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Rocket Hatch Will This Fly 2016

May 6, 2016 by Sheree Martin

Rocket Hatch Huntsville Alabama

Huntsville’s Rocket Hatch Will This Fly 2016 pitch competition is set for Saturday, May 7, at the Stone Event Center, Campus 805.

The pitch competition is part of Innovate Huntsville 2016.

Will This Fly showcases up-and-coming innovators based on a pre-selection process. 16 Semi-finalists (listed below) will compete to pitch to a jury that includes representatives from PROJECTXYZ, Boostphase, Alabama Launchpad (featured in one of the earlier 2015 episodes of the Ignite Alabama podcast) , the Innovation Depot, GIGTANK and the Tonic Regional Fund.

Tickets are available here: http://www.willthisfly.org/tickets

Ticket prices range from $10 to $75.

Rocket Hatch Huntsville Alabama

Sixteen Will This Fly Semifinalists

  • FETCH: Talent driven hiring platform that matches talent with employers in a transparent & affordable way
  • GoGetter: Social networking web app that hosts classified ad listings exclusively on the web portals of college student populations.
  • Oodle Networks: Oodlenet technology, “Breaking the Internet Speed Limit™.” Wants to bring gigabit Internet speeds to everyone.
  • Rideversity: Ride matching app that connects students and faculty members with safe, reliable, and affordable transportation.
  • InSpace Resources: Will mine water from lunar soil and recover water from spacecraft waste for the efficient use of space resources.
  • Rock Paper Sold: Rock Paper Scissors tournaments, over the internet, for prizes.
  • Honor Call: Veteran-owned business that creates the opportunity for members of the community to support other veteran-owned businesses by listing the companies in our online directory and encouraging our members to rate them.
  • ApproXie Health: Mobile-first on-demand software solution that provides access to healthcare through digital connectivity for BOTH patients and providers.
  • NitroPCR: Enables smaller EMS providers to manage required reports in less time with better info, comply with growing regulations, and get paid faster.
  • Spruce Planner: Planning and goal setting app designed especially for on-the-go women. It’s a powerful and collaborative app where you can manage your calendar, to dos, notes, and goals all in one place.
  • MedExcess: Online inventory management platform for the healthcare industry.
  • Real Estate Row: The one stop real estate shop making home buying faster, better, & easier.
  • Spiinpiin: Unfiltered and unbiased view of live news from around the world, by geo-locate media and text on a live feed through public and personal channels.
  • American Wind, Inc.:  Micro Cube/WindWall technology developing 1Kw power from small form factor wind turbine.
  • NextGigg: Website connecting businesses to ridesharing drivers for in car advertising.

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: Antonio Montoya, Huntsville Alabama, North Alabama Startups, Pitch Competitions, Regional Events, Rocket Hatch

14 Tips for Talking with Investors

September 15, 2015 by Sheree Martin

14 tips from the VC panels at Investor Day Huntsville hosted by Rocket Hatch - focus of episode 15 of the Ignite Alabama podcast

Episode 15 of the Ignite Alabama podcast is a quick recap of two panel discussions from Rocket Hatch’s Investor Day about how to pitch to and work with VCs and angel investors.

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I’m giving you these takeaways in list format, and not necessarily in order.

Since there was a lot of back-and-forth and echoing of the tips, I decided to credit these to the panel, than the specific investor offering the tip.

14 tips from the VC panels at Investor Day Huntsville hosted by Rocket Hatch - focus of episode 15 of the Ignite Alabama podcast

Tip 1: Know something about the person you’re pitching to. Show them you’ve done your homework.

Tip 2: Before making a cold call, do your research. Look at the VC portfolio of companies. Is your product or service a good fit for their portfolio?

Tip 3: Use LinkedIn to do your homework and see if you have a common connection. If you do, perhaps use that common connection to learn something about the investor that reveal what the investor cares about most.

Tip 4: It can help to have someone introduce you, so if you have a common contact, take advantage of that.

Tip 5: Research the investor’s background. Find out if they’re from finance, accounting, marketing, sales. That will give you an idea about how to frame the pitch so it resonates with that mindset.

Tip 6: Venture capitalists and angel investors are in the relationship business. It’s important for you to develop relationships.

Tip 7: The character of your team matters a lot to the investor and this ties back to the relationships.

Tip 8: Investors are looking for an entrepreneur who is coachable. It’s OK if you don’t know everything. The VC has probably been in your shoes and knows what you don’t know, so be open to receiving guidance.

Tip 9: Some angel investors and VC funds like particular combinations of management teams.

  • For example, The Lamp Post Group likes 3-founder companies. Others may have a different preference. So try to identify this before hand, to maximize your opportunities and pitch to the right investor.

Tip 10: Know your numbers on your product and your market.

Tip 11: Tell a good story.

Tip 12: Practice your pitch. Practice it over and over. Get feedback and practice some more.

Tip 13: When you’re updating your investors, give them 1-2-3 specific things they can do to help you move forward.

  • For example, you might ask them to make an introduction to a specific person who could be valuable in getting a big account or landing a contract opportunity.

Tip 14: Heads-up for the women entrepreneurs. Many of the panelists, if not all of them, expressed an interest in hearing from women entrepreneurs and a desire to invest in women-led startups. So there’s an interest on the VC and Angel investor side to working with women. But we need more nurturing on the ecosystem side.

I also put together this Storify recap of tweets from the Investor Day Huntsville event:

 

I hope you found this episode helpful.

Check out Episode 14 for my conversation with Antonio Montoya, who explained the genesis of Rocket Hatch.

Released Episode
11  Jun  2017 Book-it Legal: A Marketplace for Lawyers and Law Students Download
26  Mar  2017 Futureproof Bama: Preparing Alabama For AI and Automation Download
28  Jun  2016 The Business of Sustainable Farming with Matthew & Jesie Lawrence of Marble Creek Farmstead Download
16  Jun  2016 Birmingham Venture Club Spark Match Pitch Event Download
01  May  2016 Vulcan Security Systems Download
29  Sep  2015 Patent Law Basics with George Kobler Download
15  Sep  2015 14 Takeaways for Relating to VCs & Angel Investors Download
08  Sep  2015 RocketHatch - Huntsville's Creative, Startup Community Download
02  Sep  2015 REV Birmingham's Big Pitch Competition Download
01  Sep  2015 Innovative Manufacturing - To Your Health Sprouted Flour Co. 2015 Recipient Download
25  Aug  2015 Alabama 49th in Kauffman Index of Startup Activity Download
18  Aug  2015 Alabama Launchpad with Greg Sheek, director of Launchpad Programs Download
11  Aug  2015 MediaBit by BDI Labs: Tony Megna, Founder Download
08  Aug  2015 Fear of Failure in Entrepreneurship Download
28  Jul  2015 3D Printing with Dr. Kenneth Sloan, professor of computer science at UAB Download
21  Jul  2015 SimplyProse - Online Writing Platform Download
14  Jul  2015 The Ark Labs - Combining Smart Devices and Artificial Intelligence to Improve Water Usage Efficiency and Reduce Damage Claims & Loss Download
13  Jul  2015 MotionMobs - App Development & Consulting Firm with Focus on Mobile Download
07  Jul  2015 Jennifer Skjellum: Entrepreneur, Tech Birmingham & More Download
06  Jul  2015 Soluble Therapeutics, Inc. - BioTech to Speed Pharma R&D Download
02  Jul  2015 Kyle Sandler, Founder & Conductor of The Round House in Opelika, Alabama Download
02  Jul  2015 Why Ignite Alabama? Download

Filed Under: Ignite Alabama Podcast, Resources Tagged With: How To, Huntsville Alabama, Investors

Rocket Hatch – Huntsville’s Creative, Startup Community

September 8, 2015 by Sheree Martin

Antonio Montoya of the Rocket Hatch in Huntsville is the guest on episode 14 of Ignite Alabama podcast, a Shinecast® show by Sheree Martin.

Antonio Montoya of the Rocket Hatch in Huntsville is the guest on episode 14 of Ignite Alabama podcast, a Shinecast® show by Sheree Martin.

Welcome to episode 14 of the Ignite Alabama podcast.

This week’s guest is Antonio Montoya, an entrepreneur and one of the forces behind the Rocket Hatch, a startup and creative community  in Huntsville, Alabama.

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  • Rocket Hatch – Huntsville’s Creative, Startup Community
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Rocket Hatch Investor Day

The Rocket Hatch Investor Day is set for Thursday, September 10, 2015. The Investor Day event will bring together investors and entrepreneurs from across the Southeast to share experiences related to investing, pitching, launching and growing high tech startups.

The event will include panels on startup investing and pitching and will conclude with an open networking event at Sip+Hatch. Details here.

Antonio talks about the upcoming Investor Day in this podcast.

Rocket Hatch Community Values

The RocketHatch statement of values are a perfect reflection of what every true 21st century enterprise should cherish. Here’s an example:

  • Collaboration over competition
  • Trust over agendas
  • Encouragement over criticism

Those values reflect what I’m trying to offer through this podcast and my larger Shinecast mission. This podcast features conversations with entrepreneurs and innovators without no agenda other than sparking innovation and entrepreneurship in Alabama–in whatever form or shape it emerges–and perhaps helping me to grow my own entrepreneurial ventures.

Most people know Huntsville for its role in the NASA space program and for the many companies, large and small, that play a role in the national defense of our great country.

But Huntsville is also an arts community and it’s much more than a city for defense department contractors. 

Before meeting with Antonio last week when he was in Birmingham for the Alabama Launchpad Innovation awards event, I spent some time reviewing the first annual report of the RocketHatch and I found it so refreshing.

I’ll just let the conversation with Antonio unfold and tell you the rest of the story.

I look forward to visiting with lots of Rocket Hatch community members on September 10, 2015 at the Investor Day event at the Space and Rocket Center.

Be sure to sign-up for the Ignite Alabama free email newsletter so you don’t miss an episode or news about Alabama’s entrepreneurial scene.

Antonio Montoya of the Rocket Hatch in Huntsville is the guest on episode 14 of Ignite Alabama podcast, a Shinecast® show by Sheree Martin.

Thank you so much for listening to the Ignite Alabama podcast.

Released Episode
11  Jun  2017 Book-it Legal: A Marketplace for Lawyers and Law Students Download
26  Mar  2017 Futureproof Bama: Preparing Alabama For AI and Automation Download
28  Jun  2016 The Business of Sustainable Farming with Matthew & Jesie Lawrence of Marble Creek Farmstead Download
16  Jun  2016 Birmingham Venture Club Spark Match Pitch Event Download
01  May  2016 Vulcan Security Systems Download
29  Sep  2015 Patent Law Basics with George Kobler Download
15  Sep  2015 14 Takeaways for Relating to VCs & Angel Investors Download
08  Sep  2015 RocketHatch - Huntsville's Creative, Startup Community Download
02  Sep  2015 REV Birmingham's Big Pitch Competition Download
01  Sep  2015 Innovative Manufacturing - To Your Health Sprouted Flour Co. 2015 Recipient Download
25  Aug  2015 Alabama 49th in Kauffman Index of Startup Activity Download
18  Aug  2015 Alabama Launchpad with Greg Sheek, director of Launchpad Programs Download
11  Aug  2015 MediaBit by BDI Labs: Tony Megna, Founder Download
08  Aug  2015 Fear of Failure in Entrepreneurship Download
28  Jul  2015 3D Printing with Dr. Kenneth Sloan, professor of computer science at UAB Download
21  Jul  2015 SimplyProse - Online Writing Platform Download
14  Jul  2015 The Ark Labs - Combining Smart Devices and Artificial Intelligence to Improve Water Usage Efficiency and Reduce Damage Claims & Loss Download
13  Jul  2015 MotionMobs - App Development & Consulting Firm with Focus on Mobile Download
07  Jul  2015 Jennifer Skjellum: Entrepreneur, Tech Birmingham & More Download
06  Jul  2015 Soluble Therapeutics, Inc. - BioTech to Speed Pharma R&D Download
02  Jul  2015 Kyle Sandler, Founder & Conductor of The Round House in Opelika, Alabama Download
02  Jul  2015 Why Ignite Alabama? Download

Filed Under: Accelerators & Start-up Incubators, Ignite Alabama Podcast, Networking & Professional Development Tagged With: Antonio Montoya, Huntsville Alabama, North Alabama Startups, Pitch Competitions, Rocket Hatch

MediaBit by BDI Labs: Tony Megna, Founder

August 11, 2015 by Sheree Martin

Tony Megna founder of BDI Labs, is the guest on episode 9 of Ignite Alabama talking about the MediaBit product development and Kickstarter campaign

Tony Megna, founder of BDI Labs, is the guest on episode 9 of Ignite Alabama.

He gives a look at MediaBit, the main product in the Internet of Things product line that BDI Labs will roll out over the next few years.

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BDI Labs, based in Huntsville, Alabama, recently finished its season with the GIGTANK Accelerator Program in Chattanooga and is in the middle of a Kickstarter campaign that will end August 22, 2015.

In addition to telling us about the MediaBit, Tony offers up some great tips and advice for start-up entrepreneurs. I’ll add some of those here later, so check back for updated show notes.

Tony had great things to say about BDI Labs experience in the GIGTANK Accelerator Program.

Tony Megna founder of BDI Labs, is the guest on episode 9 of Ignite Alabama talking about the MediaBit product development and Kickstarter campaign

A special shout out to the 5 individuals who left awesome 5 star reviews of the Ignite Alabama podcast over on iTunes. Thank you, thank you. I so glad to hear that YOU like like what YOU’RE hearing.

If you are so inclined, I would very much appreciate it if you would leave a rating or review of the Ignite Alabama podcast on whatever platform you’re using to listen to the show, whether it’s SoundCloud, Stitcher Radio, Pocketcasts or iTunes or whatever. Or leave your comment below.

Released Episode
11  Jun  2017 Book-it Legal: A Marketplace for Lawyers and Law Students Download
26  Mar  2017 Futureproof Bama: Preparing Alabama For AI and Automation Download
28  Jun  2016 The Business of Sustainable Farming with Matthew & Jesie Lawrence of Marble Creek Farmstead Download
16  Jun  2016 Birmingham Venture Club Spark Match Pitch Event Download
01  May  2016 Vulcan Security Systems Download
29  Sep  2015 Patent Law Basics with George Kobler Download
15  Sep  2015 14 Takeaways for Relating to VCs & Angel Investors Download
08  Sep  2015 RocketHatch - Huntsville's Creative, Startup Community Download
02  Sep  2015 REV Birmingham's Big Pitch Competition Download
01  Sep  2015 Innovative Manufacturing - To Your Health Sprouted Flour Co. 2015 Recipient Download
25  Aug  2015 Alabama 49th in Kauffman Index of Startup Activity Download
18  Aug  2015 Alabama Launchpad with Greg Sheek, director of Launchpad Programs Download
11  Aug  2015 MediaBit by BDI Labs: Tony Megna, Founder Download
08  Aug  2015 Fear of Failure in Entrepreneurship Download
28  Jul  2015 3D Printing with Dr. Kenneth Sloan, professor of computer science at UAB Download
21  Jul  2015 SimplyProse - Online Writing Platform Download
14  Jul  2015 The Ark Labs - Combining Smart Devices and Artificial Intelligence to Improve Water Usage Efficiency and Reduce Damage Claims & Loss Download
13  Jul  2015 MotionMobs - App Development & Consulting Firm with Focus on Mobile Download
07  Jul  2015 Jennifer Skjellum: Entrepreneur, Tech Birmingham & More Download
06  Jul  2015 Soluble Therapeutics, Inc. - BioTech to Speed Pharma R&D Download
02  Jul  2015 Kyle Sandler, Founder & Conductor of The Round House in Opelika, Alabama Download
02  Jul  2015 Why Ignite Alabama? Download

 You can also subscribe and listen via SoundCloud player (or embed the SoundCloud version into your own social share or website).

Tony Megna, founder of BDI Labs, is the guest on episode 9 of the Ignite Alabama podcast

Filed Under: Accelerators & Start-up Incubators, Entrepreneurs, Ignite Alabama Podcast Tagged With: GIGTANK Accelerator, Huntsville Alabama, Internet of Things, North Alabama Startups

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