, > bytes=6226236
LISTEN TO: Sam Bailey, Program Director, COCTW

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It was a pretty vibrant year for entrepreneurship
958_ 01/31/11 - Larry asks Brad Feld, founder and managing partner of Foundry Group, to take out his crystal ball, but first a snapshot of 2010. Brad said, "2010 was a pretty vibrant year for entrepreneurship, certainly for software and tech entrepreneurship, around the country, but also especially for Boulder, Colorado. Programs like TechStars have helped on a national basis, they have lots of programs throughout the country now. This has really helped with early stage and first-time entrepreneurs. There's plenty of venture capital activity and plenty investments in young growing companies and there have been some very large investments in new leaders companies like Twitter and Facebook, GroupOn, Zinga. Those companies have both raised a lot of money and they're very substantial business that are generating a lot of cash. We've had a great time together. David has been awesome to work with. He's living in New York right now, for the first quarter running the TechStars New York program, which is now the fourth city that TechStars is also in, Boulder, Boston, and Seattle. They're into week three now, off to a great start and he's having a blast. The premise behind TechStars initially, and the thing that David presented to me, that appealed to me so much was this notion of working with first-time entrepreneurs with a mentor driven approach. These types of companies have come to be knows as accelerators. It's a good word, a good description." Larry asked, "How is raising money, either angel or a larger VC investment, different in 2011 from 2010? Brad replied, Well, independent of when, raising money for a startup is hard. It's hard when you're at the very beginning and it's hard for 2nd or 3rd round it's even hard when you're raising expansion capital. The mistake that entrepreneurs make is they assume it's going to be straightforward - they expect it to be less difficult than it is. Then when it turns out to be a real slog, it's very difficult for them. So, I don't know that I have any good sense as to whether it'll be any easier or harder to raise money in 2011 because I think it's always hard." " If someone is approaching the Foundry Group what shouldn't they do?" Brad also gives advice to entrepreneurs who are seeking money...Listen now...
RELATED LINKS: Foundry Group || Feld Thoughts || Do More Faster || VC Interviews || More VC Interviews || KEYWORDS: Brad Feld, Foundry Group, Mobius Venture Capital, TechStars, David Cohen, Defrag, Glue, Eric Norlin, Do More Faster, bytes=8910788
LISTEN TO: Brad Feld, Foundry Group

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Keep at it, eventually there will be a turn around
960_ 01/31/11 - ARCA Biopharma, Inc. is a Colorado-based biopharmaceutical company developing genetically-targeted therapies for heart failure and other cardiovascular diseases. Larry interviewed Michael R. Bristow, MD, Ph.D. CEO & Chief Science and Medical Officer of ARCA at the CU Technology Transfer Office Awards banquet. Dr. Bristow has been a favorite interview for w3w3® for years. Larry asked him, "Michael what are the biggest changes you've seen in this last year in your industry?" He re[lied, "It's been a couple of tough years, but I think things are starting to turn around and basically the atmospherics have gotten a lot better. Just coming off a JP Morgan meeting, it was, I thought, a completely different tone this year." Dr. Bristow had some interesting insights about funding. "Well, it's sort of like financing of real estate was back in the early 80s when interest rates were 20% - you've got to do creative financing. So, all kinds of vehicles have been used through this period. ARCA biopharma, for instance did a reverse merger, bought a company that was NASDAQ listed, that had a bunch of cash - that proved to be a good move. So people have gotten through this one way or another, but we need to get back to traditional sources of funding." Larry asked, "Is there any particular advice to people in your arena?" Spoken like a true leader he replied, "Yes, don't give up. I mean, tenacity, keep at it, eventually there will be a turn around. Now when things aren't going too well may be the best opportunity there is in terms of acquiring assets. Think ahead. Think positive." Dr. Bristow joined ARCA as one of ARCA’s founders in September 2004, and has served as Chairman and Chief Science and Medical Officer of ARCA until he was appointed to his current position of Chief Executive Officer in July 2009. Dr. Bristow is a Professor of Medicine and the former Head of Cardiology at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, where he has been since October 1991. Dr. Bristow was one of the founders of Myogen, Inc.
RELATED LINKS: ARCA biopharma || CU Technology Transfer Office || CU TTO Channel || TTO Blog || KEYWORDS: Michael Bristow, ARCA biopharma, CU Technology Transfer Office, Biotech, Cardiology at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, University of Colorado Cardiovascular Institute > bytes=2927702
LISTEN TO: Michael Bristow, MD, Professor, CEO, ARCA at TTO Awards

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Women's roles and behaviors in technology commercialization
1339_ 1/21/13 - Today Lucy Sanders, CEO for the National Center for Women and Information Technology or NCWIT along with Larry Nelson, Director of w3w3® Media Network are interviewing Jean Hammond an entrepreneur and angel investor. Jean is a co-founder of the Boston forum of Golden Seeds (which invests in women-managed businesses) and a member of Launchpad Venture Group and Hub Angels. An investor with an active portfolio over 50 companies, she has served on the Board or as a Board-level advisor with over 20 of these firms. Jean's been working on a new non-profit that she recently launched called Learn Launch. Helping drive the support ecosystem by matching entrepreneurs with investors and other resources, Jean meets with hundreds of entrepreneurs a year. As a part-time entrepreneur-in-residence at the E Center and an active mentor at TCN, TechStars, and MassChallenge, she has directly or indirectly helped dozens of startups, moving them from “idea stage” to “funding-ready” to eventual launch to become vital members of the Massachusetts innovation economy. Most recently, Jean co-founded LearnLaunch, a non-profit fostering the creation and growth of learning and education technology companies and the ed tech business cluster across New England. LearnLaunch brings together innovators, K-12 and higher ed educators, investors, students, school leaders, buyers and distribution channels, and provides structured services such as classes, forums, conferences and networking opportunities for entrepreneurs. On the board of Thompson Island Outward Bound and Boston Rising Jean supports the growth of science education and entrepreneurial jobs in the inner city...there's much more to listen to...
RELATED LINKS: LearnLaunch || NCWIT Home || Golden Seeds Boston || Launchpad Venture Group || TechStars Boston || Heroes Channel || KEYWORDS:Jean Hammond, Learn Launch, Lucy Sanders, National Center for Women and Information Technology, NCWIT, LaunchPad Venture Group, Hub Angels, TechStars, Boston, > BYTES=15642856
LISTEN TO: Jean Hammond, Founder, Learn Launch

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For entrepreneurs it takes passion and planning
1341_ 1/21/13 - Colorado Companies to Watch winner, Applied Trust cofounders Trent Hein and Ned McClain (a new father, Congratulations) join Larry Nelson for a check-in visit. We love to get successful entrepreneurs to weigh in on what they see as the barriers and challenges to becoming an entrepreneur today. The advice is always worth hearing. Trent directs us to a very personal and important step. "You've got the great idea - but you've got to have the plan that says here's how you're getting from point A to point B. Here's how I'm going to manage my staff. Here's how I'm going to get revenue. There was a mindset for a period of time, where if you just hoped it would happen - it would. But hope's not a method here. We've got to have a plan." Trent tells us that for the 12+ years that he and Ned have been working together they plan everything out, in some cases multiple years out." Doing that, Trent says, "It is critical to an entrepreneur's success." Ned and Larry agree, it's a hot time for entrepreneurs in Boulder and Denver right now. But Ned believes you have to find something you're really passionate about. They started Applied Trust just after the dot com boom - it was probably not advisable to start an IT infrastructure - security - performance company then. But, it was something they were passionate about and that passion is what helped them be successful. It's certainly a challenge today, there's a temptation to just find something so they can do a startup. Agreeing heartily, Larry coined the Double P words here... Passion and Planning. Listen for more great advice... COLORADO COMPANIES TO WATCH ACCEPTING NOMINATIONS Colorado Companies to Watch recognizes second- stage companies that are developing valuable products and services and creating quality jobs. They are currently accepting nominations for the 2013 Colorado Companies to Watch award. Companies may apply without being nominated. The nomination deadline is January 28, 2013. To learn more, please click here.
RELATED LINKS: Applied Trust || The Barking Seal Blog || Colorado Companies to Watch || Colorado Companies to Watch Channel || PodCast Directory || Gala Event Photos || KEYWORDS: AppliedTrust, Trent Hein, Ned McClain, IT infrastructure, Cloud Services, Lowe Foundation, Colorado Companies to Watch, Gala Event, COCTW, Second Stage Companies, Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, , bytes=7539882
LISTEN TO: Applied Trust, Trent Hein & Ned McClain, CoFounders

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