Two Degrees Blog

I’m pleased to announce that Two Degrees Strategy & Development has become a Network Partner in Microsoft® BizSpark™, a new global program designed to accelerate the success of early stage Startups.

BizSpark provides fast, easy access to current full-featured Microsoft development tools and production licenses of server products; professional technical support from Microsoft; and connections to a global community of business experts who can help guide you through the hurdles of growing your business.

Participants must be privately held, in business less than three years and have less than $1 million in annual revenue.   Companies that want to participate in BizSpark are required to be sponsored by Network Partners, such as Two Degrees.

For additional details on the program, visit http://www.microsoft.com/BizSpark. Please feel free to contact me at bizspark@2-degrees.com if you would like an enrollment invitation.

Related articles

• Microsoft BizSpark: 12,000 Startups and Growing (blogs.msdn.com)
• How Microsoft BizSpark Is Doing With Startups – And How It Can Do Better (xconomy.com)

The reason I haven’t been updating this blog in a few months is that I’ve been working on launching a new online venture called LegalMindsTV.

LegalMindsTV features exclusive video interviews with attorneys focused on a variety of corporate law topics, such as securities regulation, intellectual property, litigation, labor and employment, corporate finance, private equity, environmental law, etc. The goal is to provide timely content to senior corporate executives, their board of directors and their counsel, while offering the lawyers a platform for showcasing their practice area expertise and providing a marketing/business development platform to reach new clients.

Here’s a list of featured interviews currently on the site …

“New Developments and Legal issues in Outsourcing”
Richard Raysman, Holland & Knight LLP

“New Laws of Social Media”
Brian Cuban, Dallas Mavericks and Mark Cuban Companies

“Trends in Energy Company Finance, Post-Financial Crisis”
Jeffrey Delaney, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

“Music and Film Licensing in the Current Digital Environment”
Marc Jacobson, Greenberg Traurig LLP

“Challenges & Opportunities Accessing Capital Markets”
Steven Khadavi, Dorsey & Whitney LLP

“Venture Investment in the Cleantech Sector”
Chip Korn, Sonnenschein Nath & Ronsenthal LLP

“Advising Entrepreneurs on Business Formation, Growth & Funding”
Peter Rothberg, Duane Morris LLP

“Protecting Brands from Trademark Infringement”
Gregory Gulia, Duane Morris LLP

CMO Corner: “Why Litigators can be Great Business Developers”
Alice O’Rourke, CMO, Day Pitney

I hope that you’ll take a moment to visit the site and share your thoughts.

Here’s an interesting update from XPLANE to the original “Shift Happens” video. This completely new Fall 2009 version includes facts and stats focusing on the changing media landscape, including convergence and technology, and was developed in partnership with The Economist.

This workbook-style presentation created for the PopTech! Fellow Program by  VC firm Canaan Partners gives entrepreneurs tips on how to give a successful pitch to venture and angel investors.

According to Canaan, this Pitch Book was created to provide entrepreneurs with the “actionable, tactical guidance you need to clearly communicate your business idea“ as well as well as to encourage entrepreneurs to “think through the aspects of your business the same way VC’s will be assessing it.”

They break the presentation down into seven sections:

1. Intro
2. Team
3. Opportunity
4. Solution
5. Competition
6. Business Model and, most important …
7. “The Ask”

For each section, there are bullet-points on what to “Tell Us,” the “Key Objective” of this section of the pitch, and is followed by “Notes” which gives you advice, suggestions and guidance related to that area of the presentation.

In addition to being a helpful tool for entrepreneurs seeking funding, it’s also a great exercise to help you to clarify your business model, goals and objectives.

I had the pleasure of attending ProductCamp in New York City this past weekend and was blown away by the opening keynote by Kodak’s Chief Marketing Officer Jeffrey Hayzlett, who you may have seen featured on Celebrity Apprentice.

A cross between Bill Clinton and Larry the Cable Guy, Hayzlett’s entertaining and informative presentation challenged the audience’s perception of Kodak as a corporate remnant of the analog age.

Setting the tone was this corporate video, “Winds of Change,” which starts with a self-deprecating look at Kodak and reveals some fascinating insights into the transformation Kodak has undertaken – where half of the 19 top products, which account for 80% of their current revenue, didn’t exist just two years ago!

If you’re interesting in learning more about ProductCampNYC, you can visit their wiki to find out about upcoming events and to see videos from this past weekend’s sessions as soon as they’re posted.

Don’t miss your last chance to register for ProductCampNYC tomorrow (Saturday) – a full-day event hosted by the New York Product Management Association at the historic Downtown Association in New York City.

In the spirit of BarCamp, ProductCamp is a collaborative, user organized professional conference focused on Product Management and Marketing topics.  At ProductCamp everyone participates in some manner: presenting, leading a discussion, showcasing a best practice, or sharing their experiences.

ProductCamp is a great opportunity for participants to learn from, teach to, and network with professionals involved in the Product Management, Marketing, and  Development process from the New York City Metro area – and around the world!

Tweet me if you plan on attending!  And if you’re tweeting from the event, be sure to use the hashtag #pcampnyc

Session information
Registration Page