Innovation Works’ Post

Sometimes all you need is a little help .. Becoming an entrepreneur can be daunting. Is my idea any good? How do I make my product? How do I get it in front of people? A lot of ideas wind up in the Good Idea Graveyard. I find 100K Ideas in Flint ... and see just how anyone can launch their business. Their Executive Director, Brandee Cooke-Brown, shares just what this great organization does. And how they're inspiring a new generation of entrepreneurs to chase their dreams. https://lnkd.in/gxseAxVm

What do Peyton Manning, Magic Johnson, Victoria Allen, Crystal Washington, and Guy Raz have in common?? They are all speaking in INDIANA at Rally on August 29-31st. If you haven't heard of this massive event that Elevate Ventures is putting on, let me give you some insight into what is happening: 1. It's the largest global cross-sector conference. 🌎 2. $5M in investment prizes for the pitch competition (my shark tank dreams are coming true 🤗 )! See the finalist in the comments. 3. 1:1 investor meetups between VC/Investor and startup founder/team. 🤝 4. And an entire Demo Arena where you can pitch to investors, customers, and partners. 🗣 There is still time to grab your tickets to this must-attend event! I'll be there volunteering and would love to connect. https://lnkd.in/gMYJ-kzB

On the train to Edinburgh for an exciting and busy end to the week (cue 9 meetings in 36 hours) but first stop this morning was breakfast at Harper Macleod LLP to hear Mark Wheeldon’s exit story. Mark is an exceptional entrepreneur, whose journey of self-awareness and continuous learning led him in the end to gain the best out of others and the best out of himself as the founder of Formedix. Sharing some super-duper takeaways. 1. I already know some of my fellow founders will feel like raving about this as much as I do. Mark is not a fan of the term MVP. Hallelujah! Me either. 😂 Instead he prefers the milestone: * MINIMAL SELLABLE PRODUCT * #genius I had to come on here to shout about that. 2. It doesn’t matter how intelligent or experienced someone is, if they are not friendly, don’t hire them. Find people to join you who are self-starters. Believing you can WIN 🏆 must become engrained in your culture. 3. Oh and, start thinking about your exit, now. It’s never too early. Thank you Paula Skinner for organising an event that allows us to celebrate success in Scotland. Here’s to more events that give us room to learn from others and map out the journey ahead. When the vision is clear, the goals make sense.

Founders Camp 2023: Focus on your intention, not on fighting the problem Last Tuesday I had the privilege to facilitate a group process during Endeavor Poland Founders Camp together with Tamya Aleksandra Olszanska, Anna Gabryjelska, Chris Kobylecki. This gathering brought together 25 founders of rapidly scaling global companies, with a singular purpose: to forge #genuine, #personal connections. These connections, built on #trust, will serve as a bedrock for mutual #support and innovative problem-solving. One key insight that reverberated throughout the event: shift your focus from fighting problems to realizing intentions. Our heartfelt thanks to every participant for their wholehearted engagement: Adam Janczewski, Adam Plona, Anna Koss, Anton Avrynskyi, Dominik Swadzba, Filip Rakowski, Jakub M. Zielinski, Julia Markiewicz, Kamil Rogaliński, Krzysztof Dąbrowski, Lucjan Suski, Maciej Artur Noga, Marcin Matuszewski, Martin Markiewicz, Marwan Kenawy, Max Pecherskyi, Oleg Bilozor, Pawel Sieczkiewicz, Paweł Hytry, Piotr Pisarz, Przemek Kowalczyk, Rafal Modrzewski, Sebastian Szalachowski, Vital Laptenok, Wiktor Schmidt. Bartosz Lipnicki thank you for inviting us and putting full trust in the process. Founders Camp 2023 witnessed founders openly discussing challenges, sharing solutions, revisiting their business motivations, and fortifying their resilience. The collective brilliance of 25 minds under one roof birthed unparalleled collaboration. #Endeavour, #FoundersCamp, #Scale-ups #StrongNetwork #GroupProcess

Drawing parallels from historical breakthroughs, today's special announcement at 11:00 am CST/12:00 pm EST could mark a new chapter for solopreneurs. Join me in discovering potential opportunities for our business ventures. #BusinessAnnouncement #solopreneurship

Breaking barriers and expanding possibilities. At Opus Ventures, we believe in a world where boundaries are merely challenges waiting to be overcome. Join us as we transcend limitations and unlock new opportunities together. #UnlimitedThinking #BoundlessOpportunities #OpusVentures #business #pshycology #creativity #marketing #investments

Our next quarterly pitching event is just around the corner, and it's going to be one for the books. We're collaborating with our dear friend Axel Winter, the genius CEO behind Xponential and Pivot Digital, to make this event extra special. Mark your calendars for September 29 because you won't want to miss this! Now, let me spill the beans on what's in store: Standard Pitching Sessions: You know we always bring you the most innovative startups. Get ready for some mind-blowing pitches that will leave you inspired. Business Speed Dating: We're taking networking to the next level. A dedicated space where founders and investors can have quick 5-10 minute meetings. It's like your own personal LinkedIn, but in real life, and with the power to create game-changing connections. Founder’s Clinic: You'll have the chance to chat one-on-one with experts in legal, investments, and business strategy. Think of it as a doctor's clinic, but for diagnosing and fixing issues with your business. This event is not just about pitches; it's about networking, making meaningful connections, and getting expert advice tailored just for you. If you would like secure your slot with early bird price, please reserve your slot here at https://lnkd.in/g6mQ7Cay

Two years ago I started an investment company with my entrepreneurial friends. One name on your cap table - granting you access to 123 smart entrepreneurs and their expansive network. Our setup is quite unique. The process is 100% digital, democratic and fast: First, founders send us a pitch deck which gets posted to our internal Slack. Then we ask our partners to indicate with emojis 👍 / 👎 if the case is interesting. Within a couple of days we will know if it is worth scheduling a video call (recorded). Those of us who can't make it to the presentation can watch it afterwards, because after all: we all have our own businesses to run. A 7 day voting period starts immediately after the pitch. Here we ask our partners to decide if we should invest or not via a simple web form. There will be an investment if a supermajority of our partners are in favor (more than two thirds, 66.67%). It might sound crazy, but it works! So far we've looked at 100+ Swedish startups and we have invested in 16 companies in 20 months (?!). Which is a pretty high number for being unknown and in stealth mode. Our strength lies in our numbers. We are 123 entrepreneurs spread across almost all industries, meaning there is a high chance we always have something more to offer than just money. It could be introductions to potential customers, suppliers, investors and also invaluable advice - based on our own experiences. I strongly believe we can become a strong player in the Swedish startup ecosystem; someone that entrepreneurs turns to first - because we understand what they are going through (on a deeper level). My personal motivation is to create as many good business angels in Sweden as possible and this investment vehicle is perfect for that. I think volume is important in order to succeed. We have a great deal flow already. We learn together, while helping other founders fulfil their dreams - and hopefully turn a profit. Win-win-win! We just hosted our first Portfolio Day (see video) and we just launched our website where you can learn more: https://yeos.ventures/

Last chance to register for our side events! ⏰ T-10 days to Leuven Slush'D and spots are filling up fast. This week is the last one to register for our side events and places are limited, so head over to our website and don't miss this opportunity.❗️ OCT 11: 🚀 LE(J)ON Kick-off - by Leuvense jonge ondernemers - LE(J)ON OCT 12: 🌮 Investors Lunch (11:00 - 12:45): Your gateway to valuable connections, potential partnerships and insights. 🧭 Navigating the Startup Funding Maze - by The Harbour (15:00 - 16:00): Set your startup on the path to success. 💰 Fundraising in Distressed Times - by Cambrian (17:30-18:30): Insights and practical toolkit to adjust fundraising tactics. 🍷 Founders Dinner (18:45 - 19:45): The perfect convergence for founders and investors. 👉 Hit that registration button now: https://lnkd.in/eEGEDVvp #LeuvenSlushD #sideevents #founders #investors

I just completed Moreton Bay Regional Council's Entrepreneurship and Innovation on @[Forage](urn:li:organization:68514998).in the simulation I: * Completed a job simulation that gave insight into the tasks and challenges that entrepreneurs face. * Created a pitch deck to send to Venture Capital firms for pre-seed investment.  * Used Wordpress to create a one page website, with the goal of convincing viewers that the product or service is worth buying. Check out the simulation here: https://lnkd.in/gX_MwyPh Forage