Syracuse startups are invited to Venture Deals 2020 with Brad Feld, Co-Founder and Managing Director at Foundry Group and Jason Mendelson, Co-Founder and Managing Director at Foundry Group.  The free seven-week program presented by Kauffman Fellows and Techstars starts September 13 and is now open for enrollment.  Sign up here.  The unique course demystifies venture capital deals and startup financing to give both first-time and experienced entrepreneurs a definitive guide to secure funding. Taught by renowned venture capitalists Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson, authors of Venture Deals, the course reveals the secrets behind how venture financings really work. Feld, a well-known speaker and author of several books in the Startup Revolution series, began financing technology startups in the early 1990s, first as an angel and later as an institutional investor. He was one of the co-founders of Techsters.

In the class forums, you will have exclusive opportunities to ask Brad Feld detailed questions about specific investment strategies. In addition, you can engage Feld and Mendelson and other celebrated investors in live video chats held during the seven-week course. You will make connections and collaborate with an international network of entrepreneurs and classmates, learn strategies that will help you take your pitch or deal to the next level. Whether you’re looking for financing for your venture, or looking to fund an entrepreneur, you’ll get smarter about the process by taking Venture Deals.

This course will enable you to:

• Participate in live chats with the instructors and celebrated VCs Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson
• Network with entrepreneurs and financiers from around the world with whom you will work with on real projects
• Get a firm grasp of how venture capital deals and other financings come together
• Find the right VC for your company
• Learn strategies for getting the best deal possible
• Learn how to structure financings using term sheets, capitalization tables, and syndication all with the goal of minimizing risks

You will work in virtual teams and gain leadership and assessment skills you can apply to your own fundraising strategies for your business. Designed by experienced venture capitalists for new and professional entrepreneurs, the seven week curriculum will improve your ability to consummate a transaction in venture capital financing while avoiding common mistakes.

In addition to professionals wanting to enter the venture capital field and entrepreneurs looking to raise venture capital funding, this course also benefits anyone who wants to learn more about financing, including lawyers, accountants, angel investors, bankers, policy makers, regulators and educators.

This online class will be team oriented and practice based. Videos and readings reveal the players behind venture transactions; how VC funds work; how both VC’s and entrepreneurs can and should structure the deal, as well as what needs to be done post-investment. Much of your learning will take place as you work with your virtual teams to secure the best terms for a venture capital funding for your startup.

Workload is approximately 4-6 hours per week. 

Syllabus

Week 1 – Introduction of key players/Form or join a team

Week 2 – Fundraising/Finding the Right VC

Week 3 – Capitalization Tables/Convertible Debt

Week 4 – Term Sheets: Economics & Control

Week 5 – Term Sheets Part Two

Week 6 – Negotiations

Week 7 – Letter of Intent/Getting Acquired

The Instructors:

Brad Feld has been an early-stage investor and entrepreneur for over 30 years. Prior to cofounding Foundry Group, he cofounded Mobius Venture Capital and, prior to that, founded Intensity Ventures. Brad is also a cofounder of Techstars and cohosts the Give First podcast. Brad is a writer and speaker on the topics of venture capital investing and entrepreneurship. He’s written a number of books as part of the Startup Revolution series and coauthored Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist. He blogs regularly at Feld Thoughts.

Jason Mendelson is a former venture capitalist, co-founder of a technology company, lawyer and software engineer.  Jason was a Founding Partner of Foundry Group, a Boulder-Colorado based venture capital firm that focuses on making technology investments and identifying and supporting the next generation of venture fund managers. In addition, Jason was a co-founder of SRS Acquiom and a Managing Director and General Counsel for Mobius Venture Capital. Prior to this, Jason was an attorney with Cooley. Early in his career, Jason was a software engineer at Accenture. Now Jason spends his time as an up-and-coming musician and as an adjunct professor at the University of Colorado Law School.  Jason was co-founder of Defy Ventures Colorado and is on the board of the Leeds Business School at CU, as well. Jason holds a B.A. in Economics, and a J.D. from the University of Michigan.

Kauffman Fellows and Techstars:

Kauffman Fellows is the largest and most connected network of venture capital investors and innovation leaders in the world. With 589 Fellows operating in 46 different countries, it is anchored by a two-year program designed to radically accelerate innovator success through self-reflection, peer learning, mentoring, and a structured curriculum. Today the Kauffman Fellows Network, including mentors and faculty, consists of over 1000 of the most prominent VC firms and investors globally. Kauffman Fellows’ goal is to enable and grow entrepreneurial ecosystems throughout the world, leveraging the best minds and characteristics of the leading investors in venture capital industry.

Techstars is a global ecosystem that empowers entrepreneurs to bring new technologies to market wherever they choose to live. With dozens of mentorship-driven accelerator programs and thousands of startup programs worldwide, Techstars exists to support the world’s most promising entrepreneurs throughout their lifelong journey, from inspiration to IPO. Techstars provides access to tens of thousands of community leaders, founders, mentors, investors, and corporate partners, allowing entrepreneurs to accelerate the pace of innovation and Do More Faster™. Techstars supports every stage of the entrepreneurial journey – from early stage grassroots community development to more formal opportunities that provide education, experience, acceleration, funding, and beyond.

Syracuse LaunchPad founders Dave Fox ’19 iSchool and Nick Barba ’20 Whitman (co-founders of Smarta) and Sam Hollander ’22 Whitman and Newhouse (founder of FSCL) recently completed the first-ever LaunchPad Fellowship offered by the Blackstone LaunchPad & Techstars network.  The program provided tools and content, along with access to experienced founders and mentors.  They were selected to be part of a cohort of 10 top teams from across the 32-campus global network for the eight-week program.  Read what they accomplished here.

Here are some quick success stats for the LaunchPad Fellowship program:

• 86% said they achieved the goals they originally set at the beginning of the Fellowship, or achieved goals adjusted following a pivot;
• The 10 startup teams conducted more than 385 critical customer discovery interviews;
• 9 teams completed a prototype, MVP, or proof-of-concept, or began product trials;
• 8 teams added co-founders or team members;
• 5 teams created or significantly overhauled their investor deck, based on recommendations from mentors;
• 6 teams reported seed investment or sponsored research agreements totaling more than $150,000;
• 80% of entrepreneurs met regularly with their campus directors, for a total of 247 meetings.

Read the full story here: https://www.techstars.com/newsroom/launchpad-fellowship-student-entrepreneurs-achieve-summer-success-in-8-weeks

Rubin Family Innovation Mentor Sam Holland ’22 was featured recently in an article by Future Founders on his plan to help make education more accessible. “Many entrepreneurs begin their journey in pursuit of profit,” according to the article.  “But for some, starting a business is about so much more than money. For these socially-conscious entrepreneurs, it’s about leaving the world a better place than they found it.”  The article showcased three founders participating in the LaunchPad Summer Startup Fellowship, including Hollander, and chatted with them on their vision of a better world with education that’s more accessible to all.

The article profiled the venture that Hollander is building, FSCL, which stands for stands for Financial Services for College Lending. “Our mission is to provide simple, affordable, and flexible solutions for financing college through alternative finance vehicles, namely income sharing agreements,” says Hollander in the article.

 Future Founders asked about the catalyst behind launching FSCL and Hollander noted, “I came across an article one day on income share agreements, and how they are the next ‘up and coming’ thing in financing higher education. I immediately fell in love with the concept and decided that I wanted to take one out for myself. But after some initial research, I quickly learned that current income share agreements are available to less than 1% of the student population here in the U.S.”

 Hollander went on to explain why he believes there needs to be a new financing vehicle for higher education.  “Many of my peers can leave college with $250k in debt yet might only be expected to make $30k/year with their first job. This is a huge mismatch between the price people pay for education and the value they take. We’re trying to better align the price and value, because not everyone can afford to take on such massive debt. We see today that students, many of whom don’t have established credit, have a very hard time securing student loans, which can make it hard or impossible to afford the full cost of attendance. We’re building a platform that takes a holistic-review approach to lending decisions, allowing for students to get funding based on factors other than just credit history.  There needs to be a second option for students, and it’s one we’re trying to create.”

Future Founders wrapped up the interview by asking how the Blackstone LaunchPad and Techstars helped power his growth as an entrepreneur.  “I wouldn’t be close to where I am without the LaunchPad,” said Hollander.  “Our campus director at Syracuse University Linda Hartsock has provided us with an incredible platform to learn from other people’s successes and failures. Launchpad had created a community on our campus – one that is run by like-minded individuals, and that has allowed me to learn and grow tremendously.”

Future Founders programs have served over 35,000 youth since 2005 and its cohorts of national millennial founders have generated $32.8M in revenue, secured $34.9M in capital and created 543 jobs in the last four years alone. Learn more about Future Founders here.

Read the full article featuring Sam Hollander here.

Looking for a mentor match for your good idea?  Now you can easily request a mentor through this simple form or on our new “request a mentor” page on the LaunchPad website. We have grown our professional mentor network through alumni volunteers and added five talented peer Rubin Family Innovation Mentors this academic year, making it easier than ever to connect. A simple few questions will start the mentor matching process in our new LaunchPad Discord platform. The LaunchPad team of Nick Barba ’20, Patrick Prioletti G’21 and Emma Rothman ’21, created platform for campus entrepreneurs to communicate over voice, video, and text, connect with peer mentors, get advice, or just hang out with fellow like-minded innovators using Discord.  If you are not already a LaunchPad member, join here and then hop on LaunchPad Discord here.  You’ll immediately be greeted by a Rubin Family Innovation Mentor who will guide you through the next steps.

For those not familiar with Discord, it is a freeware instant messaging, VoIP application and digital software platform that features integrated text, image, video and audio communication that a chat channel that can run on Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, and in web browsers.  More than 250 million people are currently on the platform.  Originally launched in 2011 for the gaming community, it has now become a community-based platform serving education, businesses and other sectors as “Your place to talk.”

New to Discord?  Watch a simple on-boarding video that explains the LaunchPad’s Discord platfrom, created by Rubin Family Innovation Mentor Patrick Prioletti here.

Rubin Family Innovation Mentors serve as peer advisors to a portfolio of student startups, coaching them on strategy and venture development.  2020 – 2021 Rubin Family Innovation Mentors include:

• Emma Rothman ’21, Falk College, food studies
• Patrick Prioletti G’21 iSchool, graduate program, applied data sciencce
• Sam Hollander ’22, Whitman, finance and Newhouse, advertising dual major
• James LePage ’23 Whitman, real estate
• Bruno Luiz G ’22, iSchool, graduate program, applied data science

Rubin Family Innovation Mentors are supported through a gift from The Rubin Family Foundation, facilitated through Todd B. Rubin. This is the second year that The Rubin Family Foundation has supported the peer mentor program through the LaunchPad. Last year’s Rubin Family Innovation Mentors mentored more than 50 student teams, organized and ran Startup Weekend and Mentor Madness, prepared teams for campus, state and national competitions, and helped teams with research and discovery, team building, goal setting and achieving milestones. Along the way, Rubin Family Innovation Mentors also continued to build their own ventures, win national awards, and raise investments to take their own ideas from concept to commercialization. They helped select the 2020 – 2021 Rubin Family Innovation Mentors.

Joining them as mentors will be alumni volunteers, including members of The Founder’s Circle – students who came through the LaunchPad program and are now leading their own ventures. The Founders Circle is a group of active, dedicated LaunchPad alumni who significantly contributed to the development of the program. They are a diverse group of entrepreneurs and professionals who are trailblazers, role models, and mentors for current student entrepreneurs.  They exemplify Syracuse University’s spirit of entrepreneurship and are now “paying it forward” as alumni mentors.  Syracuse alumni can become a mentor here.

The Blackstone Launchpad and Techstars at Syracuse University and youngStartup Venturs invite you to Venture Summit Virtual Connect 3.0. A marketing collaboration includes a discount for Syracuse University LaunchPad members who can register early to save 20% off Early Bird Rates.

Venture Summit Virtual Connect 3, Where Innovation Meets Capital, will be held on-line November 17 through 19, 2020.  The event will feature opportunities to meet, interact and network virtually with more than 1,300 VCs, Corporate VCs, angel investors, industry execs and founders of venture backed, emerging and early stage companies.  It is designed for startups seeking capital and investors seeking new deals.

In addition to providing access to leading investors, the conference will feature more than 100 pre-screened venture backed, emerging and early stage companies seeking capital, and hardcore networking.  A call for top innovators is open.  A select group of innovators from the Technology, Life Sciences/Healthcare, CleanTech and Fintech sectors will be chosen to present their breakthrough investment opportunities. For more information or to be considered for one of the slots click here.  If you are a seed stage company seeking angel funding of less than $1M (and have raised less than $300,000) click here to apply for the Seed stage track.

To register for the event click here https://bit.ly/34LdUPo and use promo code “BLTSVIP”

The LaunchPad is pleased to announce that Dr. John Torrens will be joining us as our inauguralFaculty Entrepreneur in Residence this fall.  His EIR services are through a partnership between the LaunchPad and the Syracuse University Whitman School of Management’s Department of Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises.  He will be available Mondays and Tuesdays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. via Zoom to work with students on busines model strategy and financial forecasting, including crafting income and cash flow statements, understanding costs of goods or services and cost of sales, margins and break-even analyses that required for investors and funders.  He can also help provide strategic insight into structuring for investment including understanding valuation, building a cap table, and thinking strategically about financing and equity infusion.  Appointments can be scheduled at this link:  https://calendly.com/jtorrens/30min

Dr. Torrens is a healthcare and education entrepreneur with 25 years leading high growth companies with experience in developing high-performing teams, raising capital, and both buy/sell side M&A.  He is currently acting COO of Saluber MD, a global telemedicine company in which he is also an investor.   Previously, Dr. Torrens joined the management team of Vertical Companies, a vertically integrated cannabis company, for a year in order to take on special projects.  Dr. Torrens has a Ph.D. in healthcare administration and did his dissertation on reimbursement and utilization of telehealth services.  His last company, Liberty Post, was a 2018 and 2019 Inc. 5000 honoree. 

Dr. Torrens also holds a faculty position in the Syracuse University Whitman School of Management’s Department of Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises as an award winning Professor of Entrepreneurial Practice.  His research interests include Founder/CEO Exits and the link between ADHD and Entrepreneurship. 

He is a frequent guest speaker and executive education instructor in the areas of entrepreneurship, strategy, and corporate innovation and is a TEDx speaker.  Dr. Torrens is quoted frequently in print media, has written several articles, and has delivered multiple presentations on the business of healthcare.  He is an active member of Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and served in multiple volunteer leadership positions including a term on the International Board of Directors (2013-2015).

The Syracuse LaunchPad and Dr. Torrens have been frequent collaborators, and he annually teaches a course, EEE400/600:  LaunchPad, traditionally hosted in the LaunchPad at Bird Library

Experts in product development, marketing and sales, new venture development and structuring for financing and investment will be joining the LaunchPad this fall as our Alumni Entrepreneurs in Residence team.   They are:

Steven VonDeak is a 2008 graduate of the Syracuse University College of Law. He is co-founder and chief of staff at Density, a high-tech company that uses powerful sensors, combined with state-of-the-art depth data, computer vision and deep learning to measure space density in real time. Founded in 2014 in The Tech Garden, Density now has offices in San Francisco, New York City, and Syracuse, employing more than 50 people. The venture has closed on more than $90 million in external funding. VonDeak became an entrepreneur in the Tech Garden shortly after graduating from SU Law School.  Along with partners, he created App Fury, which launched early iOS apps that were noticed by Apple.  He then joined forces with another team to create Rounded, a digital product team that went on to create Density. VonDeak will be holding virtual office hours to mentor students on product development and business model creation. He is also available by e-mail and phone consultation.

Michael Gursha is a 2010 graduate with a dual degree from both the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and the Martin J. Whitman School of Management.  He is chairman and CEO of Rookie Road, Inc., a one of a kind digital destination that provides the rules, lingo, and gameplay for a variety of sports in an easy to understand way. He became CEO in 2016 after serving as a special advisor to the founder. Before Joining Rookie Road, Inc., he was inaugural entrepreneur-in-residence at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University where he also co-taught a course called New Ventures in Media.  Prior to Newhouse, he was the vice president of strategic initiatives at Curemark, LLC, a New York-based biotechnology company focused on the treatment of neurological disorders. Earlier in his career, his interest in technology led him to Google, where, at age 18, he spent two summers working in the new business development group at the Mountain View, California headquarters. During his time there, he assisted the team responsible for improving the Google Search Index and supported the director of business development on early-stage partnerships for Google Health. He serves on the board of directors for America On Tech a non-profit focused on technology education. Gursha is a member of the advisory board for Oregon Public Broadcasting, the primary television and radio public broadcasting network for the state of Oregon and southern Washington. In addition, he serves on the board of directors for PowerSpike, a private venture backed company started by Syracuse University alumni when they were students.  Gursha is an active advisor to early stage technology / media companies and has been actively engaged in the Syracuse University student startup scene as a mentor and also as a judge for numerous business plan competitions.  He is available by appointment for virtual coaching and mentoring.

Josh Aviv is a 2015 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in economics and 2017 graduate with a master’s degree in information management and data science.  He is founder and CEO of SparkCharge, a venture he founded as a student working with the LaunchPad. A certified data scientist, he is a dynamic figure in the cleantech community.  SparkCharge is revolutionizing the electric vehicle industry with its portable, ultrafast EV charging units that have been featured in major technology and clean energy publications.  As a student, he won top honors in campus, statewide and national business competitions and then captured the top $1 million prize at 43North, as well as the California Climate Cup, Startup Fest’s global pitch competition, and Plug and Play’s clean energy innovation award. He has been featured at the Consumer Electronics Show and TechCrunch most recently named Spark Charge as a top tech disruptor. A graduate of the Techstars accelerator program in Boston, he has held residencies at Greentown Labs in Somerville, Massachusetts, the world’s largest clean-tech incubator, and the Plug and Play Tech Center in the Silicon Valley. SparkCharge recently closed on several million dollars in seed funding and is now based in the Boston area with a manufacturing operation in Buffalo, NY.  He is available by appointment for virtual coaching and mentoring.

Corey Lieblein is a 1993 graduate of the Syracuse University School of Human Development (now Falk College). He is founder and CEO of CP8 Capital, a dynamic, extreme value-add private equity firm that focuses on acquiring and growing early-stage consumer products companies. Through its vast resources, CP8 helps its portfolio companies scale rapidly. He founded Innovative Technology/Victrola in 2004 and served as CEO for 16 years, overseeing Victrola’s growth from concept to the worldwide market leader in record players and nostalgic electronics. During that time, Corey built Innovative Technology/Victrola into a nationally recognized brand whose products have found their way into tens of millions of homes throughout North America. His mission is to help founders of early stage consumer products companies realize their personal and financial dreams by scaling sales and profits exponentially. He has a deep passion for entrepreneurship, product development and sales and loves working with early-stage entrepreneurs to help them scale from obscurity to national recognition. He will be available for virtual mentoring and coaching for high-value fast-growth ventures and will also participate in-person sessions and workshops when visiting campus.

To schedule appointments, please e-mail the LaunchPad, LaunchPad@syr.edu

Join us for Fireside Chats this fall hosted by the LaunchPad.  Each guest is a dynamic innovator with a powerful message, unique perspective and insight into the minds of great entrepreneurs.  Fireside Chats will be 3 p.m. on Fridays and are open to the community.  Dates this fall are:  September 4, 11, 18, 25, October 2, 9, 23, 30, and November 6, 20.  We invite you to join us over a cup of tea for up-close and personal chats in partnership with The Republic of Tea, a generous supporter of the LaunchPad at Syracuse University.  Attend any chat in the series:  http://bit.ly/launchpad-fall-fireside-chat.

Our first guest, Friday, September 4 at 3 p.m. brings a particularly unique perspective to the topic of leadership.  Stan Linhorst retired from Syracuse.com/The Post-Standard in September 2017, but continues to write the weekly column Conversations on Leadership (http://bit.ly/LeadershipStan).  

The series, which has run for six consecutive years, is widely followed.  Through interviews that cut to the heart of personal qualities and professional skill sets that build, motivate and engage great teams, Linhorst explores perspectives on positive leadership.  From infusing drive and passion, to building connections, creating a culture of transparency and trust, and operating with humility and creativity – what are the lessons learned from interviews with hundreds of leaders who have built great organizations and changed lives?  Linhorst has an inside view derived from conversations with his subjects that are remarkably intimate, touching on topics such as leading yourself, other individuals, groups, and communities.  Our Fireside chat with him will tease out the leadership lessons learned worth sharing.

Linhorst is also an innovator and thought leader.  He came to Syracuse from the San Diego Union-Tribune in 1984. He became Senior Managing Editor of The Post-Standard in 1999. Linhorst previously was the newspaper’s Director of New Media, launched Syracuse.com in 1994, and is gratified to see how his startup succeeded.

He was president of the New York State Associated Press Association and the Syracuse Press Club. He is an emeritus member on the Board of Advisors of the Syracuse University School of Information Studies and is a member of Thursday Morning Roundtable. He has sat on the boards of the New York State Society of Newspaper Editors and the Interactive Newspaper Network. He participated in a variety of community groups and was especially active as a volunteer and supporter of his children’s church, school and community activities.

Linhorst is a 1975 journalism graduate of the University of Nebraska. He grew up on a farm in Nebraska, where the daily newspaper was a daily inspiration. He and his wife, Sue, have two adult children.

He is the proud parent of Molly Katherine Carroll Linhorst, SU’s student graduation speaker in the Dome in May 2014. 

Recent profiles by Stan Linhorst about Syracuse University LaunchPad student startups and alumni, and about Syracuse University faculty and staff engaged in the campus innovation ecosystem:

• AJ Damiano:  https://www.syracuse.com/news/2020/08/aj-damiano-on-leadership-care-more-about-other-peoples-careers-to-find-your-own-success.html
• Caleb Obiagwu:  https://www.syracuse.com/news/2020/08/caleb-obiagwu-on-leadership-for-entrepreneurs-share-your-ideas-to-make-them-better.html
• Kelsey Davis:  https://www.syracuse.com/news/2020/06/kelsey-davis-of-cllctve-on-leadership-control-ego-talk-less-listen-more.html
• Josh Aviv:  https://www.syracuse.com/news/2019/11/josh-aviv-on-leadership-a-good-leader-makes-people-better.html
• Indaria Jones:  https://www.syracuse.com/news/2019/09/indaria-jones-on-leadership-be-authentic-be-open-minded-help-others-to-succeed.html
• Mike Gursha: https://www.syracuse.com/news/2020/03/michael-gursha-on-leadership-listen-keep-an-open-mind-give-feedback-to-your-team.html
• Erin Miller:  https://www.syracuse.com/news/2016/05/erin_miller_leadership.html
• John Torrens:  https://www.syracuse.com/news/2019/11/john-torrens-on-leadership-put-your-ego-aside-ask-questions-and-listen.html
• Andrew Farah: https://www.syracuse.com/news/2019/07/andrew-farah-on-leadership-hire-based-on-values-that-will-add-to-your-teams-culture.html
• Jeff Rubin:  https://www.syracuse.com/news/2018/11/jeff_rubin_leadership.html
• Jack Rudnick:  https://www.syracuse.com/news/2019/12/jack-rudnick-on-leadership-show-compassion-build-trust-ask-questions-to-accelerate-innovation.html
• Linda Dickerson Hartsock: https://www.syracuse.com/news/2017/02/linda_dickerson_hartsock_leadership.html

To read more stories in the series: http://bit.ly/LeadershipStan then click on the link, bookmark it, then check each week for a new Conversation on Leadership

For more information about Fireside Chats, reach out to:  mailto:LaunchPad@syr.edu and follow up on social media @LaunchPadSYR