VentureSpur 2014 – Program Overview VentureSpur is a venture accelerator and venture capital seed fund dedicated to identifying and developing early-stage, high-growth ventures. Through a 12-week program of acceleration, VentureSpur provides selected participants with seed capital, office space, a team of entrepreneurial mentors, education and development opportunities, and a wide range of free and discounted technical and business services. VentureSpur receives an approximately 10% equity stake in the participating companies in exchange for acceptance into the program. or The program culminates on Pitch Day, during which participants have an opportunity to make their investment and product pitch to angel investors, venture capitalists and others in order to raise their next round of capital. The VentureSpur program provides office space for startups admitted to the program in either our Oklahoma City or our Dallas office. All program components are shared digitally between and Fund Seed both offices. Running in two cities and across two states, the program provides participants with Venture Accelerat unique opportunities to expand their mentoring, network relationships, sales opportunities and fund-raising leads across the entire central US region. Participants are selected through an open application process that begins with startup teams submitting a written application through VentureSpur’s website. Applications are reviewed by the accelerator’s management and investors. The top finalists are invited to make a brief presentation in-person or by video. From these finalists, a number of teams are invited to participate in the 12-week acceleration program. VenureSpur is different from traditional incubators, seed funds, venture capital firms and angel investors. VentureSpur provides an 67.0897 elite group of companies with not only investment, but also an intensive regimen of 3 The ExchangeThe OKC 700 ½ W Sheridan Oklahoma City, OK 73102 405. development, mentorship and vital network contacts through a structured 12-week program VentureSpur Oklahoma City with a focus on rapid preparation for business launch and a first round of venture capital. At VentureSpur, our mentors are the backbone of our program. These are highly successful entrepreneurial leaders who have agreed to spend time mentoring and guiding our participants through the acceleration program and the launch of their businesses. VentureSpur offers participants a unique opportunity in the region to fund, develop and 3724 launch their businesses with the support and - expertise of mentors who have been through the launch of their own successful companies. VentureSpur also offers startups a unique The DallasThe Entrepreneur Center N.1333 Stemmons Frwy, Suite 110 TX Dallas, 75207 214.432.3742 opportunity to present their investment and VentureSpur Dallas product pitch in front of our Pitch Day audiences, which contain representatives from almost all of the active investors in Oklahoma and North Texas, and representation from other regions as well. “By Entrepreneurs, For Entrepreneurs” www.VentureSpur.com | Page 1 of 13 Program Focus Area – EdTech and Online Education Online learning, training, certification and gamification of education are focus areas for the VentureSpur acceleration program, especially at our Oklahoma City office. We believe that online education is one of the fastest growing and most important areas of development both in the US and internationally. We believe that tremendous or opportunities for transformation, market disruption and human development exist in this focus area, and intend to help develop the most promising startups in the nation, working in this area. While VentureSpur is seeking and accepts applications from all startups meeting our and Fund Seed program criteria, we feel we have something special to offer applicants in these focus Venture Accelerat areas. Sample Mentors with Relevant Experience: Piyush Patel – Founder & CEO of DigitalTutors.com In business for over a decade, Digital Tutors has become a leader in online learning in the animation, video and film industries. Their client roster includes such multimedia giants as Pixar and Adobe. His company has been the recipient of several awards including the prestigious Telly Award (2 for Web Design and Interactive Media) and a Horizon Interactive Award for Interactive Education & Training. 67.0897 3 Ken Parker – Founder & CEO of NextThought.com The ExchangeThe OKC 700 ½ W Sheridan Oklahoma City, OK 73102 405. Ken is the CEO of NextThought, a company providing innovative learner-centric VentureSpur Oklahoma City online education, collaboration and community solutions for several industries, and especially for Wall Street. Previously, Ken co-founded the global financial tech company, RiskMetrics, which was recently sold to MSCI for $1.5 billion. Corey Miller – Founder & CEO of WebDesign.com Corey is the founder and CEO of WebDesign.com, a leading provider of online training for web designers. WebDesign.com is part of his larger company, iThemes, which he founded in 2008. iThemes specializes in WordPress themes, 3724 plugins and training. His company was recently named the 7th fastest growing in - Oklahoma City by the Metro 50. iThemes is based in Oklahoma and has employees and clients around the globe. Bjorn Billhardt – Founder & CEO of Enspire Learning The DallasThe Entrepreneur Center N.1333 Stemmons Frwy, Suite 110 TX Dallas, 75207 214.432.3742 Bjorn Billhardt is the CEO of Enspire Learning. Bjorn founded Enspire Learning in VentureSpur Dallas 2001 with the vision to change the way people learn. He has worked with Fortune 500 clients and delivered hundreds of successful leadership development programs in more than twenty countries. Bjorn is a recognized thought leader in simulation-based learning and has presented at numerous conferences, including CLO Symposium, Training, ASTD, and ISPI. “By Entrepreneurs, For Entrepreneurs” www.VentureSpur.com | Page 2 of 13 Program Focus Area – Mobility & Tech for Restaurants and Retail Mobility and technology for restaurants, retail, hospitality and related sectors are a major focus area for the VentureSpure acceleration program, especially at our Dallas office. The consumer experience, as well as the logistics and delivery models, in restaurants and retail markets are or being radically transformed by mobile technologies and online services. We selected this focus area because we believe the marketplace has only just begun to imagine, develop and adopt the many transformative opportunities delivered by new technologies. and Fund Seed While VentureSpur is seeking and accepts applications from all startups meeting our Venture Accelerat program criteria, we feel we have something special to offer applicants in these focus areas. Sample Mentors with Relevant Experience: Greg Fasullo – Founder & CEO of EnTouch Controls Greg is the CEO of EnTouch Controls, an energy management company focused on servicing the restaurant and retail sectors. The company has significant traction and clients include Chuck E. Cheese and Corner Bakery Cafe. Greg is an experienced executive and entrepreneur with a history of building and leading high performance teams, his passion is aligning emerging technologies with underserved market needs. 67.0897 3 The ExchangeThe OKC 700 ½ W Sheridan Oklahoma City, OK 73102 405. TJ Person – Founder & CEO of Koupon Media VentureSpur Oklahoma City TJ Person is CEO and founder of Koupon Media, provider of the Digital Campaign Management (DCM) Platform to help retailers and brands deploy coupon, loyalty and offer programs in a matter of days. The Company works with global brands including 7 Eleven, Pepsi, Michaels Stores, among many others. Chris Fagan – Founder & CEO of KeyRing Chris Fagan is the founder and CEO of KeyRing, a mobile wallet for loyalty card and coupons for restaurants and retail. The company was acquired in Sept 2012 3724 by Gannett (GCI), a major media company that owns and operates 80 newspapers - and television stations across the US including the USA today. Gab Goncalves – Founder & CEO of PeopleAnswers The DallasThe Entrepreneur Center N.1333 Stemmons Frwy, Suite 110 TX Dallas, 75207 214.432.3742 Gabriel Goncalves is the founder, and President & CEO of PeopleAnswers, a VentureSpur Dallas software-as-a-service company with solutions in the talent sciences space. PeopleAnswers helps enterprise and mid-market companies decrease employee turnover and increase employee performance. It’s patented software solution combines behavioral and performance data to create highly predictive job-specific hiring benchmarks. Ten million people last year were evaluated across the globe by its software. “By Entrepreneurs, For Entrepreneurs” www.VentureSpur.com | Page 3 of 13 VentureSpur Board of Directors Kraettli Lawrence Epperson – Managing Director Kraettli Lawrence Epperson is an active entrepreneur, technologist and angel investor with experience as a chief executive, chief technical officer and board member for multiple technology companies. He has a technical background as a software developer and systems administrator. As an entrepreneur, Kraettli has or launched several successful technology companies including Questia Media, R7 Solutions and HyperAlert. David Matthews – Director and Fund Seed David Matthews has a background as an entrepreneur, a lead investor in Venture Accelerat emerging alternative investment funds, a venture capitalist, and as a venture philanthropist. As an entrepreneur, David launched several