Author: David Teten

Over the past year I have become active on the Steering Committee of AIPAC’s new Technology Division in New York.  On February 27^th we are holding our Launch Event at Bloomberg Tower with Dan Senor, co-author of “Start-Up Nation”, as the keynote speaker. This issue is close to my heart and I hope you will join me at this important event.

Our growing Steering Committee includes: Alan Patricof, Greycroft Partners; Andrew Perlman, Vringo; Arthur Bierer, AB Dev Labs; Avi Fogel, NY Angels; Baylene Wacks, Strategic Consultant; Ben Siscovick, IA Ventures; Daniel Etra, reThink Autism; Daniel Leon, Minders Group; David Bercow, TriNet; David Teten, ff VC; Dror Futter, Sorin Rand; Evan Stahl, NextGen Management; Jay Rand, SorinRand LLP; John Frankel, ff VC; Jonathan Caplan, Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel; Jordan Levy, SoftBank Capital; Larry Rolnik, Venafi; Laura Rolnik, BMC Software; Lou Kerner, Social Internet Fund; Marc Hayem, MicroStrategyr; Michael Altman, OneReceipt; Richard Dukas, Dukas PR; Samuel Fine, OneReceipt; Shaula Yemini, NY Angels; and Yossi Siegel, The Beanstalk Group.

Described by The New York Times as “the most important organization affecting America’s relationship with Israel,” AIPAC (The American Israel Public Affairs Committee) advocates for U.S. cooperation with Israel on a wide range of issues. From promoting peace between Israel and its neighbors to facilitating U.S.-Israel exchanges of expertise and equipment for homeland security, defense and counterterrorism, to collaborating on technology, science and agricultural products, AIPAC is there to encourage the close working relationship between the countries.

The Technology Division engages NY’s thriving tech sector to strengthen the U.S. – Israel relationship through supporting the work of AIPAC, involvement in pro-Israel political efforts and building relationships with members of Congress.  We are a group of VC, Angels, Entrepreneurs, Service Providers, and Computer Scientists that are committed to working together to support Israel.

The event on February 27^th will be a first of its kind gathering of the technology community to support the U.S. – Israel relationship and learn how we can do more to defend Israel.  Tickets are only $50 before February 15^th and include a reception with open bar and lots of good food.  I hope to see you there.

RSVP.

TAAAPS, the Alliance of Alternative Asset Professionals, is holding a boot camp in New York for investment managers focused on the capital-raising process.  If you’re a manager and interested in taking part, contact mkosara@ taaaps.org.

The event will start with a 1 hour one-on-one round robin session from 5 pm – 6 pm for Investors and Managers to meet and get directly introduced to each other.  The Summit Boot Camp Recap Panel discussion will then be from 6 pm – 7 pm .  Lastly, they’re holding a death match bake-off – a quick competition for managers to present in front of a panel of judges.   Seating is limited.  This event is strictly for Accredited Investors and Pre-registered Managers Only

Agenda

5pm – 6pm:  Manager – Investor One-on-Ones.

6pm – 7pm:  Boot Camp ReCap Panel Discussion.

7pm – 8pm:  Manager Presentation “Bake-off”.  Judged by Fund Experts: Lance Baraker – Celadon Financial;  Lauren Colonna – Ovis Creative; Dennis Schall – Marcum, LLP; Victor Park- Alternative Assets

Moderator:   Paul Marino

Place:        750 Third Ave, 11th Floor, New York, NY

Date:         Tuesday, December 4th, 5:00pm – 8:00pm

Cost:          $40 in advance, please register at the link below.

RSVP:       Register Here

On November 7^th evening at our fitness office in midtown, Michael Petrucelli and I will present to members of the NY Tech International Meetup regarding US visa regulations for startups and international venture capital.

Michael Petrucelli, the founder and executive chairman of Clearpath, a startup that helps streamline the immigration filling process, will discuss current immigration policy, the impact of the Presidential election, and the different visa and immigration classes available for technologists. As a former director of US Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS), Michael is an expert in US immigration procedure.

I’ll discuss ffVC’s current investments in startups in Canada, Israel and Europe, as well as opportunities for non-US citizens within the New York tech scene.

RSVP: NY Tech International Meetup

I’m participating this Thursday, Oct. 25, in the Enterprise Tech Meetup, where we’ll discuss best practices in B2B startup hiring.  We’ll also cover how can a candidate make themselves more attractive for a quickly growing enterprise company.  You can see some of my thoughts here.

RSVP

Besides me, the other panelists are:

Sean Maclsaac, CTO, Yext

Debbie Madden, Senior Vice President, Cyrus Innovation

Daniel Chait, Co-founder, Greenhouse

Moderator: João-Pierre S. Ruth, Journalist, Xconomy

RSVP

Both my Partner John Frankel and I are presenting at the first NY Business Expo, November 14-15.  I think Andrew Wong has done an exceptional job growing a small Meetup group into a real conference business, riding the boom in the NY entrepreneurial economy.

I particularly like their Startup Central track, a chance for any startup or small business to have a one-on-one session with mentors that are experienced in taking companies to the next level.  Marginal cost: free.

I was also glad to see they’re incorporating the StartEngine Demo Day, an LA-based accelerator.  This is a logical strategy on StartEngine’s part, to leverage the platform of the Expo to market their companies to the right coast.

To register for the NY Business Expo: RSVP.

Here’s a preview of my talk on “Identifying your next entrepreneurial opportunity”:

 Worldwide Investor Network (WIN) is holding a 2-day conference on “Funding The Best In Global Innovation” November 13-14 in NYC, showcasing 10 tech startups from around the world.

Among our speakers are Habib Kairouz (Managing Partner, Rho Capital), Ed Sim (Founder of BOLDstart Ventures), Kirill Sheynkman (Senior Managing Director, RTP), and me.

I’ve been following WIN’s growth since its inception in early 2011 and think it’s a source of companies that would typically remain off the radar of the NY investor ecosystem.   My research on deal origination has found  that investors who focus on less-popular geographies and source proprietary investments get superior returns.

As a way to encourage students from the NY area to attend the event, WIN is offering 50% off already-reduced student tickets, making it less than 50 dollars to attend. You can use promo code innovation to get this special student pricing.

In addition, WIN has a few spots available for the “Learn From The Best” section of the conference, where CEOs of top NYC-based startups share best practices, common mistakes, and advice on becoming a global company and expanding successfully to the US market. If you are a CEO/VC interested in participating, email ASAP Eyal Bino at eyal(@)worldwidein.com.

I’m still figuring out what I’ll present on…suggestions welcome!

On Friday November 9, I’ll be participating at as one of 20 VCs at Capital On Stage in NY, an unconventional startup conference about funding in which investors present themselves to a curated group of startups – instead of the reverse.

Ever since I became a VC, I find it a little odd to constantly be the one being sold to. As an entrepreneur, I spent 95% of my time selling.  So I like this role reversal; I feel very at home being the salesman.

We’ll meet at Goodwin Procter on the top floor of the New York Times building.  The other VCs and I will discuss our firms; our views on the market, our added value, and what we’re looking for. In addition, there will be Open Office hours in the morning, where Startups can book several meetings with the investors of their choice. Tickets aren’t expensive for Startups (starting at just $55), but you must apply and be selected.

Only founders of Internet companies may attend, so no employees. Besides that, you need to be working on a scalable product and be ready for (another round of) funding. Admission is based on invitation-only and there are only 175 seats available, so make sure to apply for an invitation today.

Arjen Strijker (the founder) is offering my readers an early bird rate of $55 (normally $115). To claim it you should enter my name in the reference field when you apply for an invite via the CapitalOnStage.com website.

They have previously successful events in Europe (Amsterdam and London with Balderton, Index, Fidelity Growth, DFJ, etc.). They’re now turning their attention to New York, where RTP Ventures, Comcast Ventures, Flybridge Capital, Safeguard, Amadeus Capital, Bain Capital, and Brooklyn Bridge Ventures are confirmed so far.

Nic Brisbourne, partner at DFJ esprit, wrote a laudatory post.

The NYC chapter of AlmaLinks will be hosting me for one of its monthly AlmaSessions dinners on September 6th in midtown NYC.  AlmaLinks is a private, invitation-only group for “young Jewish professionals who have demonstrated exceptional professional achievements.  Apply to join AlmaLinks and RSVP.  I’m flattered to be included.

Next week I’ll be traveling up to Toronto to speak at the country’s best trade show and conference Discovery 12 (“best” according to some awards the program has received).  I’ve been asked to talk about best practices in deal origination, and why our pipeline took us to Canada, where we made investments in 500px and InteraXon.   They’ll have over 2,600 attendees and more than 330 exhibitors.

As part of this year’s conference, Discovery will be bringing 150 mentors together with 150 eager entrepreneurs in a timed event with the goal of achieving the next Guinness World Records Title in Canada as the World’s Largest Business Mentorship Event.   I’ll be participating in this event as a mentor. You can view the official announcement here.

If you plan to be in the Toronto area on May 14^th and 15^th, I encourage you to join me at the conference!

 Click here to register and use promo code DISCOVERY20 to receive a special discounted rate:

Discounted rates with promo code.

• Attendee- $540
• One booth plus 2 passes- $1160
• Student- $95

…………………..

Cool Facts: 

– OCE Discovery has been voted Canada’s Top Trade Show for the last 2 years.

– Startup Genome ranked Toronto 4th best startup ecosystem behind Silicon Valley, New York & London.

– The Ontario Government has committed $3 billion in funding over 8 years into its Innovation Agenda

– Canada was recently ranked #1 by Forbes magazine as the Best Country for Business .

I’m delivering a webinar next Tuesday for Harvard Business School Career Services on “How to Work with Private Equity and Venture Capital Portfolio Companies”.  Among the topics I’m covering:

– Raise capital from a venture capital fund to found a company

– Partner with a private equity fund to find a company to buy or found

– Get a job at a private equity/venture capital portfolio company

– Earn extra income (while keeping your full-time job) by participating in expert networks

– Join a senior advisor network

– Join a portfolio company board

I’d value any feedback you have on my draft deck, embedded below. If your main focus is VC/startups, see John Gannon’s venture capital jobs site and Christina Cacioppo’s startup and job resources.