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Northern Colorado Idea Lab Announces Schedule,
Speaker Line-Up for Inaugural Startup Summit
The Northern Colorado Idea Lab (NCIL) and Colorado State Entrepreneurship Center will present the Inaugural Northern Colorado Startup Summit on Tuesday, March 30th, 2004, at the Fort Collins Lincoln Center. The event will provide northern Colorado entrepreneurs with an opportunity to learn from and network with successful entrepreneurs and business experts.
Fort Collins, Colo. (PRWEB) February 4, 2004 ---The Northern Colorado Idea Lab (NCIL) and Colorado State Entrepreneurship Center will present the Inaugural Northern Colorado Startup Summit on Tuesday, March 30th, 2004, at the Fort Collins Lincoln Center. The event will provide northern Colorado entrepreneurs with an opportunity to learn from and network with successful entrepreneurs and business experts.
Many people are considering starting a business, or have already started one, and there is interest region-wide in supporting the development of new businesses," notes Kevin Hartberg, Executive Director of Northern Colorado Idea Lab. This event is designed to educate people about some of the common challenges they are likely to face, and how to be better prepared for them; as well as to build awareness of local resources available to help them start a business."
Attendees will benefit from an interactive day filled with practical information and insights into what it takes to successfully start a business. The event focuses on educating participants on many common issues encountered with a startup, and connecting entrepreneurs with northern Colorado resources.
The event will run from 8:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. and feature interactive panel sessions on assembling the right team, marketing ideas and financing options. After the morning sessions there will be a resource fair with booths hosted by local entrepreneurs, corporate service providers, and small business community resources. Refreshments and lunch will be provided.
Debra Benton, best-selling author, internationally recognized communications and interpersonal relationship expert, and an executive coach who resides in the area, will present the keynote address. She will also moderate the panel on assembling a great management team and board of directors. Panel participants include: Bob Vinton, founder of VO2MAXconsulting; Todd Kerr, president and CEO of Managed Business Solutions; and Art Rancis, CEO of Amidex.
A marketing panel will focus on forming strategic partnerships and using creativity to build awareness. Participants include: Mike McCurdie, CEO of Colorado Inspection Agency; and Laura Love, founder and president of Groundfloor Media.
A financing panel will discuss equity, traditional and bootstrap approaches to funding a new venture. Participants include: John Greff, Managing Partner/CFO, Sequel Partners; Julian Gallow, an angel investor; and Bill Ward, CEO, Front Range Internet, Inc.
Chris Wood, Co-publisher of the Northern Colorado Business Report, will moderate the event. The Lincoln Center is located at 417 West Magnolia in Fort Collins, at the corner of Magnolia (Colorado Highway 14) and Meldrum. The registration deadline is Friday, March 26. To register, go to www.ncidealab.com/summit . The $50 fee includes morning break refreshments and lunch.
The event will also feature a resource fair with displays by entrepreneurs and service providers. Exhibit space is available for $250, which includes two event passes.
Event Sponsors
The events title sponsors are Vista Ventures and Faegre & Benson. The media sponsor is the Northern Colorado Business Report. Publicity sponsor is Shannon Marketing Communications. In-kind sponsors include the Fort Collins Virtual Business Incubator, the Larimer and Weld County Small Business Development Centers, the Northern Colorado Economic Development Corporation, the Weld/Larimer Revolving Loan Fund, the Loveland Center for Business Development, Larimer County Workforce Center, Fort Collins Womens Network, and the Fort Collins and Loveland Chambers of Commerce. Additional sponsorship opportunities are available.
About Northern Colorado Idea Lab
NCIL is a non-profit organization that works with start ups and new businesses to help them accelerate their success by matching its clients with specific business experts, funding providers, and highly-skilled employees. NCIL works with businesses that have an abstract, a business plan or a marketing plan, and performs a panel assessment that creates a success roadmap," which is a list of high-priority recommendations that can quickly take a business to the next level. For more information, call (970) 613-8555, email business@ncidealab.com, or visit www.ncidealab.com.
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