Session 9: February 5, 2008
Key Elements of Venture Finance
Quote of the Day
"Success is to be measured not
so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which
he has overcome while trying to succeed." ~ Booker T. Washington
Summary
How do entrepreneurs set priorities
when gathering resources? During this week, we will examine the essential
building blocks used in putting together successful ventures. Today's focus is on financial resources.
Required Readings (Policy on
Required Readings.)
- Readings from the
Textbooks:
- Technology Ventures (Dorf and Byers): Ch 13 Acquiring, Organizing, and Managing Resources; Ch 18 Sources of Capital; Appendix A: Business Plans
(choose one) (Highlights: 13.1, 13.7, 13.8, 18.5-18.7)
- Additional web readings:
- Watch
the following short video clips:
Study Questions (Policy on
Study Questions.)
- What are the primary reasons and benefits to create a business plan? What are the most important sections and why? Skim one of the two sample business plans in Appendix A of Technology Ventures, depending on your personal preference for either information technology or life science technology. Note the different outline and format of both plans.
- In your opinion, what is the
most important risk to reduce in a startup? Is it technology, market,
team, or financial? Why?
- How do high tech entrepreneurs
finance their ventures? What do venture capitalists do? What is the
structure of a typical venture capital firm? How does a typical firm
operate?
OAP Assignment (Policy on Online Assignments.)
See OAP project page.
Recommended Readings (Policy on Recommended Readings. List of readings)
