The Homeward Stretch - Part 1

I have hit the homeward stretch and with a final flurry of meetings time is short. Here is a quick overview of who I have seen since the last update:

Austin, Texas.
Triton Ventures
I met with Laura Kilcrease, Managing Director and Founder of Triton Ventures and the founding executive director of the Austin Technology Incubator. Laura was a HUGE help with thoughts and ideas on different entrepreneurial assistance programs. Her experience with founding and running the Austin Technology Incubator is amazing. We discussed program alumni, resource allocation and filtering of applicants depending on their needs just to name a few.

Tech Ranch
I met with Kevin Koym, founder of TechRanch in Austin.



A few minutes with Kevin and you can tell he is very passionate about startups. He even used his own money to start the ranch and has secured some impressive sponsors to keep things running. The Tech Ranch assists very early stage startups with mentoring, training and physical space. We discussed funding models, alumni and the structure of the ranch including details of his pyramid model for program delivery - basically wide services up to specific as you progress.

Los Angeles
Entrepreneurs Organisation (EO)
Jamie Douraghy is a successful business owner who runs Artisan Creative, a hub to help businesses find graphic designers and creatives. Jamie is an EO member and volunteers considerable time to the organisation. We discussed the EO's Accelerator Program just as Jamie is about to take up a position as the global chair for the program. Here is an overview of the program from their web page:

"In a series of quarterly, high-impact learning events, Accelerator gives you tools, knowledge, and skills to grow your business to more than $1 million (US) in annual revenue. This comprehensive program also connects you to the most influential network of entrepreneurs on the planet. Through the multiple learning and networking opportunities Accelerator provides, you sharpen your skills both as an entrepreneur and as a leader."

To be an EO member you must have a turnover above US$1million, the aim of the accelerator program is to assist businesses to grow into that range. The big deal here is the EO network where applicants can access an international database of success (I was referred to him via this network). We discussed the details of the program and there were a number of great ideas for me to think about and include in the end report.


A huge thankyou to Laura, Kevin and Jamie for their time.
Next stop San Francisco...