Entrepreneur Programs at TiEcon 2023

Spotlight, Biz March 13, 2023March 14, 2023 indica

Prakash Narayan-

Prakash Narayan

After a gap of three years, TiEcon 2023 will be an in-Person event this year on May 3-5, 2023 at the Santa Clara Convention Center.

TiEcon is the flagship conference for entrepreneurs hosted by TiE Silicon Valley. It is one of the largest entrepreneur conferences in the world that is run entirely by volunteers. The conference attracts attendees from around the globe.

While TiEcon is renowned for its excellent content, a highlight of the conference is the Entrepreneur Programs.

This year, the Programs available are:

  1. Startup Bootcamp
  2. VC Connect
  3. MentorConnect
  4. TiE50
  5. Expo

A brief description of these five programs is provided below. The programs are structured so that there is minimal overlap. This will allow entrepreneurs to attend more than one program if they so desire.

Startup Bootcamp

TiEcon Startup Bootcamp is an intensive full day program designed to provide early-stage entrepreneurs with the necessary tools, resources, and network to take their startup to the next level.

This year’s TiEcon Startup Bootcamp will be held on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, in person at Santa Clara Convention Center. It will feature renowned entrepreneurs, educators, investors, and mentors who will share their insights and expertise with the participants.

The bootcamp is designed to be an immersive experience for the participants to become investor ready.

  • Learn what resonates with investors through an intensive, interactive workshop from our main instructor who has raised $100M plus from investors and has had several exits.
  • Work with Silicon Valley mentors in small groups to refine your investor pitch and receive feedback.
  • Pitch to VCs and angel investors. Get valuable feedback on your business idea from experienced investors and receive guidance on how to secure funding.
  • Network with peers. The workshop will teach you how to get the most out of TiEcon. You will learn valuable tips on networking with other successful technology professionals and entrepreneurs from diverse industries and backgrounds, building meaningful relationships, and exploring potential partnerships.
  • All attendees will get a set of books on entrepreneurship (Getting Funding, Market Research, Financial Modeling, and Legal aspects).

This unique format will allow entrepreneurs to learn from Silicon Valley experts about how to start right. Attendees will work with mentors, seasoned entrepreneurs and local business leaders in a small group setting and gain insights on how to take their business to the next level. The startups will also have an opportunity to pitch to a panel of investors and get feedback from them.

The fee to participate in Startup Bootcamp is $199 – to be added to the TiEcon registration.


VC Connect

VC Connect takes place on Wednesday, May 3rd at the Santa Clara Convention Center.

The VC Connect program gives entrepreneurs a chance to get feedback directly from seasoned Silicon Valley venture capitalists. These VCs have invested in and helped grow startups from early stage all the way to exit. Their expertise spans AI, Blockchain, Security, Cloud, Enterprise applications and more. The VCs in the past have included Ekta Dang (U First Capital), Ashmeet Sidana (Engineering Capital), Raghu Madabushi (National Grid Partners), Kanwal Rekhi (Inventus Capital), Christina Ku (NTT Docomo), Noor Kamruddin (Clear Ventures), Keira Moon (Translink Capital), Gayatri Radhakrishnan (Micron Tech VC Fund), Ajay Chopra (Trinity Ventures), Sunil Kurkure (Intel Capital), Lu Zhang (Fusion Fund), Ryan Floyd (Storm Ventures), Susan Mason (Aligned Partners), Pourya Moradi (Think+ Ventures), Ching-Yu Hu (Next47), Miraj Sanghvi (DigiTx Partners), Madhu Iyer (Rocketship VC).

The fee to participate in VC Connect is $199 – to be added to the TiEcon registration. There is a curation process for startups to participate in VC Connect. Once a startup registers, they receive a qualification form which they must submit. The expectation is that the entrepreneurs are working full time on their startup. Since there are limited seats on the (virtual) table, we request only one founder per startup to participate.

A maximum of 3 entrepreneurs will have a discussion with a VC for 50 minutes. After that, the VCs will be rotated, and the founders will have a second session with a different VC. This allows entrepreneurs to get feedback from 2 investors over nearly 2 hours.

VC Connect registrations must be completed before April 15th. Startups that are eligible will receive their session time and the VCs assigned to them by April 22nd. If a startup does not qualify, their VC Connect fee will be refunded after TiEcon.


MentorConnect

The MentorConnect program offers a structured environment for Mentorship to TiEcon 2023 attendees. It is held over two cohorts over lunch (12:00 pm to 1:30 pm) on Thursday, May 4th and Friday, May 5th.

This program is focused on wantrepreneurs and professionals seeking to validate their ideas. Mentees have the opportunity to get mentored, on a near one-on-one basis, with some of the very best in the business. The Mentors include Angel Investors, successful entrepreneurs and Corporate executives. As we all know, hindsight is 20-20. With the right mentor, their hindsight becomes your 20-20. In a sense, these mentors could provide mentees with a “forward view mirror” and offer their perspectives on what to expect ahead.

Here are some testimonials from past attendees:

  • “Loved having genuine, caring Mentors who are here to help you succeed”
  • “My Mentor was able to give valuable suggestions for some of the very issues that my company is facing by sharing his own experience”

To participate in this program, include the MentorConnect Add-on during registration for the conference – for a fee of $29. For those that select the MentorConnect Add-on, they will receive a separate email to select a Mentor of their choice from a cross-section of luminaries.


TiE50

TiE50 is a premier annual awards program keenly contested by thousands of early to mid-stage startups from around the world. Participation in TiE50 provides entrepreneurs significant exposure to VCs, angels, corporate executives and potential customers. Now in its 14th year, the prestigious TiE50 awards recognize the top technology and technology-enabled startups. There are no restrictions placed on any specific technology segment.

Since the inception of the TiE50 program, about 85% of the winners and top startups have been funded over a billion dollars. Many of these companies got acquired or went IPO. At least 29 of the exits were over $100 Million, e.g., FireEye (IPO), Mulesoft (IPO), Pearl Therapeutics (acquired by Astra Zeneca), and Velocloud (acquired by VMware).

A select panel of experts, including venture capitalists, angel investors, corporate executives, and successful entrepreneurs will screen the companies. This process weeds through the applicant pool to select the very best 50 finalists.

There are several other benefits for TiE50 winners:

  • Opportunity to network with Sponsors, Venture Capitalists, Angel Investors, and some of the brightest minds of Silicon Valley
  • Year-round branding and logo promotion on TiE Silicon Valley and TiEcon websites
  • $800+ VALUE encompassing Annual Membership to TiE Silicon Valley chapter for 1 team member ($150 value), one complimentary pass to TiEcon 2023 ($249 value), discounted prices for additional team members to attend TiEcon 2023, discounted rates for VC Connect & TiEcon Expo ($300 value), and complimentary Mentor Connect ($49 value)
  • The top TiE50 winners will get the chance to audition live for the “Meet the Drapers” show during TiEcon
  • TiE50 networking booth

 

The Early Bird price for TiE50 is $249. Registration for TiE50 will close on Monday, April 12 at 11:59 pm PST Winners will be announced on Monday, April 24th.


The Expo

TiEcon 2023 Expo provides you with physical booth spaces to showcase your products and technology. Expo will feature startups, technology corporations, research labs, and universities showcasing their products and services to conference attendees.

Why exhibit at TiEcon 2023?

  • Meet your prospects face-to-face!
  • Showcase technology; position your brand; product or book launch in-front of 5000+ technology professionals.
  • Face-to-face access to attendees with direct purchasing and referral power.
  • Network and create direct connections with strong decision-makers.
  • Use your space to attract talent for hiring.
  • Send a message about new deals, services, and why one would choose you over other competitors.

You can request a booth by navigating to this link: https://www.tiecon.org/expo

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