Safford & Baker - Legal Advisors to Technology Businesses

Business Law & Order: Funding 101

mbower — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 19:10:37 +0000

I'm going to be presenting Don Baker's "Developing a Capital Fundraising Plan" at Ann Arbor Spark tonight, Monday, February 20th at 5:00 p.m. Here are the event details: What: Business Law & Order: Funding 101 Where: Ann Arbor SPARK Central, 330 East Liberty, Lower Level, Ann Arbor MI 48104 Date: 2/20/2012 Time: 5:00 PM-7:00 PM Cost: FREE Also presenting are Bradley J. Wyatt from Dickinson Wright PLLC, Gary Kendra of Kendra Law Firm, and Jeffrey L. LaBine from Miller Canfield, presenting on Grant Funding, Securities Law Basics, and “How to Choose Your Investors Wisely”. Hope you can stop by. --Matt

Savvy Entrepreneur-Inside the Mind of an Angel Investor

mbower — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:57:02 +0000

MIT Enterprise Forum of the Great Lakes continues its Savvy Entrepreneur Series on Tuesday, February 21st from 5:30-8:00 p.m. with "Inside the Mind of an Angel Investor". Our very own Don Baker will be joining the panel and is sure to provide some interesting insights -- since he has both represented companies taking angel investments and been an angel investor himself. About the event:

For most entrepreneurs, raising seed and early stage capital is arguably one of the most challenging steps of starting a company. This financing stage is usually too early for most professional Venture Capital firms. And after you've put in most of your own money and that of some close friends and family, it is probably ...read more

Annual Collaboration for Entrepreneurship – ACE ’12

mbower — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:15:51 +0000

The Annual Collaboration for Entrepreneurship, better known as ACE, is Ann Arbor's premier event for entrepreneur networking. ACE '12 is taking place this Tuesday, January 31, 2012, from 2-9 p.m., at Skyline High School in Ann Arbor. From the website:

Each year at ACE, you'll join an exciting, forward-thinking community of innovators, entrepreneurs and business leaders – people like you — who have the vision and drive to build new ventures for a new future. Each year's ACE event, along with the year-long activities of its supporting organizations, is helping to make the Great Lakes region a better place to start and grow a business. Join hundreds of attendees as they take advantage of learning and networking opportunities with fellow ...read more

Ann Arbor New Tech Meetup: Roger Ehrenberg on Big Data

mbower — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:48:20 +0000

This month, Ann Arbor New Tech Meetup, brought to you by a2geeks, is hosting Roger Ehrenberg, celebrated New York angel investor, UM alum, and founder and Managing Partner of IA Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on big data investments. Here's an abstract of Roger's presentation:

Data has touched every industry for decades, so why is Big Data such a hot topic now? In this talk, Roger frames what Big Data means, how it's generated, and how scale companies and startups alike use data as an active asset. He compares sources of data and end-products for example companies, and discusses how to use data as a source of natural competitive advantage.

You can RSVP here. --Matt

Detroit Startup Drinks – Cliff Bell’s December 21st

mbower — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 14:05:13 +0000

The next Detroit Startup Drinks event is Wednesday, December 21, 2011 from 5:30-8 p.m. at Cliff Bell's, 2030 Park Ave., Detroit. Come on down and meet like-minded individuals looking to support startup culture, help each other out, and share ideas…over a pint. Join the Facebook Group. Don’t forget to RSVP. –Matt

Ann Arbor New Tech Meetup: Michigan Business Model Competition finals

mbower — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:04:44 +0000

The Ann Arbor New Tech Meetup is breaking from its regular schedule and format to support the Michigan Business Model Competition Final Event, brought to you by SI Create. From the press release:

Come watch the competition's final four teams pitch their entrepreneurial business models at Blau Auditorium on Monday December 12, 2011. The final four teams will win $5000 in prizes! Judges include Menlo Innovations President Rich Sheridan, SPARK VP Skip Simms, and serial entrepreneur Kurt Skifstad. Come network with innovators from across campus and Ann Arbor! The competition is sponsored by the School of Information, Center for Entrepreneurship, Zell Lurie Institute, Intel Corporation, YouNoodle, and A2NewTech!

Note the new date and time. RSVP Here. Hope you can make it. --Matt

The Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition

mbower — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 14:07:51 +0000

In the crowded world of business plan beauty contests, the Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition sets itself apart by offering the largest crown -- a cool $1 million. Here's the deal:

The Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition is an international business plan competition designed to highlight Michigan as a robust and vibrant venue for innovation and business opportunity. The competition will fuel innovation-based business growth by uncovering the best and brightest new business concepts from local and global entrepreneurs, exposing those opportunities to potential investment capital and fostering their growth within Michigan. The competition targets mid-to-late seed-stage businesses with potential to generate an immediate impact on Michigan’s economy, as well as student concepts with longer-term business viability. With more than $1 ...read more

MIT Enterprise Forum Savvy Entrepreneur Series: 2+2=Infinity

mbower — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 14:18:13 +0000

Safford & Baker is a proud sponsor of the" 2010-11 Savvy Entrepreneur Series" brought to you by the Great Lakes Chapter of the MIT Enterprise Forum (MITEF), UM Dearborn, and Great Lakes Entrepreneur Quest (GLEQ). The Series is co-produced with, and hosted by, a number of the region’s leading innovation accelerators and research institutions, the series provides early to mid-stage technology entrepreneurs with guidance on key topics that all startups and early growth companies must navigate to realize success. The next event in the Series is "2 + 2 = Infinity" on Tuesday, November 8, 2011, 5:30 PM-7:30 PM, covering compensation for the early-stage company:

Building a team with passion, critical skills and connections is critical to your success. If your company ...read more

Tech Brewery in the News

mbower — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 13:48:58 +0000

Our beloved Tech Brewery, "a community of technologists, entrepreneurs and startups", is featured in a story on "What it Takes to be a Successful Business Incubator" as part of Michigan Radio's "Changing Gears" series, which "explores the economic transformation of the industrial Midwest, through the stories of people driving and experiencing this change." From the article:

Each Friday, inside the old Northern Brewery building in Ann Arbor, 4:30 p.m. is known as “beer thirty”. That’s when the self-described tech geeks who are part of this informal business community gather for drinks. The Tech Brewery houses three dozen start-ups – but don’t call it [a] business incubator. “We don’t call ourselves an incubator,” founder Dug Song said. “If anything ...read more

This Week: Detroit Startup Drinks and Fourth Friday at the Tech Brewery

mbower — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 17:09:29 +0000

Two not-to-miss events this week for the entrepreneur: First up, Detroit Startup Drinks is back and visiting The Bronx Bar tomorrow, Tuesday, October 25th, from 6:00pm - 8:00pm. Come on down, have a drink, and talk about what you're working on. S&B is buying the first round. Details at the Facebook page. Then, come on out to Ann Arbor for a very special Halloween edition of Fourth Friday at the Tech Brewery sponsored by newcomers LanguageMate. There will be catering, an amazing dessert display, kegs of Michigan micro brews, and more birds of prey (no really). Details and RSVP here. Hope you can make it. --Matt