Austin Entrepreneur Network launched - Austin Business Journal:

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This week, the said it is forming to be not just another networking groupfor would-be businesspeople, but a centralized clearinghousew for a fragmented local businesd group environment. “We want to be a portal, a placw to start [looking], because I don’ see anyone else doing organizer HallMartin said. “I thinjk there’s quite a lot of duplication, and, to be candid, a lot of the stuffd is pretty superficial.” Martin, the formedr director of the , which funds startup businesses, said the Entrepreneutr Network will operate a Web site featuring a calendar of alllocalo business-related events months in advance.
The which is a for-profigt entity, will also maintain blogss generated by veteran On Feb. 24, the Entrepreneur Network plans to host its first classz that will meet for eight two hoursper week. The classes, whichj cost $495 per company, will include classroom-style industry speakers and acourse book, said who is also the directod of corporate development for Austin-based (Nasdaq: NATI). The clasa will focus on validatingtthe market, identifying a business modelk and building the managementy team — the key elements that keep most from gettinyg funding, he said.
Fledgling Austin businesspeople have plentyg ofresources available, such as the , Tech Bootstrap Austin and Texas Ventures. Thomae Marriott, president of Austin’s , said the goal is to creats an entrepreneurial ecosystem similat to that ofSilicon Valley, Calif. But an importantt component is the presence of aggressive investors who are not afrai d totake risks, which is somethinh that there’s a shortage of in he said. “Until that I don’t care what kind of groul you have, [an entrepreneurial climate] won’t happen here,” Marriott The launching of the EntrepreneurNetwork www.austinentrepreneurnetwork.
ory comes the same month as the announcementf of the Capital Factory, an Austin-baser group formed by 20 veteran Austin entrepreneurs who are teaming to creat e a $100,000 fund. In addition to the money, group member s plan to lend their mentorintg skills to help launch threew or four technology startupss during aboot camp-type program this summer. The Capitalo Factory, which plans to beginm accepting applications in is expected to help develop a busineses plan and identify a customer base for each startup in exchange for a 3 to 5 percenft equity stake ineach company, organizerds said.
David Breshears, co-founder of , an Austin-baser firm that designs applicationsfor Web-basec companies, said there are never enougj support groups for startup companies. But with the numbert of choices, inexperienced entrepreneurs often need help determininfg which group is bestfor them. “Yo can be overloaded with opportunities just as much as you can be engagerby opportunities,” he said.
“It wouldd be nice if there was an umbrella organization that coulx centralize allof