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Jay Coen Gilbert, B Corporation

Compelling Choices in Start-Up Marketing

Marketing is not an event; it's a cumulative process, says Jay Coen Gilbert, one of the founders of non-profit B Labs. Building a brand happens first with the community you serve, giving your presence heft and volume more than the sum of its parts. For the start-up, the best PR efforts don't come from money, as larger market players will always outspend you. But compelling choices - such as a provocative TV ad or a magazine title - are potent tools toward owning both a message and a distribution channel.
Video 5 minutes
Andrew Kassoy, B Corporation

Marrying Socially Responsible Investment to the Enterprise

Andrew Kassoy, co-founder of non-profit B Labs, says that $2.5 trillion thinks of itself as socially responsible business. His infrastructure organization seeks to bridge the companies that want to grow with those who control the flow of capital. He advocates that weaving the social mission into the legal backbone of a growing enterprise allows like-minded investors to put capital where their values lie.
Video 4 minutes
Mir Imran, InCube Labs

Market Size Determines Company Size

Medtronic, Boston Scientific, and Johnson & Johnson all began as single-product ventures, says Mir Imran, CEO of InCube Labs and serial entrepreneur of medical devices. And while the medical community is rife with single-product ventures, a few of them do go on to become large enterprises offering a suite of products in multiple markets. What sets the bar for each venture? The market viability for each product they produce.
Video 3 minutes
Jesse Fink, MissionPoint Capital Partners

The Thriving Green Economy

Jesse Fink, co-founder of MissionPoint Capital Partners, and serial entrepreneur Steve Blank, pinpoint how green investing is ripe with opportunity and ready to jumpstart the economy. Investors in Silicon Valley and elsewhere are increasingly drawn to the ROI - and not just altruism - and they're taking notice of increased capital volume, career opportunities, and entrepreneurs who are lured by the green sector's genuine returns.
Video 6 minutes
Ron Conway, Angel Investors LP Mike Maples Jr., Floodgate

An Angel Investor’s Strategic Advice for the Start-Up

A million dollars should last any new venture at least a year. And companies are most productive when they're less than ten people strong. These business axioms are good advice for any enterprise, says Ron Conway, investor in over 500 companies, and fellow investor Mike Maples. A lean and mean staff gets the most accomplished, and a low burn rate and ample experimentation are nearly always a calibrator for success. In addition, simultaneous customer development along with product development is what gives a successful concept legs.
Video 4 minutes
Ron Conway, Angel Investors LP Mike Maples Jr., Floodgate

Attrition Rates for Potential Investors

The numbers are stacked against the inspired business owner-to-be. Seasoned angel investors Ron Conway and Mike Maples talk about how many ideas they receive, how many executive summaries they peruse, how many meetings they call, and the shockingly few ventures - roughly one out of 150 - that end up receiving their investment of time and money. Also, Conway points out that investing is a risky business, with an even split between those that fail, those that earn just enough to pay back their investors, and those that turn a profit.
Video 5 minutes
ETL Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders Podcast
Ron Conway, Angel Investors LP Mike Maples Jr., Floodgate

Angel Investing Revealed

Experienced angel investors, Ron Conway, Founder of Angel Investors LP, and Mike Maples, Founder of Maples Investments, provide a rare look into the ins and outs of angel investing. Conway and Maples discuss how angel investors assess opportunities, provide assistance to entrepreneurs and transition start-ups to larger venture investments or exit. In addition, Conway and Maples provide advice to entrepreneurs about finding one's passion and developing that passion into new ventures, including insight into how much money to raise and how to manage that money after it is in the bank.
Podcast 61 minutes
Ron Conway, Angel Investors LP Mike Maples Jr., Floodgate

A Match Made in Heaven? Your Angel Investor and You

How should an aspiring entrepreneur choose an angel investor? And, more importantly, how will an angel investor select you? Entrepreneurs need to gain access to the right angel - one that will add value to their growing enterprise. The top angels in the business, says investor Mike Maples, are seeking ideas that have been tested for market viability - an essential criteria before they'll consider cutting a check.
Video 4 minutes
Mitch Kapor, Foxmarks

The Value of Company Culture

Former Lotus 1-2-3 founder Mitch Kapor speaks candidly about the most valuable legacy of his wildly successful 1980's technology company: the management of free-thinking creatives. He stands by the quality of his products, but it was his huge investment in human resources, Libertarian management style, and incentives toward great job satisfaction and accountability that he's most proud of. He claims that the thousands of Lotus alumni have helped set the standard for how tech companies are managed on the East Coast and beyond.
Video 6 minutes