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Frequently Asked Questions
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Home / Business Resources / Launching Your Business / Boot Camp / Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked QuestionsWho should attend Entrepreneur Boot Camp?Early stagetechnology driven company teams who are working thru positioning,market segmentation focus, financing strategy and/or building out themanagement team. Companies should be past the pure research stage andhave at least one full-time person in the company and a team of twopeople to attend camp. What stage of Business Plan preparation is required? Typically,a team has completed a first draft of a business plan and is in theprocess of validating a market opportunity and refining their planbased on market feedback. What other resources are available to assist me in preparing for Boot Camp? TheAnn Arbor SPARK Entrepreneur Library lends recommended books on theBoot Camp Reading List and has sample binders from prior Boot Campsthat are available for teams wishing to get a head start on Boot Camp.Any teams that have applied for Boot Camp are eligible for thisservice. We recommend that teams apply early. Are there any pre Boot Camp training classes to prepare me for Boot Camp? Ann Arbor SPARK co-hosts a series of training sessions with Great Lakes Entrepreneur Quest (GLEQ) see their website (www.gleq.org) or click here for details regarding dates and topics. What deliverables will I develop as the result of attending Boot Camp? Thethree deliverables developed as part of the education and mentoringfrom Boot Camp are Elevator Pitch, Executive Summary, and ExecutiveOverview Presentation. Our experience demonstrates that the process tocreate a compelling version of these deliverables improves the team’sunderstanding of their market, customer benefits and competitivechallenges to creating a successful company. What is the Application process for Boot Camp? Submit an Executive Summary of your business opportunity and/or the one page application form. Earlyapplication is encouraged as there is typically far more applicantsthan slots and we are accepting only the top 12 teams. What is the time commitment for Boot Camp? Entrepreneur Boot Camp is an intensive two day education and mentoring experience. Day 1 starts at 8:00 am and is scheduled to 9:00 pm. Day 2 starts at 8:00 am and is scheduled to 5:00 pm. What is the Cost for Boot Camp? Entrepreneur Boot Camp is priced at $995 for a team of two. This price includes Books, Binder, and meals. Who are presenters and what is the Agenda? The featured Lecturers are Tom Kinnear, Jim Price and Dennis Blanchette. Chuck Salley facilitates and presents lectures. Will Boot Camp help me find funding sources? Thedeliverables created and refined as the result of Boot Camp are the keyintroductions to any funding source. By communicating your story in acompelling way, you earn the right to present your opportunity to thesesources. In addition to improving our pitch, our network of mentors andcoaches can provide introductions to potential funding sources afterthe plan is refined and initial milestones are accomplished todemonstrate the market opportunity. How will Boot Camp help me find investors? Bootcamp doesn’t guarantee investors to Boot Camp graduates but we doprepare the team for a conversation with potential investors andimprove your presentation materials such that you tell your story in acompelling way. Will Boot Camp help me if I am not looking for investors? Manyopportunities do not require investor capital either because they areself funded by customers or they have Grant funding that is appropriatefor their current stage of development. For these companies, the BootCamp process provides the team the opportunity to focus on theirthinking about their market niche, their competitors and how toposition their product or service to attract customers, partners, andemployees. Where is Boot Camp? Pre-camp and post camp events are held at SPARK Central 330 E Liberty in Ann Arbor. BootCamp is held at MITC-1000 Oakbrook Drive, off State Street in Ann Arbor. Do I have to live in Ann Arbor to attend Boot Camp? EntrepreneurBoot Camp is hosted by Ann Arbor SPARK and the Ann Arbor SmartZoneBusiness Accelerator. While Ann Arbor region companies will getpreferred access to Boot Camp, applicants are accepted from teams inother communities. Have previous Campers received funding and how many are successful today? Pastcampers have raised capital from a variety of sources includingMichigan Technology Tri-Corridor, angel investors and ventureinvestors. Over 80 companies have attended Boot Camp. The total amountof funds raised is over $5M. Additionally, many companies have eitherwon or were the top finishers in business plan and elevator pitchcompetitions such as GLEQ/ACE. What companies have attended Boot Camp, and have I heard of them? Amongprior attendees of Boot Camp are PolyTorx, Menlo Innovations, Airfoil,SensiGen, Biopolymer Innovations, Invia Solutions, ElectroJet, VirtualReciprocity Ring, Compendia Bioscience, Comstar, Mindworks, and OnsiteERT. Call 734.761.9317 to apply or click here.  The Entrepreneur Boot Camp is sponsored by Ann Arbor SPARK.
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