Second, connecting informed investors and educated entrepreneurs is key to our business model: if either group doesn’t know how to operate, good investments and successful high growth companies are pretty unlikely to result.
Education is therefore a big part of our collective effort at VentureSouth. We do this during our meetings, on our blog, and, most importantly, through Venture Carolina, our “sister” non-profit that provides educational programs for entrepreneurs and, uniquely?, investors across the Carolinas.
Our educational content at the Summit is deep. The workshops being run are not 30-minute superficial chats to scratch the surface of a trend. These are half-day or full-day "events," with curriculum created by leading educators, delivered by experts in their field, tied to learning outcomes, and valuable whether you are just starting out or having been an investor or entrepreneur for many years. Our goal is meaningful and impactful education, not (just) entertainment.
So what’s on the menu this year?
(1) Post-Investment & Boardroom workshop. This is an Angel Resource Institute workshop, which combines the expertise of angel investors and the entrepreneurial depth of the Kauffman Foundation. The workshop is for our members, and for anyone else, that invest in early stage companies, and for anyone who has taken, or plans to take, investment.
We’ll be learning about common issues that arise after investment.
For an investor, how do we match the right board members with this investment? How do I keep an eye on and assist my new “asset” – help guide them on the right path without interfering?
For an entrepreneur, how do I keep my investors content while creating a great business? How do we all keep everyone aligned and moving towards our mutual goal of a great company and a lucrative financial return?
This workshop aims to equip both investors and entrepreneurs with the knowledge and tools to answer these questions. $99 invested today could save A LOT of problems down the line.
We’ll cover more on education in the next post.