September is poised to be a HUGE month for the Social Media and Tech Community in Memphis!  Within the next two weeks, LaunchMemphis is putting Memphis on the map by hosting three major events featuring innovation and online celebrity. First on the agenda will be the Sarah Lacy at our TechFuel event on September 18 (5pm).  The high-profile blogger and author of Once You’re Lucky, Twice You’re Good: The Rebirth of Silicon Valley and the Rise of Web 2.0 is returning to her hometown of Memphis on her User Generated Book Tour.  This will be a great night for bloggers, techies, and anyone just looking to network and learn.  Best thing is… it’s free. On the 22nd, just four days after Sarah hits Memphis, Geoff Livingston stops by for a night with the Memphis locals.  Geoff is one of the premier “blogging gurus” on the web and the author of Now is Gone: A Primer on New Media for Executives and Entrepreneurs.  He has also received some well deserved praise from the likes of the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post for his work in Social Media. Last, but most assuredly not least, is the Innovators Luncheon with the Leadership Academy on September 25th at the University of Memphis Holiday Inn.  The theme is “Innovators,” and will feature a panel discussion by some of Memphis’ most established and promising entrepreneurs from EmergeMemphis, LaunchMemphis and even established innovators like Henry Turley. You can get details and RSVP information on all

The LaunchMemphis founding team is pleased to announce our Fall 2008 Season of Entrepreneurship. This Fall we are putting together 4 events to develop our entrepreneurial community. Like every season we hope to organize dynamic, unique, and meaningful experiences for the community, and while all the events are important there are two highlights that fit this mold definitely. 1) Mark your calendar on September 18th, 2008 for your opportunity to interact with Sarah Lacy (http://www.sarahlacy.com/), a tech entrepreneurship reporter for BusinessWeek and Yahoo’s Tech Ticker. She is 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 complete with food, drink, and DJ (and some 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 — plus you can meet Sarah Lacy. While the event is free, RSVP is required for attendance. Send a quick message to TechFuel@launchmemphis.com. 2) Mark your calendar for November 7th and 8th, 2008 for Memphis BarCamp. Yes LaunchMemphis is organizing the “Un-Conference” for the community. For those that haven’t heard of this program, BarCamp is an international network of user generated conferences — open, participatory workshop-events, whose content is provided by participants. More information will be announced shortly, but, like Startup Weekend, we don’t think you will want to miss

Recently, more than 50 people came together for the LaunchMemphis Early Stage Investment Forum. As with any event, it’s important to define the metrics for success and evaluate how the event compared to those metrics. Here are some metrics and results: 1. Community Involvement – with more than 50 people present, this was clearly met. Out of 34 applications, 20 were accepted,,so this number was intentionally limited. Of the 50 people, roughly half were investors (including institutional investors and individual investors). Almost all of the institutional investors in Memphis were there, although a few couldn’t make it at the last minute. And, of course, a summary of the event would not be complete without mentioning the involvement of the FedEx Institute of Technology, where the event was held. Lastly, the Commercial Appeal covered the event, with a reporter spending nearly an entire day at the Institute. 2. Connections – While some people clearly knew each other, most did not. Using the formula (N^2 – N) / 2, there was a potential for 1,225 connections to be made. Since many of the investors already knew each other, the actual number is probably closer to 750. A large number of these connections were more than fleeting moments, but more on that in a moment. 3. Awareness of Entrepreneurial Environment – As we spoke with investors at the forum, and as we reviewed the surveys they completed, the opinion was almost universal that they were impressed with at least some of the ideas

Boot Camp: Intensive Session to Take Business Ideas into Business Plans June 14th, 2008 Location: EmergeMemphis Time: 9am-4pm Sponsors: Mercury Technology Labs, EmergeMemphis Cost: $25 per person for food and materials To catalyze entrepreneurship, an intensive “boot camp” session will be offered for startup teams and individuals looking to gather the knowledge and skills that will help take business ideas and articulate them in business plans. This one day session covers many important start-up issues and provides prospective entrepreneurs detailed feedback on their ideas and planning. Furthermore, participating entrepreneurs benefit from networking with other like-minded individuals going through similar experiences. These sessions genuinely help entrepreneurs move forward with solid feedback and real plans for their business.  To sign up and learn more contact Chris at chris@mercurylaunchpad.com.

Memphis Startup Weekend was recently featured in the Commercial Appeal . . . One idea, 54 hours: Startup Weekenders build real company By Daniel Connolly Commercial Appeal Tuesday, June 3, 2008 Michael Synk was crying quietly as people left the Emerge Memphis building Sunday night. Two days earlier, he had stood in front of an audience and pitched a vague idea for company based on Ultimate Frisbee, a sport like touch football but played with a flying disk. His peers chose his idea over alternatives, and made it the focus for Startup Weekend, an exercise in which entrepreneurs try to build a real company in 54 hours. Over the next few days, some were so consumed with the project that they spent the nights in the converted warehouse near the river. He said he was overwhelmed by their cooperation. “It’s just a whole bunch of people took an idea and created something out of nothing,” said Synk, a 51-year-old business coach. “And it’s inspirational.” It’s too early to say if the fledgling company will survive, but the event and the social events that led up to it appeared to have met organizers’ main goal of strengthening links among local entrepreneurs. “I met a lot of people I didn’t think existed in my area,” said Jonathan McCarver, a 25-year-old Web developer for Signature Advertising. Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Startup Weekend LLC holds the events in cities around the country, and the Memphis event had the backing of several local organizations that promote entrepreneurship.