SOURCE BOSTON 2010 SECURITY STARTUP EVENT

Rules for Entry
Security Start-up Competition

April 21, 2010

3:30pm – 7:30pm

 

Ballroom C

Seaport Hotel

Boston, MA

 

SOURCE Attendees  :  FREE

Non-SOURCE attendees : $50

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

 

 

SOURCE Boston Security Showcase takes place on the Wednesday evening of the SOURCE Boston conference  (April 21-23, 2010) and provides members of the business community an opportunity to connect with entrepreneurs and learn about security related start-ups.

 

SCHEDULE

~ * ~

 

3:30pm – 5:30pm  - Panel Discussions

 

The Realities of Starting a Security Company - Part I: The Entrepreneurs

Philippe Langlois, Founder of P1Security

Eugene Kuznetsov, Founder of DataPower (Acquired by IBM)

Raffael Marty, Co-Founder of Loggly

Rob Cheyne, Co-Founder & CEO of Safelight Security Advisors

Moderated by:  Jonathan Cran, Rapid7

 

Starting a company is difficult! The devil is in the details when it comes to understanding funding, team composition, and designing a business plan for a successful company in the security space.  Join our panel of experienced Security Entrepreneurs as they share their experiences and provide insight on the different approaches of funding a security start-up (VC funding, Angel Funding, Bootstrapping),  tips for designing your company,  selecting co-founders and business partners, and more.

 

The Realities of Starting a Security Company - Part I: The Investors

Jeff Fagnan, Atlas Venture

Emerson Tan, Stratagem7

John  Harthorne, Founder & CEO of MassChallenge

Chris Swan, CTO and Director of Venture Services, Capital SCF

Vishy Venugopalan, Analyst, Longworth Venture Partners

 

Moderated by :   Nick Selby, Managing Director, Trident Risk Management and founder of the Enterprise Security Practice at The 451 Group

 

Venture capital can be daunting. Lets dispel myths, and learn about what it takes to attract the right amount of funding to start your security company. A panel of Venture Capitalists, Angel Investors, and other management experts share suggestions, advice, and experience about how to obtain funding, design a security company, and launch your company, suggestions for potential exit strategies, and the cycle of entrepreneurship.

 

 

5:30pm – 6:30pm  - Security Start-up Competition*

Watch four new security companies compete for a cash prize and the winning title of

 “SOURCE Boston 2010 Top Security Start-up”

 

Judges

John  Harthorne, Founder & CEO of MassChallenge

Eugene Kuznetsov,  Founder of DataPower

Emerson Tan, StrataGem7

 

Moderated by Dov Yoran, MetroSITE Group

 

* Interested in competing?  Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

 

 

6:30pm – 7:30pm Wine & Beer Networking Reception

Hosted by Stratagem 7

 

 

Rules for Entry
Security Start-up Competition

SOURCE Boston is looking for security related companies that have been in business for 3 years or less to compete against each other for top honors.  Five security start-ups will have the opportunity to pitch their start-up and business plan in front of a panel of industry distinctive judges and before an audience of peers for a prize and valuable recognition throughout the SOURCE Boston print network and media partners.

Rules & Requirements

Timeframe: Submissions must be received by March 15, 2010. Submissions will be vetted, and FOUR contestants will be selected by our Round 1 Judges and notified prior to the competition (at SOURCE BOSTON 2010). At SOURCE Boston 2010 (April 21) each participant will have 5 minutes to present (PowerPoint optional) to a panel of judges and a peer audience.  Following the presentation, the judges and audience will have 5 minutes to ask questions.

Prize: Opportunity to have a personal one-on-one meeting with members of our panel of experts. Recognition for winning the content on our website, including a podcast interview and profile in our Quarterly Newsletter.

Criteria: Teams/plans will be judged on the likelihood of creating a successful, significant new venture. Note that investment funds and acquisitions will generally not be considered as "new ventures."

Eligibility: All SOURCE attendees are encouraged to attend, no entrepreneurial experience necessary.

Participants must submit an entry to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it by March 15, 2010. Entries will be reviewed by committee and participants will be notified by April 1, 2010.

Six questions your entry must answer:
1.    What is your product or service? Briefly describe what it is you sell.
2.    Who is your market? Briefly discuss who you are selling the product or service to.  What industry is it?  How large of a market do they represent?
3.    What is your revenue model? More simply, how do you expect to make money?
4.    Who is behind the company?  "Bet on the jockey, not the horse" is a familiar saying among Investors. Tell them a little about you and your team's background and achievements. If you have a strong advisory board, tell them who they are and what they have accomplished.
5.    Who is your competition? Briefly discuss who they are and what they have accomplished.  Successful competition is an advantage-they are proof your business model and/or concept work.
6.    What is your competitive advantage? Simply being in an industry with successful competitors is not enough. You need to effectively communicate how your company is different and why you have an advantage over the competition.  A better distribution channel?  Key partners?  Proprietary technology?

Your entry must contain:
1. A "hook"  Open your pitch by getting the Investor's attention with a "hook."  A statement or question that piques their interest to want to hear more.
2. About 150-225 words. Your pitch should go no longer than 5 minutes.
3. A request At the end of your pitch, you must ask for something.  Do you want their business card, to schedule a full presentation, to ask for a referral?

Judging Criteria

Team: The team has (or can get) relevant skills, contacts, and experience. Written and oral presentation suggests they will be able to  attract the relevant stakeholders. Possess mix of strategic, analytical and execution skills.

Market Potential: The market is clearly described, as is the target customer, their "pain" and willingness to pay and adopt. The customer can be identified, reached and retained. There is evidence that the business model is attractive in terms of potential margins, cash flow and value creation.

Company Strategy: Team can communicate a clear picture of the milestones and tasks required to develop, make and sell the product / service, and has the skills to  execute on this Actual and potential competition is identified and manageable. Can foresee potential path to exit.

Sponsorship Options: Please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Questions? Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it