Location
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Winter 2009 Bay Area
Applications: Dec 02, '09
Sessions: Dec 09, '09 - Mar 17, '10
Vision
Our vision is to Globalize Silicon Valley by creating and fostering local startup ecosystems in promising markets across the globe. We aim to help launch 1,000 technology companies per year in over 50 cities worldwide.
Sponsors
Aon's Technology Practice seeks to be the preeminent provider of innovative risk management and insurance solutions for Technology companies across the globe. Through our TechShield network, we are able to offer proprietary insurance products and risk management services to emerging companies as they progress in each stage of their business. We can provide basic business owners programs - with premiums as low as $500 - in addition to other coverages, which include but are not limited to: Errors and Omissions, Cyber Liability / Privacy, Directors and Officers Liability and Workers Compensation. The TechShield insurance programs are backed by carriers with strong financial ratings and a reputation for exceptional service in the technology space. Visit www.TechShield.aon.com for a quote or more information.
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati is the premier legal advisor to technology and growth enterprises worldwide, as well as the investment banks and venture capital firms that finance them. Over the past four decades, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati has established its reputation by having an unmatched knowledge of its clients' industries and deep and long-standing contacts throughout the technology sector. The firm's legal expertise serves clients at all stages of growth, from venture-backed start-up companies to multibillion-dollar global enterprises. The firm's clients include some of the most recognized names in the technology, retail, life sciences, venture capital, and finance sectors. The firm has offices in Austin, Palo Alto, New York, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Shanghai, and Washington, D.C.
Women 2.0 is committed to increasing the number of women entrepreneurs starting high growth ventures by providing the resources, network, and knowledge for the launch and growth of their company. Our vision is to be a catalyst for innovation, mobilizing a global community of women entrepreneurs seeking to advance the world through technology. Women 2.0 is headquartered in San Francisco.
Visit our partners here.
Curriculum
Winter 2009 Bay Area
The Founder Institute offers a weekly curriculum of company-building sessions designed to help entrepreneurs think through every aspect of their business, from the core idea to the revenue model. Each weekly session is lead by three startup CEO Mentors, who share their unique and often differing opinions on the topic, and provide our founders with expert feedback and advice. Participating Founders are given assignments to build key aspects of their companies between the sessions that are completed in Working Groups with their peers.
Program Sessions
Your Vision and Idea Types
December 09, 2009, at 06:30 PM: Develop ideas for your business.
What are you passionate about? What is your vision? How do you translate passion and vision into a business idea? How do you brainstorm ideas? What are tools for evaluating your ideas? What are the makings of a good idea versus a bad idea? Should you pursue multiple ideas at once, and when should you focus on one?
CEO, Scribd
Co-founder, Ostrovok.ru
Author, Speaker, Advisor, Gamification Co
Basic Research
December 16, 2009, at 06:30 PM: Validate your idea and target market.
What market are you pursuing? Is it big enough? Is it growing or shrinking? What are the other characteristics of your market, and why do you care? How do you find data on your market? How do you define your competitors? What are inexpensive tactics to do custom market research? How can you determine if you can win in your target market, and when do you decide to walk away?
Co-Founder, OQO
Managing Partner, Bond Lane Partners
Naming and Branding
January 06, 2010, at 06:30 PM: Name and brand your business.
What is a brand? Is it you? Is it your vision? How do you determine what you stand for, and then how do you come up with a good company name? What are the characteristics of a good company name? What do you need to do to protect your name?
Founder & President, Moonshoot
CEO, BillShrink
CEO, Fusebox Inc
Company Roadmap
January 13, 2010, at 06:30 PM: Develop a plan to build your idea.
How do you get from an idea to an offering? How do you build an offering? What tactics should you use to ensure success? What is the plan to develop your offering? What are tips and tricks to make that plan accurate? What are common mistakes that every founder makes? What are the best practices? How do you navigate competition, and how do you win?
Founder and CEO, Mint.com
Chief Architect for Visual Search, A9.com
CEO, Evernote
Hiring and Firing
January 20, 2010, at 06:30 PM: Implement hiring policies and practices.
Do you need a cofounder? How do you find and choose a cofounder? What employees do you need, and when do you need them? How do you hire and fire employees? What are important qualities to look for in employees? How do you decipher a resume? What are compensation guidelines? How do you set expectations? When is it easiest and hardest to find the best resources, and why?
Founder and CEO, Mint.com
Founder/Chief Scientist, BitTorrent
Entrepreneur, Co-Founder of One-and-Only (became Match.com)
Founder and CEO, Nuzzel
Earning Revenue
January 27, 2010, at 06:30 PM: Build a revenue model for your business.
How do you get revenue, grow revenue, and track revenue? How do you scale your business from the first dollar earned to the millionth? How important is early revenue versus long-term potential? What are symmetrical versus asymmetrical models, and which type of model holds the most promise for your business? What are the various routes to market that you can take? How do you set your revenue goals, and how do you go about meeting them?
CEO, Evernote
co-founder & ceo, Meebo
CEO, TrialPay
Intellectual Property
February 10, 2010, at 06:30 PM: File your provisional patents.
How do you manage your intellectual property using confidentiality, copyrights, and patents? What is the intellectual property of your business? What types of protections are available, and what are the costs? How do you file a patent quickly, cheaply, and with the necessary protections? What can you do on your own, and what do you need an attorney for? How do you pick the right attorney? How much does protecting your intellectual property cost, and why should you do it?
Co-Founder, OQO
Founder and CEO, Nuzzel
CEO, FairSoftware
Startup Legal and Incorporation
February 24, 2010, at 05:00 PM: Build a legal strategy and incorporate.
Why incorporate? What are the basic legal concepts that you need to know to run a successful company? What are the key legal terms that you need to care about in contracts, with your team, and with your Board? What are common legal mistakes in startups? What are the key legal documents that a startup needs to operate? When do you need to use a lawyer, and when can you handle things on your own? How do you manage a law firm efficiently to get the best work?Partners and Outsourcing (Investor Session)
February 24, 2010, at 06:30 PM: How to get partners to help you grow.
1. What is the core competency of your team, and what should it to be? What should you insource and what should you outsource? What vendors do you need? How do you select the best vendors for your business on the best terms? What guidelines should you use? How do you evaluate the economics? What are some horror stories to avoid? 2. How can you leverage partnerships with larger companies to enable or accelerate your startup? How should I think about partnerships? What types of partnerships are there, and how do I get these deals done?
Co-Founder, OQO
VP & GM, Business Development, Skype
Presentation
March 03, 2010, at 06:30 PM: Create a perfect pitchdeck.
How do you present your business to target partners and investors? What are the tricks to captivate and retain attention? What makes for a great presentation, and what makes for a bad one? How do you convey enthusiasm, conviction, and success? How do your meeting reflect on your company culture? How can you innovate in your meetings to reflect your culture and be more productive?
Founder & CEO, blinkx
Co-founder, AngelList
CEO, SlideShare
Founder/CEO, Innoscape
Marketing and Publicity
March 10, 2010, at 06:30 PM: Create a marketing and publicity plan.
What is the story of your company and your offering? How do you sell that story? Who are you trying to reach with the story? Do you solve a problem, create controversy, offer something new? Are you a pain killer or a vitamin? What is your brand? What are the best tactics for your outreach: publicity, guerilla marketing, advertising? How do you measure the success of your efforts and your spending?
Business Development, Facebook
CEO, BillShrink
CEO, Socialtext
Entrepreneur, Co-Founder of One-and-Only (became Match.com)
The Funding Lifecycle
March 17, 2010, at 06:30 PM: Create a funding plan with targets.
How does startup funding work? When can my company raise capital, and what are the stages in a typical funding lifecycle? What are the milestones and expectations? How much money should I raise, and how long should that money last? How does one begin the fundraising process? What are some tips and tricks to succeed?
CEO, Evernote
Founder/Chief Scientist, BitTorrent
co-founder & ceo, Meebo



