May 26, 2009
A lot of times when talk to folks about the Startup Weekend concept we get a whole lot of questions. Here is a general overview of what happens during the 54 hour marathon experience that is a Startup Weekend. Taken from the officialStartup Weekend site and modified based on experiences from the first Startup Weekend San Antonio. Enjoy!
Here is the registration link: http://startupweekendsa2.eventbrite.com
6pm Friday: Everyone gets together; figures out who else is there; what would be interesting to build while enjoying a hot slice of pizza. 7pm: Pitches start (if you have an idea for a product you pitch it to the group). 8pm: Teams start breaking off. 9pm: Hopefully teams have solidified their concept and created an elevator pitch (even a simple one) by now. 10pm: Continue the discussion and attempt to paper prototype out their application or head home and pick it up in the morning.
9am Saturday: Crowds pour in; work starts on development. Noon: Lunch.
1pm: Pitch to the Venture Capitalists.This is where each startup gets the once or twice over from folks who know a thing or two about startup companies. An open mind and thick skin required for this session. Then it’s back to more coding, business plan development.
4pm-5pm: A special guest (to be announced).
5pm: Dinner and gut check on the product; basic prototype building; group get-together for drinks and to talk about the products everyone is working on. Some folks will work through the night and into the wee hours of the morning. Others will go home and get rested up to make the most of the last day.
9am Sunday: The day’s work starts again. Noon: Projects are being developed; live website with signup is possibly set up. 6pm: Sink or swim time for those looking for a weekend launch. Recap from each company; what worked, what didn’t, what could go better and contacts are exchange for those continuing in the future
Written by Alan Weinkrantz ·
Filed Under Alan Chesler, Startup Weekend, Startup Weekend San Antonio ·
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March 25, 2009
By its editorial mission, I am covering startups in San Antonio.
When I was approached by Shepherd McAllister and Martin Schwed from ComeTUgether.com, I was a bit hesitant to give them coverage because I did not see them as a real startup. The idea was interesting, but I asked myself: “how do you monetize a community that consists of a College campus and its alumni?”
I had a change of heart because I don’t think this is about making money.
It’s about building community.
And if, as an independent college community, Shepherd and Martin can build a business model, maybe they can do this with other independent colleges and universities across the U.S. And if not, that’s OK, for somewhere else in McAllister and Schwed’s career, what they learn from executing on ComeTUgether.com can be applied in other ways once they are out of academia.
So, here’s the story…..
ComeTUgether is an independent Trinity blog.
Anybody may sign up and start blogging, be they students, faculty, prospectives, alumni, or simply curious bystanders.
Posts can be about anything and everything; our only unifying theme, much like Trinity’s campus, is the pretty brick background you see when you first visit the site.
If you feel like posting about the University, this is a great place to do so. If you feel like ranting about relationships, sports, or steel-reinforced underpants (yes, that really happened), then that is fine too.
At the top of their site, you will see a number of arrows pointing to Trinity’s iconic Murchison Tower; a subtle reminder that while the University is the destination for their content, it is not necessarily the source.”
Written by Alan Weinkrantz ·
Filed Under Alan Chesler, ComeTUgether.com ·
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February 19, 2009
Last week I ran into Alan Chesler, Managing Partner of Ehrenberg Chesler, over at Piatti. We got to talking about the state of the economy and then continued a dialog through several email exchanges.
Alan was telling that over the past few months, his clients have been on the radar to talk about prevailing financial market conditions; to discuss the outlook going forward; and to express bewilderment, wonder and surprise at our government’s interventionist ministrations in both.
Alan told me that during many of these discussions, a recurrent question has been: “Will I be able to continue funding my business or real estate enterprise in the face of all this turmoil?” Obviously Alan does not have a crystal ball, but in the midst of the upheaval, he still holds to the premise he can continue to deliver value for his clients as highlighted by three important assignments:
Mediation to LBO to Control Recap: In September of 2008, they arranged the sale of a 70% stake in a client company to a private equity firm at a $40 million valuation. This is the same company for which Ehrenberg Chesler mediated a shareholder dispute scheduled for trial into a leveraged Buyout at a $3.5 million valuation just five years ago. This despite their lead mezzanine lender announcing that it would be sold to another financial institution a mere 2 business days before closing!
Capital Infusion to Sell-Side M&A: In June of 2008, they arranged a $1 million equity infusion for a client company that they sold in November of 2008 to a private equity fund.
Reorganization and Debt Placement: Alan’s firm is currently finalizing the reorganization of an enterprise with 5 different tranches of debt and equity in its $75 million capital structure, including a $30 million senior loan commitment that they arranged.
Alan believes that his willingness to spend more time, undertake more analysis, and to exercise more ingenuity, has enabled his firm to continue delivering value for his clients in these uncertain times.
Your mileage may vary on this, but if part of your startup involves some serious and creative financing needs, Ehrenberg Chesler might be a good source to check out.
Written by Alan Weinkrantz ·
Filed Under Alan Chesler, Alan Weinkrantz, Blog, Ehrenberg Chesler ·
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