Business Incubator Series: An Interview With Skip Simms, President And CEO, Ann Arbor SPARK — Ann Arbor, Michigan (Part 1)

By guest authors Irina Patterson and Candice Arnold

I am talking to Skip Simms, president and CEO of Ann Arbor SPARK, a nonprofit business development consortium in Michigan that works in partnership with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), the state’s economic development agency, to help early-stage entrepreneurs and growing companies. >>>

Seed Capital From Angel Investors: Tim Cartwright, Chairman, Tamiami Angel Fund – Naples, Florida (Part 5)

By guest authors Irina Patterson and Candice Arnold

Irina: Does your fund have any industry preferences, or is it pretty broad?

Tim: [First], I think we need to have a more robust entrepreneurial ecosystem here in the entire state of Florida.

And there are a lot of elements to that ecosystem. Not only access to early stage capital; we just need an entrepreneurial culture here. A lot of that comes from either people who report on and talk about entrepreneurship or from investing. You’re part of that ecosystem that helps us to spread the word and talk about these important topics. >>>

Seed Capital From Angel Investors: Tim Cartwright, Chairman, Tamiami Angel Fund – Naples, Florida (Part 4)

By guest authors Irina Patterson and Candice Arnold

Tim: We [the Tamiami fund members] typically go through a more robust question and answer period inside of the fund structure [than the Gulf Coast Venture Forum]. When we’re done with our question and answer period, we ask the entrepreneur to leave the meeting. >>>

Seed Capital From Angel Investors: Tim Cartwright, Chairman, Tamiami Angel Fund – Naples, Florida (Part 3)

By guest authors Irina Patterson and Candice Arnold

Irina: What is your geographical focus?

Tim: The state of Florida. As stipulated in our fund document, we are not allowed to invest in companies outside the state of Florida. >>>

Seed Capital From Angel Investors: Tim Cartwright, Chairman, Tamiami Angel Fund – Naples, Florida (Part 2)

By guest authors Irina Patterson and Candice Arnold

Irina: Who are the people who invested in the fund?

Tim: They are all angel investors, all private individuals. We don’t have any venture funds or other institutions in the fund right now.

Irina: Where is the fund located? Does it have a physical address?

Tim: Yes. The angel fund is located in my office. I’m an investor in the fund, so I have my own $50,000 in the fund – but then my company, Fifth Avenue Advisors, has a subsidiary called Peninsula Fund Administrators, which acts as the third-party administrator for the Tamiami Angel Fund. We do have a physical address. It’s 350 Fifth Avenue South, Suite 203, Naples, Florida 34102. >>>

Seed Capital From Angel Investors: Tim Cartwright, Chairman, Tamiami Angel Fund – Naples, Florida (Part 1)

By guest authors Irina Patterson and Candice Arnold

I am talking to Tim Cartwright, chairman of the Tamiami Angel Fund. Created in October 2010 in Naples, Florida, this member-owned and -operated fund, offers early-stage capital in the range of $250,000–$750,000 to high-growth companies located anywhere in the state of Florida. There are 30 investors in the fund, who each put in $50,000. Tamiami Fund is the first angel fund for southwest Florida. >>>

Business Incubator Series: An Interview With Chris Heivly, Executive Director, LaunchBox Digital (Part 7)

By guest authors Irina Patterson and Candice Arnold

Irina: What is your own background? How did you arrive at this point?

Chris: Thank you for asking. I’m an entrepreneur. I’ve done four or five of these things. I’ve had successes and I’ve had failures. My biggest success is that I was one of the founders of MapQuest. >>>

Business Incubator Series: An Interview With Chris Heivly, Executive Director, LaunchBox Digital (Part 6)

By guest authors Irina Patterson and Candice Arnold

Irina: Would you talk more about warrants?

Chris: The concept here is that, if we think one of the companies – or two of the companies – has a lot of promise, we could put an additional $250,000 into that company and really help move them into their next round, whether it’s funding, just getting them off the ground hiring people, whatever the next step is for them.

When we do that, we take a much more active role. We get a board seat. We put in some of our people . . . some of the LaunchBox partners get very involved with the companies to help them go through this next phase. We still have, of course, our role with the other companies. We’re still active, but we’re doubling down on the handful of companies that we think show the most promise. >>>