Highlights for Entrepreneurs (10/03/24)

Thank you for checking out my newsletter. As someone who enjoys sharing information with friends and colleagues, I started this as a way to help early stage founders find out about events, videos and articles that help serve as a guide and a reference. Even if you're not a founder, the content could be engaging for you. I hope you agree.

On a beautiful day in Coeur d'Alene, ID last Saturday, I completed over 100 miles of the Breakthrough T1d Ride to Cure Diabetes. The entire weekend experience was full of emotion, spirit and a community united to raise funds for diabetes breakthroughs! I'm still a little short of my fundraising goal; if you're able to help, please check out this link: https://bit.ly/4dn8dIc

Have a great week, be safe and healthy... and take some time to care for yourself! Here are this week's resources for you to check out and thank you again for reading, subscribing and sharing! Welcome to all the new and recent subscribers! If someone forwarded this to you, please reply to me to subscribe (or subscribe on LI)

Best,

Paul

Check out my interview with Canvas Rebel 

See last week's newsletter (or this link:https://lu.ma/latw) for more #TechWeekLA events

1) BenchmarkIt: SaaS Metrics Palooza (Online Oct 8 & 9)

- A 2 day virtual event with 15 individual sessions for CEOs and CFOs and everyone else focused on measuring metrics in your organization. Check out this related article: BenchmarkIt: SaaS Magic Number is not MAGIC (Article)

2) The SaaS CFO: 3 Mistakes Finance Makes When Planning Revenue (Online Oct 9)

- CEOs need to master their metrics! This session will explain several different aspects of revenue planning  

3) Starburst: Long Beach Hardtech: Local Talent Meets CEOs - LA #TechWeek (In Person Long Beach Oct 14)

- For New Space executives, early-stage and growth-stage hardtech startup founders, and top business and engineering talent to explore how companies at different stages are tackling talent acquisition and retention.

4) COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE #LATechWeek (In Person Santa Monica Oct 16)

- Led by Michelle Edgar, this event is bringing like-minded community leaders to connect and propel collaboration and business opportunities.

5) Plug-in Ventures: Founders & Funders In Color at #LATechWeek (In Person Los Angeles Oct 16)

- "founders and funders of color and allies unite to foster meaningful connections. This gathering aims to advance our shared mission to propel diverse founders and funders in the greater tech ecosystem in LA."

6) Preccelerator: LA #TechWeek Investor 360: VC Fireside Chat (In Person Santa Monica Oct 17)

- an exclusive fireside chat with a renowned venture capitalist (TBA), as they share their insights on the latest trends in startup funding, the evolving landscape of innovation, and the future of entrepreneurship. Currently Waitlist only

7) Recurring Revenue Conference: Demo Day Future SaaS Rockstar Pitch (Event Nov 7; Application due Oct 17)

- Requirements: - Must be Founder/Co-Founder/CEO; Must attend in person on November 7; Must have raised no more than $1.5M in outside funding; Must be a B2B SaaS startup; Must be based in the U.S.

8) Idea to IPO: How to Build an MVP in 30 Days or Less! (Online Oct 18)

- Rich Foreman, the co-founder of Apptology, will conduct a workshop on how to build a minimum viable product (MVP) in 30 days or less.

9) Dreamore: Tech Week Hike Party and Picnic #LATechWeek (In Person Topanga Oct 20 $$)

- A monthly event for founders, business leaders, investors, and creators to enjoy nature and salon-style conversation on the 10 Acres of Dreamore private land.

10) Builder.ai & Start-up Grind: Build a Dream App Contest (Applications open through Dec 15 - Winner announced in April 2025)

- This is a long-term bet: anyone in the SG community has the chance to win app development worth $40,000.  All you need is an idea; just answer 3 questions about your app idea and a panel of experts will choose the boldest to build. Not only do you have the chance to win an app build worth $40k, you'll also receive the support, mentorship, and platform to help turn it into a success.

11) Entrepreneurial Thinkers with Rob Ryan: Can your VC Investors be your Friends & Family? with Miki Reynolds (Video Podcast)

- An engaging and thoughtful conversation about the Tech Community, helping underserved founders and how her firm, Slauson & Co, has built an accelerator with a $300,000 initial funding. Shout out to Amantha Bagdon of RX Post for sharing this, and for her mention in the podcast

12) LvlUp: LvlUp Ecosystem Funding Application (Due Date...Uncertain)

- Use this one stop application to apply to 11 Funding partners or up to 7 Startup Programs

13) Uninvent: Activate Founder Mode (Article)

- You may already have a good grasp of Founder vs Manager mode, but this article will help you understand Micro-management, team building and how to prioritize needs

14) Crunchbase: What I Wish I Knew When I Started A Company: 4 Insights For Founders From A VC (Article) 

- Be thoughtful about capital allocation; Conduct experiments at a manageable scale; Focus intensely on product-market fit; Build a thoughtful early team and be realistic about long-term hiring

15) Hustle Fund.: Uncovering a customer's pain points (Article)

- Why does a customer take your sales call? Discover this information to better understand what is the true need the customer needs resolved   

Musical Diversions :

• Shemekia Copeland - Blame It On Eve
• Larkin Poe - If God Is A Woman
• Ladybird - Kemp Lane
• Leon Haywood - Don't Push It, Don't Force It {Maybe a little influence from Blood, Sweat & Tears?}
• Amythyst Kiah featuring Billy Strings – I Will Not Go Down {4th time for AK in my newsletter}
• Grace Bowers & The Hodge Podge - Wine On Venus

This Week's Cover:

• Conrad Johnson and the Kashmere Stage Band - Kashmere {This is a HS band, mind you!!}

In Memoriam (an occasional section, hopefully) 

• The Highwaymen: Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again) {RIP Kris Kristofferson}
• Highlights Newsletter Soundtrack All of 2024 music picks on Spotify

I know that you are very busy, but I hope you have time to enjoy the curated information and the music selections in this newsletter. Get in touch if you have any feedback, sources or other interested readers - feel free to forward!  If you hear of any upcoming events, please pass them along too! If the links speak to you, consider subscribing to the source! If you find a link particularly interesting, let me know so I can look for more like it.

Paul G. Shapiro, CPA (Retired)

Startup Consultant