Conclusion: North’s 10 Rules For Breaking Through

As we’ve outlined on this blog over the last few weeks, the system for raising early stage capital today is fundamentally flawed. Even though the road to success for entrepreneurs trying to kickstart their visions is littered with potholes and deceptive directions, it can all be corrected with a little teamwork. If change is going [...]

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North Mindmeld: Competitions For Capital

This section wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t mention the plethora of contests and competitions out there for entrepreneurs. Most of these are business plan writing competitions that target upstart entrepreneurs to enter in hopes they are going to get in front of a panel of investors who will then choose their venture and write [...]

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Great Players Listen & Practice, A Lot

There’s no question that success comes through hard work and persistence. If that’s the case, why does the media focus only on those stories of achievement? Flip through the pages of Inc and Entrepreneur, or watch Donny Deutsch on the Big Idea and you’d think wild and immediate success is the norm for an entrepreneur. [...]

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Raising Capital: Take It To The Bank (4 of 5)

There is a common misconception that start-ups can’t get traditional bank loans. Not true. Banks, do, however, require some sort of collateral. So if you’re fresh out of college and your personal balance sheet is the title to a beat up 1998 Honda Civic and no significant credit history, than you have very [...]

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Raising Capital: These Angels Have Money…And Wings (2 of 5)

Angel investors carry the heavenly name for a reason; most can (and are willing to) offer much more to your venture than just money. They can provide experience and mentorship to carry your business to the Promised Land.  Angels are usually entrepreneurs themselves, successful ones who are looking to offer up help to the next [...]

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Raising Capital: Pick Your Path (1 of 5)

To an entrepreneur, fundraising is scary stuff, and rightfully so. Make no mistake about it; FUNDRAISING IS HARD, and even harder during leaner times. However, those working on the next big idea shouldn’t lose their faith. They should keep plugging away, stay inspired, and conduct careful research on the options available to them.
Besides the current [...]

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Look For Support Beyond Dollar Signs…

Let’s not forget that entrepreneurs, and the investors that support them, need all the help they can get to turn their ideas into world-changing realities, and contrary to popular belief, more money is not the only answer.
The central issue is not with the quantity of ideas or number of willing investors, but rather in properly [...]

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Hot Off The Presses: Our Latest Constructive Prose

As you know, the North team is on a mission to accelerate the rate at which innovation gets created in this country; and that effort begins with being more transparent with and helpful to entrepreneurs. Our new paper called Breaking Through The Broken: The Transparent Guide To Overcoming The Inefficiencies In Early Stage Venture Capital [...]

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