Resources for Entrepreneurs

Top Rated Resource

http://www.ri-bizplan.com/Resources/BusinessPlans/tabid/193/Default.aspx

Accelerators/Competitions/Events

LAUNCH (an annual event)
RI Business Plan Competition
Kauffman Portal to Find Regional Events
Start Up Weekends
Intuit Collaboratory
Smallbiztechnology.com
Astia (accelerator for women founded start-ups)
Springboard Enterprises (platform for women-led businesses)
Betaspring (Providence Based Accelerator)
TechStars (4-city accelerator: Boston, NYC, Seattle, Boulder)
TechStars Network (a global network of accelerators)
Quirky (do you have a consumer product idea? Submit it here)
Startup Open (Kauffman competition)

 Community Resources

Free Geek Providence
RI.Gov
Providence Economic Development Partnership
AIGA-RI Chapter
Betaspring
Dun and Bradstreet Credibility Corp
Entrepreneur Launch Pad
Every Company Counts
Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce
Newport County Chamber of Commerce
North Central RI Chamber of Commerce
Northern RI Chamber of Commerce
Providence Geeks
Research Alliance
RI Economic Development Corporation
RI Nexus
Small Business Administration (SBA)
SBA – SCORE
Slater Technology Fund
Small Business Development Center
Tech Collective
Center for Women and Enterprise
Swearer Center for Public Service
Social Venture Partners RI/Social Enterprise RI

Brown Student/Faculty Resources

Brown Economics Department (EconDUG)
Brown Forum for Enterprise (now the RI-CIE Forum)
Brown Investment Group
Brown Social Enterprise Club
Brown Student Agencies (BSA)
Brown Women in Business
Brown Socially Responsible Investment Fund
Program in Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship
CV Starr Program in Commerce, Organizations, and Entrepreneurship (C.O.E)
Swearer Center for Public Service
Technology Ventures Office at Brown
Brown Daily Herald Job Board

Discounted Software Packages
Business Plan Pro

Blogs/Websites:

Humbled MBA
SuperLP
Startup Addict.com (crowdfunding resource)
Business Insurance.org (Great small business guide)
Greenhorn Connect
Portfolio.com
Maxims4Mavericks
Help a Reporter Out (HARO)( Free Publicity Resource)
Funding Roadmap
American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
Uncluttered White Spaces
Entrepreneurship.org
Stanford University Entrepreneurship Corner (podcasts)
BNET
Harvard Business Review
Mashable
TechCrunch
Under 30 CEO
Anthill
CIO
The RIC Blog
Startup Professionals Musings
Upstart Ventures
A Smart Bear
Boston.Com
Small Business Trends
Caplinked
Huffington Post
Alex Blagg-Bajillion Hits
Mark Suster’s Blog
Musings of a Venture Capitalist in NYC
Ask the Venture Capitalist
Feld Thoughts
IP Law for Startups Blog
INC.com
Entrepreneur.com
Innovation America
Kauffman Foundation
Business Innovation Factory
The Heart of Innovation
TED: Ideas Worth Spreading
National Collegiate
Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA)
Ashoka U-Changemaker Campuses
Kickstarter-A Funding Website
Idea Connection-Matching Investors to Entrepreneurs
Venture Beat
Entrepreneur Corner

Informative Articles

1. Introduction into Startups:
http://gigaom.com/2010/01/02/startup-company-lessons/

2. Writing an Executive Summary:
http://www.inc.com/guides/2010/09/how-to-write-an-executive-summary.html

3. Making a Pitch Deck:
http://techcrunch.com/2012/01/07/pitchdeck/

Suggested Reading

Hit the Deck – David Ronick (great intro to the essential components of any business plan or pitch)
Mastering the VC Game – Jeffrey Bussgang
The Startup Game – William Draper
Founders at Work – Jessica Livingston (great compilation of founder interviews)
Delivering Happiness – Tony Hsieh (amazing story of founder of Zappos)
Venture Deals – Brad Feld (startup bible)

Dun and Bradstreet Credibility Corp