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Mentors | incuba8

27 Jul

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Past Events

Aug 10: Area Innovation Showcase

July 27, 2009 | By |

Do you have a new product that you are trying to launch? Have a startup that is doing something innovative and unique? Want to inspire young entrepreneurs and let people in Mid Michigan know what you are doing? Interested in what innovations other people are doing in the area?

Show off your concept or attend the:

Area Innovation Showcase
Monday, August 10th 10:30am-11:30am
Alden B. Dow Creativity Center
2203 Eastman Road, Midland, Michigan 48640

This event will kick off Incuba8’s Concept Crafting Bootcamp which will walk young entrepreneurs through the process of developing a concept into a viable business. Register Today!

13 Jul

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Past Events

Aug 13-15: Business Launch Weekend

July 13, 2009 | By |

The Business Launch weekend is held at the Sloan Family Building at Northwood University, 4000 Whiting Dr. Midland, MI 48640 (click on address for map) on Thursday August, 13 – Saturday, August 15.

Sloan Conference Center

We’re looking for people with big ideas, graphic designers, marketers, web developers, and finance people. Let’s work together to make concepts a reality.

Who?
• Young people with great business ideas
• Business mentors and presenters with startup expertise
• Entrepreneurial support organizations that would like to be included in the organizational fair

What?
The Business Launch Weekend will bring together people interested in starting up or contributing to businesses from the surrounding area to work on developing specific concepts over a weekend. The first night is spent discussing ideas, presenting possible launches, choosing opportunities to be pursued, and organizing into teams. The rest of the weekend will be spent creating a business plan, website, business systems, and operational plans. Students who participate may be able to apply for internship credit from their university.


Day 1 -Thursday August 13, 2009

6:00pm Arrival, Introduction of Volunteers and Participants
6:30pm New Venture Pitches (Open to all participants with business concept- please submit on website beforehand)
• 7 minute presentation with 3 minute Q&A follow-up
8:00pm Self-Selection Process of Teams
9:00pm Check Point 1- Elevator Pitch
• Description of elevator pitch components will be available on website.
10:00pm Social Mixer – Event breaks to local establishment to continue developing ideas and meet participants

Day 2 -Friday August 14, 2009

9:00am Building Opens (Teams can meet if desired)
9:30 – 10:00am Welcome & Overview of the Business Plan Blitz
12:00pm Check Point 2- Teams have completed name (keywords), tagline, executive summary, vision statement, and have purchased URL and hosting
12:30 Lunch Break and Debriefing
4:00pm Check Point 3- Create basic live website/ wire frame, personalized email
1 page description of your business to inform the public, credibility establishing plan, identify keywords & setup sample Google Adsense & Adword campaign, logo & business card design (possibility of extension)
5:00pm Event Break- Teams finish all check points and fully debrief

Tentative Presentations (10-20 minutes each throughout the day, optional attendance):
Website tips and trick
Simple strategies for securing web traffic
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn Integration

Day 3 –Saturday, August 15, 2009

9:00am Building Opens
9:30- 10:00am Official Start and Marketing Blitz Overview
12:30pm Lunch break
2:30pm Check Point 4- Basic survey for potential customers, pricing, sales strategy plan, startup costs, create web presence strategy integrating social networks (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn)
5:00pm Checkpoint 5- Pro forma statements draft, report on what was learned, what worked, what didn’t work, and packet of all previous deliverables and accomplishments, elevator
pitch (take 2)
6:30pm Mixer and Final Debrief

Tentative Presentations (10-20 minutes each throughout the day, optional attendance):
From basement to board room: how to create business credibility & consumer confidence
Pricing models
Attract buyers: New strategies and new guarantees for generating sales.

Day 4 –Sunday, August 16, 2009

2:00pm Community Presentation of New Business Concepts & Entrepreneurship Fair
5:30pm Closing Comments

These events are being hosted free on your behalf by Opportunity Analysts, LLC and our sponsors. There is a suggested donation of $65.00 for this event. The sponsors and many volunteers who will be bringing you these events will greatly appreciate any support you can provide.

Register Now!

10 Jul

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Past Events

Aug 18: Business Setup Conference

July 10, 2009 | By |

The Business Setup Conference is held at the MidMichigan Innovation Center, 4520 E. Ashman Rd., Midland, MI 48642 (Click on address for map) on Tuesday, August 18 from 8:00 am – 6:00 pm.MidMichigan Innovation Center

Who?
• Entrepreneurs of all ages
• Business mentors and presenters with startup expertise

What?
Setting Up Business will be comprised of seminars to help walk new startups through the legal setup and basic financial statements. Attendees will be provided with free resources and outlines, and advice. Takeaways for Business Setup are:

  • Setting up your organizational structure
  • Process for filing
  • How to License
  • Setting up your accounting
  • Legally protecting yourself and your concept
  • Wordmarks, Trademarks, Logos, Patents

Agenda

8:00- 9:00 The Best Organizational Structure for Your Organization- Gary Gudmundsen, J.D,  Braun Kendrick Finkbeiner P.L.C.

9:15 –10:45 , Work Smarter Not Harder – Leveraging Internet and Personal Resources to Save you Time, Caryn Shick

11:00 – 12:30  Finding and Using the Best Intellectual Capital Strategy to Protect Your Idea, Reed Shick, Ph.D

Do you have a product concept but not sure how to protect your idea or even how to do a basic patent search? Dr. Shick will be shedding light on a confusing subject to most entrepreneurs, Intellectual Capital. Dr. Shick will be speaking on what IP is and some of the basic tools entrepreneurs can use to review their IP position, IP strategy, and make recommendations specific to the companies represented.

12:30- 1:30 Lunch Break

1:45 – 2:45 Out Licensing Your Technology- Gary Bellaver, Dow  Licensing & Technology

This presentation will focus on the critical aspects of licensing as it pertains to a business. Basic concepts such as types of licenses, important terms and conditions, resources for creating and sustaining a license business, and valuation of licensed intellectual property will be discussed.

3:00 – 4:00  Accounting Setup for Startups- Michael Zimmerman, CPA, Yeo & Yeo

One of the greatest mistakes made by owners of small businesses is not keeping good financial records and making improper or poor business decisions based on
inadequate information. We will guide you through the basics and also share information on accounting software that is easy to use for a new business.

4:15 – 5:45  Navigating Trademarks! What most entrepreneurs dont know will kill their business! Karen Kimble, JD, Technology Law, PLLC

Karen will be discussing the key mistakes entrepreneurs make with regard to trade marks. It is never a good idea to create a product, slap a logo or custom label on your creation, and begin selling to the public. To many small companies have infringed on large company’s trade mark’s and have been taken to court and forced to cease operations, costing the operator precious time and money. Allow Karen Kimble to show you how to do basic trade mark searches and how to safely navigate your product into the marketplace without infringing on other trademarked material.

* This agenda is subject to change as we continue to line up new speakers.

These events are being hosted free on your behalf by Opportunity Analysts, LLC and our sponsors. There is a suggested donation of $100.00 for this event. The sponsors and many volunteers who will be bringing you these events will greatly appreciate any support you can provide. Register Now!