RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – Are you an Investor-Ready Entrepreneur?

North Carolina’s Small Business and Technology Development Center is hosting a two-day workshop for entrepreneurs starting Wednesday.

Entrepreneurs, angel investors, venture capitalists, angel networks and fund executives designed the program to encompass the world of equity funding. They fashioned the sessions to detail the road to success—and investment—for amateurs and seasoned entrepreneurs alike.

Attendees will be introduced to the private equity investment process and the funding landscape. An investor panel of six will host a Q&A for the entirety of the program and support keynote speaker Robert Preville of KWIPPED, Inc. The second half of the program takes place a week later, on Dec. 9, when attendees will dive into valuation and deal structure.

The presentation will be led by SBTDC’s equity funding specialist, Mike Carnes. In this role, he supports North Carolina’s small businesses and entrepreneurs with business counseling, training, grant and equity capital formation.

On top of his work at SBTDC, Carnes strategizes intellectual property management for various university technology transfer offices and assists university-based startups.

SBTDC selected Preville, founder and CEO of KWIPPED, as the keynote speaker for the two-day workshop. Preville is a self-proclaimed serial entrepreneur and investor, responsible for several business-to-business companies.

After receiving his Bachelor of Science from the University of Maryland, Preville started his career at EDS, now commonly known as Siemens. He went on to become a founding employee and vice president of sales for MFG.com, a portfolio company of Jeff Bezos’s Bezos Expeditions. Later, he founded and sold GlobalTestSupply.com, ranked #800 on the INC 5000 fastest-growing companies list.

Six additional panelists will support Preville and provide an “insider’s look” into the world of equity funding:

  • Robbie Hardy wrote “Upsetting the Table”, a book focused on female empowerment. She strives to connect and guide women for successful careers and turn dreams into reality.
  • Eva Doss, president and CEO of The Launch Place, returns as a panelist from SBTDC’s 2019 series. Her company, a leading entrepreneurial development organization, offers consulting, training, seed investment and more in Danville, Virginia and Research Triangle Park. Doss also has 20 years of international business experience.
  • Jeff Kaplan, director of Venture Asheville, catalyzes high-growth startups. He formerly instructed entrepreneurship at the University of Florida, and has published on entrepreneurship pedagogy.
  • Lou Anne Flanders-Stec brings 18 years of involvement with entrepreneurs in private business and academia and 15 years in financial management. She is currently EVP of entrepreneurship for Launch Greensboro, Greensboro Area Chamber of Commerce.
  • Kip Johnson is another returning panelist for this event. The Morningstar Law Group attorney will offer insights into due diligence, funding, and business strategy. Johnson typically works with seed-stage startups in the tech industry.
  • Tom Droege co-founded Resilient Ventures, a $10 million committed capital investment fund. The company aims to minimize the disparities in access and opportunity for entrepreneurs by investing in black-owned businesses.

Attendees are encouraged to create an optional one-page company overview and share their story with investors and participants.

Register for the event here.

(C) N.C. Biotech Center