Are you at an inflection point in your business and need help taking it to the next level? Are you an innovative, growth-oriented startup and could benefit from expert coaching and exposure to an investor audience? Look no further than NWEN’s signature coaching program and investment showcase: First Look Forum!

NWEN is the region’s home for innovative businesses in every growth sector in our economy, from web 2.0 to medical technology, clean tech to consumer products. By applying to NWEN’s First Look Forum you will have the chance to access the breadth and depth of coaches, advisors, investors and more—all dedicating their time and talents to help your business reach the next level of success.

It’s that time of year again! The spring 2012 NWEN First Look Forum will be held Tuesday, April 24, at the Arctic Club in Seattle. Our web site has all the details, including the dates (early bird application deadline of February 6 and the final deadline is February 27) and the all-important link to the application — a one-page executive summary. Early-bird applicants get an extra round of feedback from the committee, invitations to a reception on February 8, and are invited to a reception on February 8. So now’s a great time to get started!

For last spring’s FLF, I wrote a blog series called The Agile One-Pager, describing an iterative approach to writing the executive summary, and going from a brand new idea to a decent executive summary. Of course, there are many other approaches; but many participants told me that the ideas were helpful to them. So here are links to the first four parts, along with the key takeaways.

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So the question for debate - Is this a valid way to raise startup cash?  The conclusion is yet to be determined.  We’ll have to check back in 40 days or so.  This is certainly creative and scrappy.  That in and of itself is laudable.  I look forward to watching this unfold.

NWEN’s Entrepreneur University is on Tuesday … cool!  As always, the sessions look interesting — keynotes from Lee Rhodes of glassybaby, David Roberts of PopCap Games and Dan Shapiro of SparkBuy, and a lot of great breakups.  There’s the VC Bistro, where you can get a few mintues with a VC; and It ends with EU Idol and a cocktail reception.

The jam-packed agenda gives great value for its price but there’s no question it’s a big time investment.  So a few days before the big day, here’s some thoughts on how to make good use of the time.

Everybody’s goals are different; so a good place to start is by thinking about what’s important for you.  For me in the last two months of 2012, the top priorities are to assess and improve the likelihood of finding funding for my startup qweries, meeting potential cofounders (especially with a design background!) and/or other startups working in this space to partner with, warm up connections with local media and venture and angel investors, and finish and market an ebook.  If I play my cards right EU can help with any and all of these.

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(From our press release)

SEATTLE, Wash. — A non-profit regional leader for the startup community will have a revised cast of leaders at its helm as of September 1. The Northwest Entrepreneur Network, or NWEN, recently announced the appointment of several new members to its board of directors, as well as the election of officers for the coming year.

“This board of directors brings together some of the region’s best strategic minds, innovators and entrepreneurs,” said Daniel Rossi, executive director of NWEN. “We are very excited to have such a wealth of information and expertise on hand to help further our members and the organization as a whole.”

The 2011-2012 board will consist of a wide variety of industry-leaders from the local business community. New members include:

· Technology innovator Doug Brown, president and CEO of All Star Directories and co-founder of the Education Marketing Council.

· Tech-sector finance aficionado Chris Dishman, the founder of Denali Financial Consulting.

· Venture capitalist and investment guru Jan Hendrickson, the managing partner and co-founder of Denny Hill Capital.

· Former NWEN executive director Rebecca Lovell, who currently sits as chief business officer of GeekWire.com.

· International business expert Mayumi Nakamura, the president and CEO of Pacific Software Publishing.

· Fiduciary strategist Pamela Rhodes, a private client advisor at U.S. Trust.

In addition, the board will also welcome a new chairman — Marc Williams, president and owner of Williams Helde Marketing Communications, the oldest independent advertising agency in the Northwest. “NWEN is really the only organization in the region that has a focus on entrepreneurial education” said Williams. “It is quite an honor to be named as chairman, and surrounded by so many brilliant ideas”

In addition, the board greets newly appointed vice chair Scott Benner, principal at FT Kutscher and chair of NWEN’s Think Tank committee. Outgoing chair Shannon Swift, will stay on as past chair. Current Treasurer Doug Thorn of Moss Adams and Secretary Joe Whitford of Davis Wright Tremaine will retain their respective offices for the coming year.

ABOUT NWEN:

The Northwest Entrepreneur Network, a non-profit organization, is dedicated to helping entrepreneurs succeed through inspiration, education and connections. With 800 members and 70+ events annually, NWEN is the hub of the Northwest startup scene. Our activities and programs are focused on building the entrepreneurial and venture community in the region and enabling entrepreneurs to access resources and funding to accelerate their business growth.

Visit www.nwen.org to learn more.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Caitlin Goetze,

Assistant Director NWEN

206-420-0226

cgoetze@nwen.com

Last night NWEN hosted our Speed Pitching Pub Night at the Spitfire Grill. What a great evening for networking. If you haven’t been to one you should know…it’s noisy! The crowd is wound up from seeing old friends and meeting new ones, drinks in hand, awaiting a show of one of THE quintessential aspects of startup culture…the elevator pitch. Well, slightly longer than a standard EP – our presenters have three minutes to tell the audience all about their startup. And in true pub fashion they speak until the gong goes off (yes there is a gong complete with a professional gong smasher). If you haven’t made it out to one of NWEN’s pub nights you really should.

Five brave companies pitched their ideas with nary a quiver of voice or shiver of microphone to a crowd full of energy and questions. Hats off to our five competitors! They are, in order of appearance: Glacier Peak Technologies , Invite Big , 9 Slides , KickoffLabs , and Personify.iT . Everyone had interesting ideas - all at varying stages of market readiness. Everyone was pitching to a crowd for their first times. In the end, by way of audience applause-o-meter, Personify.iT won the evening.

There are simple takeaways from last night worth sharing. You know those super sophisticated startup junkies that know everybody and seem to have thorough knowledge about every facet of startupdom? How do you think they got there? They worked, they learned, they networked…that’s how. Startup success, especially for first timers, takes time and considerable effort. Entrepreneurs that build their networks have a better chance of success. Period. And, for those brave souls that got up in front of strangers to evangelize their ideas for the first time…good start. Do it again, and again. It gets less scary every time. That’s what these nights are all about!

NWEN has several hot programs coming up this fall. Get to it entrepreneurs. See you at the next one!

After an expedited but thorough search, the board and search committee of the Northwest Entrepreneur Network is delighted to bring Daniel Rossi on board as our new Executive Director. Shannon Swift, current NWEN board chair, shared “We sought a unique combination of attributes for this key position: leadership, passion, entrepreneurial empathy, and positive relationships within the Seattle entrepreneurial community.  Not only does Daniel fit the bill, but he also brings valuable lessons learned as an entrepreneur for the past several years. He has our enthusiastic and full support!”
Along with the incredibly talented Events and Programs Manager, Caitlin Goetze, a hard-working board and cadre of volunteers, Daniel will provide vision, direction, and execution to serve early-stage entrepreneurs with the education, inspiration and connections they need to succeed. Earning his MBA from the University of Washington in 2010, Rossi was the co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer of Nanocel, winner of the 2009 UW Business Plan Competition (and finalist in NWEN’s own First Look Forum). He has previously served as an Account Executive with the Seattle Times, Morris Visitor Publications and more. Rossi has been a proud member of NWEN, and is also known as a fierce 3 Alarm Barbeque competitor and Canoe (the backgammon-esque game, not the watersport) enthusiast.
Dan himself says it best: “I love being around entrepreneurs. Their energy, their focus, their excitement - it’s infectious. NWEN offers it’s members so many opportunities to improve…and I know because I’ve  benefited personally. I couldn’t be more excited about joining the NWEN ranks!” His start date is June 1, ensuring a smooth transition from outgoing Executive Director Rebecca Lovell, who remains in the role part-time through 5/31.
Lovell, who headed up the search committee, is “so excited to see what Dan, Caitlin and the entire NWEN community will do together. The entrepreneur cred he brings to the role is a tremendous benefit the membership, and his drive and work ethic are an inspiration. The organization is in great hands, and I very much look forward to GeekWire and NWEN partnerships moving forward!”
Lovell will continue to support NWEN’s constituents as she accepts a post on NWEN’s Board of Directors this summer.

After just shy of 2-1/2 years, the Executive Director of the Northwest Entrepreneur Network, Rebecca Lovell, has accepted the post of Chief Business Officer at GeekWire.  “You can’t spend this much time with startups without catching the fever. The enthusiasm is contagious!” she explains, “With the dream team of co-founders John Cook and Todd Bishop, and Jonathan Sposato as chair, this opportunity was too good to miss.”  Since the beginning of 2009, NWEN has doubled its events and attendance, serving over 3500 attendees with some 70 events in 2010.

Board chair Shannon Swift notes “In the past 27 months, Rebecca has worked with our volunteers and Board to effectively transform every aspect of this 25-year old organization.  Suits and ties are a rarity vs. the previous norm.  Our signature events have been re-engineered to be more casual, more accessible, and entrepreneur-friendly.  New events like eDate, renovated events such as First Look Forum, as well as our flagship Entrepreneur University, all reflect, and benefit, the tremendous energy of the startup community. As Rebecca says, “It’s not your daddy’s NWEN!”    A search committee including Swift, NWEN Vice Chair Marc Williams, Secretary and Counsel Joe Whitford of Davis Wright Tremaine, and Lovell herself is working quickly to fill the position, as she remains in the role part-time to manage a smooth transition. “With the support of the board, a committed group of volunteers, and an amazing Events and Programs Manager, we’ve built on a long tradition of success. Though leaving is bittersweet, I do so knowing that NWEN is in great hands and poised for an amazing future!”

Lovell looks forward to attending NWEN events as a guest, continuing to serve as an adjunct instructor in the Foster School of Business, a community advisor to Startup Weekend, and a mentor for Tech Stars…as well as joining the Geekwire squad. “I’m a lifelong geek, and though more of a mathlete in high school, I’m a full-blown cheerleader for Seattle and the innovation economy.  I LOVE the Geekwire platform and am tremendously excited to be a part of the vision—securing our region as a hub for innovation and promoting entrepreneurs everywhere.”

John Cook adds: “I’ve known Rebecca for a number of years, and I’ve always been impressed with her smarts, drive and passion for the Seattle startup community. We are excited to have her bring that energy to GeekWire as our Chief Business Officer. We also are very much looking forward to forming a stronger bond between our technology news site and the great work NWEN does to support entrepreneurs in the region.”

The Department of Energy (DOE) recently posted notice of a program that may be of interest to SBIR participants:

As part of the Obama Administration’s Startup America Initiative, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced the “America’s Next Top Energy Innovator” challenge, which will give start-up companies the opportunity to license groundbreaking technologies developed by the national laboratories for $1,000 and build successful businesses. As part of this effort, the Department is reducing both the cost and paperwork requirements for start-up companies to obtain an option agreement to license some of the 15,000 patents and patent applications held by our 17 national laboratories.

On Monday, May 2, 2011, the Department will kick off the challenge by posting a streamlined template option agreement online for entrepreneurs to submit to laboratories. Entrepreneurs must identify the technology of interest and submit a business plan to be considered for the program. Participants will have until December 15 to make their submission to the laboratory.

To view the entire announcement, check out this link.

What an exciting end to NWEN Spring First Look at the Arctic Club Hotel today! After a half-hour of networking, each of the 12 contenders had only 5 minutes to pitch their business to a standing room-only crowd of over 60 investors.  The tweetstream has 280 characters on each company, which doesn’t do them justice but gives an idea of the range of businesses and the high quality.

After the investors voted and the committee tallied the results, the top five emerged: social ebooks reader Appitude, bridesmaids dress rental Little Borrowed Dress, heart failure monitoring system Guide Analytics, location platform Location Genome, couples social network SnuggleCloud. The finalists had 2 additional minutes to convince the judging panel of Bill McAleer (Voyager), Mark Ashida (OVP) and Michelle Goldberg (Ignition) that they had the best opportunities. The tension grew and co-chair Jon Pincus and I stalled for time as judges convened and voted for a winner….

Congratulations to Guide Analytics, winner of the Spring 2011 First Look Forum!

If I had to articulate a theme of the event, it was diversity. We had companies representing all walks of life – medical device, software, web, retail, cleantech, gaming, consumer product. We also had 4 out of the 5 finalists boasting a female entrepreneur as CEO.

We tried a few new things this spring and the entrepreneurs I spoke with thought they added a lot of value to the program. In addition to a 1-hour meeting with Pivotal Presentations, we recruited Pitch Doctors to help the top 12 teams hone their presentations. The teams were also given the opportunity to dry-run their presentations last week in front of their First Look Forum peers. They got valuable feedback, made connections with other entrepreneurs, and got the jitters out before the investors saw it.

We wish the best to our 12 finalists.  They were:

• AgileEVM, A value-driven decision-support tool.
• Appitude, The Joy of Social Reading.
• BodSix, Inc., Play In Your World.
• Chocolopolis, Discover a World of Chocolate.
• Flipout Screwdrivers, Go Where You’ve Never Gone Before With a Power Tool.
• Guide Analytics, Promoting health through mobile heart monitoring
• Little Borrowed Dress, Bridesmaid dresses you can return!
• Location Genome, Platform that enables 100% national location data coverage.
• Meevine, Inc., Share ideas with friends, and together make it happen.
• ReadyPulse, Know your fans. Grow your followers.
• Snuggle Cloud, Personal online space for couples.
• Woodruff Scientific, Inc., Tomorrow’s world, today.

Many thanks to all the sponsors and volunteers who make this program possible. Without your help and commitment to the entrepreneurial community of the Pacific Northwest, the program would not have nearly the same value. And a huge thanks to Rebecca Lovell and Caitlin Goetze. I thought that the program had really peaked in 2010, but they continue to find new ways to make it even better for everyone involved.

We are always looking for volunteers to help pull together this program. If you are interested in helping us plan the fall  event, please send Caitlin Goetze a note (cgoetze@nwen.org).

by Rochelle Whelan, Keeler Investments Group and First Look Forum co-chair.

With a record crowd of investors for Tuesday’s First Look Forum event, anticipation is building. The presentations at yesterday’s dress rehearsal were great, and the positive energy and collegiality — with entrepreneurs giving each other great suggestions even though they’re competing — was truly wonderful to see. Kudos to all the participants — as well as the coaches and pitch doctors, Connie Miller of Pivotal Presentations, the whole FLF committee, and Caitlin Goetze and Rebecca Lovell of NWEN.

Tuesday is really two different events: a pitch competition, and then a networking shmoozefest. There were plenty of great suggestions yesterday about final preparations for the competition: make sure to include a story and show people on your slides, don’t get too hung up in describing the problem or features, practice until it’s smooth but not stale, make sure to keep your authenticity — and take all the advice you get with a grain of salt, including this.

One thing I’d add is at this point, your mental state on Tuesday makes more difference than any last-minute tweaks to the presentation.  So try to create some space to relax over the weekend: hang out with family and friends, enjoy the outdoors, read a book, go dancing — whatever works.

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