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OEN Program/Event List
1. Startup Services educational programs: a series of workshops repeated throughout the year. Workshops are limited to 20 participants. A) Business Concept Review - A non-threatening, honest critique of the business model, or the basis of the new business idea. It’s a litmus test from experts who’ll challenge assumptions and answer perplexing questions about making the idea a reality. It’s one hour with two experts – where the entrepreneur can pose their business model for feedback, discussion and advice on next steps. The setting is multiple tables of entrepreneur-expert pairings, each engaged in active discussions aimed at helping move business concepts to the next level. It's one of the best ways to prepare for that next step: creating the business plan. The entrepreneur leaves with:
- Renewed focus on the strengths of the business concept
- Awareness of gaps in the model that need more work before being investor-ready
- New ideas for expanding or refining the business model
- Leads on where to go for resources – legal, financial, marketing, etc.
- Tips on how to take advantage of other helpful OEN venues
B) Business Plan Development - Three hours on how to develop a winning plan. OEN’s expert instructors weigh concept ver methodology, present important material in addition to the valuable handouts and resource listing they make available to all seminar attendees. The entrepreneur leaves with:
- Why they need a clear and compelling elevator pitch, executive summary, and business plan.
- What components make a successful plan.
- How they create a process for building each section, so they always know what to do next
C) Private Business Plan Review - We put together a team of 3-5 experts with background in the specific field -- OEN’s membership has a wide variety of expertise - to review the business plan, and provide valuable insight, guidance, and information on industry-specific challenges facing the business. The Private Business Plan Review will:
- Point out the common and not-so-common pitfalls that upend many companies
- Help reduce weaknesses with solid, fundamental advice that reinforces the company position and helps ensure successful results
- Provide an objective professional dress rehearsal that will helps gauge how outsiders will view the plan
- Give sound recommendations and solutions for creating a compelling plan
D) Private Investor Presentation Review - This workshop gives the entrepreneur the chance to try out their pitch before it’s “prime time”. It gives them honest feedback from an objective source, before they present to potential investors. We pull together a panel of representatives from the investment community and presentation experts to give professional feedback on the structure, messages, flow, and impact on both the presentation itself, and the personal presentation style. The review and feedback is friendly, but candid.
2. Executive Education Series - This sixteen-part series is offered once during the year. Workshops are limited to 20 participants. It is designed to help entrepreneurs and founding executives close the gap between their business concept and an executable plan for growth. Led by seasoned entrepreneurs and experienced business professionals, each workshop equips entrepreneurs and their founding teams with real-world, hands-on guidance, concrete knowledge and tools that can be applied to their business.
A) Go-to-Market Strategy - A series of four intensive workshops that will ground the business plans in the real world of customers, competition, and channels. Business and market strategy experts will lead participants through the practical application of a customer-focused approach to market analysis, product and service strategy, sales and distribution, competitive analysis, and positioning both for funding and long-term success.
B) Building the Sales Strategy, Process & People - This four-part workshop addresses the necessity of proven sales and business development processes for any growing venture. It covers building and executing sales strategy, creating a repeatable and measurable sales process, designing and leading an effective sales team, and growing sales through third-party channels.
C) Developing Financials, Projections & Valuations - This four-part workshop equips founding executives with an understanding of the basics of financial statements and projections, determining cash flow requirements, and valuation terminology and methodology. They create and discuss their own projections, including cash needs, with specially created worksheets.
D) Leadership - A series of four discussions evaluating the concept and construct of leadership both within an organization and in the larger community. Issues such as current performance as a leader, aligning leadership behavior with purpose,leadership presence and personal branding, specific practice tools to develop effective leadership, and selecting partners to support their leadership agenda are addressed. Participants in this series are encouraged to bring leadership issues to the roundtable for discussion.
3. PubTalk™ – “Startups start here” This monthly event is a forum for entrepreneurs to network with fellow entrepreneurs, discuss challenges, compare strategies, and learn new ways to grow their business. A typical PubTalk™ features a chance for early-stage entrepreneurs to present their company to an audience of their peers and receive immediate, informal feedback on their business model -- a sort of trial by friendly fire.
Sometimes the program is a panel discussion between experts on a topic relevant to early-stage businesses, i.e. bootstrapping, marketing, strategic partnerships, what angel investors are looking for, alternative sources of financing, IP, etc. PubTalk™ is held in a pub, and begins with an hour or so of beer and networking. This event has recently spawned a second, quarterly event--SwapMeet™, which is networking only. We also hold a monthly PubTalk™ in Central Oregon, as a joint venture with the economic development agency there.
4. Portland Angel Network and Women’s Investment Network – These two private angel investor groups are open to accredited investors only. Each group meets regularly throughout the year to see presentations by companies looking for investment. They sometimes add an educational component to the meeting as well.
5. Angel Oregon - AO is a day-long conference, and is the premier education, investment, and networking event in the Northwest, for angel investors and early-stage entrepreneurs. The education component focuses on how angel investing works, due diligence, etc. The investment component features companies who are chosen after having gone through an application and screening process, making their pitch to investors.
The last two years, a group of angels have pooled funds, formed an LLC, and at the end of the day, they vote on which company will get the investment. It’s winner take all. In 2005 the investment pool was $120,000, but the total investment in the three presenting companies by the investors in the pool was $2.2 million. The investment pool in 2006 was $150,000. In addition 20 companies were given a chance to do a “one-minute pitch”.
6. Venture Northwest - Venture Northwest (formerly Venture Oregon) is the premier forum for new and emerging investment opportunities in exciting companies from Oregon, Washington, and throughout the Pacific Northwest.
This annual conference draws institutional investors and investment bankers from across the western US who are interested in the emerging companies that the Northwest has to offer. Companies that have presented at Venture Oregon have raised over $580 million in venture capital since 1996. More than 50 investors from 30 venture capital firms attended the conference in 2005.
7. OEN Tom Holce Entrepreneurship Awards Dinner - The OEN Entrepreneurship Awards, OEN's annual celebration of the entrepreneurial spirit in, action throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington. It attracts about 900 attendees.
It’s an “Oscars-style” evening of celebration and community building, during which we recognize the best and brightest of the Northwest's entrepreneurs in these categories:
- OEN Development Stage Company of the Year
- OEN Working Capital Stage Company of the Year
- OEN Growth Stage Company of the Year
- OEN Entrepreneurship Award for Individual Achievement
- OEN Entrepreneurship Award for Nonprofits
8. Entrepreneurs Bus Tour – This quarterly program launched in the spring of 2006. We put no more than 10 early-stage entrepreneurs in a van, and take them to the business location of two different, very experienced, serial entrepreneurs.
They briefly tour the business facility, then they spend about an hour and a half with the serial entrepreneur, asking questions--the “what I’ve learned along the way” kind. After they’ve completed the second visit, they’ll stop at a pub for pizza, beer, and some networking.
9. CEO’s Roundtable – This program launched in May 2006. It is open to current CEO’s only (no “job hunters”). They’ll meet privately for dinner or breakfast, and have an open discussion about topics that are of interest to them--building their team, raising capital, exit strategies, distribution channels--whatever they see as a current problem, or feel they’d like some help with.
It is facilitated by two experienced, serial CEOs, one from a high-tech background, one non-high tech. The plan is to do this quarterly, and ultimately split it into high-tech and non-high tech groups.
10. Kauffman Power of Angel Investing – We occasionally partner with the Kauffman Foundation to present their day-long educational program for angel investors. It covers topics such as: how angel investing fits in, is angel investing right for you, angel portfolio strategy, due diligence, structuring the deal, valuation, and a “hands-on” case-study.
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