Are you an early-stage entrepreneur looking for mentorship? Registration is now open for ATDC/TAG CapVenture, a unique training program designed to educate and equip new company executives for smarter and more productive capitalization of their business. The program features a combination of keynote speakers, presentations, and coaching and is tailored for startups seeking their first institutional round of financing.
CapVenture has proven beneficial to several program graduates, helping to significantly increase their company’s fundraising productivity and growth. For example, When Musaddeq Khan (MK) signed up for CapVenture last year, he hoped to make some valuable business connections and gain insight on how to manage and grow his fledgling company. Since participating in the annual five-week program, his startup has grown from two to eight employees and received financing from three different angel investor groups in a fundraising round that was oversubscribed by 65 percent.
“The company is now growing in leaps and bounds and I really attribute that level of success to the CapVenture program,” said MK, CEO and Founder of Verdeeco, a software company that offers utilities and vendors smart grid information management solutions. “When I went to CapVenture, I was struggling to get the company launched and funded. The mentorship that the program provides is so valuable to a young entrepreneur.”
This year’s program will be held on Tuesday evenings from 5:30 to 8:00 pm on Aug. 23 and 30, Sept. 13, 20 and 27, and Oct. 4 in the Wayne Hodges Room (335) at ATDC. The program is split into two tracks: “Series A” for companies ready for venture capital, and “Seed,” which caters to companies who need funding but are not yet ready for venture capital.
Program participants will work with experienced entrepreneurs and executives and learn more about key startup issues including venture capital, investment strategy development, pitching, professional image and bootstrapping. All prepared “Series A” participants will have an opportunity to present to investors at the program’s final event. The top CapVenture Series A company will have an additional opportunity to present to dozens of investors through an automatic slot at Venture Atlanta.
During MK’s session, he was paired with mentor Mike Eckert, former CEO of The Weather Channel, as well as former CEO and President of Pathfire Inc., a Georgia-based media company. That mentorship was integral to Verdeeco’s recent success.
“The real value of this program is the individual, one-on-one involvement of the mentor,” said MK. “For a young entrepreneur working with someone as experienced in the business world as Mike, you really get to understand the process of fundraising and building a company. CapVenture is a great knowledge-based building exercise, and I can’t recommend it enough to other startups.”
More information about the upcoming program can be found on https://atdc.org/. An early registration fee of $249 is available for applications submitted by June 29. The fee for applications submitted after June 29 is $299. All applications must be submitted by July 18 to be considered.