Entrepreneurs have a number of funding options available to them. From crowdsourcing to angel investors and venture capitalists, there are many organizations and individuals interested in backing startups. Businesses can avoid going into debt from high-interest business loans by securing funding through investors. As startups grow increasingly competitive, a new company must really set itself…
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Starting this summer, the newly created FirebrandGroup will be investing $10,000 to $25,000 in very early-stage startups who go through a new accelerator called Progression Lab. The funding is intended to help new (not serial) entrepreneurs build an MVP for their big idea. “We’ve always wanted to have a way to invest in early ideas…
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This past weekend, a room full of people became investors at Startup Jackpot, a startup event raising seed money for other startups. Fifteen local DC startups went head to head for a cold hard cash prize of $10,000 at Canvas, a quirky coworking space nestled in the heart of Dupont. Rather than the usual panel…
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True entrepreneurs don’t just have a business idea, execute it, and then move into a cushy corner office. They must continue to innovate and come up with new plans to disrupt a market. Investors need to start considering what they are backing — the idea or the individual. The entrepreneur worth investing in has passion…
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You are blessed with excellent entrepreneurial skills, but you need money to raise your startup to the next level. And getting your business funded by investors seems a challenge. Well, fret not: follow our guide and it will be much easier. 1. Use your network Your network is your biggest and best asset to meet…
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Hearst Corporation’s venture arm, Hearst Ventures, is making a minority equity investment in Science Inc, the Santa Monica, California tech startup creation studio. According to All Things D the deal is close to $30 million for a stake above 20 percent. “Hearst is continually looking for smart investments that bring value and intelligence to the company…
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Madison, Wisconsin-based education startup StudyBlue has raised $9 million in a first round. The round was led by Great Oaks Venture Capital with participation from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation. The company, which has more than 2.5 million students using its free apps to create flashcards and quizzes, was founded three years ago by graduates of the…
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A new angel group for investors under 40 was unveiled in DC this week, with members including Paul Singh of 500 Startups, Peter Corbett of iStrategyLabs, and Sean Glass of Acceleprise. NextGen Angels aims to be “the most entrepreneur-friendly angel investors in the world.” While some firms string out the negotiation process, NextGen pledges to…
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As startups try to tackle the health care industry, Blue Cross Blue Shield has been behind the scenes watching and learning. Blue Cross Blue Shield partnered with Chicago’s Sandbox Industries, a startup incubator and accelerator, to create BCBS Ventures. BCBS Ventures has two venture funds, worth $295 million, to invest in health startups. So far,…
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VentureDocs is one of many startups attempting to attack the ancient and staid profession of law. Most of these startups are focused on the related questions of: “how do I find a lawyer/how do I find a client?” VentureDocs, on the other hand, is one of a very small number of startups trying to make…
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Traction…. true traction is having so much profitable revenue that a company has the ability to self-fund all operations without the need to raise outside capital. Now, somewhere between a vision and true traction, lies the ability to attract Venture or Angel Investors. The more confidence investors have in a startup’s ability to achieve traction,…
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Entrepreneurs in Philadelphia just got a financial boost – to the tune of $3.5 million – from a two-tiered investment and grant-making initiative called Startup PHL. With the goal of bringing more tech startups to the city, Mayor Michael Nutter announced Friday the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) and the City of Philadelphia have partnered…
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Launched in January, new venture capital firm Brooklyn Bridge Ventures raised $3.5 million in September. Partner Charlie O’Donnell hopes to raise a total of $10 million so he can make $150-350,000 investments in early-stage startups. Below, he gives the lowdown on his new firm for startups who might be looking for funding. Tech Cocktail: What…
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This post is part of Tech Cocktail’s overview of the Downtown Project, a $350 million fund that aims to revitalize downtown Las Vegas by funding new buildings, education, small businesses, and tech startups.. “We talk to about 30 startups a week, and we have invested in 9, and I’ve been here for 6 months,” says…
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It’s fitting that “sales” is built into his name, because Neal Sales-Griffin’s passion is infectious, and evidently I’m not the only one who thinks so. Earlier this month, Sales-Griffin’s Chicago-based classroom coding school, The Starter League (formerly known as Code Academy), received an undisclosed amount of funding from the Jason Fried’s 37signals. After a year of trying to…
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The 11th Annual Founder Showcase hosted by the Founder Institute – an early-stage worldwide startup accelerator - occurred at Microsoft’s Silicon Valley Campus in July. The showcase is a quarterly startup pitch and networking event in Silicon Valley focused on launching promising startups. Here is the second of two posts highlighting key takeaways from the event. You can read the first post…
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Tech Cocktail is headed back to DC. Why? Because we're a fan of good... Read More
Locating quality startups in San Francisco is like spotting bees in a hive.... Read More
Today, we’re excited to announce that Tech Cocktail has taken a $2.5M... Read More
Two months after the iPad 2 debuted in March, around 40% of users surveyed said... Read More
This post is part of Tech Cocktail’s “Healthy Entrepreneur” series,... Read More
