SDSU ZIP Launchpad’s Post

🚀 5 Tips to Perfect Your Pitch and Captivate Investors Preparing a great pitch can be the deciding factor between securing the funding you need to grow your startup or missing out on a key opportunity with investors. In the carousel, you'll find five detailed tips to ensure your pitch is unforgettable and effective: 1️⃣ Know Your Audience 👉 Pre-presentation Research 👉 Personalization 2️⃣ Start with a Captivating Story 👉 Context 👉 Emotion 3️⃣ Clearly Define the Problem and Solution 👉 Problem 👉 Solution 4️⃣ Demonstrate Your Project's Viability 👉 Business Model 👉 Financial Projections 5️⃣ Show Your Passion and Commitment 👉 Energy 👉 Team 🎯 Put these tips into practice at our next Investment Forum and Networking event! On Thursday, May 30th, at 6:30 PM, at Ca l’Alier, you’ll have the unique opportunity to present your project to top investors at an investment forum organized in collaboration with Economistes BAN, the Business Angels network of Col·legi d'Economistes de Catalunya. Six selected startups will have 5 minutes to pitch to influential investors in the sports and technology sectors. 📅 How to Participate: You have until May 19th to register and share your project’s story with us. Don’t miss this chance to make your startup shine! 🔗 Register now and get ready to catapult your project in front of an audience that can change the course of your business future: https://buff.ly/3K1N7lr See you on May 30th at Ca l’Alier! 🚀

The Double Bottom Line in Action: Flywheel’s Recent Impact Over the past three years, we’ve witnessed the transformative power of social enterprise in action. This report celebrates the achievements of our founders, the progress we’ve made, and our unwavering commitment to fostering economic and social impact. Inside, you’ll find stories of innovation, resilience, and equity-driven entrepreneurship—all made possible by the incredible community of founders, partners, and supporters who share our vision. Together, we’re creating real change. 📖 Explore the full report and see how we’re building a more equitable future.

We talk a lot in the Stand Together community about our culture of 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘌𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱, but what does it look like in practice? After all, 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘌𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 is not merely an idea. Triggered by curiosity, tempered by humility, and fostered by a contribution mindset, 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘌𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 manifests through 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴! When we act entrepreneurially, we continually seek new and better ways to contribute to our vision. It's how we drive superior results and ensure our means match our ends - that our efforts move society closer to our North Star. As a micro example of 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘌𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 in action, consider my colleague, Jennifer Romeo, MEd. Jen proactively reached out to me earlier this week to kick around some ideas she has to better connect several close partners of our community with our vision, principles, and culture. This is important stuff! The better our team, our partners, and all those involved in our efforts understand where and how they "fit" into the broader constellation of the Stand Together universe, the more empowered they'll be to innovate, ideate, and collaborate for mutual benefit. Jen identified a possible gap in our efforts, and now she's going about a process of knowledge-seeking to inform her next steps. I commend her for this, as we should any colleague who strives to find new and better ways of doing things. Stay tuned for updates on Jen's progress. My "spidy sense" is tingling - I think she's on the cusp of driving some really important changes to our business! 😎

I haven’t posted much here for the past 3 weeks. But I do write daily either for myself or for clients. Here’re my top 4 reasons every Sustainability Startup Founder needs to write online: 1. Clarifies thinking 2. Promotes your company to clients 3. Helps to attract investors 4. Easier to find qualified people to hire Minimal risk. High reward.

🎤 Meet Thomas Vyncke, the proud founder of Companion.energy, together with Jonas Verstraeten: a software company to get cleaner energy at a lower cost. In an interview with host Christina, you can hear how they are nailing the combination of an impact-driven mission with financial benefits for customers, often a challenging balance for impact driven founders. Thomas believes it's all about creating win-win scenarios: “Making a positive impact should go hand in hand with financial gain. Customers shouldn’t have to choose between saving the planet and saving money.” 💚💸 Their approach? Communicate transparently, ensure the mission adds value at every step, and innovate constantly to make the sustainable choice the obvious one. Companion.energy is making waves in the energy sector, and we’re excited to see what the future holds for this great team! #100interviews #impactfounders #lessons ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ⛵ This is the first snippet out of 100 impactful startup founders that share their stories to Smooth Sailing, as we want to understand the Impact Founders better, entrepreneurs who believe in a better world and how they’re achieving that in an economic reality. Stay tuned for more lessons and insights, every last Friday of the month!

Jia Hong, a Singaporean entrepreneur on a mission to connect! After 15 years in marketing and consulting, remote work left him craving real connections. In 2022, he set off on an electric bike journey from the Netherlands to Bulgaria, meeting climate entrepreneurs and investors to learn their stories. Using Feedspace, Jia turned these encounters into testimonials, building social proof for himself and his firm, Turn On turn off. Challenges Jia Faced: - Time Crunch:Needed a quick, easy-to-use tool. - Integration Woes:Wanted seamless app compatibility. - Dual Needs:A tool that could collect and display feedback. Feedspace made it all possible, helping Jia showcase his journey and credibility! Read in detail: https://lnkd.in/dE4txf27

Hello, to all my LinkedIn family, it’s been a while since I have shared any posts with all my lovely connections here. I was cherishing my maternity break with my joyful baby number 2, and yesterday he turned 10 months old! I hope everyone is having a wonderful start to the new year. This post is from a proud mumma! As most of you know, my son has started his very own enterprise which focuses on combating the growing concern of screen addiction - an issue that is affecting children worldwide. We've already made a positive impact on over 500 young lives worldwide and raised $5000 for Children's Hospital Foundation by hosting screen-smart summer camps! Thanks to all our supporters for that, we wouldn’t be able to achieve it without this massive list of supporters for sure! As part of my son’s school curriculum, in business he is learning about social enterprises, so he was excited to write this blog after a while and after a little bit of encouragement (of course by me) 😊. He has put together more than 30 screen smart business ideas that he has worked over the last 2 years. Some ideas can be done on a daily basis, some weekly, some monthly and some can only be done during school holidays. He would be willing to share his experience of how he did them one by one, if any parents here would like any of his ideas. He would appreciate any feedback and guidance from your experience, especially if any of my connections here are dealing in blogging, entrepreneurship or social enterprising. Checkout his blog and discover the 30+ business ideas that have not only helped him off-screen but also me as a parent. Through this journey, he has learned invaluable life skills, contributed to our community, became more responsible, and improved his public speaking skills day by day. As a parent, it is a proud moment to witness how he is developing his personality and growing into a better person who leads by examples. Thanks again for taking your time out for reading my post ❤️ Happy Hobby Hour Junior #enterpreneurship #socialimpact #screentime #bloggingforbusiness

Join us for an exciting event where investors and entrepreneurs converge to explore the latest sustainable material innovations! 🌿 Be Investor Ready, hosted by the University of Massachusetts Lowell and the UMass Lowell Innovation Hub, offers a high-energy session with insights, tips, and networking opportunities for materials-based, sustainability-focused startups, researchers, and entrepreneurs. Open the door to investment and strategic partnerships! Who should attend? - Materials-based, sustainability-focused startups seeking funding and partnerships. - Researchers looking to foster relationships for their early-stage innovations. - Entrepreneurs eager to network with potential investors and corporate partners. - Innovators, investors, academics, students, and anyone interested in the future of materials-based innovation. Are you a cleantech entrepreneur? Whether you're fundraising or polishing your pitch, this event is tailored for you. Gain valuable insights from seasoned investors, successful founders, and industry experts on making your business stand out. Take advantage of this opportunity to learn how to attract investors and secure funding for your venture. Are you an investor? Join us to connect with like-minded individuals, explore innovative solutions, and collaborate on future projects. Be at the forefront of the clean tech revolution! 🌎 Secure your spot now: https://lnkd.in/grDA9AAs 🚀 #InvestorReady #Sustainability #Innovation #Networking

INVOLVEMENT IN EVENTS🎖️:- Over the past one year I have become extremely fond of events because every time I participate I get to learn about how different the same world could be if looked from a different angle. According to me here are top 5 reasons why we should participate in events like these: 📍We get to meet amazing Founders, Investors,Entrepreneurs, Great talented faces & other start-up stakeholders. 📍We get the opportunity to check out latest tech, products & disruptive start-ups that is good for the world in near future. 📍 We get the chance to connect with great talented professionals and students from whom we also get to learn new things. 📍We find ideas & inspirations for our own product & service which will create a new change. 📍We meet awesome contractors who can bring ideas to life in a snap.

Bridging Purpose and Innovation: A Journey in Mindful Entrepreneurship As an entrepreneur at the crossroads of innovation and impact, I'm driven by a vision where business excellence meets social responsibility. My path forward is guided by four interconnected aspirations: • Pioneering Next-Gen Technology Solutions • Building Environmental Sustainability into Our DNA and all business • Creating Lasting Community Impact • Delivering Premium Value While Managing Costs The Challenge Before Us: 1. In a rapidly evolving digital landscape, how do we harness technology to enhance rather than harm our environment? 2. What strategies allow us to lift local communities while building a resilient business model? 3. Beyond buzzwords, how do we authentically embed social responsibility into every business decision? The Road Ahead: I'm dedicating myself to uncovering actionable answers through: • Exploring innovative business frameworks that unite technological advancement with environmental stewardship • Developing initiatives that create measurable positive change in our communities • Finding creative approaches to maintain quality and social impact while ensuring financial sustainability An Invitation: This journey is meant to be shared. Whether you're a fellow entrepreneur, community leader, or concerned citizen, your perspective matters. Let's collaborate in redefining what successful business looks like in today's world. Join the conversation: What does purpose-driven business mean to you? #ConsciousEntrepreneurship #SustainableInnovation #CommunityFirst #MindfulBusiness #SocialImpact