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Founders Network Hosts Inaugural fnDemo Startup Competition

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San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) May 20, 2013

Founders Network (http://www.foundersnetwork.com), a peer mentorship organization that includes more than 350 tech startup “founders helping founders,” today announced the inaugural fnDemo, a virtual tech startup pitch competition featuring more than 30 of the network’s member startups.

Starting today, the participating Founders Network members from Silicon Valley, LA, New York and around the world will virtually pitch their startups to leading investors, media and fans who can vote for their favorites. Two categories of winners will be announced when voting concludes this Friday, May 24 at 12pm PDT: 1) the fnDemo Champ who generates the most social shares via the Fandrop platform and 2) the Judges’ Pick who earns the most votes from a panel of 10 judges representing leading angel and venture capital investors.

“fnDemo showcases not only the Founders Network members that make up our committed network of tech startup founders, but also the collective power of our peer mentorship community,” said Kevin Holmes, Founder & CEO of Founders Network. “We are excited to see such an impressive set of members participating in the inaugural contest and to have the support of such an esteemed panel of judges from the venture capital and angel investor community.”

Powered by viral marketing platform Fandrop, fnDemo offers Founders Network members the opportunity to gain recognition and attention for their innovative startups across industries ranging from education and entertainment to real estate and retail.

“We are thrilled to be working with Founders Network on an event that will help game-changing new companies get the awareness and accolades they deserve,” said Ken Zi Wang, Co-Founder & CEO of Fandrop and a member of Founders Network. “Without Founders Network, and the advice and support of its accomplished members, Fandrop would not be where it is today. We are honored to be able to give back to the community by serving as the technology partner for the inaugural fnDemo.”

Founded in 2011, Founders Network helps members efficiently solve startup problems through a private member site while building long-term, trusted relationships through in-person meetings in San Francisco / Silicon Valley, Los Angeles and New York City. All members are vetted through an approval process that only admits experienced founders who expressly commit to the success of the group. For more information, please visit http://www.foundersnetwork.com.

Participating investors:

Howard Hartenbaum, August Capital; Stephanie Palmeri, SoftTech VC; Ben Parr, DominateFund; Laurel Touby; Gil Penchina; Marlon Nichols, Intel Capital; Ben Narasin, Triple Point Capital; Arif Janmohamed, Lightspeed Ventures and Rishi Taparia, Matrix Partners.

Participating startups:

AbbeyPost, AHHHA, aMAP.to, BlogMutt, built.io, Cloudability, Dealingers, Dishcrawl, EEME, Etceter, Fiverun, Fleksy, Good.Co, GradFly, Graphdat, HungryGlobetrotter, Indiloop, Karma Store, Merxz, MyFit3D, Pogoseat, Relevance, RentHackr, RivalMe Trivia, Samepage.io, Sher.ly, SportsLab, Spreeify, Turnyp, Venturocket, Vuact.

Sponsors and Partners:

First Republic Bank, Guderson Dettmer, SoftLayer, BWK New York Public Relations, Betts Recruiting, Fandrop, VerbFactory.

About fnDemo

Hosted by Founders Network, a peer mentorship organization of more than 350 tech startup “founders helping founders,” fnDemo is a virtual tech startup pitch competition for leading investors, media and prospective customers and employees. Powered by viral marketing platform Fandrop, fnDemo enables Founders Network members to present their startups and lets fans and judges — representing angel and venture capital investors — vote for their favorite companies. For more information, please visit fnDemo.







EarlyShares to Sponsor and Exhibit at Gold Coast Venture Capital Association Inaugural Expo on Feb. 26

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Miami, Fl (PRWEB) February 20, 2014

EarlyShares, the funding platform that connects smart investors with unique opportunities, today announced that it will sponsor and exhibit at the inaugural Expo of the Boca Raton, Florida-based Gold Coast Venture Capital Association (GCVCA).

The Expo will take place Wednesday, February 26 from 5-8 pm at the Embassy Suites in Boca Raton and will feature 25 early-stage companies from throughout the state of Florida. Eighteen corporate sponsors, including EarlyShares, will also exhibit alongside the start-ups. More information and registration is available here.

The purpose of the event is to give a large group of entrepreneurs the opportunity to showcase their companies to investors, service providers, and professionals in an interactive environment. More than 200 investors and other professionals from the South Florida region are expected to attend. EarlyShares will exhibit at Table 2 of the Expo.

“The GCVCA Expo will be a unique opportunity for attendees to meet some of the state’s most exciting early-stage businesses,” said Joanna Schwartz, CEO of EarlyShares. “We look forward to participating and helping make this inaugural event a success.”

The Gold Coast Venture Capital Association (GCVCA) is a not-for-profit corporation that provides information, association, and capital formation opportunities to the entrepreneurial community in South Florida. The Association develops and presents monthly programs designed to provide information and assistance to start-ups and emerging or established growth companies while offering a unique venue for investors and invests to come together. More information is available at GCVCA.org.

EarlyShares, founded in 2011, is an equity funding platform that posts general solicitation investment offerings and rewards-based crowdfunding campaigns. By leveraging technology and social media, EarlyShares connects entrepreneurs and small business owners to investors in support of great ideas.

To register and gain access to all equity investment offerings and crowdfunding campaigns on EarlyShares, click here.

About EarlyShares

EarlyShares, based in Miami, FL, is a funding platform that hosts equity offerings and rewards-based crowdfunding campaigns on EarlyShares.com. The company has created the funding platform of the future, where small investments ignite big ideas. EarlyShares connects individuals, investors, and communities enabling them to invest in companies, support projects, and earn rewards in an efficient, trusted, and secure environment. To learn more, visit EarlyShares.com.







To Press and Beyond Authors Receive Recognition at Dan Poynters Inaugural Global eBook Awards

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Santa Barbara, CA (PRWEB) September 08, 2011

State of Mind by Sven Michael Davison clinched two awards: best book trailer and best e-book cover. Altamont Augie a debut novel by Richard Barager, was a finalist in the best book trailer category.

To Press & Beyond founder Gail Kearns attended the award ceremony in Santa Barbara to pay tribute to her clients successes. Kearns and her A team of experts guided Davison and Barager through much of the challenging publishing landscape, saving them time and keeping them on track every step of the way.

Calling themselves Book Sherpas, To Press & Beyond provides valuable assistance to independent authors and publishers as well as self-publishers. From identifying and helping to develop author and book platforms to editing a manuscript and giving advice on cover and interior book design and eventual distribution, they consistently find the best solutions and will tailor a traditional and social media marketing plan that includes the obvious and the hidden gems, bringing a clients title to the right opinion makers and ideal buyers.

To Press & Beyond has worked with clients nationally and around the worldfrom China to Switzerland to London and from small towns in Northern California to Chicago and the Big Appleincluding memoirists, a poet from Israel, a sports mom, psychologists, childrens book authors, journalists, fiction writers and motivational speakers.

With a million books published each year, how does an author get noticed? Its about strategic planning. They have to work hard to get there and avoid numerous pitfalls along the way. To Press & Beyond works hard to get them noticed with a strong publicity campaign that also utilizes social media to stay ahead of the curve, says Kearns.

Books of all genres, shepherded by To Press & Beyond, have received other awards, such as the prestigious Independent Publishers Award, The Benjamin Franklin Award, Forewords Book of the Year Award, and USA “Best Books” Awards Sponsored by USA Book News.

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Governor OMalley Swears in Members of Maryland Venture Fund Authority at Inaugural Meeting

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Baltimore, MD (PRWEB) August 31, 2011

Governor Martin OMalley today presided over the official swearing-in of the Maryland Venture Fund Authority (MVFA) members. The nine-member Authority was established to provide advice to and consult with the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development in connection with the administration of the InvestMaryland Program. The Authority oversees the development of the Programs bidding mechanism that raises investment capital for seed and early-stage companies and selects the private venture capital firms who receive InvestMaryland funding and make investments through the Program, ensuring that all statutory requirements are met.

The Maryland Venture Fund Authority will play a key role in carrying out our comprehensive, long-term strategy for job creation, investment and venture capital growth in Maryland, said Governor OMalley. In these challenging economic times, InvestMaryland will help us continue to provide Maryland businesses with access to capital and support early stage investment companies. Together, we can create jobs and expand opportunity for economic development.

The MVFA is comprised of a diverse group of private sector executives and entrepreneurs, investors, small business owners and educators with experience in IT, bioscience, cyber, manufacturing, financial, advanced technology, education, agricultural, transportation, and non-profit sectors. This seasoned group will guide the States efforts to attract and grow small and early stage investment entrepreneurs and companies throughout Maryland. Earlier this year, aspiring and seasoned entrepreneurs, companies, stakeholders, legislators and government officials helped craft policy, participated in InvestMaryland day which showcased support, entrepreneurs and venture capitalist successes and culminated in the passage of InvestMaryland legislation in May.

Authority members serve staggered three-year terms. Chairing the Authority will be Peter Greenleaf, President, MedImmune. Since joining MedImmune in 2006 as Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Greenleaf has overseen the development of the companys global marketing and portfolio organizations, as well as managing the broader commercial corporate development and strategy functions.

Maryland has an impressive legacy of creating an environment that cultivates and advances innovative thinking across many business sectors, among them the local biosciences community of which MedImmune is privileged to be a part, said Peter Greenleaf, president of Gaithersburg-based MedImmune, the global biologics business of AstraZeneca. I am honored and inspired to serve as chair of the Maryland Venture Fund Authority, which marries investment to visionary ideas that can become reality and, eventually, strong economic drivers for the State.

During their inaugural meeting, the Authority deliberated and established guidelines for both the requirements and process for an entrepreneur or venture capital company to seek funds under the States $ 70 Million initiative to spur early seed investment for businesses in Maryland.

Governors Maryland Venture Fund Authority Members *(Bios noted below)