13 November 2007

U of M using technology to allow students to carry classrooms with them

I was recently in an article in the Memphis Business Journal:

U of M using technology to allow students to carry classrooms with them
By Michael Sheffield
Published: November 12, 2007

The term smart classroom no longer pertains only to students at the University of Memphis.
To continue reading, go to: http://memphis.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2007/11/12/story15.html
 

07 November 2007

Mercury Launchpad: Pre-Incubation Firm Scouts Incubator Clients

Pre-Incubation Firm Scouts Incubator Clients
 
Vol. 13, Issue 6
November 2007
NBIA Updates
National Business Incubation Association
 
Incubator managers know that it's not just the number of potential clients walking through the door that's important. Quality matters, too. Most programs have entry criteria for would-be incubator clients to ensure that companies are ready and willing to accept incubation services.
 
But what about the entrepreneurs who have a great idea, but haven't yet started a business?
 
EmergeMemphis, a mixed-use program in Memphis, Tenn., has one way to capture such clients.  It hosts Launchpad, a firm (started by an Emerge graduate) that helps nascent entrepreneurs turn their ideas into companies, in exchange for an equity stake in that company.
 
"We see [Launchpad] as a precursor to EmergeMemphis," says incubator President Gwin Scott. "They will be our pipeline for qualified companies -- all pre-screened."
 
That's important because Scott already has his hands full with his 27 incubator clients. "I spend a lot of time on them with strategy, sales, investments," he says. He also is raising funds to expand the incubator so it can take up to 15 additional clients. That leaves little time for the kind of hand-holding a totally new entrepreneur needs -- and that is Launch Pad's stock in trade.
 
Launchpad currently has three clients, including the winner of a business plan competition sponsored by the FedEx Institute of Technology at the University of Memphis. As a competition partner, Emerge arranged to have Launch Pad services in the winner's package.
 
"Since we couldn't write a check, this was our way to help the cause," Scott says. And it was a way to help everybody involved: the competition winner, Launch Pad and the incubator itself.
 
"We're just trying to help entrepreneurs by building the right community with qualified companies," Scott says.

04 November 2007

Mercury Technology Labs: Mercury Launchpad Opens for Business

For those looking for flexible office space to launch new business ventures check out this latest post.

Mercury Technology Labs: Mercury Launchpad Opens for Business

Memphis Daily News: Entrepreneurs Bank On Fractional Ownership Market

Entrepreneurs Bank On Fractional Ownership Market
ShareCastle LLC recently was formed by Michael Hart, Marc Diaz, and Eric Mathews to take advantage of growth in fractional ownership of vacation properties.
30 October 2007 Memphis Daily News
http://www.memphisdailynews.com/Editorial/StoryLead.aspx?id=99584