15 technology start-up companies from the ESA program will participate in 3 day business acceleration workshop led by Xelerator. April 28-30, 2010.

More info here.

How long should I hang onto the dream? See blog: xelerator.blogspot.com

Rick Salmon has been appointed as President of the Selection Jury for 2009 European Venture Contest Finals which will be held on December 14th and 15th, 2009 in Barcelona. The Jury will consist of 45 distinguished members representing the Venture Capital community in Europe.  Over 700 startup companies have competed in the contest this year and the top 25 have been chosen to go to the finals in Barcelona.

Jury members will select a winner in each of the 5 categories of cleantech, life sciences, new media, software and electronics. From these top 5 companies, 1 overall winner will be selected and awarded a cash prize of EU 90,000.  The companies will be evaluated on the basis of 7 factors (including business development, investment potential, team and presentation, etc.).

Rick Salmon competed in the 2008 European Venture Contest as CEO of company RPR Technologies AS (Norway) and was selected as winner of the Cleantech category. This year, he has been asked to be the President of the Jury in order to represent and promote the entrepreneur viewpoint and to acknowledge his work with empowering European entrepreneurs.

For more information about the Eurecan European Venture Contest, see:  www.e-unlimited.com

Workshop Background:    Most new startup companies that are seeking funding make many simple and easily remedied mistakes. It is not that they fail to see these things, it is just that they lack experience with the process. Xelerator has vast experience and a proven track record in helping small startup companies get the funding and resources that they need to succeed. We have also made a lot of mistakes, which is part of the game when you take chances and are true entrepreneurs. You can avoid these headache and learn from our mistakes. In this 3 hour workshop, Xelerator will present 50 specific things you can quickly do with your startup company to dramatically improve your chances of getting funding. Increasing your odds.

• Find out more about this by attending a free webinar on either April 16th or April 17th or register now for this 3 hour intensive workshop / seminar.

Workshop Format:     This workshop is a live, interactive, online workshop. The workshop facilitator (Rick Salmon) will present the theory and background information in a webinar format. Attendees can sit at their own desks locally and be able to view the presentations over the web. They will be able to ask questions, interact with the course leaders and with the other entrepreneurs attending.  Attendees will be given assignments and specific tasks to work on and then to present to the group. This is a highly interactive learning experience and will deliver specific results for the attendees.  Full workshop documentation and follow-up will be provided.

• Register for the workshop before April 15th and save €25.00 off registration fee.
• Register for 2 or more workshops at the same time and get 15% discount.

Workshop Background:    One of the first things an investor will ask is “what are your current sales revenues?”. After all, they are good businessmen and they want to know if you are also a good businessman. The faster that you can generate sales from the products and services of your startup company, the faster you will prove that your actual business model works. This is one of the key things that investors will look for, and something that will dramatically increase your chances of getting investor funding. If there are real, live customers out there who are willing to pay money for your products and services, then funding your business is inherently less risky.  Xelerator can show you how to do this quickly, and we can work together to get you results in a very short amount of time.

• Find out more about this by attending a free webinar on either April 16th or April 17th or register now for this 3 hour intensive workshop / seminar.

Workshop Format:     This workshop is a live, interactive, online workshop. The workshop facilitator (Rick Salmon) will present the theory and background information in a webinar format. Attendees can sit at their own desks locally and be able to view the presentations over the web. They will be able to ask questions, interact with the course leaders and with the other entrepreneurs attending.  Attendees will be given assignments and specific tasks to work on and then to present to the group. This is a highly interactive learning experience and will deliver specific results for the attendees.  Full workshop documentation and follow-up will be provided.

• Register for the workshop before April 15th and save €25.00 off registration fee.
• Register for 2 or more workshops at the same time and get 15% discount.

Workshop Background:     There are traditional and non-traditional methods that will make customers aware of your startup products and services.  If you have an army of 1000 soldiers, you would do battle in one way. If you only have 3 soldiers and scarce resources, you must fight differently.  With a small startup, you must substitute using your brains for the cash that your competitors have. Xelerator can teach you fast and effective sales techniques and Guerrilla Marketing methods that are designed specifically for small businesses and startups. They are inexpensive and rapid techniques, but they will bring customers to you quickly. This is not difficult, and probably not what they teach at Harvard Business School, but he results will surprise you.

• Find out more about this by attending a free webinar on either April 16th or April 17th or register now for this 3 hour intensive workshop / seminar.

Workshop Format:     This workshop is a live, interactive, online workshop. The workshop facilitator (Rick Salmon) will present the theory and background information in a webinar format. Attendees can sit at their own desks locally and be able to view the presentations over the web. They will be able to ask questions, interact with the course leaders and with the other entrepreneurs attending.  Attendees will be given assignments and specific tasks to work on and then to present to the group. This is a highly interactive learning experience and will deliver specific results for the attendees.  Full workshop documentation and follow-up will be provided.

• Register for the workshop before April 15th and save €25.00 off registration fee.
• Register for 2 or more workshops at the same time and get 15% discount.

To accelerate your startup during a recession you must have a
STRATEGY for SURVIVAL and GROWTH.

Here are four tips:

1. Don’t lose your belief and your will to win, even though most others around you are losing theirs… No other piece of advice is more valuable. Guard your enthusiasm and optimism carefully. This is what makes you special as an entrepreneur. Do not let anyone diminish this! The great news is that most people will give in to negative thoughts and walk around with a cloud hanging over their heads. You, on the other hand, will refuse to let this current (temporary) situation affect you and you will have the sunshine on your face at all times. Prospects and customers will notice this and be drawn to you.

2. Have the intellectual agility to quickly adapt… to modify your product or services, to repackage, rename or even reinvent what you are offering to harmonize with the dominant fears and beliefs of the times. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, companies that sold men’s neckties actually increased their sales. When consumers had less money, they put off buying a new suit, but invested in a new tie instead. Have you thought through how your business could adapt to actually benefit from the current situation? Can you change your message or packaging in order to reflect this?

3. Redirect your efforts at better, more likely buyers… (i.e., focus on those buyers that are the least or the last to be effected by the recession). We all have different types of customers. Which of your customers will be less affected by a recession? Look at public (government) spending. Take a look at the companies that are still hiring new employees today. Who are they? What is it about them that makes them less or last affected by the recession? There are clues everywhere. Are you looking carefully enough and are you flexible enough to take advantage of this quickly?

4. Work harder… There is no replacement for this. During tough times, you just have to work harder than the rest. You must be more diligent and follow-up more closely in order to get the optimal value out of every customer lead you get. Keep your optimism (as in point 1), work harder and you will be surprised that even during tough economic times you will survive and even thrive.

Remember that during the biggest crises, come the biggest opportunities.

Team up with others who can help you! Want to discuss this and other issues affecting startup companies with other experienced entrepreneurs? Attend one of our free monthly webinars. See www.xelerator.com for dates and times.