Seattle 2.0 Blog

SAT 19 APR

Seattle Lunch 2.0 at Ontela By Marcelo Calbucci

 

Event: Seattle Lunch 2.0 @ Ontela  [link]

 

Date: April 25, 2008

 

Time: 4:30PM - 6PM (it should have been called Happy Hour 2.0!)

 

Venue: Ontela, Seattle

 

Price: Free

 

 

MON 21 APR

There is nothing like being kick out of The List By Marcelo Calbucci

 

    If there is one thing that feels really good when you are a tech entrepreneur in Seattle is to be kick out of the Seattle 2.0 Startup list. Congrats to Farecast to have been kicked out with honors.

 

    Who's going to be next? iLike? BuddyTV? Wetpaint? Picnik?

 

TUE 22 APR

nPost Networking tonight By Marcelo Calbucci

 

    Just a reminder the nPost Networking and Startup Showcase is tonight starting at 6:30PM at the Columbia City Theater.

 

    Here are 9 great tips for networking tonight.

 

   

WED 23 APR

Event: StartPad Countdown - Corporate Structures By Marcelo Calbucci

Event: StartPad Countdown series - Corporate Structures, Common Problems [link]

 

Date: Tuesday, April 29th, 2008

 

Time: 6:00 PM

 

Venue: StartPad, Seattle

 

Price: Free

 

Presenters: Craig Sherman (WSGR)

THU 24 APR

524 subscribers! By Marcelo Calbucci

    I just checked our stats and apparently on Monday we reached 524 subscribers to this blog. Not bad at all. Looks like we do add value to the community, which is the best feeling possible.

FRI 25 APR

UW Business Plan Competition - Great ideas and great products By Marcelo Calbucci

 

    I was one of the 196 (!) judges on the Business Plan Competition at UW this last Wednesday. The 33 teams setup booths and pitched to the judges as they walk from booth to booth. It was very overwhelming for the both sides. A lot of talk, a lot of questions and a lot of answers.

 

    My first observation is the competition is poorly named. It's called "Business Plan Competition" and I didn't see a single business plan (only executive summaries), and most of the companies presenting already had products on the market, being well ahead of the "planning" phase. The competition should be called "Business Competition" or "Business Innovation Competition" or whatever, but not BPC.

 

    I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the companies, their ideas and the level of understanding of what it takes to succeed.

 

    Some companies had 2 or 3 people to answer questions, usually the founders or executives, but some companies just "stuffed" their booth with unprepared people. I couldn't believe when people would tell me "I don't know what the revenue model is, I'm here to help my sister". What? It's better to have few but prepared people than anyone answering about your company that doesn't know near everything about it.

 

    My other piece of feedback for companies is to just stop the BS with the numbers... $70 million this, $1.8 billion market, $500 million that... I heard so much BS I couldn't believe. People absurdly overstate things and they call it a "conservative value". That's because they are doing top-down projection. That's just bad.

 

    Anyway, here are the companies that advanced to the Sweet 16, which will be held on May 22 (MC$ means they got some of my CIE $ invested):

 

• Athleon - MC$
• Carbon Capture
• ClearSky Systems
• Encompass Pediatric Therapy Center
• Golden Wellness
• Hybiscus Technologies
• Impel Neuropharma
• Krochet Kids International
• LiteTouch
• Pathable - MC$
• Rabour Sunflower Farm - MC$
• Reset Games
• Tenfold Organic Textiles
• Voltan Biofuel
• Wugaboo Entertainment

    Congrats to all of them.