Engineers are a funny breed. We spend much of our lives being skeptical, proving or disproving ideas and theories. At the same time we crave new ideas and technologies.
Those engineers who are creative and develop new ideas often lack skills needed to turn visions into useful products. Enter OCTANe, fuel for the entrepreneurial spirit in Orange County and Southern California. OCTANe's goal is to fuel "innovation development" in Orange County and Southern California by connecting people, capital and technology. OCTANe accelerates entrepreneurs and company development for Orange County's information technology and biomedical industries.
On May 14th I attended an OCTANe's weekly event entitled "Entrepreneurial traps - Tips for developing companies. What the big guys know but won't tell you." The speaker was Mr. Rich Henson, co-founder of Source Scientific, and Irvine-based biotech product development company.
There are several really good organizations around southern California supporting startups and entrepreneurs, including the Tech Coast Angels and Tech Coast Venture Network. One of the more endearing activities is the grand old tradition of "Fast Pitch Competition." The Fast Pitch Competition brings a large group of enthusiastic, energetic, and hopeful young entrepreneurs into the lion's den of venture capital and investment banking critics.
Here's how it works.
The Fast Pitch. 30 seconds to accomplish the following:
