Participant Deadline for SAC - Oct 15th

The Second Seattle Angel Conference is gathering steam. We are currently accepting applications from prospective companies and finalizing membership in the Investors LLC. The deadline for company applications and initial investor commitments is October 15th, 2012. 

Starting on October 16th, the applying companies will begin getting a review by the Investors LLC. 

If you are a company interested in participating as an presenting company - Please Register Here before Oct 15th. 

This is a great opportunity for companies to get a deep review by investors and to get feedback on their progress. We are looking at companies that are near revenue and have demonstrated traction. 

If you are interested in exploring Angel Investing and participating in the Investors LLC, please fill out the form on this page

This provides an opportunity for you to connect with entrepreneurs who are active at an early stage of development and to connect with Angel Investors who are working to expand the startup ecosystem in the region. 

Seattle Angel Conference - Take two - Early Bird deadline 9/15

The second Seattle Angel Conference is coming up this fall. This is an opportunity for entrepreneurs to pitch their companies and get detailed feedback from new investors. This is also an opportunity for Qualified Investors to explore Angel Investing.  While the event runs on Dec 13th, there will be workshops and due diligence reviews of the applying companies throughout October and November. 

If you are part of a startup near or at first revenue, consider applying to the conference. If you are interested in learning about the basics of Angel Investing, please consider joining the LLC that supports the conference process. 

Early bird Deadline is Sept 15th - $99 

Deadline to be considered as an applying company - October 15th. 

If you know anyone who would benefit from this, please share it with them.

Register here: http://seattleangelconferencedecember2012.eventbrite.com/

Convertible Note Fishbowl Discussion on 7/17/2012

Very early Angel Investments tend to use convertible notes as the basis of the deal terms.  Each of the Oregon Angel Conferences and the Seattle Angel Conference use a convertible note.  There are many different terms in the convertible note, some of which can have a dramatic impact on the investment process.  We would like to explore the details of the convertible note instruments, learn what they do well, find what they need adjustment on, and gain a deeper understanding of how and when to use convertible notes as a part of the Angel Investment conferences. 

With a very early investment, it is essential to keep the overhead of establishing and managing the investment to a minimum. As the same time, it is important to create a win-win opportunity for both the investor and the enterpreneur, so that the chances of success increase. 

We will hold a Convertible Note Fishbowl on Tuesday July 17th, 2012 to explore the terms of Convertible Notes. We have several lawyers who are interested in the conversation.

The format of the conversation will be a fishbowl conversation, where the speakers will be at the center. If you wish to speak, you will need to move to the center ring. If you wish not to speak, you will need to move out of the center ring.

If you have questions about convertible notes and Angel Investments, please register for this event. 

Space will be limited. 

REGISTER for the Convertible Note Fishbowl HERE

Exploring Seattle Angel Conference for December 2012

After the first Seattle Angel Conference, we had a significant number of people ask for the date of the next event. After doing a little resting and a little polling, we have critical mass to start the planning for the next Seattle Angel Conference.  Given the large number of Incubators and accelerators that are graduating interesting companies between now and the end of the fall, it makes sense to aim for December 13th as a target date for our second conference. 

We will start gathering entrepreneurs and investors for this conference date.

We are offering some VERY early bird prices on tickets for people who are interested in attending the second event.  Please signup below if you want to attend or if you want to present:

http://seattleangelconferencedecember2012.eventbrite.com

First Seattle Angel Conference Awards $100K investment to Illumagear

The Seattle Angel Conference event on May 31st, 2012 was a culmination of many months of due diligence, review and evaluation. An Investor group of nineteen investors actively interviewed and reviewed the presenting companies.  Of the twenty six companies that applied, six finalist companies presented at the event. Each of these companies had champions inside the investor LLC.  In the many meetings leading up to the event, the investor group reviewed and discussed the merits of each company.

With a great pitch and a lot of passion, Max Baker from Illumagear was selected as the winning company.  The Investment fund of $100K will be invested in Illumagear using the convertible note listed on this website. 

The goal of the Seattle Angel Conference is to provide place for new Angel investors to bring new Angel Investors and New entrepreneurs together to explore the process of Angel Investing. With active due diligence and engagement in the startup process, Angel Investors can have significantly better investment outcomes. At the same time, active Angel engagement can build stronger startup companies.  At the conference, Dr Rob Wiltbank made a fabulous review of the outcomes of many years of investments using this mechanism in Oregon.  

The 2012 Seattle Angel Conference FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

The Seattle Angel Conference (SAC) announced its finalists for the first Seattle Angel Conference to be held on Thursday, May 31th at the MakersSpace in Downtown Seattle. The SAC if following the pattern set by the Oregon Angel Conferences which are run in five Oregon communities. This is the first year for the Seattle Angel Conference.

The six finalists are vying for an investment of about $100K . A wide range of companies applied the conference. These finalists were chosen after weeks of due diligence performed by the SAC investors.

Seattle Angel Conference 2012 Finalists:

Apptentive - Seattle - http://www.apptentive.com

GetSatisfaction + Salesforce.com for app developers. In < 15 minutes, developers can get better ratings & direct customer relationships.

Buddy - Seattle - http://www.buddy.com

Buddy provides a cloud services backend for app developers on any OS platform, and incredibly high fidelity analytics for app publishers.

Empower.me - Seattle - http://www.empower.me

We are a B2C startup in the TechEd space for parents and their students in high school and middle school. The Empower.me teen rewards system accelerates and augments your efforts to ensure your teen enters the real- world as a high ‐performing, engaged, prepared adult capable of meeting his/her full potential.

Homeschool Snowboarding - Portland - http://www.homeschoolsnowboarding.com

Homeschool creates the most durable highly breathable snowboard outerwear available. Keeping you warm and dry from the inside out.

Illumagear - Seattle - http://www.illumagear.com

We are a safety company working to impact the construction market by illuminating those who work and recreate in low light environments.

Stockbox Grocers - Seattle - http://www.stockboxgrocers.com

Stockbox Grocers improves access to fresh produce and grocery staples in urban food deserts to promote healthy and thriving communities.

One of the six finalists will be selected to receive the 2012 SAC investment on May 31th. The Seattle Angel Conference is open to anyone interested in the process of Angel Investing and Capital Entrepreneurship.

Crowd Funding? Paths to investment for startups

As a part of our ongoing workshops to help entrepreneurs and investors connect, we are doing the following workshop:

CrowdFunding

Talk about the JOBS Act

May 21st, 2012

Register here:  http://crowdfundmay2012.eventbrite.com/

With the recent passage of the JOBS CrowdFunding act, the rules for getting funding for your startup are changing. There is a great deal of hope about the possible new sources of funding for startups. There is also a great deal of fear that there will be rampant fraud. What are the possible outcomes of this legislation? Perhaps the changes in the 506 regulations will have a larger impact than the crowdfunding provistions. 

John Myer has started a conversation about this on his blog at :

              http://myercorplaw.com/complying-with-the-crowdfund-act-wont-be-trivial

John Myer and William Carleton will facilitate a conversation about the crowdfunding possiblities and consequences. Come join us to learn more about crowd funding. 

John A. Myer of Myer Law PLLC represents start-up companies from formation, though angel financing to merger or acquisition. Mr. Myer also negotiates bank or venture capital financing for established businesses and drafts contracts with companies' employees, customers or vendors. In addition, Mr. Myer represents investment advisers who operate hedge funds and others who manage public mutual funds. Prior to moving to Seattle in 2004, he was an associate at Sullivan & Cromwell (New York and Frankfurt), Paul Weiss (London) and White & Case (Miami). Before his career in law, Mr. Myer received an MS in finance from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and worked as a financial analyst and management consultant with Arthur D. Little, Inc. He earned his JD, magna cum laudefrom the University of Miami and an AB in mathematics and economics, summa cum laude, from Dartmouth College. He is a member of the Securities Committee of the Washington State Bar Association.

 

William Carleton, McNaul Ebel Nawrot & Helgren PLLC, serves on the Angel Capital Association's Public Policy Committee Advisory Council. In his work on the Council, he has closely followed the drafting and the passage of the JOBS Act. Bill writes regularly about startups, angel investing, the new crowdfunding exemption, and related topics in various publications, including his daily blog, http://wac6.com.

Register here:  http://crowdfundmay2012.eventbrite.com/