Posted From: Joylent Blog

One of the things we are most proud of at Joyent is our history of helping fledging start-ups bootstrap themselves into a successful business.

A critical component of this is giving you the flexibility to “fail fast”. This means you can try a business plan, see if it catches on, adjust and react to market changes, and most importantly, gain traction and revenues before you ever need to seek funding. With a deal like the free Joyent Facebook Accelerators, we take care of the hosting infrastructure, Facebook provides you with a distribution channel and all you need to bring is the code.

Fred Wilson over at Union Square Ventures has an interesting post entitled Why Early Stage enture Investments Fail which proves the value of this flexibility.

Fred puts it this way:

So it’s pretty clear to me that most venture backed investments don’t fail because the business plan was flawed. In my experience at least 2/3 of all business plans we back are flawed. Most venture backed investments fail because the venture capital is used to scale the business before the correct business plan is discovered. That scale/burn rate becomes the cancer that kills the business.

And to prove it, he gives some nice statistics on companies that he has funded. He compares the performance of companies that were nimble enough to transform their business (aka the ones that failed fast) with the businesses that stuck to one plan and did not or could not ever adjust.

The lessons for this are simple:

• Keep all your costs variable
• Get traction before raising capital.

Using cloud computing as part of your infrastructure is one way to accomplish both of these goals.

Additional reading about failing fast and failing often at Early Stage VC

Seed funding has been challenging to track down, but maybe that's changing. Here's a list of programs designed not only to seed early growth, but provide expertise and inspiration to get you there.

The KTEC PIPELINE is an innovative new program, designed to identify talented and entrepreneurial Kansans, match them with best-in-class training, resources and mentors and encourage them to pursue a career as a technology entrepreneur in Kansas.

Kansas is the only state today that is systematically identifying their top technology talent and connecting them to become future leaders. The KTEC PIPELINE adds to KTEC's comprehensive technology program by ensuring the most important component to any successful economy - cadre of innovators that will lead the Kansas economy for generations to come

Deadline: Sept 10, 2008 Apply

Get up to $15,000 in seed funding for your new company, plus the chance to pitch to angel investors and venture capitalists at the end of the summer.

Only ten spots. TechStars takes only ten companies each summer. Last year more than 300 companies applied. Getting in is hard, and it means something special.
Seed funding. TechStars fills the startup funding gap by providing just enough capital to get your idea off the ground. Your new company receives up to $15,000 in seed funding.
Advice and Mentoring. TechStars fills the experience gap by bringing together the best and the brightest in one place and surrounding you with incredible proven mentors for the summer. With this much talent in one place you’ll get great advice on your product and strategy, thereby ensuring the best possible start for your new business.
Connections. TechStars companies get immeasurable benefits that come from introductions and connections to potential partners and customers. At the end of the summer, each company also has the opportunity to pitch during an investor event that we organize.
A great deal and a great co-founder. In exchange for the TechStars summer program, seed funding, advice, mentorship, connections, and investor demo day, TechStars receives a 5% equity stake in your new company. TechStars receives “founders stock” which is just like yours. We want to be thought of as an experienced and well connected co-founder so we have the same risk and reward system that you do. Learn more.

Deadline: March 31, 2008 Apply here

LaunchBox Digital, an early stage investment firm located in Washington, D.C., is focused on helping entrepreneurs get through those challenging early days by bringing capital, advice, and practical guidance to help early stage businesses succeed. We offer:

• Funding and administrative support to enable founders to focus their energy on developing a great product;
• Mentoring and advice from seasoned technology veterans who have created significant stakeholder value; and
• Access to strategic partners, angels, VCs and the press to take your business to a whole new level

LaunchBox Digital is a place for cutting-edge ideas and cutting-edge talent. It's a way to maximize your chances of success. We've structured LaunchBox Digital so that we win only if you win.

Deadline: March 14, 2008 Apply

Y Combinator does seed funding for startups. Seed funding is the earliest stage of venture funding. It pays your expenses while you're getting started.

Some companies may need no more than seed funding. Others will go through several rounds. There is no right answer; how much funding you need depends on the kind of company you start.

At Y Combinator, our goal is to get you through the first phase. This usually means: get you to the point where you've built something impressive enough to raise money on a larger scale. Then we introduce you to later stage investors—and in some cases even acquirers.

Deadline: April 2, 2008 Apply

Are you a hacker who has thought about one day starting a startup? Have you already started it? Then you're invited to a free, one-day startup school this April 19 at Stanford

Deadline: March 23, 2008 Apply

UPDATE: Found a Few more.

Startup Weekend is a intense 54 hour event bringing together brilliant tech minds (developers, designers, marketers, ect.) together to create a company from concept to launch! You can read more about what the event is here.

Next Events;

• Boulder II (March 21-23)
• Portland (May 23-25)
• Ann Arbor (June 20-22)

More of a competition, but notable! $50K in cash and $50K in Amazon Web Services, a potential investment offer from Amazon and participating VC's.

startFEST+DEMO

startFEST+DEMO is a social gathering with the aim to create relationships among growth-oriented entrepreneurs, innovative companies, and members from the investment community. This first event will introduce the Kansas City business community tostartPATH, a virtual incubator and social network helping entrepreneurs transform concepts into successful companies. In addition, 10 companies will be demonstrating their technology during this event. Fine beers from Boulevard will be provided, encouraging lively social interaction among attendees.

March 6, 2007 (6-9pm)

Boulevard Brewing Company
2501 Southwest Boulevard
Kansas City, MO 64108