Village Gamer

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Many technology ventures are focused on securing funds from venture capitalists (VCs). This lecture focuses on understanding the motivation of private venture capital firms and how it affects the structure of their term sheets and legal agreements. We explore common pitfalls in dealing with VCs, as well as success stories regarding VC investment.

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Bootstrapping is the act of building your business from your own funds and revenue from customers, instead of raising money from outsiders such as angels and venture capitalists. This is the method that most start-up companies use to build their ventures.

In this lecture, learn the pros and cons of bootstrapping, how to ensure your investment is protected and how to make smart decisions about where to invest money in your company.

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Interested in rubbing elbows with some of Toronto’s hottest life sciences start-ups?

Come hear successful entrepreneurs discuss the challenges and opportunities faced in launching their organizations.

This is part of a series of “Meet the Entrepreneurs” events which present panels of start-up entrepreneurs in different sectors discussing the challenges and opportunities they are facing. Followed by a networking reception.

Come learn from and meet others in your sector.

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This lecture offers a strategic perspective of the distribution channel options available to start-ups. It emphasizes the development of the right criteria for choosing and managing channels.

Learn about the pros and cons of different channels such as inside sales, direct sales, distribution, e-commerce, franchises and integrators. Integrating sales across multiple channels is often a challenge for technology companies. A case study illustrates these points.

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How are you going to sell your product? Learn the principles of “selling value” to your customers, with a special emphasis on the challenges of sales for technology start-ups. Get tips for dealing with stakeholders and distributors and learn how to manage risks and problems.

Get practical tips for making sales calls, including how to successfully close a sale and follow-up with potential customers.

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This lecture provides practical tips on how to prepare to enter the marketplace with your product. It is relevant for all start-ups that are still in a development phase and contemplating the various pieces that need to be in place for product launch. Case studies are used to emphasize the importance of taking a customer-centred approach to market entry and illustrate the barriers to scaling and selling your product.

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This is part of a series of “Lived It” lectures in the program, sessions that offer a great opportunity to hear firsthand and ask questions about the experience of starting up an innovative company from people who have seen it and done it.

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This lecture focuses on defining the field of marketing communications with a particular emphasis on technology start-ups. This lecture is particularly relevant for those start-ups that have limited funds available for marketing. Learn the basics of advertising, branding, sales promotion, public relations and sales. Find out about tools you can use to demonstrate your thought leadership and where to go for help when developing a marketing plan.

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This lecture presents tips, examples, techniques and tools for building the five essential communication documents for entrepreneurs including:

• The Elevator Pitch
• Executive Summary
• Company Presentation
• Technical White Paper
• Business Plan

Learn how to create these communication tools and how to use them effectively to grow your business from an idea to a funded business.

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This lecture covers the human resources policies and practices needed in an entrepreneurial context, including everyone’s favorite HR topics: hiring and firing! Find out why it’s so important to plan your human resources early on in the start-up process. Look at the legalities of hiring employees, the process of recruiting and how to manage and pay employees.