Wicked Sheets Wins 2012 Venture Sharks Competition

May 10, 2012

We’re pleased to announce that the winner of the 2012 Venture Sharks™ competition is Wicked Sheets.  This year’s competition brought in over fifty applicants.  The preliminary competition – the Nurse Sharks round – narrowed completion down to five finalists who fended for themselves against a savvy panel of business leaders hungry for the next great investment at the Venture Connectors monthly luncheon on May 2, 2012.

WINNER:

Wicked Sheets are luxury bed sheets designed to wick away moisture from the body, keeping both you and your bed cool and dry while you sleep. This US-based company was founded in 2008 and has experienced exponential revenue growth from online and retail sales year over year. As this year’s winner, they plan to use the $5,000 to fund their certification as a Woman-Owned Small Business with the U.S. Small Business Administration and it will go towards exhibitor space at the North American Women’s Menopause Conference.  

Contact:  Alli Truttmann – President and CEO – Wicked Sheets, LLC – alli@wickedsheets.com – 618.531.5284 – wickedsheets.com – facebook.com/wickedsheets  - @WickedSheets

OTHER FOUR FINALISTS:

OneMorePallet connects small shippers with trucking companies that have excess capacity to get a great deal using a Priceline.com like business model. What sets them apart from other ‘middle-men’ in their market is that they work in the best interest of the shipper, so the trucking companies receive incremental revenue at high margins.

Bill Cunningham – (859) 905-0663  – bill@onemorepallet.com – www.onemorepallet.com – @onemorepallet

PartyChic creates party kits that provide all the products and information necessary to host a simple, chic party—from showers, to birthdays to holiday entertaining. Their kits include professionally designed invitations that coordinate with tableware and decorations, as well as meal ideas, recipes, games and tips and tricks. Everything is packaged and sent right to the customer’s door – saving them the hassle of countless online searches and dozens of trips to various stores. By streamlining the party planning process, their customers can do what they are supposed to do — relax and have fun!

Contacts:

Shannon Gadd                                        Therese Pollett
Shannon@getpartychic.com                 Therese@getpartychic.com  
502.526.7119                                          502.541.0361
Getpartychic.com
Facebook.com/getpartychic                    
Pinterest.com/getpartychic

Greenway Solar makes solar-powered signs that also can tap into a power grid when battery power is low.  Their goal is to lead the future, using their Solar-Powered LED energy management system, to power all future commercial signs.  Saving money and energy, while reducing the carbon footprint.

Contacts:  Jim Ballinger, Ernie Fry, and Jim Glass

Pheeva is rewards platform for online gaming that monetizes every game play in order to reward players with real prizes.  They provide game developers with a loyalty system that is equivalent to the successful Coke and Southwest Airlines rewards programs.

Contact:  Lafe Taylor – lafe@pheeva.com – http://pheeva.com

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University of Louisville Entrepreneurship Club Created

April 19, 2012

What an exciting time to be in Louisville — when the University of Louisville made the Final Four AND the University of Louisville College of Business entrepreneurship students have created a new addition to the school — the Entrepreneurship Club! This new student organization is focused on connecting entrepreneurial thinking students on campus (from all programs Business / Speed / Law etc.) and growing along with the entrepreneurial community in this area. From attending Venture Connectors luncheons all the students involved realize the importance entrepreneurship and the development of new ideas are to the organization and the region so we wanted to share are exciting news!

With everything going on inside the Louisville community and the University the time has never been better to start an entrepreneurship organization within U of L. Last year’s success of TNG Pharmaceuticals winning the Global business plan competition and this season Kentucky Chia has already started out scoring some business plan wins regionally, the hope of continued success of both the undergraduate & MBA entrepreneurship students now working towards wins at Idea State U, Kentucky’s business plan competition on April 21st. In addition to the successes of the Business School students, success has been found by recent U of L graduates such as Alex Fromeyer and his company’s new product, Beam Brush. There is no better time to get the Entrepreneurship Club off to a strong start to help cultivate the entrepreneurial community and bridge the gap between the University and the overall community. As an organization we want to become a resource to students at the University of Louisville to become better connected to the vibrant ecosystem happening within the overall community. 

When asked about the impact the Entrepreneurship Club could have on both the University of Louisville and the region, Assistant Director, Forcht Center of Entrepreneurship and faculty advisor Dr. Sharon Kerrick said, “The Entrepreneurship Club will strengthen & develop handshakes with the business community. The Club will help shape innovative changes within existing programs as well as inspire new ones too.” 

There is a lot of buzz around town of starting a business accelerator and providing more resources to entrepreneurs ~ it truly is an exciting time for the City of Louisville. The Entrepreneurship Club wants to be at the center of this exciting time and have a positive impact. Dr. Kerrick put it this way, “Hopefully there will be all types of business startup incubators/accelerators and adopters. These incubators / accelerators will act as support groups.  They could be within community associations and/or existing organizations (non-profits as well as for-profit entities). The Entrepreneurship Club may even be one of these groups / organizations that adopts a startup and wraps their arms and resources around helping it grow up!” 

Everyone involved with the new organization looks forward to working with entrepreneurs in the community. Bobby Ferreri of Enterprise Corp was able to attend our first event to help get things moving forward. John Williamson of Ucloser has offered help on getting things started from his experiences starting a similar club at the University of Kentucky.  The support received already has been tremendous, and we are always looking for ideas on how to help bridge that gap between the University and the community.

If you have any advice or input for us to consider please do not hesitate to reach out to us. Our founding members and entrepreneurship faculty are all dedicated to making this organization a success and helping the whole community thrive around entrepreneurship. 

All the best - 

Matt Bischoff, Founder University of Louisville Entrepreneurship Club

mbischoff89 AT gmail DOT com 

513.479.9182

@mbischoff89

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Over 50 Applications Received for the 3rd Annual Venture Sharks Competition

April 17, 2012

Over 50 Applications Received for the 3rd Annual Venture Sharks Competition

April 10, 2012 – Louisville, KY – Venture Connectors will be hosting the 3rd Annual Venture Sharks Nurse Sharks “Preliminary Bait” round on April 18, 2012 at 5:30 p.m. at the offices of Bingham, Greenebaum, Doll; 101 South Fifth Street; 35th floor; Louisville, KY.  This round of the competition is open to the public at no charge.

This year, Venture Connectors received over 50 applications from entrepreneurs.  The Venture Sharks committee reviewed each application and chose the top 10 big ideas for the first round of the competition.

On April 18, 2012, 10 entrepreneurs will have 3 minutes to pitch their ideas to a team of judges.  The judges will have 2 minutes ask questions about each of the business ideas. Together with the audience, the judges will then cast their votes.  The top 4 ideas will go “swim with the great white sharks” in the final round of competition.

The final “Shark Bait” round will be held on May 2nd, 2012 at the Venture Connectors’ Luncheon Meeting at the Ali Center in Louisville, KY.  The judges will ask the finalists questions about the marketability of their ideas.  Together, the judges and the audience will select the winning idea.  Only one entrepreneur will win the Grand Prize of at least $5,000.  Attendees will need to RSVP for the final round at: www.ventureconnectors.org.  Non-members of Venture Connectors will be charged $45 when they RSVP.

Sponsors of the 3rd Annual Venture Sharks Nurse Shark competition are: Bingham, Greenebaum, Doll; the Network of Entrepreneurial Women; and the Cardinal Venture Club.  More information about Venture Sharks and the Nurse Shark sponsors can be found at: www.venturesharks.org.

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Entrepreneurs May Apply Now for 2012 Venture Sharks Event

March 5, 2012

Venture Connectors to Present Cash Prize at the 3rd Annual Business Plan Competition

March 6, 2012 – Louisville, KY – Venture Connectors is now accepting applications for the Venture Sharks™ competition.   Now in its third year, the Venture Sharks event has entrepreneurs fending for themselves against a savvy panel of business leaders hungry for the next great investment.

Who can apply for Venture Sharks? 

Each applicant must:
Have a new, marketable business idea that has not been presented to Venture Sharks in past competitions

Not have significant sales if your big idea has been launched

Be able to present the idea in person to a team of judges based in Louisville, KY

How does the Venture Sharks competition work? 


Entrepreneurs apply online at: www.venturesharks.org.  All applications go to the Venture Sharks committee.  The committee will select the top twelve big ideas that will become the first round of bait for the Venture Sharks competition. 

In the Nurse Sharks “Preliminary Bait” round, entrepreneurs will pitch their ideas to a team of judges who will test the waters to see which ideas will survive.  Together with the audience, the judges will cast their votes.  The top four ideas will go “swim with the great white sharks” in the final round.

In the fast-moving “Shark Bait” round, the judges will ask the finalists questions about the marketability of their ideas with questions that could have the entrepreneurs begging for a life boat.  Together, the judges and the audience will select the winning idea.  Only one survivor will survive to win the Grand Prize.

Dates to remember

April 6th – Application Deadline
April 18th – “Nurse Sharks” Preliminary Bait Round
May 2nd – “Shark Bait” Final Round with the Grand Prize Award

About Venture Connectors

The Venture Connectors is an incorporated, not-for-profit organization.  It was originally formed in 1995 as the Venture Club of Louisville to bring entrepreneurs and investors together in a professional, but relaxed forum.  An important purpose of the organization is to help facilitate and encourage the expansion of business and commercial investment activities in the Kentuckiana region. Events include monthly luncheons and the annual Venture Sharks™ competition.  Any one interested in making valuable contacts, exchanging information, or pursuing mutual business opportunities, is welcome to join Venture Connectors at an event.  More information can be found at www.ventureconnectors.org.

Contacts

Carole Gunst
Chair, Marketing Committee
Venture Connectors
Phone:  617-388-3074
E-mail:  carole@gunst.com

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Perfect Storm Brewing for Entrepreneurship

November 3, 2011

By Suzanne Bergmeister, President-Elect, Venture Connectors

Many people do their best thinking while on a long drive or in the shower, but I do my best thinking while I’m running. What I was thinking about during a recent five-mile run is my passion which is entrepreneurs and start-up companies.

I’ve been involved in the entrepreneurial community here since I was recruited to Louisville by Chrysalis Ventures nine years ago. I worked on the investor side for the first few years after my MBA and then moved over to the entrepreneur side when I started my business consulting company, Sunflower Business Ventures Inc. I’ve seen start-ups come and go, grow and fail. I’ve seen investors lose big, and win even bigger. I’ve seen entrepreneurs make millions of dollars, or cut their losses and go on looking for their next “big thing”. But through it all, I’ve seen what others call “irrational optimism” and what I call “entrepreneurial passion” abound.

What I’ve noticed lately around here is a “perfect storm” brewing surrounding entrepreneurship in this region. It probably began about the time Charlie Moyer was recruited from Wake Forest University to become the new dean of the U of L College of Business. Charlie created a spirit of entrepreneurship within the university which fostered interest and excitement across the entire community. U of L MBA students started winning prestigious Business Plan competitions throughout the US which often included a significant amount of prize money. Consequently, the U of L Entrepreneurship MBA program rose in the rankings each year.

The buzz around innovation and entrepreneurship grew louder as more and more start-ups were created and more and more inventors learned to commercialize their technologies. IdeaFestival (IF), which started in Lexington and was held every other year, found its home as an annual event here in Louisville, drawing hundreds of attendees from across the globe. The Vogt Invention and Innovation Awards grew each year to a high of 78 applicants. New investor groups and funds were created – seed funds and angel groups sprouted up everywhere: Kentucky Seed Capital Fund, Commonwealth Seed Fund, Bluegrass Angels, Enterprise Angels, Innovation Angels. Established firms raised new funds including Chrysalis Ventures, the Yearling Fund, and Anchorage Angels.

Grassroots efforts to bring investors and entrepreneurs together were formed: Forge Louisville, Network of Entrepreneurial Women (NEW), and the Entrepreneurial Advocates. The historic Venture Club of Louisville has begun its rebranding effort to become the Venture Connectors, and has become a diverse and vibrant group that is elevating the quality and variety of its events. An Entrepreneur Hall of Fame was created and had its first class of inductees which included John Schnatter, Jim Host, and John Y. Brown, Jr.

There is an incredible amount of energy around entrepreneurship throughout the region! But unlike football, basketball, or other sports rivalries, entrepreneurship isn’t a zero-sum game. The more we can elevate the level of entrepreneurial activity in a region, the more everyone wins – investors, service providers, universities, and especially entrepreneurs. And for us, our “region” has to reach across the river, across the Gene Snyder Freeway, across county lines, and across the rest of the state and into neighboring communities. But it has to start with the two biggest cities in the Commonwealth, Lexington and Louisville. I believe we can do this, especially under the leadership of the two cities mayors, Greg Fischer and Jim Gray. It’s exciting to be a part of the entrepreneurial world, especially right here, right now!

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