new start.up blog topic (mind) map

to easily access all the topics covered in the start.up blog, the new "start.up blog topic map" has been created.
the new mind.map shows all the areas covered by the start.up blog until now. it allows easy discovery of topics around starting.up a successful high-tech start.up. the mind.map allows fast drilling down into the different topics and direct access to the relevant blog posts through links.
enclosed a fist glimps, to fully enjoy it is recommended to open the map in a full browser windows.

new blobroll category: incubators/competitions

staying up to date with all the business competitions around the world can be tricky.

those which have their own rss feeds can now be found in the blogroll of this blog under the category incubators/competitions. so it is simple to follow them for everyone interested. those which are still without rss feeds can be found in the start.up financing mindmap. anyone is invited to post infos about additional ones existing which are not on the map yet.

venture lounge - apply & compete for vc attention

venture lounge is a platform for start.ups to pitch vc and get in touch with them directly afterwards.

originated in germany and supported by catcap and neuhaus partners the best start.ups get selected to present. different events have special themes. the upcoming lounge in berlin on the 2nd sept. 08 will be about "web 2.0, iptv, mobile & games". look out for the upcoming events, venture lounge will bei in munich on the 28th oct. 08 and in vienna/bratislava on the 21st nov. 08. apply using the document here. be aware of the 90€/100€ excl. tax price tag.

seedcamp application opened

uk based seedcamp has started another round of their challenges. the online application is open until the 10th of august. apply here.
looking at the progress of the former seedcamp finalist zemata, this can be a worthy investment of time.

semantic business ideas - ready to compete?

the 2nd edition of the semantic business idea contest is open for applications!

the competition is hosted by the european semantic technology conference. outstanding ideas in the field of semantic technologies from scientists, entrepreneurs and young start.ups compete against each other.

applicants challenge their ideas with the semantic business community, leading scientists and to potential investors. the winners will walk away with great exposure in the semantic community, the media, venture capital and cash prices and hopefully enjoyed the ride all along.

the start.up financing mindmap, which gives a wide overview about financing opportunities as well as similar competitions got updated accordingly.

what start.up success & football have in common

building a successful start.up is a tough competition. from the early preparations, the foundation, financing and breaking-even it is a ongoing competition. against all the nay sayers, against one´s own doubts, against all the other strong competitors.given these characteristics, creating a successful start.up is no different then competing in the recent european football championship, like turkey did. the match turkey vs. croatia showed how not giving up until the game is over, leads to outstanding results. turkey was behind in terms of goals and they were considered to be inferior to croatia. still, turkey went until the very end with their spirits high and won the match.

overcoming setbacks by well thought fast and tough offensive play - and not defensive resignation made them win in the end.the did not win the championship though, but speaking in terms of start.ups: not everyone will be the next google - but it´s o.k. to on the upcoming top 50 companies of the ict sector! and who says, turkey (respectively a recently founded start.up) will not win the upcoming world championships. therefore the field manual crossover from successful played football to creating successful start.ups is:„the start.up competition is not over, until the final whistle sounds.“

barcamp salzburg 2008 round up - part 3/3

start.up financing and concluding remarks

with my talk about start.up financing i was well in line with the bandwidth of topics. only some barcampers already had some experience with financing topics. therefore common financing language like „venture capital“, „business angels“ and the like were probably as easy to understand for most of the barcampers as some pure lines of C to me. the discussions afterwards gave me the impression thought that i could bring some core financing messages across:

* there are plenty of funding opportunities out there,
* they are challenging though &
* there is a place to look them up.

friendly people, interesting topics and too less time for everything. thanks to the organizers and the sponsor. the barcamp salzburg definitely was worth the journey.