Boot Camp

Entries Due for the Eighth Entrepreneur Boot Camp to be Held on June 1 and 2
April 27, 2006

Previous Camps Have Benefited Many Emerging Firms and Top Prize Valued at $5,000

The Ann Arbor SPARK Business Accelerator announces the eighth Entrepreneur Boot Camp to be held on June 1 and 2, 2006. Boot Camp has helped participating companies raise more than $7 million in the past two years. Entries are due by May 8 and the top prize is an initial engagement with the Business Accelerator valued at $5,000. The two-day event will be held at the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) in Ann Arbor.

“In the past three years, 12 companies have received acceleration services and more than 90 companies have been evaluated and referred to additional services to help entrepreneurs develop their businesses,” said Skip Simms, executive director of the Business Accelerator.

The event is an intensive two-day business planning and preparation program designed to help early-stage technology businesses crystallize their business concept to increase their chances for attracting additional funding, finding resources and achieving success.

The program annually attracts nationally noted speakers on entrepreneurship from the UM Ross School of Business and successful local entrepreneurs and investors. The featured speakers will be Tom Kinnear, Jim Price and Dennis Blanchette. The event combines hands-on learning and one-on-one mentoring with local business experts. During the Boot Camp process, entrepreneurs will organize and refine their business plan, and prepare their company to achieve the next milestone. The Boot Camp has received acclaim for the success it has brought to past participants who have won several top honors in recent business plan competitions. Boot Camp graduates have won top awards in the Great Lakes Entrepreneurs Quest (GLEQ) and the top elevator pitch presentation at the Annual Collaboration for Entrepreneurship event in January 2006.

Boot Camp includes a binder of valuable reference materials, all meals and access to a post Camp private discussion forum. The cost for a two-person team is $995. Ann Arbor IT Zone members receive a reduced price of $795.

Interested teams must submit applications by May 8, 2006. Early application is recommended in order to participate in pre-camp events and utilize online resources.

At the completion of Boot Camp, the participating teams get an opportunity to present their company to an Investor Panel. The team judged as the best opportunity will win an initial engagement at the Ann Arbor SPARK Business Accelerator valued at $5,000.

For more information about the Entrepreneur Boot Camp, click here or call Susanna Thomashefski at 734.615.9310 or e-mail sthomas@annarborspark.org.

About Ann Arbor SPARK Business Accelerator:
Launched in September 2002 with funding from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation SmartZone program and administered by Ann Arbor SPARK, the Business Accelerator engages seasoned entrepreneurs as mentors to assist with early stage business planning. The Accelerator funds critical activities to reach key milestones of business development. The goal of the Accelerator is value creation measured by sustained funding, business growth and recognition.

The Business Accelerator identifies high potential companies through its partners and semi-annual event Entrepreneur’s Boot Camp. Past Accelerator clients include PolyTorx, a concrete reinforcing additive, and INVIA Medical Imaging (formerly known as 4DMSpect), a software supplier for cardiac imaging, Compendia Bioscience, a bioinformatics company for cancer detection.

Click here for additional information about the Business Accelerator.