Posts Tagged ‘advisoryCommittee’
You sent in your application, we read it, we liked it and now you’re coming to Bloomington for Selection Weekend. After much anticipation, it’s time to choose our 8th sprout. Maybe it’s you. Frankly, I have no idea because I’m not the one reading the applications. But I do know that if you made it this far, you have an idea that impressed our committee.
Of course, I would advise you to run through the six criteria for a strong candidate. These are crucial for giving a complete presentation and will help you anticipate tough questions in advance. But don’t forget one of the most compelling parts of your presentation: your story.
What inspired the idea for your business? Why are you really at the box presenting to us? This may seem like a small detail. You may even be rolling your eyes. But if you aren’t excited about your story, how do you expect the committee members to be? You spent endless hours crafting a detailed business plan, explaining exactly how you intend to make money. Now this is your chance to show us why the committee should pick you over every other startup that applied this quarter.
Set your presentation apart with a story that makes a strong impression and tell us what you’re all about. Think of what qualities make a great story: short, engaging, relevant and personal. These qualities aren’t reserved for classic bedtime stories or cocktail parties. They are a guide to help you clearly explain the vision for your company in an interesting way and to make your presentation memorable.
Now, I’m not saying that you should start with a twenty-minute monologue about your undying love for SaaS companies, but a simple, compelling story sets the tone for the rest of your presentation and naturally transitions to the question, “What problem is your company going to solve?”
Tell us why you’re here and why you’re confident that your idea solves a real problem. If you believe in what you’re doing, your personality and dedication will be obvious.
We look forward to seeing what you have prepared. Good luck, have a safe trip and we’ll see you soon.
Applications for our next sprout are now open! Apply here.
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Posted by Brad on September 21, 2010 
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After months of reviewing stacks of business plans, researching markets, and interviewing founders, we’ve found the man with the plan to be the next Sprout. Proposable will provide an innovative solution for sales proposal creation, delivery, and measurability, enabling salespeople in every industry to maximize their sales efforts and gain new insight into when and how their proposals are being viewed. Proposable will provide a monthly subscription service whereby proposals can quickly be created, delivered, monitored and organized securely online.
Proposable is the creation of James Kappen, a repeat entrepreneur hailing from the Los Angeles area. James’ previous ventures include a bidding platform for the global tradeshow industry and Santa Barbara Homeowner Magazine, a regional lifestyle magazine for the seaside town of Santa Barbara, Ca. James loves creating music and is an avid song writer and multi instrumentalist. James will be relocating to Bloomington to begin work on Proposable later this month.
We couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity that James brings. Shaking up the traditional sales process has been a goal of ours for years. James has been in direct sales, and he’s managed other salespeople, so he knows firsthand the problem we’re about to solve. In addition to giving new insights to salespeople and valuable tools for sales managers, Proposable has the potential to drastically shorten sales cycles. The value proposition for customers is awesome. Proposable is going to be a very disruptive force in the CRM market.
Proposable intends to integrate with leading lightweight CRM solutions to provide a seamless experience for users. If you have an open CRM or contact management system, let us know and we’ll add you to the partner queue.
Follow James on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/proposable, or visit http://www.proposable.com to sign up for updates.
James Kappen
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Posted by Brad on October 1, 2009 3 Comments
The Selection and Advisory Committee is the guiding light that helps SproutBox identify, target, and grow the next generation of entrepreneurs. Each quarter, the committee assists the SproutBox founders with the selection of a new Sprout. The committee meets to review applications and hear pitches from entrepreneurs from all over the world. Once a Sprout is selected, committee members help mentor entrepreneurs by sharing their knowledge and experience over lunches, coffees, chats, and calls. The close relationship our Selection and Advisory Committee members have with each entrepreneur will be a critical component in the success of our companies.
Our committee is already loaded with successful entrepreneurs. Now we’re adding some more tech firepower. We’re proud to announce these new additions to our team!
Neal Patel – Google, Inc
Business Development and Strategy
Neal works in business development and strategy at Google, Inc., where he focuses on initiatives and partnerships that further Google’s mission to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. Prior to joining Google, Neal worked as a strategy consultant and also spent over five years structuring and negotiating M&A and corporate finance transactions. In his spare time, Neal advises various start-ups and investors in the tech sector, and is also a co-founder of Bacche, Inc., an upscale children’s apparel company whose clothing celebrates the world and its cultural diversity. Neal holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Northwestern University and a J.D. from the University of Virginia.
Anand Iyer – Microsoft, Inc
Technology Evangelist
Anand joined Microsoft in January 2005 as an Evangelist, Microsoft’s ambassador to the Silicon Valley. During his tenure there, he has been in the midst of several launches, such as Visual Studio, SQL Server, Vista, Office and many others. Anand is actively involved in the startup community in the Silicon Valley and liaises with Microsoft corporate development teams and startup companies. Before joining Microsoft, Anand worked for Cisco Systems’ New Business Ventures team, pioneering XML-based manageability solutions. Anand has close ties to the state of Indiana – he graduated from Purdue University in 2001 with a degree in Computer Engineering.
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Posted by Mike on July 29, 2009 2 Comments
