Spring 2009 Schedule
This is the Spring 2009 Schedule for LaunchMemphis. In keeping with our goal to stimulate entrepreneurship in the Mid-South, we have a unique set of events planned – a combination you won’t get anywhere else. We hope you will join us in growing a rich community and building new business ventures.
Boot Camp: Build and Refine Your Business Plan
January 31st, 2009 & February 7th, 2009
Location: EmergeMemphis
For more information: http://www.launchmemphis.com/2009/01/15/launchmemphis-2009-bootcamp/
For registration: http://bizplanbootcamp.eventbrite.com/
The LaunchMemphis Boot Camp is an intense, two session course in entrepreneurship that will dramatically boost your chances of seeing your dream become a reality. Professionals will offer advice on all aspects of starting, successfully running, and gaining funding for your new venture. Join us at EmergeMemphis for two exciting days that will answer all your questions and put you on the right track for success in whatever business you are trying to start!
TechFuel: Taking Startups to New Heights
February 19th, 2009, 5:30pm-7:30pm
Location: The Tower Room in Clark Tower (5100 Poplar Ave)
Inspired by other networking events occurring across the country like Tech Cocktail, the LaunchMemphis TechFuel is designed for technologists, entrepreneurs, media (bloggers), and other business professionals to meet, and share ideas in a fun and open atmosphere. The event is open to the public. With the LaunchMemphis TechFuel we hope to see the Memphis tech community better connected.
SocialCamp Memphis ( Tag: #SocialMEM )
Evening of March 6th and the day of March 7th, 2009
Location: Memphis College of Art, 1930 Poplar Ave, Memphis, TN 38104
Information: http://www.socialcampmemphis.com/
Tickets: http://socialmem.eventbrite.com/
SocialDevCamp, like BarCamp, is an un-conference; An open format event where programmers, designers and business owners can network and learn. A SocialDevCamp conference is unlike any other technology conference. Rather than being planned by a committee in advance, each community works together to create its own event. A SocialDevCamp generally has an underlying theme, but the individual topics and sessions are organized shortly before or even at the event. This enables SocialDevCamp to be much more than targeted to the needs of the community.
TechFuel: Featuring Adrian Ho (Founder, Zeus Jones) and C.C. Chapman (Founder, The Advanced Guard)
April 23rd, 2009
Location: EmergeMemphis
This is a big day . . . There is too much happening!!!! Check out our blog post on this full day of activity to learn more: http://www.launchmemphis.com/2009/03/31/april-23rd-count-it-down/
Startup Weekend Participant Gathering
Pending
Location:
For the those participants that have registered for Startup Weekend in Memphis, this event will provide an opportunity for the founders to network and get familiar with knowledge, skills, and backgrounds of fellow founders. This is to directly address prior weaknesses that prior Startup Weekend cities have cited.
Startup Weekend Memphis 2: Back by Popular Demand but this Time with Version 2
May 29th, May 30st, and May 31st, 2009, (6pm Friday Start)
Location: EmergeMemphis and Mercury Launchpad
Information: http://memphis2.startupweekend.com/
Tickets: http://memphis2startupweekend.eventbrite.com/
Startup Weekend recruits a highly motivated group of technologists and entrepreneurs to build a community and new business ventures in a weekend in a short 54 hours. These motivated individuals come together form teams and decide what to make. Attendees are responsible for bringing the ideas, desire, and passion and walk out of the room with a brand new businesses launched or started. Startup Weekend is a national program that has once again selected Memphis, TN as one of the cities that it will visit this year (for more information visit http://memphis2.startupweekend.com).
LaunchMemphis Early Stage Investment Forum
Event Date: June 19th, 2009
Application Deadline May 19th, 2009
Location: FedEx Institute of Technology
Application: http://angelsoft.net/apply/launchmemphis
Raising capital for a startup is without question one of the most challenging aspects of growing a business. We hope to alleviate some this pain through a venture forum where new and emerging businesses are brought together with early stage venture capital firms and angel investors. If you have a business in the pre-seed or early stage seed or angel stage, this is your chance to pitch investors. Alternatively, if you are an investor looking for up and coming companies in and around Memphis, we invite you to join the forum. This venture forum is exclusively for Mid-South startup companies. Investors have committed including Innova Memphis and the Mercury Alpha Fund by Mercury Technology Labs, among many others.
Interested in what happened during our pasts “Seasons of Entrepreneurship” visit these blog posts:
TechFuel Thursday 5:30pm at the Tower Room
Mark your calendar for TechFuel this Thursday, February 19th from 5:30pm-7:30pm. We’ll be at the Tower Room in Clark Tower (33rd Floor — 5100 Poplar Ave).
TechFuel is focused on bringing technologists, entrepreneurs, media, bloggers, and other business professionals together to share ideas in a dynamic atmosphere. With the LaunchMemphis TechFuel we hope to see the Memphis tech community better connected and focused on commercialization.
The event is open to the public and no ticket is required to attend.
We’ll provide the hors d’oeuvres. Bring some cash for the drinks.
Come and enjoy the company and the views of our fine city.
LaunchMemphis Coaches Businesses at Boot Camp
The 2009 edition of LaunchMemphis’ Boot Camp found itself bringing in a large crowd of burgeoning business developers, and filling every seat in the house. A group of 35 Memphis entrepreneurs came together at Emerge Memphis, in downtown, to get expert advice and training on how to initiate or improve their new business.
Boot Camp is an intense, two-session course in entrepreneurship, in which professionals offer advice on all aspects of starting, successfully running, and gaining funding for a new venture. LaunchMemphis put on their first BootCamp in 2008, and brought it back early this year due to popular demand, and thanks to a sponsorship by First Tennessee Bank.
This first session, entitled Building Your Business Plan, focused heavily on the crucial basics of starting and running a business. The morning of presentations featured hard-hitting advice from independent business consultant, Andrea Valenzuela, and Mercury Technologies Co-Founder Marc Diaz. These were followed by sessions in which attendees were able to receive custom tailored feedback, that addressed the issues most vital to their success.
The next session, a week later, was an advanced course that featured more focused advice from experts in business related fields. Enriching Your Business Plan, allowed entrepreneurs to hone their ideas and methods, and receive strong guidance on how to fine tune their approach, and maximize their potential.
Presenters for the second session included:
Chris Allen, Director of Marketing, Mercury Launchpad
Dave Barger, President, LunaWeb
Shelly J. Parkinson, Edward M. Neal, CPA & Associates
Harry Brown, Attorney at Law
Spencer Dillard, Spencer Dillard Consulting
Eric Mathews, Co-Founder Mercury Technology Labs, LLC
Lori Turner, founder of Red Rover, a Sales and Marketing Strategy Firm
Visit LaunchMemphis for updates on future events.
