If there is an upside to a down economy, it is the number of great ideas and companies that emerge. It is the time when the entrepreneur community reveals its finest through collaboration at meetups, coffee shops and word of mouth. Today's entrepreneur is not necessarily the same as the entrepreneur of the 90s. Today's entrepreneur mix can include the first timers, the serials, the build and flip experts etc. These days, it is nice to see that startups are taking the time to craft a solid business plan, bootstrap the organization and hire incredible talent in the very beginning.
While it is not necessarily crucial for all to get funding, it is the reality for a large majority. As a PR person for the tech startup community for more than a decade, I have noticed that it is often the case that those with a heavy networking calendar and travel schedule to the coasts are more likely to get funding early on. These types may be on their second or third company and understand the "who, what, where, when and why" for getting funding early on. For those who may be new to the startup space, I have compiled some resources to check out. I will continue to add resources on a regular basis and welcome suggestions as well.
- Guy
Kawasaki's Art of the
Start - honestly, you can read this on a plane ride and will be armed
with some of the most practical but smart advice you could ask for. If you
have the chance to see Guy speak, go!
- Venture capitalist and
e-commerce pioneer Paul Graham’s 13 Pointers
for Launching a Successful Startup.
- TechStars
- a mentorship-driven seed stage investment program. TechStars runs a three month
long program in Boston (MA), Boulder (CO), and Seattle (WA) once each year
for a select group of startups.
- Y
Combinator - accepting funding applications until
March 3 for the summer 2010 funding cycle (they fund twice a year)
- VentureHacks.com recently launched AngelList, a curated list of
angel investors, representing $80M going into early-stage startups this year.
