Bootstrap Heroes - Building a Great Company Without Venture Capital

If you're in the San Francisco Bay Area, this looks like a great event. Too bad I can't make it down to the Peninsula in time to check this out.

“Bootstrap Heroes - Building a Great Company Without Venture Capital”
presented by Silicon Valley Association of Startup Entrepreneurs, and co-sponsored by Cooley Godward Kronish LLP

Tuesday, March 2
6:00 – 7:00 pm Networking and hors d’oeuvres
7:00 - 8:15 pm Panel discussion and Q&A
8:15 - 8:30 pm Additional networking

Location: Cooley Godward Kronish LLP, 3175 Hanover Street, Palo Alto, CA 94304

Some businesses are built on venture capital. Google and eBay come to mind, as does dearly departed Pets.com…. Other businesses are bootstrapped by entrepreneurs, with Dell Computers, Microsoft, Hot or Not and Cataphora as good examples.

Despite the dream of many entrepreneurs to meet investors with deep pockets that will enable them to live in style while they employ teams of experts to build and market their idea, the fact is that 99.9 percent of businesses are bootstrapped. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. With a lot of sweat and the occasional welcome dollop of luck, bootstrapping a business can be both financially and emotionally rewarding. When done well, it can really get a company going fast, and without the founders having to give up much (if any) equity - or bankrupting themselves.

So, what does it mean and how do you bootstrap a company? This lively discussion with our panel of experts who have been there, done that – in some cases several times! – will explore the following questions, and more, to help you figure out if bootstrapping is for you:

· What have you seen as the biggest indicators of future success, or failure, for bootstrapped startups?

· What are the first 2 or 3 key things you should do to help decide if you should bootstrap, or not?

· OK, you’ve decided to bootstrap, but still need SOME money. Where does it come from?

· You need a team to develop your product. Should you round up people you know & pay them with equity, or outsource development somewhere cheap like Eastern Europe?

· You need equipment, even if it’s just a couple of servers. What are some cheap ways to get your hands on the stuff you need?

· It’s tough enough to get first customers if you’re venture funded. How does a scrappy bootstrapped startup get in the door to make its first sales?

· You need legal services to establish the legal entity, set up a stock option plan, create terms & conditions of sales, and so on. You can’t afford $450 an hour attorneys, so how do you get this done?

The Panel:

· Elizabeth Charnock, CEO & Founder, Cataphora
· Ed Esber, Member, The Angels' Forum & Halo Fund
· Rick Marini, CEO & Founder, SuperFan
· Dan Martell, Co-founder, Flowtown

Moderator: Peter Werner, Partner, Cooley Godward Kronish LLP


Register here.

Pre-Registered Rates (All Rates Include Hors D’oeuvres): Members - $20; Affiliates who advertise this event - $29; General Public - $49. Pre-registration closes at 9 PM the night before the event. Walk-In Rates: Add $10.00 to the listed price.