About Astia

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

6 Launch Tips for Mompreneurs



October 30, 2012
Level Playing Field on Inc.com

This post is part of an ongoing series written by Patricia Fletcher, Astia Board of Trustees Member, for her blog on Inc.com, Level Playing Field. Scholar-practitioner, experienced high-tech marketer and advocate for meaningful innovation, she is passionate about leveling the imbalanced technology playing field to include all the best innovators. In addition to serving on the Astia Board of Trustees, Dr. Fletcher happily lends her research, time, and voice to enable women to change the world through high growth entrepreneurship and board service. Follow her on Twitter @pkfletcher.

The great thing about being an entrepreneur is that you have a decent shot at defining your own path.  That flexibility makes it an attractive option for moms re-entering the workforce and those looking to change careers. 

Read the full post at Inc.com...

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Dr. Teresa Nelson blogs about Astia

One of Astia's nearest and dearest advisors, Dr. Teresa Nelson, has joined us this week at Astia's Global Entrepreneur Program in Silicon Valley (Mountain View to be exact). She has been blogging all about the program, the companies and why you (yes, you!) should get involved with the advisory period and beyond at Astia.

Read her thoughts here: http://drteresanelson.wordpress.com/

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Never Make a Cold Call Again: 4 Tips


September 6, 2012
Level Playing Field on Inc.com

This post is part of an ongoing series written by Patricia Fletcher, Astia Board of Trustees Member, for her blog on Inc.com, Level Playing Field. Scholar-practitioner, experienced high-tech marketer and advocate for meaningful innovation, she is passionate about leveling the imbalanced technology playing field to include all the best innovators. In addition to serving on the Astia Board of Trustees, Dr. Fletcher happily lends her research, time, and voice to enable women to change the world through high growth entrepreneurship and board service. Follow her on Twitter @pkfletcher.

One of my summer jobs during college was pure cold calling. I walked uninvited into businesses, selling knockoff designer perfumes and colognes at heavily discounted prices. Success, we were told, was nothing more than a numbers game. Hit as many places as you can, and the odds are that one out of 20 businesses will yield a sale. And if one person in an office buys, others probably will, too.

Read the full post at Inc.com...

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Calling all High Growth, Women Led Ventures!

The September 14 application deadline to Astia's Global Entrepreneur Program in Silicon Valley is fast approaching

September 4, 2012

Astia is currently accepting applications for its 2012 Global Entrepreneur Program, and we want everyone to know! The Astia Global Entrepreneur Program is being held in Silicon Valley this fall, and we want as many women led ventures to apply as possible. The program is more than just your average bootcamp - it is a catalyst for the transformation from start-up entrepreneur to founder-leader.

But don't just take our word for it. Here are some things that recent Astia companies have said about our program:

“The scope and depth of the Astia network, programming and organizational reach is staggering. Astia has made an enormous impact on our business and we've felt so privileged to participate.”
AJ Strosahl, CEO, DonationPay, Astia Fall 2011 Cohort 

"The Astia bootcamp completely exceeded my expectations. It was advanced, detailed and introduced us to many of the key players in the fundraising community here. There was no time wasted and it was an extremely worthwhile investment for our business."
Sherry Lomardi, CEO, Hulafrog, Astia Summer 2012 Cohort

About the Program:
The Entrepreneur Program is an unparalleled resource for success - a transformative program designed by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs who want to become dominant players in their sectors. The format? A comprehensive 5-day workshop, 3-month program of personalized advising from premier experts and the opportunity to start benefiting from the global ecosystem of angels, VCs, corporations, and entrepreneurs that is Astia.

Startups Accepted into Astia’s Program Have:
  • Raised more than $1 billion
  • Averaged a greater than 60% funding success rate, and
  • Achieved 23 exits, including 2 IPOs
Application Deadline: September 14, 2012

Who should apply:Exceptional women-led, high-growth start-ups who know that success is not just about raising money but about growing a business and thriving even in today's tough market.

To apply, please visit: https://gust.com/angel-group/astia/apply

For information regarding Astia, visit: www.astia.org


Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Graduates From MBA Programs Should Look to Startups, Not Corporations for Job Opportunities


Auguest 7, 2012
by Julianna Davies

Astia Guest Blogger, Julianna Davies is a researcher and writer for the online MBA resource, http://www.mbaonline.com. She suggests that instead of looking to larger and more established corporations, recent MBA graduates set their sights on the startup community in order to find positions with growth potential and plenty of learning opportunities. Julianna picks up on a theme mentioned on Astia’s blog, namely that startups allow for more freedom for their founders to develop the skills they need to succeed. 

Though the economic conditions in the United States and throughout the world seem to be slowly on the uptick, job security for new professionals remains quite uncertain. Students who flocked to Master of Business Administration programs years ago in hopes of landing a high paying corporate job are increasingly finding closed doors: even top-performing companies have largely clamped down on hiring, leaving many wondering how to pay off their student loans.

The answer, at least for some, may lie in startups. Startups are traditionally less secure than long-standing businesses, and the pay is often a lot lower to start. A growing body of evidence suggests that entrepreneurial ventures are the way of the future, however, which means that jumping on board now may actually be the smartest thing an MBA graduate can do.

According to a number of scholars, job growth is actually more secure in the somewhat unpredictable start-up environment than in traditional businesses and corporations. A 2010 report by the Kauffman Foundation, The Importance of Startups in Job Creation and Job Destruction, claimed that startups are some of the only opportunities for job growth in the modern United States. Larger corporations are hiring, of course. According to the report, they are not actually creating new jobs, though—they are maintaining their status quo by only hiring to match losses due to resignations or retirements. In many cases, the study found, many businesses are cutting jobs by only filling a percentage of their available slots.

“The study reveals that, both on average and for all but seven years between 1977 and 2005, existing firms are net job destroyers, losing 1 million jobs net combined per year. By contrast, in their first year, new firms add an average of 3 million jobs,” the Foundation said in its official summary of the findings.

Much of this job creation is owed to the ethos associated with most startups. A startup typically begins with an idea and a small group of dedicated entrepreneurs committed to bringing it to life. The company grows almost organically, expanding as needed to meet changing goals and to keep up with demand. The culture is usually profoundly different from larger, more established corporations.

“The larger and more successful the company, the more challenging it is to innovate, not only because of bureaucracy, but also because of a perceived fear of failure,” Gary Shapiro, CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association, a technology advocacy group, told Forbes. “Great innovation drives the most successful companies, from old-line companies that innovate their turnaround, such as Ford, to new generation companies that innovate to lead entirely new categories, such as Google,” Shapiro said.

The focus on innovation and creativity is attracting a whole new crop of graduates, many from the top schools. Organizations like Harvard University host start-up career fairs, where students can network and learn about career opportunities in a variety of small business settings. Internships are also exploding in popularity, enabling students to get a taste of life in the startup world while still in school.

While job security is important, most MBAs and other recent graduates flock to startups not for the paycheck, but rather to be a part of something bigger. “I feel like I’m a problem solver,” Daniel Shani, a 2012 MBA graduate from the University of Chicago Booth School, told the Chicago Sun-Times. “Entrepreneurs first and foremost are looking to solve a problem. They’re much less drawn to the dream of glory and fame. It’s really not about the money. I really would like to make a difference in the world,” he said.

Shani was one of several Chicago graduates to forego high-paying corporate work in favor of following their dreams—or just keeping more control of their careers. There is traditionally much more space to share ideas and be creative in entrepreneurial settings, and the work environment is often much more casual and laid-back.

There are trade-offs, however. “You need to be OK with rapid change, not having a clear road map, not having a management program,” Scott LaChapelle, assistant director of technology platforms and new employer development at Harvard University's Office of Career Services, said of startup opportunities. “You need to be OK with the fact that your job description, if there even is one, may change as well.”

Not everyone is well-suited for life in the world of startups. For those with business savvy who appreciate innovation, creativity, and positive change, however, there might be nothing better than trading in a suit for a slot on a small team of driven workers. The opportunities in this sector are only slated to grow, and job security—though never guaranteed—seems increasingly more promising for people with ideas to share with the world.

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

The Endurance Athlete's Plan for Entrepreneurial Success


July 31, 2012
Level Playing Field on Inc.com

This post is the fourth in an ongoing series written by Patricia Fletcher, Astia Board of Trustees Member, for her blog on Inc.com, Level Playing Field

"Entrepreneurs and marathon runners have a lot in common. When I ask a marathoner or an entrepreneur what makes her tick, the response is usually something like this: 'It takes a crazy person to do what I do. So, I guess I must be crazy.'" 

Read the full post at Inc.com...

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Why I Picked Astia In The Jungle Of Startup Accelerators, Incubators

“I made new friendships with CEOs from around the world building products solving a variety of problems.”

Published on: June 12, 2012 


By Poornima Vijayashanker (Founder & CEO, BizeeBee)

When I left Mint.com to start BizeeBee, a number of startup incubators approached me about joining.
While I liked the concept of having focused time to think, learn, and mentors who had help build some pretty amazing technology companies, I decided against joining an incubator.

I needed some time to myself, and quite frankly, I wanted the first six months of starting BizeeBee to be unstructured. Instead of spending time inside brainstorming, I got outside and met potential customers. I interviewed a number of them to understand their needs before a single line of code was written.

After the initial prototype was built, launched, and I had raised a seed round of funding an investor and mentor suggested that I look into Astia. I had heard about Astia before and had also seen many success stories come out of it.

Read the full original post on Women 2.0, here>>>

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Kauffman Foundation announces $600,000 renewed investment in Astia





Kauffman Foundation Extends Grant to Astia to Accelerate the Growth of Women-led Firms

$600,000 grant to drive innovation to market through the scaling of women-led high-growth companies

(SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. and KANSAS CITY, Mo.) June 12, 2012 – While the number of women-led firms continues to grow, the size of those firms does not. Yet those who are successful at accessing networks and capital perform on par with their male counterparts. In an ongoing commitment to women high-growth entrepreneurs, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation today announced a two-year extension of its previous grant to Astia, an organization dedicated to the success of women-led high-growth startups.

“Kauffman’s previous grant substantially impacted Astia’s programs and ability to continue its exceptional success rate for its companies, so we are doubling down on our commitment to the organization and its methodology,” said Lesa Mitchell, Kauffman’s vice president of advancing innovation. “Research shows that women are under-represented in networks that provide external equity financing and strategic business relationships. Our collaboration with Astia ensures that women gain access to the rich networks that deliver expertise, customers, capital and new markets.”

According to Kauffman data in A Rising Tide, a recently published book on financing of women-led companies, men raised about 80 percent more capital in their companies’ first year of operation than women did. Women rely more on internal financing to start their firms and subsequently lead smaller firms overall. The book reveals “that although women-owned firms have begun to make an impact in terms of numbers, they are still in the early stages of making an economic impact on a larger scale.” The authors conclude that for these firms to achieve their full potential, the women founders need access to networks.

Since the first Kauffman grant was awarded in 2010, Astia has provided access to high-growth expertise and networks to 198 companies, 168 of which used the network to increase their access to outside capital. The Astia community is comprised of more than 1,500 men and women, including more than 300 investors and more than 300 current and former CEOs, dedicated to propelling women-led businesses into high-growth.

“Research shows that successful high-growth companies hit an inflection point that results in hyper growth. The Astia community is a unique and invaluable resource that ensures that the Astia companies successfully navigate to this hyper growth,” said Sharon Vosmek, CEO, Astia. “Astia is profoundly appreciative of this renewed endorsement and strategic commitment from Kauffman to help extend the impact of the community that is the rocket fuel behind the growth of these tech and life science companies. True to Ewing Marion Kauffman’s original vision for the Foundation, the funding will drive innovation to market.”

The Astia program offers peer-to-peer, industry and investor connections. Funding from the extended grant will be used to implement the following enhanced offerings. Annual growth metrics will measure the impact to the companies.

Astia Access – For startups that aspire to high growth and whose founders seek expert-level feedback. Access members receive timely, targeted and unfiltered feedback as well as access to online tools and the Astia community.

Astia Global Entrepreneur Program – For entrepreneurs leading emerging companies who are poised to take advantage of Astia's global community. Chosen by the community via in-person screening, companies participate in the Astia Global Entrepreneur Program that includes a week-long boot camp followed by three months with a team of Astia Advisors. Advisor teams drive to mission-critical business milestones and are comprised of an investor, a c-level entrepreneur and two additional industry leaders.

Astia Portfolio – Launching the second half of this year, this program is for breakout companies on the fast track to success. By invitation-only, these companies from around the world will present to and be selected by industry leaders.

About the Kauffman Foundation
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a private nonpartisan foundation that works to harness the power of entrepreneurship and innovation to grow economies and improve human welfare. Through its research and other initiatives, the Kauffman Foundation aims to open young people's eyes to the possibility of entrepreneurship, promote entrepreneurship education, raise awareness of entrepreneurship-friendly policies, and find alternative pathways for the commercialization of new knowledge and technologies. In addition, the Foundation focuses on initiatives in the Kansas City region to advance students’ math and science skills, and improve the educational achievement of urban students, including the Ewing Marion Kauffman School, a college preparatory charter school for middle and high school students. Founded by late entrepreneur and philanthropist Ewing Marion Kauffman, the Foundation is based in Kansas City, Mo. and has approximately $2 billion in assets. For more information, visit www.kauffman.org, and follow the Foundation on www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn.

About Astia
Astia is a global not-for-profit organization with a distinct focus and mission – to propel women’s full participation as entrepreneurs and leaders in high-growth businesses, fueling innovation and driving economic growth. Guided by a proven philosophy that gender diversity is an essential element of innovation, Astia works with startups around the world as they access capital, grow their businesses, and hone the leadership skills of their founding teams.

The Astia model of engaging a community of experts to the benefit of the select startups it serves has resulted in an exceptional success rate: since 2003, over 60 percent of companies that have participated in the Astia Investor Forums have secured funding or achieved an exit within one year of presenting, totalling more than $1 billion raised and 25 exits, including two IPOs. Headquartered in San Francisco, Astia delivers programs for entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley, New York, London and India.

Astia is generously supported by the following sponsors: The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, The Three Guineas Fund, Fenwick & West, SNR Denton, Silicon Valley Bank, Moss Adams, Microsoft, SAP, Lowenstein Sandler, Cisco, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, AOL, Wells Fargo, BNY Mellon Wealth Management, The Althea Foundation, Gust, SalesForce, Citrin Cooperman, ideaSpace, Prolog Ventures, Golden Seeds, Illuminate Ventures, Alloy Ventures, Opus Capital, AOL Ventures, SAP Ventures, Asset Management, StarVest Partners as well as the generous support of individual donors. For more information, visit www.astia.org and follow the organization on LinkedIn and Facebook and follow us on twitter: @astiaglobal

# # #
Media Contacts:
Rose Levy, rose@goldinsolutions.com, Goldin Solutions
Barbara Pruitt, Kauffman Foundation, 816-932-1288, bpruitt@kauffman.org
Sharon Vosmek, Astia, 415-421-5500 x6, sharon@astia.org

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Give them what they want. Give them what they need...


Sharon Vosmek
Sharon Vosmek
CEO Astia
This month's newsletter is the final in a three-part series about our endeavor to increase our impact and mainstream our message to the broader business community.

In our conversations with you, we learned that our global community has become a unique and invaluable resource for entrepreneurs. You have told us that where we can increase our impact is by increasing our focus on how we engage that community to help ignite the growth of the Astia companies.

Every successful high-growth company hits an inflection point that results in hyper growth. You told us that the Astia community and offering, when thoughtfully engaged, can be the resource to ensure that the Astia companies successfully navigate to this hyper-growth. The peer-to-peer connections, the industry connections, the investor connections - when mapped to this objective - can be the rocket fuel for growth for the companies we serve.

We listened to you, and to this end, allow us to present the newly refined Astia offering for women-led, high-growth start-ups:

Astia Access - A broad offering for exceptional startups that aspire to high-growth and who seek expert-level feedback. Access members receive timely, targeted, and unfiltered feedback - an invaluable tool for any smart entrepreneur's toolbox - as well as access to online tools and community. Early 2013 Launch

Astia Global Entrepreneur Program - A premier offering for exceptional entrepreneurs leading emerging companies (the "e-suite") who are poised to take advantage of Astia's global community. Chosen by the community via in-person screening, companies participate in the Astia Global Entrepreneur Program that includes a week-long boot-camp followed by three months with a team of Astia Advisors. Advisor teams drive to mission-critical business milestones and are comprised of an investor, a c-level entrepreneur, and two other industry leaders. Launched Spring 2012

Astia Portfolio - A premier offering for breakout companies on the fast track to success. By invitation-only, best-of-class companies from around the world will present to and be selected by industry leaders to join this elite cohort. Launching the second half of this year. 
 
For each level of engagement, companies will receive:
  • Unparalleled access to the global community of entrepreneurs, investors, industry leaders.
  • Unfiltered feedback, strategic guidance & high-level introductions.
  • The opportunity to engage with and learn from a global cadre of exceptional entrepreneur peers.

To help you extend our message, we listened to our entrepreneurs and here are the key messages they would want us to share:
  • Astia is extremely competitive and highly selective: Companies are sourced, screened, and selected by the global community of experts.
  • Astia offers select ventures an opportunity to achieve high-growth: We focus our work on the difficult stages of growth. When things get tough, Astia is with you.
  • Astia is a community: We short-cut the pathways to success through the development of rich relationships. We make the right connections at the right time.
  • Astia offers women entrepreneurs the resources to be successful:  Being a successful high growth company requires rapid professional growth for the founders. Astia's offering provides the leadership skills necessary for founders to become CEO's.
  • Astia advances a woman-led not a woman-only mission. In everything we do we strive for a 50/50 representation of men and women.  
We are excited to implement the ideas you have shared with us and have every confidence that this refined approach will deliver on our desire to increase our impact.

I very much look forward to working with you in the coming months as we roll this out.

Cheers and thank you to all who continue to engage, support, and lead this important work,

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Networking Tips: Go From Awkward to Awesome

May 10, 2012
Level Playing Field on Inc.com

This post is the second in an ongoing series written by Patricia Fletcher, Astia Board of Trustees Member, for her blog on Inc.com, Level Playing Field


"For those of us who are not natural extroverts, networking events can be painful. It stinks to be in a crowded room at one of those tall tables with no one to talk to, a small plate of cheese and grapes in front of you, a glass of cheap chardonnay in one hand and your business cards in the other."


Read the full post at Inc.com...

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

5 Steps to Game-Changing Relationships

May 8, 2012
Level Playing Field on Inc.com

This post is the first in an ongoing series written by Patricia Fletcher, Astia Board of Trustees Member, for her blog on Inc.com, Level Playing Field. Scholar-practitioner, experienced high-tech marketer and advocate for meaningful innovation, she is passionate about leveling the imbalanced technology playing field to include all the best innovators. In addition to serving on the Astia Board of Trustees, Dr. Fletcher happily lends her research, time, and voice to enable women to change the world through high growth entrepreneurship and board service. Follow her on Twitter @pkfletcher.

"Part of my work involves figuring out why some women succeed and others do not. Yet I’ve worked mostly with men in my career, and I’ve always heard that men have bigger, stronger, bolder, and all-around better networks than women. So when I meet wildly successful women, especially in the male-dominated tech industry, it seems only natural to ask them about the importance of their networks. These women often answer me by talking about relationships. At first I thought this was a fluke: I’m asking about networks, so why are they responding by talking about relationships?"

Read the full post at Inc.com... 

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Personally Cool: Launch of Family Business Serves Menopausal Women

April 19, 2012
The Astia Interview Series on The NextWomen



Today is the first in a series of stories about the Astia Entrepreneurs. The Astia Series on Entrepreneurs is a new series on high-growth entrepreneurial teams brought to you by The NextWomen. The entrepreneurs are all part of Astia, the global venture-accelerator and network for women-led companies and have all terrific stories on how they are conquering their space. The Astia Series on Entrepreneurs is supported by Astia's sponsors.



To launch a company in the Life Science space, it nothing but challenging. To launch a product that is targeted at a female issue, which most men don't understand or want to understand, is a tough sell to the investment community. But Personally Cool overcame the challenges and just launched their product. Time for an Interview with Hugh Brownstone, the CEO and co-founder of Personally Cool.

Read the full post on The NextWomen