Think Big Field Trip: At This Moment!

A few weeks ago, we announced the Think Big Field Trip: a three-day excursion with 10 of the Midwest's most promising startups to Silicon Valley.  While in the Valley, startups will have the opportunity to pitch at the Silicon Valley Bank Seed Showcase, present at the Think Big Showcase and meet one-on-one with investors from the Bay-area to talk numbers.

And this is all happening at this very moment.

The Think Big Field Trip is starting right now with the Silicon Valley Bank Seed Showcase at the Rosewood Hotel in Menlo Park, California.  That means that at this very moment, one of the 10 Midwest startups is standing up in front of a large number of big-time, Silicon Valley investors.  That means that right now, Midwest entrepreneurship is making at name for itself out in the Valley.

Until 1:00PM (PST) today, the 10 selected Midwest entrepreneurs will continue to prepare, pitch and network with some of the most influential people in the startup world today.  Following the Silicon Valley Bank Seed Showcase, startups will be escorted to the Mozilla Foundation where they will learn about the WebFWD and Mozilla Ignite programs.  Then, these Midwestern startups have the chance to attend a meetup in Silicon Valley called the SF New Tech Spring Fling at Mighty.

Tomorrow won't slow down for these Field Trip companies either.  Think Big Partners has lined up a handful of investors from the Bay area to participate in the Think Big Showcase, where the startups have another chance to practice and pitch their business ideas.

On Friday, it all comes together.  The Field Trip companies are invited to schedule follow-up meetings with interested investors from the Bay area.

All the way from Kansas City: best of luck to our Field Trip startups!

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Pitch Camp Grooms Midwest Startups for Think Big's Flyover Field Trip

Imagine receiving one-one-one pitch mentoring, collaborating with other entrepreneurs and participating mock question-and-answer sessions just 3 weeks before one of the most important moments in your entrepreneurial career: your pitch to investors.

Going through this process would probably make your pitch more clear, concise and compelling to those investors, wouldn't it?

That's why Think Big Partners held its first Pitch Camp this week; to prepare those Midwest startups selected to participate in the Flyover Field Trip for the scrutiny of Bay-area investors, the excruciating business plan questions and the nerves that many of them would face while pitching.

The Flyover Field Trip is a highly-intensive, multi-day pitchfest for entrepreneurs who live in the Midwest and want to get in front of investors from startup hubs such as Silicon Valley, Boston and New York.  At the end of March, those selected startups will join Think Big Partners and travel to Silicon Valley for the Silicon Valley Showcase and the Think Big Showcase in California, where they will have the chance to get in front of Bay-area investors to make their final pitch.

Pitch Camp, held this week at bizperc, prepped those entrepreneurs participating in Flyover Field Trip by incorporating a number of different coaching and mentoring sessions.  Because when you only have one shot to get in front of investors, you have to make it count.

Check out what the Flyover Field Trip entrepreneurs experienced this week at Think Big's Pitch Camp:


Day 1: The Deck

Entrepreneurs brought their "finished form" decks for review, discussion and refinement.  Think Big mentors made sure that all essential components were included in the deck and that the startups were presenting information in a clear and compelling manner.


Day 2: Turning the Deck into Presentation Knowledge

Entrepreneurs began the day by presenting segments of their pitch in group environments which helped them realize things about their presentations that they may not have realized before.  In this phase, startups underwent intense mock question-and-answer sessions and were evaluated on their ability to present information relative to their overall goal.


Day 3:  The Pitch

Practice makes perfect!  In this phase, each startup practiced their pitch over and over again until perfection.  Startups practiced their elevator pitches as well as their 7-8 minute presentations until they were clear, concise and compelling.

A few photos from Pitch Camp this week:

Startups were split up into groups to present their pitches.

A Pitch Camp group on the 6th floor of bizperc.

Willow of InvenQuery discusses her pitch strategy.

Herb Sih of Think Big Partners welcomes the Pitch Camp group.

Entrepreneurs' pitches were video taped to emulate a high-pressure experience.

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Think Big Partners Takes Midwest Startups on Flyover Field Trip to Silicon Valley

Think Big Partners has invited a number of Midwest startup companies to participate in what has become known as the Flyover Field Trip.  The Flyover Field Trip is a Think Big initiative that connects entrepreneurs to investors from tech and startup hubs such as Silicon Valley, Boston and New York.  The event is a highly-intensive, three-day pitchfest for Midwest startups hoping to get their businesses on the map. 

“In this highly-connected digital global economy, the Flyover Field Trip will bridge the gap between good ideas and funding sources,” said co-founder of Think Big Partners, Herb Sih.  “Instead of launching a startup company and hoping investors show up on Demo Day, we are taking a Midwestern-based, common sense approach to the situation.” 

In order to prepare the selected startups for the Flyover Field Trip, Think Big Partners is hosting a three-day Pitch Camp this week at its coworking space, bizperc.  Through peer dynamics, the PRISM process, question-and-answer sessions and intense pitch coaching, Pitch Camp will groom and perfect eight to ten different decks and pitches for the Flyover Field Trip at the end of March.   

“Why should only good ideas from Silicon Valley, Boston and New York get the funding attention?” asked co-founder of Think Big Partners, Tyler Prochnow.  “Great ideas come from every part of the country, including the flyover states.” 

“The Midwest offers some great things that are very important to entrepreneurs,” said Sih.  “We have a great quality of life, reasonable living costs, a collaborative mindset, combined with Midwestern sensibility.  Not to mention, we have strong work ethic.” 

Think Big Partners’ first Flyover Field Trip will take place March 21-23, 2012 in Menlo Park, San Francisco, Mountain View and Palo Alto, California.  On the Flyover Field Trip, a group of Midwest startups selected by Think Big Partners and Silicon Valley Bank will attend the Silicon Valley Seed Showcase, a briefing on WebFWD and Mozilla Ignite programs, the Think Big Showcase and much more.  To learn more about the Flyover Field Trip, please visit http://www.thinkbigpartners.com/events/flyover-fieldtrip.html.  

Silicon Valley Bank Travels to KC for Gigabit Challenge Finale

As all entrepreneurs know, getting a bank involved in a new business venture is difficult.  But imagine how many entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley ask for bank loans each and every day.  With the amount of startups popping up (and succeeding) in the area, banks have to get heavily involved.  But are they getting involved in the Midwest too?  

Silicon Valley Bank has gotten involved in Midwestern entrepreneurial initiatives through The Gigabit Challenge.  As a partner for the Challenge, Silicon Valley Bank has provided services as well as time and energy to making The Gigabit Challenge a huge success hundreds of miles away from home (and we're not talking about Boston or Austin for that matter...we're talking about Kansas City!).  In fact, Harry Kellogg, Vice-Chairman of Silicon Valley Bank, has contributed his time and efforts to The Gigabit Challenge by participating as an Advisory Board Member.  

Silicon Valley Bank has what is known as the SVB Accelerator: a branch that helps entrepreneurs take their ideas to the next stage.  By getting a better understanding of the current funding environment, learning about networking opportunities and accelerating businesses throughout the region, Silicon Valley Banks knows how to work with entrepreneurs...and knows how to work with them effectively.  


Many thanks to Silicon Valley Bank for making The Gigabit Challenge an entrepreneur's dream come true.  The competition and event would not be possible without the support and dedication to entrepreneurship that this SV bank has given.


Follow Silicon Valley Bank! @SVBFinancial