FastTrac® TechVenture™: Be the Next Big Thing

Be the Next Big Thing™

FastTrac® TechVenture™ is a comprehensive business training program that addresses the needs of start-up entrepreneurs refining and writing their business plans and seeking to grow sustainable high-impact companies. The program combines one-on-one coaching, peer learning, guest speakers and comprehensive tools to help entrepreneurs produce solid business plans and strategies.

FastTrac® TechVenture™ classes are led by experienced instructors and mentor workshop leaders who are entrepreneurs with extensive company building, bootstrapping and fund-raising experience. The course also utilizes expert guest speakers and panelists from the entrepreneurial, corporate, angel, venture capital, legal and financial communities. FastTrac® TechVenture™ classes meet weekly from 5:30-9:00 p.m. A typical night of class includes a guest speaker or panel, dinner and elevator pitches, an instructor talk and workshop breakout sessions (one-on-one and group work).

Class Outline

• Week 1: Entrepreneurial Mindset vs. Reality
• Week 2: Market Definition
• Week 3: Market Research and Analysis
• Week 4: Market Penetration
• Week 5: Financial Models I and Alternative Funding Sources
• Week 6: Building the Entrepreneurial Management Team
• Week 7: Planning for Employees and Growth
• Week 8: Investor Mindset and Deal Structures
• Week 9: IP Protection and Financial Models II
• Week 10: Managing Growth, Cash Management and Burn Rate
• Post-Class: Investment Pitch Refinement Sessions

FastTrac® TechVenture™ features:

• Teams of trained instructors with successful company building experience
• A focus on each participant's own business rather than academic models
• Reviewed homework assignments that create a thorough business plan
• Extensive classroom participation
• Comprehensive course workbooks, business plan and financial plan software and other collateral materials
• Expert guest speakers with real-world experience and valuable contacts
• Industry-specific breakout groups to enhance peer counseling
• Hands-on, individual business counseling from expert entrepreneurs
• An online discussion group that allows FastTrac Tech entrepreneurs to network with each other, ask questions and discuss common issues as they move through the program together.

Testimonials:

"The biggest benefit of this class for us, already having our product out for about a year, was how it helped us audit our way of thinking and get us motivated to go through the next phase. The class allowed us to make some very beneficial connections and gain valuable feedback on our product." - Chris Graner, founder CEO, Motorstats.com

"I can 100% tell you that without having gone through this program, I would never have been able to start PrepChamps. It was the small group advisors and several successful area CEOs within the FastTrac TechVenture class that helped to incubate my idea." - Dean Bundschu, CEO, PrepChamps

"FastTrac TechVenture was everything I thought it would be and more. It was a great investment of my time and it has given me additional insight to turn around the performance of my business and grow it to scale." - Charles Wilson, CEO, INTELLUS

"This program helped me map out the strategy and direction of my company. It took my partner and I through all of the critical pillars of business planning and management, and helped us craft a presentation to investors. Without the help of CED I would not have the resources I needed to lay the foundation for my business and think beyond the grind of the everyday." - Barbra Denison, marketing director, Cranky Creative Group

Fun Facts:

• Each year more than 75 entrepreneurs are provided the opportunity to showcase their company to investors through FastTrac® TechVenture™ program.

• More than 600 companies have graduated from FastTrac® TechVenture™ since 1999.

• Overall, FastTrac® TechVenture™ participants have raised more than $400 million.

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