• Thursday, November 15, 2007

All start-ups have one thing in common - a need for money to fuel their launch and growth. The amount of capital may vary widely based on the type of business you are starting. Maybe you can bootstrap your business using your personal savings, credit cards and the business's profits. Or perhaps you'll need to pursue equity investments to help you fund your business pursuits. Whatever way you choose, it benefits you to have advice from experts and those that have been in your position before.

Come to this LAUNCH seminar, where our panel of experienced entrepreneurs and financing decision-makers will share information to help you decide which method is best for your type and stage of business. They will discuss the different types of start-up and early-stage capital including bootstrapping, loans, angel investments, and venture capital.

Topics covered will include:

• Myths and realities about funding for start-ups and growing businesses;
• Pros and cons of debt and equity financing;
• The importance of the business plan (and the most common problems investors see in them); and
• What are the factors that could be "deal-breakers"

This seminar is a must for entrepreneurs who are getting ready to wander through the maze of raising capital. If you have been wondering what kind of funding to pursue for your business, we recommend this seminar to answer any questions that you may have.

Panelists

Edward Lou

Edward is a Principal at OCA Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on investments in primarily technology, financial services, for-profit education and technology-enabled services companies. Prior to OCA Ventures, he was CEO and Founder of PlanetHVAC, a business-to-business software and service provider to HVAC companies, and has over 11 years experience in finance and operations. Edward earned his MBA and bachelor's degree from Washington University in St. Louis.

Dennis Serio

Dennis is the principal of Falcon Capital Corporation, a boutique investment banking company involved with securing equity and/or debt financing for start-up, seed, and early stage companies. He has spent the last 15 years working with early stage companies and is the principal and founder of the Illinois Business & Investor Forum, an organization acting as an umbrella group for angel investors throughout Illinois. Dennis is a graduate of the University of Dayton.

Greg Kilgore

Greg is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for LiftSeat Corporation, a start-up that introduced the new product category of dedicated toileting lifts into the institutional health care market in 2006. He has nine years of various sales and new product development roles with Becton Dickinson and 4 years experience with Pharmacia Diagnostics as a Senior Market Development manager. Greg earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder and his MBA from DePaul.

Robert Leach
Robert is the Vice President, Regional Business Market Manager of Harris Bank’s City Region where he leads a 31-member team that focuses on small business and lower middle market companies. Robert joined Harris Bank as a vice president and commercial relationship manager in 2002 and has also served as regional business sales manager and regional business market manager. Prior to working at Harris Bank, he held management and senior commercial banking positions with Deutsche Bank. Robert earned his bachelor’s degree from Indiana State University.