This Week: May 19 – May 25, 2013

Posted on 05/19/2013 by Carlos Martinez-Vela

Friends,

Connect with the world at Venture Café this week. Take your startup to France and connect with Russian startups. Find out how to fund R&D partnerships with life science companies in Australia, Belgium, Canada, and France through the new Massachusetts Life Sciences Center’s International Collaborative Industry Program. And like every Thursday, chat with visiting experts to get advice on growing your startup.

Hope to see you on Thursday!

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Thursday, May 23, 2013 | Venture Café in Session | 3:00 – 8:00 P.M.

4:00 – 5:30 P.M. | Charting a Course to a Successful Exit

The journey from company formation and a Series A round to exit is fraught with uncertainty; success depends upon many factors and a lot of luck. Attend this panel discussion to learn how four entrepreneurs are achieving their goal. Jere Doyle (Founder and CEO, Prospectiv Direct), Steven J. Gordon (CEO, Intelligent Bio-Systems, Inc.), Marina Hatsopoulos (Co-founder, Z Corporation) and Marilyn Matz, (CEO, Paradigm4). Moderator: Kyle Alspach (Startups and VC editor at The Boston Business Journal). Register here to attend.

4:00 – 6:00 P.M. | CIC Intern – Info Table

Learn about CIC’s intern program, which matches local high school students with CIC entrepreneurs. It is a great way to mentor youth and get summer help for your business. CIC staff facilitate all aspects of finding the best student for your business, and as an added bonus, CIC does not charge for the space the student will use during the summer.

4:00 – 7:00 P.M. | Mass Life Sciences Center – Info Table

Find out how to participate in the inaugural round of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center’s (MLSC) International Collaborative Industry Program. MLSC is partnering with the state of Victoria in Australia, the Walloon Region in Belgium, the Province of Québec in Canada, and the Alsace Region in France. In its opening round, MLSC’s International Collaborative Industry Program will award funding (from $100k to $500k) on a competitive basis to support collaborative, late-stage R&D projects involving one Massachusetts company and one company from one of the partner regions. Winning partners will each be funded by an agency in their home region. Companies from biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, diagnostics and bioinformatics are eligible to participate.

4:00 – 8:00 P.M. | YEI – Info Table

Would you like to take your startup to France? The Young Entrepreneurs Initiative (YEi) is about to kick off its 2013 competition. Between six and ten entrepreneurs will win a business trip to France, individual coaching, and access to the French network of incubators, mentors, and investors. The call for proposals closes on June 20th.

5:00 – 7:30 P.M. | Russian Startups Demo Night

Join the Russian Startups Demo Night, hosted by Start Up Access, showcasing seven early stage Russian tech startups.  The companies come from all over Russia, including its most remote regions, such as Krasnoyarsk and Novosibirsk. The focus of the companies includes online tools and technologies, wireless multimedia services, structural monitoring and building safety, and atherosclerosis research. The program will include elevator pitches by each company, followed by a reception.

5:30 – 7:30 P.M. | Prompt Communications – Office Hours

Book a 20-minute tech PR consulting session with Prompt CEO Hazel Butters. Talk to Hazel about how to develop objectives, strategies and tactics that will make your technology products interesting to the press. Make sure when you book your session to bring any questions about target audiences, publications and generating great press conversations.

6:30 – 8:00 P.M. | Search Marketing Project Night

Attend Search Marketing Project Night, a gathering for anyone working on a search marketing campaign who would like to compare notes. Come to share results, answer questions, seek advice, learn new strategies, brainstorm solutions, and review each other’s campaigns. Beginners are welcome. This working group is run by the search marketing heads of three Boston area digital marketing agencies: Dale Bertrand (Founder of Greenway Media), Will Brierly (Owner at Snowrunner Productions) and Guiseppe Frustaci (Principal at InnoVox Marketing). Bring your laptop and questions for the group.

 

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This Week: May 12 – May 18, 2013

Posted on 05/12/2013 by Carlos Martinez-Vela

Friends,

This week at Venture Café, learn about innovation in Spain and Korea from the MIT Enterprise Forum. Enjoy Korean food with Bimbap Backpackers, and find out about opportunities with Samsung Ventures. Speak with visiting experts at info tables, office hours, and roundtable discussions.

Hope to see you on Thursday!

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Thursday, May 16, 2013 | Venture Café in Session | 3:00 – 8:00 P.M.

3:00 – 5:00 P.M. | Steve Davis – Office Hours

Meet with Stephen Davis, a business growth strategist who has been a mentor and advisor to entrepreneurs for over 20 years. He is the Founder of CXO Advisory Group, a company that works with businesses, entrepreneurs and service providers to accelerate revenue growth. Steve can help you strategize to build a profitable, efficient business capable of growing to scale. Sign up here to schedule time with Stephen. 

4:00 – 6:30 P.M. | Big Studio – Office Hours Cancelled

Big Studio co-founders Mike Tuccinard and Bob Gauvin will provide product strategy and user experience feedback sessions. Together, they bring over 30 years of experience in digital product strategy and design. Meet them to help your company reveal new opportunities and get feedback about your product’s user experience.

5:00 – 6:00 P.M. | Bibimbap Backpackers – Info Table

Enjoy Korean traditional dishes courtesy of Bibimbap Backpackers, a non-profit organization started in 2011 to promote Korean food and culture. The backpackers are travelling around the world to promote the excellence of Bibimbap to the world and promote global appreciation for Korean Food.

5:30 – 6:30 P.M. | City of Cambridge Economic Development Division

The City of Cambridge is interested in supporting local entrepreneurs to grow and stay in Cambridge. This month, staff from the Economic Development Division and the Housing Division will be in the Café talking about resources available for Cambridge startups.

6:00 – 7:00 P.M. | Samsung Ventures – Info Session and Pitch Session

Come learn about Samsung Ventures and what it is like to work with Samsung from a startup’s perspective. Samsung Ventures will hold a Speed Round Pitch Event on this day from 7 P.M. to 8 P.M. For this event, Samsung Ventures is delighted to partner with Cloudant, a Samsung Ventures portfolio company.

6:00 – 7:00 P.M. | Innovation and Investing on Other Continents – Roundtable

Representatives from Spain and Korea, in town for the MIT Enterprise Forum Chapter Leadership Conference, will lead a discussion on the investment and innovation climate in their countries and regions.  Find out what is happening elsewhere in the world that can influence your ability to find customers, partners and investors, and to grow your company on a worldwide scale.

6:00 – 8:00 P.M. | MIT Entrepreneurship Review – Info Table

Chat with representatives from the MIT Entrepreneurship Review (MITER), a student-run, online publication that examines the intersection of science, technology, and entrepreneurship. They have a broad range of interests and expertise while sharing a passion for entrepreneurship. The review is seeking to engage with and cover the entrepreneurial activity in the Cambridge and greater Boston area.

6:00 – 8:00 P.M. | Princeton Enterprise Network Boston – 2013 Business Plan Competition

Attend the Princeton Entrepreneurs’ Network of Boston 2013 Business Plan competition. This is an excellent opportunity for entrepreneurs who wish to bring their ideas to market to connect with and get feedback from seasoned entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and other service providers.The winner will go to the National Princeton Entrepreneurs Network Competition on May 31, 2013 in Princeton, NJ.

NEXT WEEK 4:00 P.M. – 5:30 P.M. – From Series A to Successful Exit

The journey from company formation and a Series A round to exit is fraught with uncertainty and success depends upon many factors and a lot of luck. Learn how four entrepreneurs are achieving their goal. Register here to attend.

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New Beer Blog Post! Operation KEG Part 6: It’s Alive!

Posted on 05/09/2013 by robincoxe

In Operation KEG Part 6: It’s Alive!, Robin outlines last-minute preparations for the first test of the Venture Café Kegbot system with real beer.   Come visit us this afternoon, Thursday 9 May 2013, to witness this historic moment.

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