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Christmas Ornaments

While it's nice to have a Christmas business plan during the holiday season, forget that it is geared to Christmas.

This is actually a very nice business plan for a home based business.

The very first line of the business plan acknowledges that it is home based. Then it goes on to present very nice sections on public relations, advertising, accounting, the industry, experience of the owners, etc. It even nicely melds local opinion with national research.

I also recommend this as a nice financial model for a small business presentation. The detail is in the first year, with summaries for years 2-3.

TOP OF THE NEWS

New Entrepreneur Showcase to be held at MIT Museum

Panels and debates focusing on venture capital in enterprise software, life sciences, new media, and clean energy will highlight the 2007 Venture Capital Conference hosted by the MIT Sloan Venture Capital & Private Equity Club on Friday, November 30 at the Westin Copley Place Hotel in Boston.

Now in its tenth year, the Venture Capital Conference attracts approximately 400 participants representing venture capital professionals, corporate executives, angel investors, entrepreneurs, MBAs, and academics.

Read full article here.

The SBA Steps into Movies

For the first time in the history of the U.S Small Business. Administration, two producers were funded in Los Angeles, California.

Movies have traditionally been off limits in SBA funding. No more. Sonja Dunson, producer, actress, writer, former beauty queen, former publisher and Speech Pathologist.

Read full article here

SBA's New Patriot Express Loan for Veterans is Reaching Nevada Small Business Owners

Veteran-owned small businesses in Nevada are starting to take advantage of the U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) new loan program that targets veterans and their spouses.

Patriot Express loans can be used for most business purposes, including start-ups, expansion, equipment purchases, working capital, inventory or business-occupied real estate purchases. Loans are available up to $500,000 and qualify for SBA's guaranty. In Nevada, veterans have used the loans for everything from a restaurant and a real estate office to a fitness gym and a landscaping business.

Read full article here

Seattle Start Ups Get Venture Capital Boost

A NEW Seattle venture capital firm, led by real estate and board game entrepreneur Craig Kinzer, is looking to place 20 to 30 early-stage bets in a diverse crop of startup businesses.

The firm -- which has raised about a quarter of its $35 million target -- is currently dubbed Highside Capital. But it plans to change the moniker -- possibly to Redfish -- because a Dallas investment firm currently holds the name.

Read full article here

India Targets Nanotechnology

Organisers of Bangalore Nano 2007 on Monday announced the launch of RICH [Research - Industry Collaboration Hub], the first initiative in the world for research and industry community relating to nanotechnology to conduct business meetings. RICH would offer a platform for emerging companies seeking investment and partnering opportunities to present their research findings and technologies to industry and investors, venture capitalists, angel investors and conduct business meetings. RICH will be held on the sidelines of Bangalore Nano on December 6 & 7, 2007.

Read full article here

Angel Investors Fill Gap
For Number of U.K. Firms

The move by many venture capitalists in Europe away from investing in start-ups and early-stage companies has created a gap that is being filled by entrepreneurs, professionals and individual investors.

These angel investors invest their own time and money rather than like venture capitalists being paid by third parties as investors in a managed fund.

Read full article here

Space Angels 2.0

Space Angels Network, LLC, a virtual network of angel investors focused on seed- and early-stage investments for space-related ventures, announced the launch of its operations in the U.S. and Canada. The company's online platform and strategic relationships with venture finance and technology innovation organizations allow individual accredited investors to connect with space entrepreneurs for financing their innovative ventures.

Read more here

To Angel, or Not?

US business angels, many of them wealthy entrepreneurs who have sold their companies, injected $11.9 billion into 24,000 ventures in the first half of this year, Jeffrey E. Sohl, director at the University of New Hampshire's Center for Venture Research, told the Northeast Regional Angel Investor Conference meeting here last week.

Read full article here

Seed Capital for Minnesota Start Ups

For decades, Dennis Anderson has recruited leaders for Twin Cities startups. Now he's rounded up a group of former executives, entrepreneurs and inventors to take on a new mission: Found and build firms around technology developed at research institutions.

The group, Pelegrin Partners, already has established two companies over the past year. The firm plans to raise a venture capital fund of between $2 million and $10 million that will provide seed capital to Minnesota startups

Read full article here

The Key to Venture Funding

Local experts are eyeing technology as a good place for future investment and they say finding a company with a strong management team is key.

"Companies with compelling technology coupled with strong management teams are finding funding," says Sid Chambless, executive director of the Nashville Capital Network.

Read the full article here