TCVN Forum Considers Question of What Makes the Real Difference for Entrepreneurs Who Raise Money
Irvine, CA, May 15, 2008 --(PR.com)-- The Tech Coast Venture Network and veteran investor and industry executive Matt Ridenour will discuss what documents and tools can best assist entrepreneurs in raising money for their ventures on Thursday, May 22, 2008 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM at the conference center offices of Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP in Irvine, Calif.
“This will be a real eye-opener for many entrepreneurs,” said Bart Greenberg, TCVN chairman and partner at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP. “Just because everyone is telling you to write a business plan doesn't mean that investors will beat a path to your door.” Greenberg explained that “instead of devoting valuable resources on such a low-return activity, this Forum will urge our entrepreneurs to focus their efforts on areas that successful entrepreneurs use to raise money.”
Matt Ridenour, managing director of Momentum Venture Management, LLC, will discuss such topics as how a business plan can actually hurt one’s ability to raise money; why most investors won't read a business plan; what documents will be needed to raise money; the right pitch for the right investor; what planning tools are really needed to guide start-up efforts; and what a company really should be trying to achieve in the first two years.
Ridenour has been active in private equity, venture capital and as a successful CEO in early stage companies prior to founding MVM. He has been a principal in more than 25 private market transactions with an aggregate value in excess of $200MM. Prior to MVM, Ridenour was CEO, then executive chairman, at UNX, Inc, a venture-backed firm providing equity trading software to hedge funds and other large institutions trading US Equities. He grew the company from start-up to over $30 million in sales in 3 years, and was responsible for all aspects of fundraising through multiple institutional rounds.
Ridenour was also founder of Gazelle TechVentures, a $60 million venture capital firm based in Indianapolis. The fund’s strategy is to closely collaborate with companies applying technology to improve traditional business practices. The fund is currently tracking in the top quartile of comparable funds for its vintage year of 2000. Ridenour left full time status at Gazelle to run its largest portfolio company, UNX, but continues to serve as a venture partner and on the executive committee and investment committee of Gazelle. He graduated with High Honors as a Baker Scholar (top 5% in his class) from Harvard Business School in 1995 and holds a B.A. in Economics from Dartmouth College.
Admission to the TCVN Forum is $45 for pre-registrants and $55 at the door. For further information, contact Tech Coast Venture Network via e-mail at execdir@tcvn.org or on the Web at http://www.tcvn.org.
TCVN Platinum Sponsors include The Bloomfield Group (http://www.bloomfieldgroup.com), Daly-Swartz PR (http://www.dsprel.com); Hall & Company (http://www.hallcpas.com), Jackson DeMarco Tidus Petersen Peckenpaugh (http://www.jdtplaw.com); Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear, LLP (http://www.kmob.com); and Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP (http://www.manatt.com). The TCVN Web Site Sponsor is Head First, Inc (http://www.head-first.com).
The Tech Coast Venture Network (TCVN) is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to assisting, educating and connecting entrepreneurs and emerging companies with capital and resources. TCVN has been directly or indirectly responsible for the establishment and growth of a significant number of early-stage businesses.
###
Contact:
Daly-Swartz PR for TCVN
Jeffrey Swartz, 949.470.0075
jeffreyswartz@dsprel.com
“This will be a real eye-opener for many entrepreneurs,” said Bart Greenberg, TCVN chairman and partner at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP. “Just because everyone is telling you to write a business plan doesn't mean that investors will beat a path to your door.” Greenberg explained that “instead of devoting valuable resources on such a low-return activity, this Forum will urge our entrepreneurs to focus their efforts on areas that successful entrepreneurs use to raise money.”
Matt Ridenour, managing director of Momentum Venture Management, LLC, will discuss such topics as how a business plan can actually hurt one’s ability to raise money; why most investors won't read a business plan; what documents will be needed to raise money; the right pitch for the right investor; what planning tools are really needed to guide start-up efforts; and what a company really should be trying to achieve in the first two years.
Ridenour has been active in private equity, venture capital and as a successful CEO in early stage companies prior to founding MVM. He has been a principal in more than 25 private market transactions with an aggregate value in excess of $200MM. Prior to MVM, Ridenour was CEO, then executive chairman, at UNX, Inc, a venture-backed firm providing equity trading software to hedge funds and other large institutions trading US Equities. He grew the company from start-up to over $30 million in sales in 3 years, and was responsible for all aspects of fundraising through multiple institutional rounds.
Ridenour was also founder of Gazelle TechVentures, a $60 million venture capital firm based in Indianapolis. The fund’s strategy is to closely collaborate with companies applying technology to improve traditional business practices. The fund is currently tracking in the top quartile of comparable funds for its vintage year of 2000. Ridenour left full time status at Gazelle to run its largest portfolio company, UNX, but continues to serve as a venture partner and on the executive committee and investment committee of Gazelle. He graduated with High Honors as a Baker Scholar (top 5% in his class) from Harvard Business School in 1995 and holds a B.A. in Economics from Dartmouth College.
Admission to the TCVN Forum is $45 for pre-registrants and $55 at the door. For further information, contact Tech Coast Venture Network via e-mail at execdir@tcvn.org or on the Web at http://www.tcvn.org.
TCVN Platinum Sponsors include The Bloomfield Group (http://www.bloomfieldgroup.com), Daly-Swartz PR (http://www.dsprel.com); Hall & Company (http://www.hallcpas.com), Jackson DeMarco Tidus Petersen Peckenpaugh (http://www.jdtplaw.com); Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear, LLP (http://www.kmob.com); and Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP (http://www.manatt.com). The TCVN Web Site Sponsor is Head First, Inc (http://www.head-first.com).
The Tech Coast Venture Network (TCVN) is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to assisting, educating and connecting entrepreneurs and emerging companies with capital and resources. TCVN has been directly or indirectly responsible for the establishment and growth of a significant number of early-stage businesses.
###
Contact:
Daly-Swartz PR for TCVN
Jeffrey Swartz, 949.470.0075
jeffreyswartz@dsprel.com
Contact
Tech Coast Venture Network
Jeffrey Swartz
949-470-0075
tcvn.org
Jeffrey Swartz
949-470-0075
tcvn.org
Contact
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