Happy Holidays to Everyone!

All of us at STVP wish everyone a very joyous holiday season.

Thank You, Deloitte!

The Stanford Entrepreneurship Network (SEN), of which STVP is a founding member, would like to offer its most heartfelt thanks to Deloitte for its generous sponsorship, including the funds that make Entrepreneurship Week at Stanford possible.

Seeking Companies for Entrepreneurship Week

We are deep into planning for Entrepreneurship Week and are seeking some company involvement. If your company is interested in getting in front of Stanford students and the broader entrepreneurship community, here are some ways to participate:

• Donate audience prizes (giveaway items with or without your company logo)
• Donate small giveaway items for audience goody bags to be given at the Launch event (movie premiere)
  
• Donate prizes for the Innovation Tournament winners
• Venture capitalists: Sign up for the VC/Student "speed dating" to hear business pitches and provide feedback
• Start-Ups: Have a recruiting booth at the "Start-Up 101" Job Fair
• Join the SEN mailing list to become part of the Stanford entrepreneurship community (send request to charvett@stanford.edu)
• Plan to attend any or all of the events, including presentations, mixers, and receptions
• Schools and universities: Conduct a local version of the Innovation Tournament; contact us for information.

To learn more, visit the website at http://eweek.stanford.edu or contact Christina Harvett at charvett@stanford.edu.

Entrepreneurship Week at a Glance

We are conducting Entrepreneurship Week at Stanford to ignite awareness throughout the entire Stanford community about the importance of being entrepreneurial - whether that means starting a new business, developing an innovation for an existing company or solving a societal problem. To that end, we have planned a series of events to engage people in various dimensions of entrepreneurship. Each day will feature a different theme, such as Social Innovation, Technology, International, and others. Events will include presentations by prestigious speakers; roundtable discussions; a mixer for venture capitalists (VCs), students and entrepreneurs; VC/student "speed dating," allowing students to pitch their ideas; and a start-up job fair.

We will also host the Innovation Tournament, an "Apprentice-style" competition that will be open to student teams around the world. On Friday, February 22, be sure to attend the big Launch event and world movie premiere of ImagineIt!, a documentary featuring numerous students competing in last year’s Innovation Tournament.

Save the Date! Entrepreneurship Week 2008 at Stanford

Mark your calendar! The Stanford Entrepreneurship Network (SEN) is co-hosting the second annual Entrepreneurship Week at Stanford University during the week February 22-29, 2008. (http://eweek.stanford.edu) Anyone is invited -- students, alumni, members of the greater Stanford community and the general public. Last year’s event was a tremendous success, and we plan to make this year even better. Stay tuned for more information over the coming weeks.

The Art of Fundraising (Part 2)

In this clip, Professor Eisenhardt stresses the importance of researching regional VCs and understanding the true motives behind their interests. These insights are based on in-depth scholarly research led personally by her.

The Art of Fundraising (Part 1)

Kathleen Eisenhardt, Ascherman Professor and Co-Director, Stanford Technology Ventures Program

As many already know, Professor Eisenhardt leads the field in entrepreneurial strategy and management research. In this brief video clip, she describes the key elements associated with successful fundraising for start-ups. She discusses the importance of asking for the correct amount of money at the right time from the appropriate people.