Composite image of 10Sheet logo on top of gold stars backgroundComstock
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10sheet packs bags for NYC
TechStars NYC, one of the world's top startup accelerators in the world, announced this week the 14 companies that will join its Spring 2012 class. More than 1,500 startups applied for a "golden ticket" to the three-month program which begins Wednesday..
Six of the companies in the class have women founders and there are five females CEOs, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Nine of the companies have already been operating out of New York City, two are international (from Amsterdam and Vancouver) and five are relocating to New York.
10sheet, the Vancouver-based company selected to join the program, is "a modern bookkeeping service that frees you from costly bookkeepers and complicated software." They are currently serving customers on an invite-only basis, according to their Facebook page. The company was co-founded in 2010 by Jordan Menashy, Ian Crosby, Adam Saint and Pavel Rodionov.
TechStars offers five programs in top startup locations (Boston, Boulder, New York City, Seattle, & Cloud in San Antonio), on a regular schedule. The companies get seed funding from over 75 different venture capital firms and angel investors who are vested in their success, along with three months of intensive top-notch mentorship, incredible perks, and the chance to pitch to angel investors and venture capitalists at the end of the program. Last year, the accelerator funded 23 companies, 21 of which went on to raise $50-million after they graduated, according to BetaBeat.
The common element connecting the 14 new startups of this spring class is ambition, obsession and risk-taking, says David Tisch, the program's managing director. "They all take big swings," he said. " I don't think there are lot of safe bets or small bets."
Y Combinator is the other leading accelerator in the start-up space. They are accepting applications now for the summer 2012 funding cycle until March 28.
Rollercoaster ride for 'Shark Tank' sweetheart
Things were looking up for Tiffany Krumins, the 31-year-old co-founder and inventor of AVA The Elephant brand – a talking, elephant-shaped medicine dispenser for kids. After dazzling the moguls on ABC's pilot episode of ' Shark Tank' with her business idea, she was on her way to receiving $50,000 to start her company.
Then it unravelled.
In this Q&A on the Huffington Post, Ms. Krumins discusses her roller coaster ride into entrepreneurship, the isolation she felt after she was diagnosed with Thyroid cancer and how she finds the strength to continue.
Small Business confidence rises to year-high the U.S.
Small business confidence in the U.S. rose to a one-year high in February, as more owners reported plans to increase inventories stocks after years of of inventory liquidation and a postive outlook over future sales growth, Reuters reports.
The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) said on Tuesday its optimism index increased to 94.3 last month – the highest reading since February 2011 – from 93.9 in January. It was the sixth consecutive month of gains.
While still historically low, the latest increase is a sign that the recovery is likely to continue, albeit at a glacial pace, according to the NFIB.
EVENTS AND KEY DATES
NBTC Conference 2012
The National Business and Technology Conference (NBTC), which runs from Mar. 23 to 24 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, has been Nspire's annual flagship event since it started in 2001 by a group of University of Toronto students with the goal of merging the fields of business and technology. This prestigious event brings together 300 young leaders and numerous industry professionals from across North America to participate in interactive workshops, listen to inspiring speakers, compete in the Consulting Case and the Entrepreneurship Competitions, and enrich their networks. For a full list of speakers, click here.
The Nicol Entrepreneurial Award
This national program was designed to generate and reward interest in entrepreneurship on the part of undergraduate students in any faculty or field of study at participating universities across Canada. Launched in 1997, this program now awards over $100,000 in prize money each year to individual students or student teams who submit winning plans for their entrepreneurial business ideas. The ceremony takes place on Mar. 27 at 6 p.m. at Ottawa's Fairmont Chateau Lauier.
EDITOR'S PICKS FROM REPORT ON SMALL BUSINESS
Inspiration meets aspiration in this luxurious office
In this month's edition of The Amazing Space, the owner of McKinley Burkart, a Calgary-based architecture and interior design firm, shows off the black and white workspace, complete with wall-to-wall windows and five-foot diameter custom-designed light fixtures
FROM THE ROSB ARCHIVES
Scrapbooks, eh? Canada leads the world
Entrepreneurs have recognized that diversity is key to competing globally in the face of a limited domestic market
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Katherine Scarrow