VentureCast, the private online network that brings together promising entrepreneurs with qualified angel and venture capital investors announced the completion of its inaugural webcast
event on Tuesday morning. The event allowed four promising entrepreneurs to present their business plans to a number of investors from around the country, all of whom listened and watched
the presentations from their office.
The event, which lasted approximately one-hour, gave each entrepreneur an opportunity to make a 10 minute presentation as the VentureCast facilitator controlled the web-cast, kept track
of time and facilitated Q & A. Over 10 investors representing funds totaling more than $50 million dollars took part in the inaugural event including, Progress Partners, Capital
Valley Investors, Startup Florida, HUB Angels and Startup Massachusetts to name a few.
's8220;I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of deals presented this morning,'s8221; said Rich Swier, Managing Director of Startup Florida. 's8220;The event was facilitated well and
there was plenty of quality exchange between investors and entrepreneurs-well worth an hour of my time. I definitely plan to participate in future VentureCast events.'s8221;
VentureCast, which officially launched a little over a month ago (June 2006), has been well received by the investment community. Within the first 30 days, over fifty accredited investors
added their information to the website. The website is free to join and gives investors the ability review and rate business plans that have been pre-screened by the VentureCast team.
Additionally, over two hundred business plans have been submitted during the first month, of which forty have been qualified and are now posted on the website viewable only by accredited
investors. Of the forty approved business plans, over 15 have already signed up for future VentureCast events.
's8220;We's8217;re saving everyone time, money and energy,'s8221; said Bill Jula, Managing Partner of VentureCast. 's8220;Investors spend a good part of their time reviewing plans that
are not necessarily qualified. Additionally, entrepreneurs spend an exorbitant amount of time and energy just trying to get their foot in the door with each investor. Our model, and
particularly our events, bring these two parties together in a more efficient and effective way.'s8221;
The business plans being presented during the inaugural event came from all over the country and from a cross-section of industries including wireless security, private jet
transportation, fire protection security and a promising restaurant chain based out of Colorado. Each presenter spent approximately eight minutes making their 's8220;pitch's8221; as
investors listened attentively and asked a variety of additional qualification questions through a chat window. After 8 minutes of presenting their plan, the entrepreneurs spent two
minutes fielding questions that were deemed important by the VentureCast facilitator.
's8220;The opportunity to make my pitch to a diversified group of investors from around the country from the comfort of my office was a worthwhile experience,'s8221; said Duncan MacKay,
CEO of MobileSecure. 's8220;To reach that many investors might normally involve countless phone calls, extended travel time, hotel expenses and more. VentureCast events let us reach the
investor community without forcing us to take time away from running our day to day operations.'s8221;
The second web-cast event is scheduled for September 12th. The event will allow for five companies to present and an unlimited number of investors. For more information about attending
VentureCast you can visit: www-venturecast-net.
About VentureCast:
VentureCast is a Private Network of Investors and Entrepreneurs. As the first online community focused on Venture Capital and Angel Investing, VentureCast brings innovative ways to
connect investors and entrepreneurs through webcasts, matching profiles and online networking. VentureCast is improving the process of how investment opportunities are brought to
investors leveraging the web and technology. www-venturecast-net