Article posted on Oct 29
Today on the Tech Spotlight we have a review written and sent in by a guest poster (I know, exciting, huh?) But first let me introduce the writer of the post below (mainly because I think his company is really neat.) Last week I wrote about the Speed Pitching event I attended, and how neat some of the businesses there were. Well, one of them is Klymit, by the guys over at ArgonGear. For those of you who may not know, I am an avid snowboarder. As such, I was on the edge of my seat when these guys came in with a fuly functional jacket liner that is three times more insulating than thinsulate, AND actually allows you to dial in the level of insulation you need (there is actually a dial on the jacket! functional, effective, and cool enough to impress the best of the techno-geeks, and the Extreme sports crowd!!!) Summary: freaking cool jacket liner. I will be buying one.
But, enough drooling over their products… On to the post about the event (Written by Nick Sorenson):
(As a note: If you would like to see your review of a local event here, please let us know.)
I attended the Utah Inventor Symposium on Oct. 26 at the SLCC Miller Campus not realizing how valuable an investment my $20 membership fee would be.
I heard about it through Connect Magazine’s newsletter and decided to attend because of its relevance to a startup venture I’m currently working on. Throughout the conference I was overwhelmed at the caliber of speakers Vaughn North and his team had assembled.
Some of the big-hitting speakers included Dr. Stephen Jacobsenâ€â€who holds over 200 patents; and Woody Norrisâ€â€the 2005 MIT inventor of the year. Topics included cutting-edge technology, product development, and commercialization of inventions.
Here are a few of the many insights I gained from the two (out of 12 available) breakout sessions I attended:
Dennis Wood, Human Capital VP, Vspring Capital
• The management hiring process for a startup follows a general pattern. You should probably think about building a team in this order:
o During Product Development: CEO & Advisory Board
o BETA Phase: Board of Directors, CFO (or outsourced comparable services), Sales & Marketing VPs
o Shipping Product: HR & Administration
o Profitability: looking for new members to take it to the next level
• Utah has an economic and community climate that is very attractive to potential companies and executivesâ€â€use it to your advantage
• A good manager with broad startup skills and excellent ability to build a team may end up being more valuable to your startup than a “big ticket†executive with enormous industry/product experience at a successful company, but less of the team-building/manager skills.
Dennis gave a very entertaining breakout and is a super-kind individual. He spent over 20 minutes talking with me afterword and I really learned a lot from him. A top-quality man!
Brad Bertroch, The Wayne Brown Institute
Tips for Raising Capital
• When in doubt, everything is a security
o You need to know the laws that govern the money you will take and how you’ll take it
• Seek competent legal counsel
• Beware of finders
o Those who help you raise money for a fee; this may violate securities laws
• Deal with people who can afford the risk
• Keep it simple
• Keep good records
Brad was an energetic speaker with very extensive knowledge. He handled a lot of good questions and explained many difficult concepts simply.
Overall, I felt like I had received a couple thousand dollars worth of training by the time I left the symposium. I will definitely be there next time. I would encourage all of you who are starting a business or creating new products to attend, because, after all, you’re inventing things too. Visit www.utahinventor.org for more resources, video links to the presentations given, and updates on future events.
Nick Sorensen
Argon Technologies Inc.
www.argongear.com
Article posted on Oct 26
This week I had the distinct pleasure of attending my second Speed Pitching Event put on by Funding Universe.  This month’s event was held in Kaysville, and focussed on what is going on in our sister cities to the north. Now, you might think me a bad person for saying this, but I haven’t always been the biggest fan of the Ogden area. Well folks… I am having a heaping helping of crow today. It is amazing what is going on up there. the Salomon Center hosts such things as a vertical wind tunnel, and a surf pool! And that’s just the start! Add to that the fact that Salomon is moving their headquearters there, as are several other companies, plus the amazing local companies and ideas. The businesses I saw were not just neat ideas, a huge number of them are very much in synch with capitalizing on the new youth, energy, and unique extreme-sports kind of spirit that is infusing our state just a short drive away.
As for the event itself… should you try to attend if you are an investor or entrepreneur? Let me say this: I saw several people receive EXCELLENT guidance that will surely help them be more successful. I saw several people agree to have followup meetings with interested investors. I saw several investors whose interest really seemed peaked at some of the ideas, and I met a lot of really amazing people. If those things are not of interest to you, then don’t both coming. But if that were the case you’d still be over in front of the TV anyway!
Thanks and massive kudos go out to Blake for the events he puts on, as well as Lindsey, and the many others who help him make it all happen! Keep up the good work!
Article posted on Oct 23
I know it has been a couple of weeks since I have posted here… so much has been going on, that I just keep waiting for a break in the action so I can gather my thoughts and post it all here. But as it seems there is no end in sight, I wanted to at least get some hi-lights out here.
Blogging 4 Business:
For those of you who missed it, Matthew Reinbold from Voxpop Design, and Jason Alba (no relation to Jessica) from Jibber Jobber did one heck of a job pulling together a conference downtown. Believe me, I know what a harrowing experience that can be. Excellent job guys!
Park City Chamer of Commerce:
Last week I attended my first event put on by the Park City Chamber. Wow. Very impressive (further assisted by a beautiful in the Deer Valley background.) I am really impressed with the PC Chamber. Expect to see more reviews on their events in the future.
Speed Pitching Event:
Tomorrow I will be in attendance at my second Grow Utah Ventures’ speed pitching event being held in Kaysville. I’ll have a full review later this week. If it is anywhere near as interesting as the last one I will have plenty to write about.
Unspam Podcast done:
Yes, I know… it took me forever. But we finally have the podcast done from the Unspam tech Spotlight. I’ll have it online before the end of the week. Additionally, I am narrowing in on dayes to get myself and Jeremy Hanks from Doba together to record that podcast. Sorry to be running behinds on these… anyone know a good coach on plate spinning?
Article posted on Oct 08
October Tech Spotlight:
I have had the pleasure of getting to know a very large number of entrepreneurs. Among them however, Jeremy Hanks of Doba really stands out. Not only has Jeremy been very successful in building his company here in Utah (currently ranked the 23rd fastest growing privately held business in the Nation), but what Jeremy brings goes far beyond his business savvy and incredible success. Jeremy, more so than any entrepreneur I have met, has an amazing genuineness and a positive energy that just makes you feel good when you talk to him. You walk away saying to yourself “I’m not sure what he does… but I want to do it.”
Don’t miss the chance to learn more about a real Utah success story.  Also, don’t miss out on an opportunity for some really frank, intimate discussion with a truly rare individual.
Mark your calendar now:
Date: Thursday, October 11th
Time: 1:00 - 2:00
Location: Bohemian Brewery And Grill
(94 East and 7200 South, right off of State Street, SLC)
 Feel free to RSVP for a reminder
Or we’ll just see you when you get there.
In other news:
November Spotlight
The November Tech Spotlight has been chosen. Look for details on the company and location in coming weeks.
Utah New Media Conference
Unfortunately, the Utah New Media Conference has run into
some conflicts, and some of the presenters will not be available to present as planned. As such, rather than scramble at the last minute to put together a conference that would do anything less than full justice to such an exciting and innovative topic we have opted to reschedule the event. We apologize for any problems this may cause, and appreciate your continued interest in this topic. We will be sending out notice in the coming weeks of the new date and agenda.
Also, we want to make sure that everyone is aware that we are actively taking submissions for technologies to be spotlighted. Have a Utah technology that is cool? Know of one? Be sure to tell us, so we can make sure everyone else knows too.
