VBSR 2012 Legislative Reception in Montpelier

Thursday, February 2nd
5:00pm – 7:00pm
City Center in Montpelier (next to Skinny Pancake)
Hors D’Oeuvres & Cash Bar provided by Skinny Pancake.

Nine companies have spent all of January preparing to seek seed investment from local investors. They include EZ Trays (a device for crutch users in dining halls and cafeterias), Ramble (a location-based video sharing app), and Safinia, a medical diagnostic program developed by a student’s father, a cardiologist. Thursday, February 2nd, 2012 from 1-4pm in BiHall 216, Middlebury College.

Chuck Maniscalco – on leadership, February 7 7 p.m. in Perry Hall.  Before joining Champlain College as VP of Strategic Initiatives, Maniscalco was  senior executive for Quaker Oats and Pepsico, and later as CEO of Seventh Generation. At Pepsico, he was CEO of a $10 billion food and beverage business that included such megabrands as Tropicana, Gatorade and Quaker, and employed more than 10,000 people. Upon retiring from Pepsico, the company created the Chuck Maniscalco Manifest Leadership Award, which is given annually to three associates. His talk on Feb. 7 will focus on his ideas about leadership. Here’s more background:  http://www.chuckmaniscalco.com/

David Strubler on his Climbing Expedition to Denali, North America’s Highest Peak:  Thursday, February 9, at 7:00PM in Perry Hall.

 David Strubler, the new Dean  of Champlain College’s Business Division  tells about this great personal adventure from a slightly different perspective, one that has been told in a Harvard Business Review article.  This should be good, and Dave promises to have plenty about the climb too.  Come meet Dave Strubler, a great addition to the Burlington community.  Sponsored by Climb Champlain, a run student organization dedicated to climbing and mountaineering.

Ted Adler, Founder and President of Union Street Media

 Ted received his B.A. from Middlebury College along with fourteen years at Brunswick School and six summers at Keewaydin Camp on Lake Dunmore.

As a serial entrepreneur, Ted is involved in just about everything at Union Street Media, but spends most of his time on client development, account management and marketing. He’s the one responsible for keeping an eye on the big picture, managing their growing business and, most importantly, making sure everyone is happy to come into work in the morning.  A consummate net-worker, Ted believes in paying it forward.  He has helped a number of people in the Burlington area find everything from their current job to their mechanic and real estate agent.

From the first time he logged onto Prodigy as user “dpcf05c”, Ted has been fascinated by the influence the internet has on the offline world. Bringing their clients onto the web and seeing the impact it has on their business is what gets him going. There is nothing better to him than a phone call or email from a client who says “Thanks to my web site…”

Since 1999, Union Street Media has developed web sites for hundreds of real estate agents and offices. They nurture long term, mutually-beneficial relationships with their clients.   Their focus is on customer centricity.  To them, that means starting every conversation with their client’s needs, goals and limitations, then recommending solutions accordingly-not the other way around.

Thursday, January 26, 2012 
Continental Breakfast: 8:00 a.m.
Guest Speaker(s) & Networking: 8:15 a.m.
Open to Public
$15.00 fee for non-members/sponsors
Hilton Hotel
60 Battery Street, Burlington, VT

Entrepreneur’s Networking Event

Thinking about starting a technology firm?
Got a growing business?
Looking for interns?
Or, do you just want to connect with other entrepreneurs and investors?

If so, then please meet up at the Tech @ Lamoille County Meetup
Thursday, January 26th, from 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm at:

Black Cap Coffee
144 Main, Stowe, Vermont
(across from the white church)
802-253-2123
http://www.blackcapcoffee.com/
Google Map: http://g.co/maps/5cv6u

Ken Merritt, Managing Director of Merritt & Merritt & Moulton testified at a hearing held by the Vermont Senate Finance Committee in favor of S. 217 which amends  the Vermont Benefit Corporation Act to permit close corporations to become benefit corporations. Benefit corporations are corporations that have the purpose of creating general public benefit and may also seek to create specific public benefits. Directors of a benefit corporation must consider the interest of various constituencies, including, shareholders, employee, community and societal considerations, the local and global environment, etc. The benefit corporation must prepare an annual benefit report for its shareholders and make such benefit report available on its website.

Congratulations to the Vermont Food Venture Center on its Grand Opening!

Ken Merritt attended the Ribbon Cutting & Open House Celebration marking the grand opening of the Vermont Food Venture Center on Friday, January 6th in Hardwick, VT. Senator Patrick Leahy provided the Key Note Address and Ribbon cutting.  Invited speakers included:

• Chuck Ross, Secretary of Agriculture, Vermont Department of Agriculture
• Bill Davies, May & Davies, Board President of Northern Enterprises
• Marcus Brown, Select Board Chair, Town of Hardwick
• Tom Stearns, High Mowing Seeds, Board President of Center for an Agricultural Economy
• Matthew Suchodolski, Economic Development Specialist, U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration
• Molly Lambert, State Director, USDA Rural Development – Vermont/New Hampshire
• Gus Seelig, Executive Director, Vermont Housing & Conservation Board
• Lawrence Miller, Secretary of the Agency of Commerce and Community Development
• Jenny Nelson, Ag. Policy Advisor and Rural Development Specialist, Senator Bernie Sanders
• Patricia Coates, Office of Peter Welch

Presented by Natural Products Consulting and sponsored by Merritt & Merritt & Moulton;

December 15, 2011
9am-4:30pm
Hilton Garden Inn
Burlington, MA.
Click here for more information!

 A comprehensive seminar with expert speakers to provide entrepreneurs and executives an in-depth understanding of what it takes to raise capital.  Led by industry veterans Bob Burke & Michael Burgmaier, the seminar de-mystifies capital raising terms and provides insights to improve your odds to successfully obtain the financing you need. In addition, you will hear directly from industry-leading entrepreneurs who raised equity capital. venture capital and angel investors, debt sources and other industry experts.

 Topics Include:

• Determining my financing needs
• What is the best source of capital to align with my needs?
• What the game plan for my business and my time horizon?
• Finding early-stage capital
  • Friends and Family
  • Banks/Loans/Debt
  • Angel investors/Groups
• What terms should I expect?
• Demystifying valuation
• Methodologies
• Understanding equity
• What matters/doesn’t?
• How to find “socially responsible” capital & if it fits you
• Venture Capital Financing
• Other private equity
• Do I go alone or get professional help?
• Creating value
• Positioning for exit
• Strategic buyer or financial buyer

Ken Merritt, Manager Partner of Merritt & Merritt & Moulton will be participating as well.

At the third annual B Corp Champions Retreat which was held recently at Independence Hall, Ken Merritt, Managing Director of Merritt & Merritt & Moulton received a B Corp Champion award for his work in assisting with the passage of the Vermont Benefit Corporation law which became effective on July 1, 2011. Benefit corporations are corporations formed to a general or special public purpose and are required to consider the interests of a broad range of stakeholder in connection with corporation actions. Benefit corporations are also required to publish an annual benefit report which is publicly available.

Monday, December 5, 2011
1:00 pm to 5:30pm
Networking reception to follow
Dogpatch Labs, Cambridge, MA

 The New England regional member groups of the Angel Capital Association (ACA) host the ACA and Angel Resource Institute (ARI) educational workshops focused on the specific needs of angel groups in New England and purposed to help existing and prospective angel investors improve their investment knowledge and expertise — and add value to their role as business angels — as members of an angel group or as individual investors. 

On Monday, December 5^th, we will hold an Angel Education Series workshop at Dogpatch Labs in Cambridge, MA, providing attendees the opportunity to also see some of the areas most promising startups in action.  The workshop will have three educational sessions followed by an evening networking reception.  As part of the workshop, we are scheduling a half-hour segment for select Dogpatch Labs startups to deliver elevator pitches about their companies to workshop attendees.  For additional information click here.

Agenda
1:00pm – Check-In
1:10pm –Investment Process & Due Diligence
2:25pm – Break
2:30pm – Valuing an Early Stage Company
3:40pm – Break
3:45pm – Startup Elevator Pitches
4:15pm – Guiding Growth: Counseling Startups as a Coach, member of the Board of Advisors, or member of the Board of Directors
5:30pm – Networking Reception