Jay Bigelow

Jay Bigelow’s column is part of a regular series. Why Jay? Because he’s charged with meeting and learning the needs of entrepreneurs all over this region and connecting them with the resources and people to help achieve their goals. I was driving to work this week and heard a good story on NPR’s Marketplace on how to make effective tech company pitches. We are beginning the season of pitches and I cannot emphasize enough the importance of the founder/CEO being able to deliver an effective pitch for his/her company. It is mission-critical! You’ll need to pitch well if you...

Jay Bigelow’s column is part of a regular series on ExitEvent. Why Jay? Because he’s charged with meeting and learning the needs of entrepreneurs all over this region and connecting them with the resources and people to help achieve their goals. I read three different but very interesting articles/posts about the philosophy of investors this past week. Each sheds some light on the ongoing debate around the lingering challenges of raising capital in this area. That debate often boils down to two categories of issues: structural (e.g. not enough local VCs, no critical mass or areas of expertise, etc.)...

Jay Bigelow’s column is part of a weekly series. Why Jay? Because he’s charged with meeting and learning the needs of entrepreneurs all over this region and connecting them with the resources and people to help achieve their goals. One of the biggest challenges any new or emerging venture faces is getting noticed—whether it is by potential customers, investors, partners or employees. Often, the challenge is compounded because the venture lacks funding to pay for a lot of exposure. Sound familiar? New tech ventures need to take advantage of pitch openings, competitions and showcases to help raise their profiles...

hallways and have interactive displays that explain a project within that lab. Visitors can also interact with the working prototypes. One of my favorites was the half-scale city car pictured above. Designed in 2009 by a team led by William Mitchell, the famed former head of the lab’s Smart Cities group and dean of MIT’s architecture and planning, it can be folded up when parked. It’s also cool that the labs are sponsored by corporations (even LEGO), allowing corporate partners a first look at the innovations underway at the Lab and encouraging real world feedback and input to the...

Jay Bigelow’s column is part of a weekly series. Why Jay? Because he’s charged with meeting and learning the needs of entrepreneurs all over this region and connecting them with the resources and people to help achieve their goals. Alpha and Omega—the beginning and the end. Oh how that resonates in the startup world. Alpha Friday, May 16, I participated in the NC IDEA pitch finals for spring 2014 recipients. Since its inception in 2006, NC IDEA’s grant program has awarded over $3.1M to 82 companies across the state. Most of the companies that apply to NC IDEA are...