EFactor Presents

EFactor Presents: Got Funding?

As an entrepreneur you know that funding is crucial. It helps to have some money to get your business off the ground or expand it when a great opportunity comes up. Traditional sources are tough in this economy, but all it takes is a little imagination and some expert advice about some of the great new channels for funding now available. If you are looking for funding, then you have come to the...

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If you are looking for funding, then you have come to the right place and it’s time to register! This event will educate entrepreneurs about various funding options now available for start-ups and small business owners. From angel investing and debt financing, to bootstrapping and small business loans, this not-to-be-missed event will feature experts from each funding niche.

After attending, you’ll have insights on:

the benefits and limitations of each type of funding;

how to determine the type of financing that is right for your company;

the process of securing each type of funding;

and much, much more!

These insights will help you make more informed decisions and open up new doors of opportunity for your start-up or existing enterprise!

If you have any questions, please contact Tjitske Risselada

Just a tip: If you are planning on attending more than one of our events this year (each city hosts at least six events), why not get our Events Access package for only $45. Enroll today and save!

Please let us know via membersupport if we can assist you with anything at all.

Speakers:

George Deeb (Bootstrapping) Managing Partner of Red Rocket Venture Partners
George has a passion for start-ups and formalized his consulting efforts as the Founder and Managing Partner of Red Rocket in 2010. George has consulted over 300 startups since launching Red Rocket. George has a very deep base of relationships in the startup and venture community, in Chicago and nationwide. George desires to help other B2C and B2B entrepreneurs navigate through their start-up, fund raising or other business issues. George’s skills are particularly deep in strategy, corporate evelopment, business development, fund raising, financial planning, sales, online marketing, e-commerce and online media/monetization. As author of 101 Startup Lessons-An Entrepreneur's Handbook, George is also a small business blogger at Crains Chicago and featured speaker at many startup-related events.

Corliss V Garner (Dept Funding) Vice President, Commercial Banking, BMO Harris Bank
Corliss V. Garner is a Vice President with the Commercial Banking Group at Harris Bank and has been in the financial services industry for more than two decades. Prior to joining the Commercial Banking Group, Corliss managed relationships in the Private Bank, providing unique personal trust, estate and retirement planning financial solutions to high net worth clients. In her current role as a commercial relationship manager, Corliss is primarily responsible for delivering the bank's lending and cash management services for current and prospective business clients across all industries. Corliss is a graduate of DePaul University. She has earned the Certified Trust and Financial Advisor (CTFA) and the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designations. Corliss serves on the advisory board of the Chicago Community Trust African American Legacy Initiative and the DePaul Coleman Entrepreneurship Center.

Joe Dwyer, Equity Funding. Venture Partner, OCA Ventures. Joe Dwyer is an investor, advisor, and serial entrepreneur. He loves to transform businesses through innovation. He is a frequent guest lecturer on topics such as digital innovation, product development, and user experience design at Chicago Booth School of Business and Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management. He is a mentor for Excelerate, Founder Institute, a Charter Member of TIE, and an advisor for Techweek. He has degrees in International Relations and law degree and an MBA from Northwestern.

Denise Ching (alternative funding), Associate Director, IL Small Business Development Center at UIC Denise is an Associate Director of the IL Small Business Development Center at UIC at the Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies. Her primary role is helping people start businesses through business concept development and business plan writing and assisting existing small business owners plan and implement growth strategies. Prior to joining UIC, she directed the IL Small Business Development Center at ICNC. During her time at ICNC she managed the organization’s revolving loan fund, originating microloans to area companies for working capital needs. She previously worked at WaMu in roles ranging from Sr Personal Financial Representative to Financial Center Manager. She holds a B.S. in Marketing from UIC.

Sponsor:

Agenda

Note on Pricing:

Early Bird Special - $10 (Ends 3 weeks before event date, sign up early!)

Regular Price - $15

Price at the door - $20

6:00pm - 6:30pm Pre-Event Networking Hour

6:30pm - 7:00pm Keynote Speaker

7:00pm - 8:00pm Panel Discussion

8:00pm - 8:30pm Audience Q&A

8:30pm - 9:00pm Post-Event Networking Hour

9:00pm - Event ends

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Event Recap

EFactor went west this week to Chicago, with an installment of its “Got Funding?” held at Catapult Chicago, a hub of innovation and collaboration for the windy city’s start-ups.

The “Got Funding” series is designed to equip entrepreneurs with tips and tricks to secure funding for their projects in modern, non-traditional ways tailored to the digital generation and the tough economy. A panel of experts was on hand to offer insight into a range of alternative funding methods.

Chicago’s panel included George Deeb, the managing partner of Red Rocket Venture Partners, a consulting firm for small businesses. During his time at Red Rocket, Deeb has consulted over 300 startups and literally wrote the book on startups, entitled “101 Startup Lessons: An entrepreneur’s handbook.” A small business blogger at Crains Chicago on the side, Deeb focused his “Got Funding?” presentation on bootstrapping.

Corliss V. Garner, Vice President of Commercial Banking at BMO Harris Bank, presented on debt funding. With the primary responsibility of administering the bank’s lending and cash management services for business across all industries, Garner was the perfect person to dole out advice on debt funding. She assured the audience that banks are lending, and that credit decisions depend on “The 4 C’s”: cash flow, collateral, capital and character.

Also on the panel was Joe Dwyer, an investor, advisor and serial entrepreneur at OCA Ventures, with a passion for transforming businesses through innovation. Dwyer spoke about equity funding and things for startups to consider when they pursue venture capitalists. “The Devil is in the details,” he told attendees. “Sometimes, [venture capitalists] are your only choice,” and some of the things they look for, he added, include passionate, coach-able entrepreneurs who are willing to listen.

Denise Ching, the Associate Director of the Illinois Small Business Development Center at University of Illinois, Chicago, also spoke on the panel, covering alternative means of funding. These include, she told the attendees, crowdfunding, micro-loans and grants. She praised small business owners and entrepreneurs for creating jobs, in an economy where large corporations only cut them.

The event wasn’t all serious business — attendees got a laugh when the panelists shared the funniest small business pitches they’ve ever heard, including one with a husband-wife team who hadn’t done quite enough research in regards to his competition, core customers and climate market. Eventually, this man’s wife called out his lies right then and there — lesson learned? Do your research, and tell the truth to your consultant.

This well-attended EFactor event, which also featured free pizza and refreshments, along with the financial tips and funny anecdotes, left attendees a whole lot more knowledgeable about funding their small businesses, not to mention eager to find out about more EFactor events.

Think you’ve also been bit by the EFactor bug? Check the events calendar for a list of all upcoming events, and Chicagoans — the next EFactor seminar, discussing Online Crowd Funding, will be held November 15th, so clear your agendas for that evening!