InvestMaryland Wins Big, Raises $84 million for VC program

Last week, the State of Maryland became the first state in the USA to use an online auction to raise funds for a venture capital program.  The auction yielded $84 million, a whopping 20% more than the original forecasted goal of $70 million.  On September 24, 2011, I wrote a brief summary of the InvestMaryland program.

InvestMaryland will invest in the State’s promising start-up and early stage companies, as early as this summer.  The $84 million raised was generated through an online auction of premium tax credits to 11 insurance companies (including Hartford Insurance, New York Life, Chubb, GEICO, and Met Life) with operations in Maryland.  The inaugural round of investments will be made in innovative companies this summer through several private venture capital firms and the State’s successful Maryland Venture Fund (MVF),

Said Governor Martin O’Malley, “Our State is well-positioned to be a leader in the new economy as a global hub of innovation – a leader in science, security, health, discovery and information technology. That’s why last year, together with business leaders from across the State and the General Assembly, we chose to invest in our diverse and highly-educated workforce and the skills and talents of our people for the jobs and opportunity of tomorrow.”  

The InvestMaryland program is being implemented through the Maryland Venture Fund Authority, on which I am very proud to serve, as well as the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED).

Earlier this year, the Authority selected Grant Street Group to prepare for and run the tax credit auction and also recently selected Altius Associates, a London-based firm, to oversee the selection of three to four private venture firms to invest the InvestMaryland funds. The private venture firms will be responsible for investing two-thirds of the funds, which will return 100 percent of the principal and 80 percent of the profits to the State’s general fund. The remaining 33 percent will be invested by 17-year-old Maryland Venture Fund (MVF).  The Maryland Small Business Development Financing Authority (MSBDFA) will also receive a portion of funds for investment. Returns on the funds invested through the MVF will be reinvested in the program.

InvestMaryland has the potential to create thousands of jobs in Innovation Economy sectors – life sciences and biotechnology, cyber security/IT and clean/green tech and attract billions of follow on capital.

Maryland has an outstanding infrastructure to support an Innovation Economy. The Milken Institute ranks Maryland #2 in the nation for technology and science assets. According to study results, while Maryland received high rankings in human capital investment, research and development inputs, technology and science workforce, and technology concentration and dynamism, it lagged behind other states in risk capital and entrepreneurial infrastructure, demonstrating the need for InvestMaryland and other programs.

How will Altius select the Venture Capital firms?  Altius will be evaluating venture capital funds based on management experience, firm experience, investment performance and criteria defined in the legislation.

When will the firms be selected?  Venture capital firms will be selected starting June/July 2012 for a projected18-month period and make first round of investments in summer 2012.

What is the investment return to the State? The selected venture firms will return 100 percent of the principal investment by the State before taking any distribution of profits and will then pay 80 percent of the profits to the State.  Any returns on investments made through the Maryland Venture Fund go back into the fund for an evergreen program.

What is the projected average investment with venture capital companies? Investment will likely range from as low as $250,000 upwards to $10M.

Is there investment funding available from MVF?   Maryland Venture Fund will continue to invest in early stage companies (tech, biotech, clean energy) from $50,000 to $500,000 as initial investments.

Maryland Venture Fund Authority (MVFA) will perform a monitoring role to ensure that  investments and reporting meet the legislative guidelines.

In summary, as a member of the MVFA, and as a resident and business owner in Maryland, I am very excited to see this InvestMaryland program being implemented:

• This program brings great benefit for taxpayers.  It helps create the jobs and companies of tomorrow and builds an economic climate where the most promising ideas and innovations have a chance to mature.

• This is a win-win for all constituencies within the State of Maryland. Through this initiative, we can:
  • Infuse much needed capital into our seed and early stage companies
  • Recapitalize the State’s successful Maryland Venture Fund
  • Ensure no up-front cost to taxpayers
  • Provide a tax benefit to insurance companies who bid today, who can begin claiming credits in 2015.

Thanks for reading.  I’d appreciate any Comments or feedback you may have on InvestMaryland.

Featured image courtesy of Anosmia via Creative Commons.

Persistence and Commitment at HONEST TEA, a guest post by Marissa Levin

Guest Blog Post from Marissa Levin, CEO of Information Experts and Founder of Successful Culture, a new business dedicated to helping entrepreneurs and business leaders build successful cultures within their organizations.

Marissa was a guest at Lore Systems’ Big Idea CONNECTpreneur Spring Forum on March 7, 2012 and Seth Goldman, Co-Founder and TeaEO of Honest Tea, was one of our featured speakers on the “Entrepreneurship with a Higher Purpose” panel.

This post was written on March 13, 2012 and can be found on Marissa’s awesome new Blog, Successful Culture.

Honest Tea CEO Seth Goldman Takes Persistence & A Commitment to Mission to New Heights

Imagine pitching your idea to 1,000 investors. Over and over and over again. A little insane, right? Not if you’re Seth Goldman, TeaEO of Honest Tea. When we think of Honest Tea, we think of a delicious beverage, and a wildly successful business.

Dig a little deeper into the roots of Honest Tea, and you’ll discover an entrepreneur who is forever committed to the mission of “changing the way people eat, drink, think and live.”

Seth shared the struggles of his early days with 300 business leaders at the sold-out ConnectPreneur Event in the DC region, architected by global serial entrepreneur and angel investor Tien Wong, CEO of Lore Systems (www.lore.net).

Building an Empire One Brick at a Time

As a bootstrapped entrepreneur who has never sought outside funding, I was amazed at Seth’s relentless quest for angel investments when he launched Honest Tea. “I did over 1,000 pitches and landed 120 angel investors. I took $25,000 at a time,” Goldman said. “There were plenty of times when I was financially out of business. But you need just enough fumes to keep things going.”

The question on everyone’s mind – which was asked – was, “How did you keep going?” All entrepreneurs seek the answer to this question from others that travel the path of business ownership. What is the magic bullet -the secret sauce – that gives us the strength to keep pushing when we are seemingly out of options?

Always Return to the Mission

“What kept me going is I always believed and still believe in my mission. I believe we have to change the way we eat, drink, think, and live. Quitting was never an option.”

In addition to the initial 1,000+ calls, Goldman had to ruthlessly follow up with potential investors. Follow-up apparently is just as important as the initial contact.

“You need to be ruthless with your follow-up. You can’t ever quit. Your follow-up is a good indication of your commitment to what you are trying to build, and to your work ethic. Some we talked to for years before they came on,” he said.

Seth’s tenacity is an inspiration to anyone trying to make their entrepreneurial mark. Equally inspiring is his commitment to his core values, and his refusal to relinquish what matters most to him – providing healthy products that consumers feel good about drinking.

Coca-Cola now owns 40% of Honest Tea. The mammoth company’s management is like a bull in a china shop. This, however, doesn’t sway Goldman from his values. “Coca-Cola wanted me to remove “No High Fructose Corn Syrup!” from our labels. I asked if this was a legal or regulatory requirement, and it wasn’t,” he explained.

Goldman continued, “Because their products contain this ingredient, our label wasn’t a positive reflection of their brand. I refused to remove it it. The discussion made its way to the very top of the executive ladder, and I refused.”

Finally, Coca-Cola relented, and conceded that as a minority owner, they couldn’t force Honest Tea to remove the labeling.

All Natural Ingredients for Successful Entrepreneurship

Goldman boiled successful entrepreneurship down to the two basic tenets that we all inherently know: 1: A steadfast, laser-focused, driven commitment to what we are building, in which we will do whatever we need to succeed, and 2: A passionate belief in the change we are trying to make.

Thanks to Tien Wong (follow him on Twitter: @tienwong, and subscribe to his blog – Winning Ideas at (http://tienwong.wordpress.com/) for helping to quench the entrepreneurial thirst for learning with a great event!

And thanks to Seth Goldman (@HonestTea) for showing us what happens when you never ever ever ever ever give up.

“Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.” ~Napoleon Hill

Featured image courtesy of “A Girl With Tea,” licensed via creative commons.

Big Idea CONNECTpreneur Spring Forum, March 7, Tysons Corner, VA

LORE SYSTEMS is pleased to host one of the most exciting angel and entrepreneurship networking forums in the DC Region on March 7, 2011 at the Tower Club in Tysons Corner, VA.

Please come out!  Here’s the Eventbrite link:  http://connectpreneur1.eventbrite.com

The Big Idea CONNECTpreneur Spring Forum is a 1/2 day “NETWORKING MASHUP” of the DC Region’s TOP Entrepreneurs, Business Leaders, CXOs, Angels, and VCs.

Come see what happens when you put a group of “A List” business leaders and entrepreneurs in one room for a few hours!

This UNIQUE EVENT is like NONE OTHER in our region, due to the high quality of our attendees and participants, as well as our programming and unprecedented networking.

The Big Idea CONNECTpreneur Forum is an exclusive “mashup” of 170+ of the DC Region’s top entrepreneurs, business leaders, CXOs, angels and VCs.

Most of the attendees are “INVITATION ONLY,” and we are limiting service provider participation in order to maximize the experience for our Attendees and Sponsors.

Program Highlights:

• “Hypergrowth – Zero to $500 million in 8 years” discussion
• “Entrepreneurs with a Higher Purpose” panel
• 8 Emerging companies seeking funding will briefly tell their stories
• “Disruption, Disintermediation, and Destruction” luncheon discussion
• Networking sessions before, during, and after the event

The venue is the Tower Club in Tyson’s Corner, Northern Virginia’s premier private business club.  A plated brealkfast and plated lunch are included.

AGENDA7:00–8:00 am - ARRIVAL / BREAKFAST / NETWORKING

8:00 – 8:05 am - WELCOME

8:05 – 8:45 am -  ”HYPERGROWTH – ZERO TO $500 MILLION IN 8 YEARS!” – a conversation with Tony Jimenez, Founder and CEO of MicroTech

8:45 – 9:30 am  –  ”ENTREPRENEURSHIP WITH A HIGHER PURPOSE”

Jim Cheng, Secretary of Commerce, Commonwealth of VA; Founder and CEO, Computer Hi-Tech Mgt, “Entrepreneur Turned Public Servant”

Dr. John Holaday, CEO, QRx Pharma, an ex-Army officer, Professor, and serial entrepreneur who has founded and taken 3 companies public, “Entrepreneur Seeking a Cure for Cancer”

Seth Goldman, Founder and TeaEO, Honest Tea, beverage industry innovator, “Entrepreneur  leading the Green Movement”

9:30 – 9:45 am - NETWORKING BREAK

9:45 – 11:30 am - COMPANY PRESENTATIONS

CirrusWorks

Code9

Fresh Tax

National Field

Pixspan

SPYDRSafe

SRG Technology

Well Care Strategies

11:30 – 11:45 am - NETWORKING BREAK

11:45 – 1:15 pm - LUNCHEON DISCUSSION – “DISRUPTION, DISINTERMEDIATION, AND DESTRUCTION”

Duke Chung, Founder of Parature, CRM industry pioneer

Mark Walsh, Founder and CEO, GeniusRocket;  Chairman, DIngman Center for Entrepreneurship;  Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Union College;  Founder and CEO, VerticalNet

John Backus, Managing Partner of New Atlantic Ventures, Founder of Draper Atlantic Venture Fund, former CEO, InteliData

1:15 pm - MORE NETWORKING AND DEALMAKING

CONFIRMED PARTICIPANTS (partial list):

Over 110 Entrepreneurs and CXOs, plus another 40+ angels and VCs including Core Capital, Novak Biddle, New Atlantic Ventures, CIT, Capital Source, NEA, Maryland Venture Fund, MAVA, MTECH Ventures, Maryland DBED, Ruxton Ventures, Opus8, VentureCross Partners, McLean Capital, National Capital, Starise Ventures, Dingman Center Angels, Blu Venture Partners, Blue Heron, Washingon DC Archangels, Fortify.vc, Endeavor DC, Private Capital Network, APPTEL, Stanford Venture Advisors, MD Center for Entrepreneurship, SunWalker Group, Skada Capital, Keiretsu Forum, CADRE.

EVENT SPONSORS:  

LORE Systems

BDO

Ernst & Young

Cooley

Wilson Sonsini

Ryan & Wetmore

ByteGrid

Washington, DC Archangels

Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship

Curry’s Auto Sevice

12 Most Critical Questions for Raising Capital for Your Startup – 12most.com Guest Post

This was my August 16, 2011 Guest Post on 12most.com.

Right now – RIGHT now – is the BEST TIME to start a business, and there’s never been a better time to start raising capital. I firmly believe this. Why?  Because tough economic times cause tremendous dislocation in almost every market. Established companies are playing defense, trying to figure out where the economy is heading, laying off people, cutting costs, and trying to protect their turf. Fear is in the air.

Fear spells opportunity for new startups that can compete because they are small, nimble and agile.  Using creativity and resourcefulness, entrepreneurial startups can improve the way things have been done in the past, or attack brand new markets with new technology.  Startups are not encumbered by the baggage of their larger competitors.

However, raising money in tough economic times is, well, tough!  Angels and VCs seek to cherry pick the very best ideas, those that are most likely to succeed.  Money is still available for the best ideas and teams, but you have to be tuned in to what these investors need in order to make an investment in your startup.

Based on my experience as an entrepreneur, mentor, angel, VC fund LP, and board member, here are the 12 most important questions you need to answer when raising capital for your startup:

1. Money

How much do you need and what is the use of funds?

Investors want to know that you have thought through your capital requirements and where the money will be put to use.  Is it for product development, marketing, building out your sales team, etc.?  You must be ready to justify this request, and talk about how this gets you to the next stage in your startup’s development, as well as how much more money you may need in the future.  Know what kind of deal structure (preferred stock, convertible debenture, common stock, etc.) and valuation you are proposing to your investors.

2. Pain – What pain are you fixing?

Your product or solution must fix somebody’s pain, whether it’s making life easier, saving money, or making a customer more efficient.  Talk about the severity of the pain you are addressing, as well as how much money your customer will pay for it.  Show some basic market research, ROI analyses, and, ideally some 3rd party customers who are already happily using your product or service.

3. Raising Capital for Your Solution: What is it, exactly?

Exactly what product or service are you offering and how does it work?  Too many times, I have seen wishy washy descriptions of the solution because the idea is being matured, or in Alpha mode.  I have seen many super smart engineers with grand plans that are completely unfocused trying to be everything to everybody. Few have been funded.   Investors want to see certainty and simplicity in your proposed solution to the above-mentioned pain.

4. Customers – Who, exactly, is your customer?

You need to know WHO will be buying from you.  Are you selling B2B, B2C, B2G, all of the above?  Are your targets Fortune 500 companies, SMBs, NGOs, the Federal government, etc.  At what level are you selling (CEO, CFO, VP of Marketing, etc.)?  What kinds of situations will they need to be in to absolutely must buy from you?  The more precise the better.  And bring some testimonials or anecdotal evidence from these targets.

5. Execution Plan – What’s your plan for selling and delivering?

One of the biggest questions and concerns investors have is HOW you plan to win customers.  What’s your strategy, who’s leading the sales effort, and so on. Be prepared to discuss not only your marketing & sales plans and customer acquisition strategy, but also your customer retention strategy.

6. Raising Capital, as a Team – Who are the players and what are their backgrounds?

Angel investors are not only investing in an idea or a market space.  We are investing in a team of people with, preferably, a strong and experienced founder.  Talk about your key executives and your advisors too (lawyers, accountants, Advisory Board members), anyone who is adding considerable value to your venture.

7. Culture – What kind of culture are you building?

Culture is the DNA of every organization, and good culture is a requirement for success.  Culture can even be a differentiator against your competition.  The best investors know this.  Talk about your culture, your approach and philosophy towards business operations, leadership development, hiring, customer care, product development, and other key parts of your business.

8. Competitors – Who are they and how will you compete?

Competition is one of the most important questions to answer.  I have met with countless entrepreneurs who claim that they have “no competition.”  This is a particular pet peeve of mine, because every company has competitors, and all customers have choice.  Believing that you don’t have competitors is not only naive, it is a recipe for disaster.  So talk about all your competitors, both direct and indirect, and show how you are better and how you will beat them.

9. “Moats” – How are you special and what are your differentiators?

Warren Buffett likes to invest in companies with high barriers to entry, or “moats,” as he calls them.  Startups are risky enough for investors, and they want to invest in ventures which have a higher probability of success.  Moats include IP, patents, unique skills or knowledge, proprietary methods, unique brands, unique culture, etc.

10. Raising Capital for Pivotability – What will you do if your Plan “A” fails?

One thing is absolutely certain in a startup: your original plan will not happen the way you initially envisioned it.  Investors want a team that’s resourceful, agile, and creative enough to pivot, if necessary.  A sailboat in a regatta does not go from Point A to Point B in a straight line.  It gets there by “tacking, ” or making a series of rapid and opportunistic turns in order to maximize the wind in its sails.  Startups have to do the same thing, and investors want to see that you have thought through your contingency plans.

11. Commitment – How much money did you personally invest? Is this a full time job for you?

The best investors take a “partner” approach to investing, and they want to invest alongside their entrepreneurs.  I’m not so much looking for huge sums of cash invested, but rather whether the amount invested is a “significant” percentage of the entrepreneur’s net worth.  If a founder has put a good chuck of her net worth into the company, or taken out a second mortgage on her home, the investor will feel more comfortable about the founder’s putting her money where her mouth is.  As for working “full time,” this is essential.  I have never seen a startup succeed that didn’t have full time (80 hours a week) commitment from its founding team.  Be ready to field questions about how much your team is willing to sacrifice in order to win.

12. Exit – How are you going to make your investors money?

Investors are not looking to put their money in forever.  You have to paint the picture of how they will get their money and profits out within their expected timeframe (generally 4-7 years).  Be ready to talk about how you’re going to exit (for example via IPO, sale, recap, or refi).  How is the market for your proposed exit options?  Talk about recent deals in your space and get some data from the experts (M&A specialists, deal lawyers, etc.).

I hope this helps you as you think through your approach to pitching angels and VCs.  If you believe in your startup, then be persistent. Don’t give up!  If you can’t get funded initially, then prove out your business model by getting traction, i.e. happy customers, and figuring out other creative ways to raise the capital you need, whether it’s by getting equipment leases, vendor financing, customer deposits, or even money from “FF&F” (friends, family and fools).

Good luck out there!  It’s a great time to pursue your dreams!

Photo courtesy of amagill. Some rights reserved; used under creative commons license.

Winning Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs – Part 2

As an evangelist of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship education, I speak often to groups of students and entrepreneurs.  The last slide in my presentation is always “Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs.”  In my Winning Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs – Part 1 Blog Post, I discussed the first 5 of 9 pieces of advice I give to audiences whom I address. They are:

Integrity

Do It Now

Great People

Focus on Your Customer

Be Flexible

Here are the final 4 bullets:

Build a Culture Early – I believe that the Right Culture is one of the 5 keys to building a Hypergrowth company.  And it’s never too early to build the right culture.  The minute you hire employee #1, you have doubled your company headcount.  Your startup is a reflection of you, your values, and your vision.  In order to get your team focused on the mission and how to execute, you need to make sure they all subscribe to YOUR values and vision, i.e. your culture.  Write your mission, vision, and values down, and communicate these constantly, in company meetings, emails, memos, etc.  Give frequent recognition and praise to those who embody aspects of your culture.  If you can have your teammates all living the same culture, you will have a huge competitive advantage over other companies in your space.

Be Persistent – Even the “best” startups fail.  And I bet most fail because the Founder gave up too soon.  It may take you 5 years or more to get to breakeven, so go into your venture knowing that succes will not come easily.  It takes energy, time, effort, sweat, and a little luck.  But if you hang in there and persist, you will get some breaks along the way and you will start to grow.  My company, CyberRep, took 4 years to hit $500k in revenue.  It was a long slog to get to that number.  Countless all-nighters, 85-hour workweeks, and sacrifice.  But we persisted, and by being in business and hanging in there, we started to get some breaks and we leveraged those breaks into little wins.  Then the little wins became bigger and bigger wins.  If we had given up early, we’d have never grown our company to $80 million.

Overcapitalize – When raising money, it’s very important to raise a little more than you need. I have seen so many entrepreneurs spend all their time in capital raise mode, when they should be spending time with their customers and building their team.  Raising money is a big distraction, so you need to make sure you have enough cash to get you to your destination instead of filling up many times along the way.  It’s OK to give up more equity because your payback will be in terms of time saved (and invested with your customers and team) as well as the fact that you’ll reach your destination sooner. This is one of my points in a prior Blog Post about Raising Money.

Have FUN! – This is the most important piece of advice.  Life is short, and it flies by quickly….so if you’re not doing something you love, you are basically wasting your time. You have the power to change your situation, and the sooner, the better!  If you’re going to do anything, including starting a business, make sure you enjoy it. Sure, there will be many bad days filled with stress and disappointments, but success is all about doing your best and enjoying the ride.

Thanks very much for reading.  What do you think?  I’d love your feedback and thoughts, so please Comment below…and please sign up for my Blog too!  (See the Signup box on the sidebar of my Home Page)

Featured image courtesy of Robert Scoble licensed via creative commons.