GazelleLab.com 7
make Tampa Bay’s economic outlook brighter,” (St. Petersburg Times) round out the group. This is a very successful entrepreneurial team of advisors that anyone would want to spend three months with to make his business outlook brighter. The affiliation with the students at USF St Petersburg’s College of Business is a key component in the foundation of Gazelle Lab. An initial goal was to determine how best to integrate the students with the overall entrepreneurial community and it became clear they needed to become a part of the highly regarded TechStars Network to accomplish this. The students provide an incredible asset to the companies in terms of research and helping the businesses prepare for “Demo Day” where each business gets an 8 minute pitch in front of angel investors and venture capitalists from all over the country who will check out the technology and listen to their pitch. The USF St. Petersburg students have the tremendous advantage of graduating with the experience of having been an integral part in building a business from the seed stage; and the contacts made along the way are invaluable.
HERE’S A QUICK OVERVIEW OF THE GAZELLE LAB PROGRAM.
1] Gazelle Lab only accepts up to 10 companies into each program. It’s hard to get in. You have to be among the best, and if you do get in it means you are something special.
2] Gazelle Lab fills the startup funding gap by providing just enough capital to get you off the ground (up to $18,000).
3] Gazelle Lab fills the experience gap by bringing together the best and brightest mentors for the participating companies’ benefit for the three month program. With this much talent in one place the businesses are off to an incredible start. Plus they have the assistance of the USF St. Petersburg students for free.
4] Gazelle Lab companies get immeasurable benefits that come from introductions and connections
to potential partners, customers and investors, including the Demo Day event that they organize and for which they make sure you are skillfully prepared to be at your best.
5] In exchange for this tremendous opportunity, Gazelle Lab receives a 6% equity stake in each company in the form of “founders stock” or common stock.
Ultimately for Tampa Bay, it’s about creating more jobs. They want to see these young businesses take root and hopefully remain in the Tampa Bay area. This is just the type of thing our community and business leaders should rally behind. It’s about building an entrepreneurial community and investing your time and resources. We have to remember, success also begins with giving back.
Gazelle Lab is accepting applications for the next 90- day program expected to start in the first quarter of 2012. This issue will be out too late for this, no? How do you want to handle that? If you think you’ve got an exceptional idea for a start-up business, this could be the chance of a lifetime. Many of Florida’s most successful businesses started out as an idea that an investor believed in, supplying the necessary cash and mentoring at a crucial time to allow that burgeoning company to blossom into an economic powerhouse. Especially in tough economic times, when banks are reluctant to loan money to companies that don’t have rock-solid balance sheets, private investment companies such as venture capital firms and “angel” investors fulfill a crucial need.
It’s our pleasure to introduce the inaugural class of six companies (in no particular order) that were chosen by Gazelle Lab. Each presented their business on Demo Day at Mahaffey Theatre on November 17, 2011.
Living at risk is jumping off the cliff and building your wings on the way down. ~RAY BRADBURY
7
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52