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Infinite Power Solutions, a thin micro-cell firm, raises $13 million

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On December 3, 2008

In Core Capital, Venture Capital, Web/Tech

Infinite Power Solutions Inc. (IPS), a developer of solid-state, rechargeable thin-film batteries, has said it has completed its Series B round of financing, raising $13 million to fund the ramp to volume production of its Thinergy micro-energy cell product family.

Existing financial investors D. E. Shaw Ventures and Polaris Venture Partners led the Series B round, and were joined by the company's other existing investors Core Capital Partners, Applied Ventures LLC, the venture capital arm of Applied Materials and In-Q-Tel, along with a unnamed strategic investor.

Learn more >> Thin micro-cell firm raises $13 million – EETimes.com

How Do You Win a Business Plan Competition?

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On December 2, 2008

In buySAFE, Entrepreneurship, Steve Woda, Venture Capital, Web/Tech, Wharton

The short answer is that you need to be very, very good.  There are a lot of terrific, aspiring entrepreneurs out there, and so a bit of luck is useful too.  Having said that, winning isn't everything. 

buySAFE is actually a product of the 2002 Wharton Business Plan Competition, but the plan was not the winning plan.  PayMyBills.com has a similar story.  The founders and my good friends, Jeff Grass and John Tedesco, were finalists, but not winners, in the 1999 Wharton Business Plan Competition.  However, they went on to raise tens of millions in venture capital and they built a really nice business in the process. 

Simply going through the business planning and critique process is the real benefit of these competitions in my opinion.  Business plans are funny things.  Business planning is a fairly simple exercise, but if you haven't previously developed a plan, the effort can seem very daunting.  Business plan competitions typically provide basic advice to the entrepreneurs on how to get started.  The competitions also have multiple stages with each stage presenting an opportunity to receive valuable feedback from the experienced entrepreneurs and investors that are judging and/or mentoring in the competition.

The following Business Week video does a nice job of covering the basics regarding what you need to know before submitting your business plan.

Winning a Business Plan Competition | The Businessweek Video Library

In the video, the University of Oregon's Randy Swangard talks about how to win that business plan competition — what to keep in mind before you apply, and why it's sometimes better to come in second.

The Wharton Club of New York is running a business plan competition now, and here is all the information you need to enter as a participant.  I highly encourage you to participate if you can.

Also, you might find the following NY Times article interesting.  "Beyond Grades: Business Students Put Their Start-up Ideas to the Test" does a nice job of covering the ins and outs of business school business plan competitions.

Have fun, and good luck!

Core Capital leads venture round for RollStream

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On November 19, 2008

In Core Capital, Venture Capital, Web/Tech

Core Capital Partners led a $6 million round of funding for RollStream Inc., a developer of supply-chain software. Fairfax-based RollStream said the latest round of funding from the D.C.-based venture capital firm will be used to bolster its portfolio of enterprise community software services.

RollStream's Web-based platform helps manage partner relationships, letting businesses cut the costs and time required partners, communicate operational changes, and unveil sales and marketing initiatives.

Learn more >> Core Capital leads venture round for RollStream – Washington Business Journal:

Core Capital Partners Invests in $14.5 Million Round for Trust Digital

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On November 13, 2008

In Core Capital, Venture Capital, Web/Tech

Core Capital Partners, a leading venture capital firm that invests in high-growth technology companies, announced today it is participating in a $14.5 million funding round for McLean, Va.-based Trust Digital, a leading enterprise mobility management (EMM) provider.

The funding will be used to extend Trust Digitals platform to include Research in Motions BlackBerry devices, the Apple iPhone and Google Android. The funds will also go toward expanding direct sales and channel partner support.

Learn more >> Core Capital Partners Invests in $14.5 Million Round for Trust Digital

V.i. Labs Secures $4 Million in Additional Funding

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On October 23, 2008

In Core Capital, Venture Capital, Web/Tech

V.i. Labs, a provider of software protection solutions, received $4 million in additional funding to accelerate its product development efforts and expand platform support for its CodeArmor software protection and intelligence solutions. Existing investors, Core Capital and Ascent Ventures, participated in the expansion round.

Learn more >> V.i. Labs Secures $4 Million in Additional Funding

Obama is More Famous, But Paris Has a Better Energy Policy

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On August 6, 2008

In buySAFE, eCommerce, Funny, Trust and Safety, Web/Tech

Okay.  I couldn’t resist digressing a bit today.

Paris might not be as famous as Obama, but she seems to have a better energy policy than he does.  She makes fun of the “white haired dude” as well.  This spoof is a classic. 

Nicely done Paris.  You’re “so hot!”  🙂

See more Paris Hilton videos at Funny or Die

Also, while I have you here, please check out buySAFE’s new safe shopping tool, Shopping Advisor.  This revolutionary application is something that my team has been working on for more than a year, and the industry reviews have been tremendous thus far.  Of course, I would love to get your comments and feedback as well.

Here is the scoop… The buySAFE Shopping Advisor is a free browser plug-in that enables consumers to shop online safely and securely. The Shopping Advisor provides objective ratings on eCommerce websites (almost 400,000 as of this morning) so consumers have the information they need to make safe and informed online shopping decisions.  More importantly, Shopping Advisor provides exclusive access to a unique safe shopping channel where every purchase is guaranteed with a bond up to $25,000 and identity theft protected – at no cost.

Have fun, and buy safe!

Install your buySAFE Shopping Advisor

A Little Challenge to the Private Sector

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On July 30, 2008

In ControlScan, eCommerce, Miscellaneous, Online Fraud, Trust and Safety, Web/Tech

Today’s post is provided by Joan Herbig.  Joan is the Chief Executive Officer for ControlScan, a leading provider of security and Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance solutions designed exclusively for small- to medium-sized e-commerce businesses.

******************************************

I recently sent some employees to a seminar to get an industry-recommended security certificate. The seminar is aimed at providing education on the newest and hottest cyber threats.

With all the news of mega breaches out there, including one I just wrote about on www.esecuritydiva.com, it would seem as if an information-packed seminar such as this one would be packed with IT people, right? Actually, it was. But with public sector IT people. Private sector attendees were few and far between.

What’s going on here? This little piece of news could be a telltale:

Read More

Does Your VC’s Fund Have the Capacity to Do Follow-on Rounds of Financing?

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On May 1, 2008

In Core Capital, Entrepreneurship, Grotech Capital, Venture Capital, Web/Tech

Another great post on TheFunded.com….

When considering a term sheet from a prospective VC, it is key to understand whether they have have the means to fund follow-on rounds. Most VCs will not do cross over funding and often startups find themselves in trouble when their VCs can not provide subsequent financing. So, it is key to determine…

If your VC’s fund is having problems (financial, political, hiring or retention, etc..) or if your VC’s fund is at the end of its lifecycle, you may ultimately experience artificial, unnecessary problems that you will have to navigate in the future while running your business.  For entrepreneurs, this is a very serious issue to consider before you allow an investment, not after an investment has already taken place.

Read the rest of this article at TheFunded.com: Fund Diligence Item in order to learn the three critical questions you should ask your prospective investors before taking their venture capital dollars.

Post Funding Advice for VC-backed Entrepreneurs

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On April 30, 2008

In buySAFE, Core Capital, Entrepreneurship, Grotech Capital, Venture Capital, Web/Tech

If you have ever raised venture capital, you know how important the post-funding relationship is with your venture capital investors.  Your pre-money valuation and financing terms are all important needless to say, but to be candid, the post-funding relationship you have (or are likely to have based on a VC’s previous track record) is probably the most important issue for you to consider as an entrepreneur.

An experienced entrepreneur posted a great article on the subject on TheFunded.com, and here is an excerpt of the article…

There are a lot of postings here about getting the initial term sheet and getting the VC on board. However, just like marriages, many of these courting periods can be quite different from the month to month evolving operations and business that we face a year or two down the road. Remember that often these VCs will sit on your board, and direct your business in different ways and depending on your dilution can dictate how operational decisions should be made. Thus, it is important to get an early feel from your VC dialogue, especially how they would respond if the actual business is less than the wonderful picture we sometimes paint in our pitches.

If I can give you piece of advice that you need to follow religiously in your quest for venture capital, it is that you MUST speak to the entrepreneurs and CEOs that have previously taken money from and worked with the VC firm and the VC partner that you are considering.  Do not limit your discussions to the entrepreneurs and CEOs of the successful deals, but rather, you should talk to the entrepreneurs and CEOs of the unsuccessful deals as well.  In my experience, the VCs play a critical role in both outcomes, and you need to make sure you get the full, unedited scoop before you take money from a VC.  This is absolutely critical to your success or failure as a startup.

Speaking of which, I am always happy to share my insights on this subject with folks that are interested, so don’t hesitate to email me with your questions.

You can read more of the original article here >> TheFunded.com: The post funding experience

Grotech Ventures Leads a $6.6 Million Series B Round of Funding for Collective Intellect

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On April 29, 2008

In Grotech Capital, Social Networking, Venture Capital, Web/Tech

TechCrunch reported last week that Grotech Ventures has led another round of financing for Collective Intellect.  The following is an excerpt from TechCrunch.

Collective Intellect, a service that can be used to track what people are saying around the net about certain topics, has raised an additional $6.6M in a Series B round led by Grotech Capital Group with participation by Appian Ventures, Croghan Investments, and Crawley Hatfield Capital.

You can read more about the financing here >> More Money for Collective Intellect to Keep Fingers on Pulse of Internet

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