LaunchMemphis Coaches Businesses at Boot Camp
The 2009 edition of LaunchMemphis’ Boot Camp found itself bringing in a large crowd of burgeoning business developers, and filling every seat in the house. A group of 35 Memphis entrepreneurs came together at Emerge Memphis, in downtown, to get expert advice and training on how to initiate or improve their new business. Boot Camp is an intense, two-session course in entrepreneurship, in which professionals offer advice on all aspects of starting, successfully running, and gaining funding for a new venture. LaunchMemphis put on their first BootCamp in 2008, and brought it back early this year due to popular demand, and thanks to a sponsorship by First Tennessee Bank. This first session, entitled Building Your Business Plan, focused heavily on the crucial basics of starting and running a business. The morning of presentations featured hard-hitting advice from independent business consultant, Andrea Valenzuela, and Mercury Technologies Co-Founder Marc Diaz. These were followed by sessions in which attendees were able to receive custom tailored feedback, that addressed the issues most vital to their success. The next session, a week later, was an advanced course that featured more focused advice from experts in business related fields. Enriching Your Business Plan, allowed entrepreneurs to hone their ideas and methods, and receive strong guidance on how to fine tune their approach, and maximize their potential. Presenters for the second session included: Chris Allen, Director of Marketing, Mercury Launchpad Dave Barger, President, LunaWeb Shelly J. Parkinson, Edward M. Neal, CPA & Associates Harry Brown, Attorney at
LaunchMemphis Generates Big Money for Memphis
Aside from being a lot of fun, it turns out LaunchMemphis’ 2008 inaugural season was a huge financial success. LaunchMemphis kicked off in May 2008 with a well-attended Tech Fuel event. Things have only gone up since then, with several events having been hosted already, and many more on the horizon. The best news, however, comes from a recently published LaunchMemphis financial report for 2008. The program, since its inception, has taken $16k in investment capital and produced nearly $500k in economic impact, all right here in Memphis. This success is attributed to a host of factors. Among them is a very dedicated group of founders dedicated to the growth of Memphis’ entrepreneurial community. Eric Mathews, Dave Barger, Harry Brown, Sridhar Sunkara, Chris Allen, Anna Ivey, Gwin Scott, Douglas Scarboro, Marc Diaz, and Lori Turner have all dedicated immense time and effort into seeing this program accomplish all that it has. LaunchMemphis also owes a great deal of success to its sponsorship base which has consistently provided funding and resources that have helped maximize the programs potential. FedEx Institute of Technology, Bosco’s Brewing Company, Memphis Regional Chamber, Center City Commission, Sun Microsystems, JumpBox, Cadre5, Flying Circle, Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell, & Berkowitz, Naked Lion Brewing Company, Starbucks Coffee, Domino’s Pizza, Neely’s Bar-B-Que, Innova, Mercury Technology Labs, Impact Memphis, Red Bull, Open Road Technologies, Small Business Chamber, Red Bull, LunaWeb, and Rendezvous BBQ, all played a crucial role in events over the past year. Visit the 2009 schedule for upcoming LaunchMemphis
LaunchMemphis 2009 BootCamp
Do You Think About Starting Your Own Business? If you do, this Boot Camp is for You. LaunchMemphis Boot Camp is an intense, two session course in entrepreneurship that will dramatically boost your chances of seeing your dream become a reality. Professionals will offer advice on all aspects of starting, successfully running, and gaining funding for your new venture. Register now! Who’s invited? Entrepreneurs at all levels. Start-ups and those who have been in business for a while and are looking to improve performance. When: Session 1: Building Your Business Plan, Saturday, January 31, 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Session 2: Enriching Your Business Plan, Saturday, February 7, 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Cost: Session 1: Building Your Business Plan – $30 per person Session 2: Enriching Your Business Plan – $50 per person Both sessions – $60 per person Lunches included in fee Where? The Mercury Launchpad, located at: EmergeMemphis, 516 Tennessee Street, Memphis, TN 38103 Topics Covered: Refining your concept, Business plan development, Legal issues for entrepreneurs, Marketing, Financial considerations for entrepreneurs, Gaining funding and Finding investors. Join us for two exciting days that will answer all your questions and put you on the right track for success in whatever business you are trying to start! Register now! Boot Camp Agenda: Beginners Business Planning Session Saturday, January 31, 2009 Breakfast/Introductions………………………………………………………………….8:30am-9:00am Assessing Your Competition and Refining Your Business Concept……9:00am-10:00am Break for Tailored Feedback…………………………………………………………..10:00am-10:30am Business Plan Development……………………………………………………………10:30am-12:00pm Working Lunch on Refining Business Ideas with Tailored Feedback…12:00pm-1:00pm Advanced
LaunchMemphis 2009 BootCamp Itinerary
Boot Camp Itinerary: Beginners Business Planning Session Saturday, January 31, 2009 Breakfast/Introductions………………………………………………………………….8:30am-9:00am Assessing Your Competition and Refining Your Business Concept……9:00am-10:00am Break for Tailored Feedback…………………………………………………………..10:00am-10:30am Business Plan Development……………………………………………………………10:30am-12:00pm Working Lunch on Refining Business Ideas with Tailored Feedback…12:00pm-1:00pm Advanced Business Planning Session Saturday, February 7, 2009 Breakfast/Introductions ……………………………………………………………….8:30am-9:00am Legal/Patent Considerations………………………………………………………….9:00am-10:00am Break for Tailored Feedback………………………………………………………….10:00am-10:30am Traditional Sales and Marketing…………………………………………………….10:30am-11:15am On-line Presence and Marketing……………………………………………………11:15am-12:00pm Working Lunch on Refining Business Plan………………………………………12:00pm-1:00pm Accounting/Finance……………………………………………………………………….1:00pm-2:00pm Ramping Up……………………………………………………………………………………2:00pm-2:30pm Looking for Investors………………………………………………………………………2:30pm-3:30pm
LaunchMemphis End of Year Report.
Please download the LaunchMemphis End of Year Report 2008 (.pdf), which highlights all the events from our first year. LaunchMemphis would like to thank all the sponsors and participants who helped make 2008 such a great year for entrepreneurship. We look forward to making 2009 an even better year…please stay tuned and help us continue to LaunchMemphis!
LaunchMemphis Fall 2008 Schedule
This is the current Fall 2008 Schedule for LaunchMemphis. In keeping with our goal to stimulate entrepreneurship in the Mid-South, we have a unique set of events planned – a combination you won’t get anywhere else. We hope you will join us in growing a rich community and building new business ventures.Startup Weekend Reunion August 7th, 2008, 5:00pm-7:30pm Location: EmergeMemphis Sponsors: Memphis Chamber, Center City Commission, Cadre5, Flying Circle, Sun MicroSystems For the those that participated in Memphis Startup Weekend (May 2008), we will have an opportunity to return and revisit the incredible experience we had. Come learn about how Spynnr is progressing along with the other Ideas from our Idea Wall. Food and Drink will be provided. TechFuel with Sarah Lacy September 18th, 2008, 5:00pm-7:30pm Location: EmergeMemphis Sponsors: RedBull, MPACT RSVP Required: TechFuel@launchmemphis.com Inspired by other networking events occurring across the country, LaunchMemphis is hosting it’s second TechFuel event . . . This time with a twist. LaunchMemphis will play host to Sarah Lacy, a tech entrepreneurship reporter for BusinessWeek and Yahoo’s Tech Ticker and also the recent author of Once You’re Lucky, Twice You’re Good: The Rebirth of Silicon Valley and the Rise of Web 2.0. If you are technologist, entrepreneur, new media player, blogger, or other interested party please join us for this special party and book signing. You’ll meet and share ideas in a fun and open atmosphere and brush elbows with those daring to launch a new venture. The event is open to the public,
BarCamp Memphis HUGE Success
First of all, a HUGE thanks to everyone who had anything to with making BarCamp Memphis the success it was. Attendees, presenters, volunteers, sponsors, and planners all came together to make BarCamp Memphis a truly great weekend. The weekend began, staying true to our Memphis roots, at Ground Zero Blues Club in downtown Memphis. We met a lot of wonderful new faces, and found some pleasantly familiar ones there for some great mixing and meeting. The crowd was fun, the food was great, and it really set the mood for our Memphis-style tech conference. Early the next morning, we were greeted at the Emerge Memphis building by a mountain of Red Bull and a slew of great presentations. Topics varied from Ruby on Rails programming, to RSS feeds. All of our speakers gave home-run presentations including LunaWeb’s Dave Barger demystifying LinkedIn and Mitch Canter teaching attendees to “Make WordPress Dance.” There were also some very passionate words exchanged during a great open conversation about Social Media privacy/etiquette. Between all of that, and some great Memphis BBQ from Rendezvous, BarCamp Memphis was one of our best events yet with the Memphis community. Thanks again to absolutely everyone who made it possible! Event Sponsors: Open Road Technologies, Small Business Chamber, MPACT Memphis, Red Bull, LunaWeb, and Rendezvous BBQ.
AgBio Conference
Memphis Bioworks is hosting an event on November 12 at Fogelman Executive Center from 6:00 – 8:30 p.m. for those interested in learning more about companies involved in agricultural biotechnology, renewable raw materials, and reduction of environmental pressures. This event is titled: “AgBio Partnering and Opportunities Forum” and is being hosted as part of a two-day conference. This is an invitation only event, so if you are interested in attending the forum, contact Peter Nelson at (901) 448-1724 or pnelson@biobased.org. If you’re interested in this growing industry or are an investor looking for unique opportunities, then this may be the event for you. The forum will include presentation from five innovative companies and a Q&A session. This event is sponsored by BioDimensions, Infinite Enzymes, Innova, Memphis Bioworks Foundation and Verdant Partners LLC.
BarCamp Memphis 2008 — Be There, Share, Learn
LaunchMemphis and LunaWeb invite you to be a part of Barcamp Memphis, a user-generated conference where you share what they know and learn what they don’t about the fast-paced world of entrepreneurship and technology. BarCamp is the conference that puts you in control. Hear about the latest tech and business tools by joining the conversation on November 8th. Anyone with something to contribute or with the desire to learn is welcome and invited to join. Schedule: Pre-event gathering on November 7th at 6pm (Location TBD) BarCamp event day November 8th 9am-5pm at EmergeMemphis BarCamp Memphis Theme: Business and Technology in FLUX In a constantly shifting environment, what do you do? Entreprenuers and businesses are constantly trying to walk the line between chaos and control , between the cutting edge and solid ground. Things are in FLUX. Now enter the world of technology; tried and true constants shift quickly and the market gives businesses and entreprenuers a choice: change or fail. BarCamp Memphis is designed to explore the awesome questions that affect you. Maybe you will find solid ground amidst shifting paradigms! Potential Example Topics: Forget Rails; its GRails time! Crowd Clout The World Without a Browser Digital Lifestyle Lubricants LeftOut on LinkedIn – Mystery of the Universe #9 Register for BarCamp here: http://memphisbarcamp.eventbrite.com/ For more info visit: www.barcampmemphis.com
Geoff Livingston Creates Buzz in Memphis
Memphis was visited by its second high-profile blogger within a week’s time, and most of us are still reeling from the good vibes and exciting conversations these events created. Monday night, Geoff Livingston, author of Now is Gone and his PR blog, “The Buzz Bin,” met for a tweetup at Quetzal cafe in downtown Memphis. Attendees included everyone from seasoned Social Media veterans, to several fresh faces looking to see what the web has to offer their business. Despite the excitement surrounding Geoff’s attendance, the evening took on a very relaxed tone as the crowd mixed through the room networking, finding familiar faces, and engaging the featured guest in conversations about the state of the blogosphere and the benefits of Social Media for business. As the evening progressed, the tweetup culminated in a Geoff becoming the centerpiece of a group discussion, moderated by LunaWeb’s Dave Barger, where an eager group shared their ideas and questions about Social Media, while the Washington D.C. based PR and blogging guru addressed each topic, drawing from his own experience for examples and anecdotes. The event was a huge success for LaunchMemphis and a great experience for all of the attendees. Upcoming on the Social Media horizon is the Socia Media Breakfast on October 1st at the Crescent Club. The breakfast is open to everyone! See details on the Meetup page.