By guest authors Irina Patterson and Candice Arnold Mark: It probably takes getting to $20 million or $30 million in sales before a larger technology company would be interested in acquiring a company. You’re going to have to get at least part of the way there. It’s hard to draw a line in the sand.
By guest authors Irina Patterson and Candice Arnold Mark: It’s never too early for an entrepreneur to come and spend time with us. We have an open door. That’s what we love to do. We’re in this business because we love working with any type of entrepreneur. As long as you’re attempting to build a
By guest authors Irina Patterson and Praveen Karoshi Irina: What is your incubator’s business model? How is it funded? Ebony: We get a lot of support from foundations and various grants. We’ve also taken a loan. Our goal is to become a self-sustainable nonprofit organization.
By guest authors Irina Patterson and Candice Arnold Mark: A fair deal has usually been reached when both sides leave the table equally dissatisfied. If one side feels like it leaves that table happy … it’s like a seesaw. Everybody’s got to be equally dissatisfied. If one team is more dissatisfied than the other, then
By guest authors Irina Patterson and Praveen Karoshi Irina: How is the Bizdom U program is different from what you offer? Ebony: They are not an incubator. They have a four-month accelerator program. They accept a small number of folks, and you have to have a full-time commitment. You couldn’t have a job. It is
By guest authors Irina Patterson and Candice Arnold Irina: What factors receive the most weight when debating whether to invest? Mark: It’s a combination of a large market opportunity and a great team. We’re looking for three things: a large market opportunity; a unique and compelling solution to that market opportunity; and a small team
By guest authors Irina Patterson and Praveen Karoshi Irina: Do you know how entrepreneurs get evaluated for these loans? Ebony: The loans are based on business worthiness, where they are in their stages of development, who is in place on their team, and the feasibility of their idea, what is their plan, what is their
By guest authors Irina Patterson and Candice Arnold I am talking to Mark Solon, co-founder and managing partner of Highway 12 Ventures, which is a $75 million venture fund in Boise, Idaho. Highway 12 invests in high-growth start-up companies in the Intermountain West.