Thinking about starting a business? Why? Can you explain what the business opportunity is and how you will make money? I hear hundreds of pitches every year from budding entrepreneurs. Their main challenge is making the business case.
Archive for the ‘posts’ Category
Capital Prohibitions and Crowdfunding
January 30th, 2012 
Mike Securities regulations severely limit access to capital for start-up ventures. The average citizen is precluded from investing because of these regulations. The government’s goal of protecting investors is achieved by preventing them from investing! What can be done to give companies better access to capital and better protect investors?
The Valuation Question
March 1st, 2011 Mike What’s my baby worth? Figuring that out is the biggest challenge entrepreneurs face when attracting investors. Many negotiations break down over this issue. The good news is that there are contractual mechanisms that can be used to resolve any disparities.
Posted in Business Blog, posts 
Tags: angel investor, dilution, seed investors, start-up capital, valuation 
No Comments »Making Canada Innovative
January 30th, 2011 Mike Innovation is a popular subject these days. It was raised by Obama in his State of the Union address as a major challenge for Americans. Here, in Canada, many think tanks, committees, interest groups, etc are rallying to the call for more Innovation.
Business Basics – Introduction
January 1st, 2011 Mike Over the years, I’ve written a number of articles to assist entrepreneurs, especially tech entrepreneurs, with an understanding of business matters. On the Simon Fraser University Website, much of this can be found at www.sfu.ca/~mvolker/biz. These articles are in the process of being updated, with new ones added, and will gradually start showing up on […]
Posted in Business Blog, posts Tags: Business Basics, entrepreneurship, start ups Comments Off on Business Basics – IntroductionInvesting in Greentech Start-ups
October 30th, 2010 Mike At the October 28, 2010 Vancouver Greentech Exchange, Mike talked about investment options for investors, challenges for entrepreneurs, incentives and impediments to innovation and finally explained a new investment vehicle – GreenAngel Energy Corp – could benefit both investors and entrepreneurs. Here is a summary of Mike’s talk:
Posted in Commercialization & Innovation, posts Tags: angels, clean tech, green tech, investing Comments Off on Investing in Greentech Start-upsAngel investor returns
October 3rd, 2010 Mike Recently (Sep 28,2010) I went to a presentation in Bellingham by Rob Wiltbank of Willamette University in Oregon. Wiltbank does research on angel investing and the returns enjoyed by angels. He looked at 1000 “exits” in North America – i.e. companies that gave a payback to their investors (however large or small, including zero return […]
Here’s Mike:
September 11th, 2010 Mike Michael Volker is an Entrepreneur active in the development of new high technology ventures. A University of Waterloo Engineering grad, Mike started his own company (Volker-Craig Ltd) in 1973. He sold this company in 1981 and then decided to work with entrepreneurs in building new companies. Most recently, he was the director of Simon Fraser […]
GreenAngel shows strong growth
September 9th, 2010 Mike Here’s some good news on GreenAngel Energy Corp and why it might be a good investment opportunity…
Business Basics – Better Boards Build Better Businesses
Mike Good corporate governance – having an active board of directors – is essential in building a good company. Assembling a capable board should be done sooner than later. Why?
