Steve Acho is a Detroit-based singer-songwriter-pianist. He honed his stage skills performing standup comedy starting at the age of eight, and continued through high school. He taught himself to play piano, after being inspired by a Billy Joel concert his parents took him to.
A self-taught singer and piano player, he began performing in coffee houses, restaurants, bars, and private events in the Detroit area starting in 1993.
This week’s guest on Be Investable is the University Relations at theMichigan Economic Development Corporation Director (MEDC), Denise Graves.
Denise shares what the MEDC is and how it works. As a successful entrepreneur Denise works on transferring new innovative technologies that have been developed in universities and getting them into the work field via business start-ups.
The first, and now the model of a fund of funds, the Renaissance Venture Capital Fund (RVCF) invests in the very best venture capital funds in the country and brings them to Michigan to invest in the hot entrepreneurial ecosystem. The unique model of investing in funds instead of individual companies has helped create interest and growth in the ecosystem in Michigan, attracting funds from around the country.
2017 appears to be a booming year for investing! Invest Michigan, a nonprofit organization funded by the State of Michigan focuses on pre-seed and seed companies. They also co-invest with key partners in Michigan for all their investments.
Stephen Key, co-founder of InventRight.com, believes he is the richest man in the world because he loves what he does. It’s not work. Challenging yes, but not work. Helping other inventors get their product licensed is so rewarding he feels that it is like reliving his personal licensing successes.
The type of entrepreneur who is destined for failure is the know-it-all. We’ve seen them, we’ve listened to them, and maybe at one point or another, we’ve even been them. It’s the entrepreneur who thinks they know best, is not open to criticism, even if it is constructive. This know-it-all entrepreneur does not listen to anyone’s viewpoint that may disagree with theirs - no matter the source - an experienced entrepreneur, a mentor, potential customer, and most importantly, an investor.
Inventors want to get their product to market – but often don’t know what it takes. Well Scott Boocock can tell them what it takes – starting with solving a problem. As the inventor of the HEG, the H from ‘hook’ and the EG from ‘Peg’ – he solved a very simple problem – how to hang some clothing on a clothesline when a standard clothespins didn’t work well. But it’s more than the idea, it was pushing through the doubters, overcoming the obstacles but most importantly, it was the passion of its creator that resulted in a very successful, simple product.
If we mention the book series Rich Dad, Poor Dad, most of our readers are familiar with it and it’s co-author Sharon Lechter. If we mention the book by Napoleon Hill entitled Outwitting the Devil, most may know Sharon annotated the 1937 manuscript for today’s business world. Think and Grow Rich is also another famous book that Sharon has reworked for today’s businesswomen, Think and Grow Rich for Women.
Taking on new business he wasn’t sure he could handle is just one of the most challenging things Gabe Karp dealt with at ePrize. Transitioning from an established private law practice to the world of startups was a huge shift and risk for Gabe, one that taught him innumerable lessons. Joining the startup with a 20-person team and leaving when it was close to 500 people, Gabe lived through the rapid growth, the challenge of maintaining a culture of accountability, as well as learning more about the Merger & Acquisition side of business.
Skip Simms, Senior Vice President of SPARK and Managing Member of Michigan Angel Fund is in a unique position to give advice for companies looking for resources to get an idea off the ground, to get funding for an established business. Obviously, in his roles he deals daily with the State of Michigan’s Smart Zone Network and the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) – of which Michigan is one of the premier programs. He also deals daily with technology entrepreneurs. He knows what is needed to capture the attention, and the money, of investors.
