I just had a moment to watch the various video pitches recorded for the TAG/GRA Business Launch Competition. A couple of quick thoughts:

• A couple of trends -the big clusters seem to be in:
  • Events, finding something to do, connecting with friends, social networking (3 deals out of the 25)
  • Educational plays - of the 25 pitches on the site, 5 of them were in the education space - that’s a very positive trend, in my opinion.
• A handful of the companies listed recently attended one of our PitchCamp sessions. I’ll say this. It is very obvious to me which ones put in the effort. The difference is night and day in terms of getting the core message across.
• Video pitches have the power to turn otherwise normal people into amateur actors. When I watch a 2 minute video pitch, I don’t want to be entertained - I want to learn about the business, the market, the company, the product - the pain. Bringing in your children for cameo roles, doing humorous skits, or hooting and hollering like a used car salesman just don’t get me all that excited. Granted, it leaves me laughing, but at what …. the jokes, or your business? My two cents … your mileage may vary. At the end of the day, an investor wants to invest in your business, not a local chapter of the Screen Actor’s Guild.

Cheers.

Over the past few months I’ve had the privilege of serving as an advisor and mentor to Henry Hipps, a young entrepreneur here in Atlanta who is embarking on a very ambitious, yet noble undertaking with his venture (Trajectory Learning). Henry entered Trajectory Learning into the TAG/GRA Business Launch Competition, which has a cash prize of $100K and $200K worth of professional services. This prize would allow him to really get the business going. He’s worked extremely hard on this, and it is exciting to see it coming together.

Henry participated in a video pitch component, which if he wins it, he will earn a “bye” during the first round of judging. This is the equivalent of the “People’s Choice” category.

If you have a moment - check out the pitch here (it is the second one listed). It is only a couple of minutes long. I’m sure Henry would appreciate your vote as well - if you have a moment, click the “Vote Here” link at the top of the page, and check the deal you like the most (we’re hoping, of course, that it is Trajectory Learning)

Good job, Henry!

Cheers.

According to our good friends Eric Gregg and Allen Maurer at TechJournalSouth, the Georgia Research Alliance is launching a new venture fund (details below). A good move, although I think the amount invested by the state is on the small end. A lot of the research coming out of the universities will require significant amounts of capital (biotech, cleantech, nanotech, etc.) Even though they are getting 3-to-1 matching funds from the private sector, it could/should be more.

Georgia launching venture fund
January 15, 2008
ATLANTA–Georgia is launching the Georgia Research Alliance Venture Capital Fund, Gov. Sonny Purdue told a Georgia Chamber of Commerce Meeting.

The fund will partner the state with private sector dollars to give companies formed around Georgia research university IP early stage financing.

The state is investing $10 million in the fund which will be matched 3-to-1 by private dollars.

This doesn’t help non-research-based ventures at all, but all boats rise with the rising tide, as they say. I still would like to see the state reconstitute and overfund the ATDC’s seed fund, however. It is time they got serious about boosting early-stage fast-growth deals in the private sector. Don’t get me wrong - governmental involvement is very rarely the solution to a problem. But in this case, I think they can send a strong signal, and play an integral role.

I referred a media contact of mine to the ATDC not too long ago. I completely envisioned a role whereby he could offer internal media/public relations consulting services to ATDC portfolio companies. Think about the tremendous advantage that having a free public relations expert at your disposal would bring to a typical startup. I think the ATDC folks liked the idea, but unfortunately, they are a government entity, and are thus susceptible to the normal budgetary constraints that you would expect.

Come on, Sonny. Let’s get it done.  The ATDC has some great ideas for the future, but the impact that they will inevitably have on the regional economy will be directly correlated to their operating budget and their ability to engage the private sector.

Cheers.