Kansas City As I write this, I am sitting on a bus with about 25 entrepreneurs from around the Midwest. We took a busload of tech entrepreneurs to the annual South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) festival in Austin, Texas. Long known as a great place to launch ventures and build buzz for your startup, we thought it was important for the emerging tech scene in the Silicon Prairie to be well-represented at "South by." So, we rented a bus (courtesy of the Kauffman … read more

Kansas City I'm not an expert. Honestly, I've only been to a single startup conference in my entire life: Thinc Iowa 2012 organized by Silicon Prairie News. Even so, that single conference changed the course of my life in several ways, many that I'm still discovering. With Silicon Prairie News' next conference Big Kansas City just a few short weeks away, here's what you should expect from it: 1. You will meet people that … read more

Lincoln (Guest post by Bart Dillashaw.) The topic of Form D filings has come up a few times in recent weeks in conversations with clients and in a few blog posts by folks like Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson of Foundry Group, so I thought this might be a topic worth providing a little more background about. This may get a little deeper into legal nuances than the average post, but I'm a lawyer, so indulge me. There is a basic premise underlying the laws and regulations covering the purchase and sale of interests in companies that states that you should not sell these interests, or securities, without telling the truth about your business and disclosing all of the risks involved with investing in your company. In order to ensure that appropriate disclosure is provided, these … read more

Lincoln (This is a guest post by Christopher Kingsley.) Countries may be unable to pay their debts and the global economy is still struggling, but if you read any tech news, it seems like the one place in the world where they are still dropping money from helicopters like its 2007 is technology startups. There are few things currently hotter than funding the next scrappy vowel-less app team. From incubators handing out $150k to every startup to ridiculous 100x earnings … read more

Lincoln (This is a guest post by Collin Caneva.) I've been asked a number of times about raising money in this market. I’m not really sure that I’m the guy to turn to for advice, as what’s worked for me, might not work for you. Everyone's different. First off, the obvious: I don't live in Silicon Valley, New York City, or Austin Texas, etc. So the stories I hear that go like, "I had drinks with so-and-so, told them my idea and right then and there raised $1 million to produce my widget." I'm not sure if that’s how it really is in other places, but if it is, no thank-you. (Remember "easy come, easy go"?) Or the stories about putting together pitch decks, detailed business plans, elaborate presentations, and making sure to drop the right buzz words… not for me either. I'm not saying … read more

(This is a guest post by Jeff Beals.) Three-quarters of all jobs are never advertised! They are part of the "hidden job market," and they go to people who are promoted from within, know the right persons or have jobs specially created for their unique skills. In order to get one of these hidden jobs, you must be in the right place at the right time and know the right … read more

Des Moines (This is a guest post by Drew Larson and Adam Gregg, attorneys at the BrownWinick Law Firm.) It is an undeniable fact that technology has revolutionized the way we live and do business. In fact, a good number of you reading this right now operate a website, have online business operations, or even own a tech company. Many of these online activities could face new legal risks due to … read more

(This is guest post by Sean Blanda.) At Technically Philly we are in a unique position. Because we have such a specific niche, we are often the first interaction a local company has with the press. Many times we are dealing with first-time entrepreneurs who are responsible for their own marketing and media outreach. Typically, these entrepreneurs are programmers or business majors who don't know anyone in the … read more