November 13, 2017

Launch NY Newsletter – November 2017

Launch NY

Launch NY News & Updates	Upcoming Events
Launch NY Joins NYSERDA Reforming the Energy Vision Conference Last month, Launch NY President & CEO, Marnie LaVigne was interviewed as a panelist by New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) CEO, Alicia Barton, at the NYSERDA Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) conference in New York City. Marnie highlighted the vital role of supporting entrepreneurship, such as through Launch NY’s venture development model in order to drive innovation solving the power and energy problems of the future. Chloe Capital Hosts First Investor Accelerator for Women Entrepreneurs Marnie LaVigne joined a panel of expert women investors to help mentor and judge Chloe Capital’s first Investor Accelerator in Upstate NY. Over the two days, women entrepreneurs and “super” angels gathered from all across the United States to discuss best practices and new trends in supporting women-led startups, which receive less than 10% of venture capital funding. In addition, Chloe Capital’s Accelerator awarded $50,000 as a convertible debt note to their inaugural competition winner, Mi Padrino, an online event planning tool designed for the latino community, which has gained incredible traction after launching this past summer. #LaunchHour TwitterChat: From Local to Global Startup Startups, it’s your chance to tap into a national and even global stage to grow your business! Is your startup ready to take the next step forward? Join us on Wednesday, November 15^th for our #LaunchHour TwitterChat! Panelists from Austin, TX, Buffalo, NY, and more will be joining us to celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week and discuss how startups can aim to break into the global market. Want to be Part of the Startup Momentum in Buffalo? 43North is Searching for their Next Executive Director John Gavigan has successfully led 43North for the past 3 years, bringing tremendous attention to our region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and spreading the Buffalo comeback story across the US. Congratulations on all of your accomplishments as leader of 43North! The search for the next Executive Director of the $5 million startup competition is currently underway. Find more information here.	November 15, 2017 #LaunchHour TwitterChat: From Local to Global Startup 12:00 – 1:00 PM November 15, 2017 Ambrell: A Private Equity Success 5:00 – 8:00 PM Rochester, NY November 29, 2017 Startup School: Perfecting Your Pitch with Rob Hunter of HigherMe 12:00 – 1:30 PM Buffalo, NY December 1, 2017 RocGrowth Coffee 7:30 – 9:00 AM Rochester, NY December 1, 2017 RocGrowth Candids 5:30 – 7:30 PM Rochester, NY December 20, 2017 #LaunchHour TwitterChat: Topic TBA 12:00 – 1:00 PM

Startup Spotlight
Coolture Celebrate Recent Success at Competitions Since our March 2017 Startup Spotlight feature, Coolture, a Buffalo based Launch NY client that has created cooling vests and accessories based on the science of improving endurance through core body cooling, has had many successes! In October, Coolture was a finalist at The PITCH competition, winning $5,000, and then was named People’s Choice Award and placed third at the UPS XPORT Challenge, winning $10,000. Congratulations on all of your continued success!

#LaunchHour TwitterChat Tips	Launch NY Resources
LaunchHour TwitterChats are monthly virtual chats featuring important topics for startups and entrepreneurs. Join us monthly to hear from industry experts on our panel. If you missed us you can view our past TwitterChats in our archive and checkout some great tips from previous months below! October 18, 2017 #LaunchHour: Know Your ABCs – Game Planning Your Investment Rounds View the whole chat on Storify. Q2. Companies who are looking for investment dollars often hear about rounds. How would you explain rounds of funding? Lindsay Stencel (@Rustbelt_XFit) – Rounds are amounts of funding a company needs to achieve significant milestones. Achieving milestones should increase value #LaunchHour Dan Penberthy (@dpbuffalo) – Seed/Startup- Hey, I got an idea… it needs HELP to get launched. Let’s get some grants #launchHour Dan Penberthy (@dpbuffalo) – Expansion/Growth – I got people trying my idea, it works, they’re buying it, I need money for sales, marketing, and people #LaunchHour Bela Musits (@belaman) – Rounds are additional investments that all come in under the same terms. #LaunchHour Q4. What should a company expect in a seed round and what are their sources for seed capital? Bela Musits (@belaman) – Seed rounds can be small as $50K or exceed $5M. Typically they are $500K to $1M #LaunchHour Dan Penberthy (@dpbuffalo) – @NYSERDA is an awesome funding partner for seed stage biz, if you’re not talking with them, you’re missing a lot #LaunchHour. Bela Musits (@belaman) – Sources of Seed Capital can be friends, family, angels, and VCs View the whole chat on Storify. Join us for our next #LaunchHour TwitterChat, this Wednesday, November 15, 2017!	Upstate NY Resource Network Check it out here > Upstate NY Rainforest Canvas Study Check it out here > 5 Business Stages – Where are you? Each stage contains critical deliverables for moving forward. Starting with the Explore stage, see where you are on the path to success. Find out here > Entrepreneur Toolkit The toolkit is a set of templates and links designed to help start, launch and grow your business in upstate New York. Check it out here > Is Launch NY a fit for you? Launch NY provides entrepreneurs experienced mentoring using best practice processes and connections to specialized resources both in and beyond the Upstate NY ecosystem.Thus preparing you to compete for and win the funding and additional resources needed to move forward. Apply Now! >

Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) Introduction
Meet Deb O’Shea “I take such gratification as a Launch NY EIR in sharing what I have learned in my professional experiences to help entrepreneurs reach for their own golden ring of building a successful company. Every time one of them reaches an important milestone, I am so thankful to be involved and when they miss one, I am even more determined to lift them up,” said Deb O’Shea, on her work as a Launch NY EIR. A seasoned business attorney and trial lawyer as well as an experienced serial entrepreneur, Ms. O’Shea provides legal and business development counsel, including to start-up and early-stage companies – particularly in the healthcare, health IT and energy sectors. She co-founded a transatlantic initiative that connected business, investment and technology opportunities between the NAFTA and European Union economic markets, particularly focused upon New York State and Ireland. Prior to her focus on entrepreneurial activities, she was a trial lawyer for 13+ years handling complex litigation matters. She resides in Buffalo, NY with her husband and enjoys get-away weekends at their cottage in Ontario, Canada. She is an alumnus of the University of Buffalo and also studied at McGill University, Montreal. Read more about Deb and our other EIRs on our website.