Tag Archives: equity investment

NM LEEP Accepting Applications

Posted on by

The New Mexico Lab-Embedded Entrepreneur Program (NM LEEP) is accepting applications from technology entrepreneurs ready to obtain two years of individualized assistance to commercialize their technology. The program pairs deep-tech entrepreneurs with the unique talent and technology of Los Alamos and Sandia national laboratories, matching LEEP fellows with seed capital and a large network of mentors, customers, and investors. Applications will be accepted from February 22 to April 22, 2024.

Continue reading →

You Don’t Have to be a Skier to Learn from the Ski Lift Pitch

Posted on by

Entrepreneurs and investors come together on February 5 and 6 in Taos during the Ski Lift Pitch, a pitchfest event designed to introduce New Mexico high-growth startups to equity investors. Pitch companies were selected in early January from submitted applications, but startup founders are encouraged to attend as observers to learn what goes into a successful pitch.

Continue reading →

Free Access to ASCEND2.0 Educational Videos

Posted on by

Interested in learning about intellectual property? Or maybe you’re ready to start a new technology business and aren’t sure how. These topics and more are now accessible on the ASCEND2.0 website. ASCEND2.0 is a collaboration of entrepreneurs, funders, and educators to help technology startups gain traction.

Continue reading →

Small Business Pros and Funding Available at All Levels

Posted on by

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy, the top reasons for starting a business have not changed much in the past decade. Chief among those reasons is the desire to be one’s own boss and have greater control over one’s income. New Mexico, whose businesses are predominantly small (as defined by the SBA), is fortunate to be home to so many people with a drive for personal self-determination.

Continue reading →

Winner of Online Pitch Competition to Receive $5k + Benefits

Posted on by

Arrowhead Innovation Fund (AIF), housed at New Mexico State University’s Arrowhead Center, is hosting an online pitch competition to introduce investors to companies with promising technologies developed and/or licensed by New Mexico start-up companies. AIF is focused on startups working in the agriculture, biotechnology, health/devices, information technology, engineering, energy, and water technology industry sectors.

Continue reading →

NM Program Matches Federal SBIR Investment in Startups

Posted on by

Los Alamos quantum dots tech company UbiQD received a NM SBIR matching grant in 2018

The New Mexico Economic Development Department (EDD) will sweeten the pot for up to five small companies that receive Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants from the federal government to help in the research and development of technologies with high potential for commercialization.

The EDD is accepting applications until February 18 from federal grant recipients who want an additional infusion from New Mexico’s SBIR Matching Program. Despite the program’s name, it’s not a dollar-for-dollar match: Federal SBIR awards can range from hundreds of thousands of dollars to several million, while the New Mexico match is limited to $50,000. Continue reading →

Telling a Story that Drives Investment

Posted on by

Trevor Loy

Trevor Loy, Partner, Flywheel Ventures

When presenting an opportunity to investors, entrepreneurs usually begin by describing their invention and explaining why people need it. Next they present the financial team’s projections about what customers would probably pay for the product or service and what the entrepreneurs want to charge. They end by introducing the entrepreneurial team and detailing members’ credentials.

This approach is the inverse of what venture capitalists like me care about and consider when evaluating an investment. I want to hear about a venture the way I want to read a book or watch a movie: I want a story. Who are the protagonists and the other main characters? What goals do the characters hope to achieve, and how valuable would the goal be if it’s reached? What challenges do the characters anticipate and how will they respond to them? Finally I want to know my role so I can decide if I want the part.

Continue reading →

Federal Funding Still Good for Small Technology Firms

Posted on by

 

Jim and Gail Greenwood

Jim and Gail Greenwood for NNM Connect and TVC

Congress in December voted to continue two federal programs that offer funding to small businesses involved in technology and innovation. The Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) and the Small Business Technology Transfer Program (STTR) were reauthorized as part of the National Defense Authorization Act, ensuring their funding through 2017.

Continue reading →

Venture Capitalists Put Market Before Product

Posted on by

Trevor Loy

Trevor Loy, Partner, Flywheel Ventures

When searching for investors, many entrepreneurs and inventors first present their product or technological innovation and then vaguely present the target market as “people who need this product.” But this isn’t how customers think when deciding whether to spend money.

Consumers start with a problem or “pain point” they desperately want to go away. They watch for anything that proposes to solve this problem. Discovering it, they decide whether it’s affordable or whether another product offers a better or cheaper solution. They might even decide they’re willing to live with the inconvenience if the solution is too costly.

Continue reading →

Entrepreneur Alert: It’s Time to Prepare for Technology Summit

Posted on by

Betsy Gillette

Betsy Gillette, Director of Market Research & Planning, TVC

Technology Ventures Corporation exists to help innovators find investors for technology-based products they hope to bring to market. In January, 2012, the Albuquerque-based company will select up to 20 entrepreneurs with the most commercially marketable ideas and help them prepare business plans to pitch in April to funders at TVC’s Deal Stream Summit, formerly called the Equity Capital Symposium.

Most of the scientists and engineers who become clients of TVC are sophisticated about technology but novices when it comes to selecting target markets, appraising market needs and attracting venture capital funding. Entrepreneurs interested in being coached by TVC should prepare now by developing the marketing aspects of their business plans. The more realistic they are about the need for their product, market size, customer base and branding, the more likely they are to draw investors.

Continue reading →