Most Colleges Fail at Teaching Entrepreneurship
Posted on July 23, 2010
Having received higher education from three colleges and universities across the country, I can honestly say that I have seen abysmal entrepreneurship programs. Each year, business students get pushed through esoteric curriculums and most of them never learn how to start a business.
Everyone involved in business programs should be forced or at least highly encouraged to take a class on entrepreneurship. Throughout my undergraduate candidacy, I had to take classes that revolved their teachings around principles and theories, not building and execution. I never learned about the intricacies of angel investments or venture capital. After graduating from Endicott College, I started my Master of Business Administration program at the University of Hartford. Going to business school, I was pounded with information regarding corporate strategy and investment analysis. Throughout my entire Masters program, I was never taught how to contact investors or establish my businesses concept. As a result, many young entrepreneurs, including myself have to learn the process externally. Schools need to recognize the value of educating their students about startups.
Read More…
When Will Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists Actually Invest?
Posted on July 16, 2010
Throughout the past year, I have noticed several trends while trying to raise capital. Angel investors, and venture capitalists for that matter, take forever to actually invest in your business. There were several times in my entrepreneurial career when I thought that I was guaranteed investment. I kept thinking to myself, I have a great concept, strong team and even a half way decent alpha build developed. Sadly, I still do not know exactly what it takes to grab an investor’s attention enough for them to actually pull the trigger.
I have come to realize that raising even a small amount of angel funding is a challenge. When I first started, I knew it was not going to be an easy task, but I never really understood how difficult it was.
Read More…
Your Personal Brand Fosters Venture Capital Relationships
Posted on July 14, 2010
Building your personal brand can significantly increase your network of Venture Capitalists. You need to make yourself accessible and create intrinsic value. Plan to capture investors’ attention by reaching out to them through unconventional methods. Spamming an investor with emails only poisons the relationship you are trying to construct. Investors get hundreds of messages every day and, as a result, young entrepreneurs need to be creative with their approach and deliver with precision. Before approaching a venture capitalist, make yourself valuable.
Reach out to investors by thinking about ways to expand your brand. Start by making a professional website that details your past experiences and future aspirations. Make sure to purchase (www.yourname.com) and orchestrate a clear message to your audience. By creating your own website, you can start to control search engine results for your brand. Unfortunately, showing the world who you are through your website is simply not enough. You need to blog. Investors enjoy reading blog posts that highlight trends in their industry. Blogging is a way of creating value while getting connected to the entrepreneurial community. Make sure to leave intellectually stimulating comments on other blogs, particularly ones written by venture capitalists. Building rapport and generating conversation is invaluable.
Read More…
