In this interview, you will learn how and why they did it. Watch Matt as he explains how he made the decision to quit Tivo and take the leap for Kiva.

Now you have a friend in the industry.

Mark Dwight is the founder and CEO of Rickshaw Bagworks, the San Francisco-based manufacturer of messenger bags, computer carrying cases, lifestyle luggage and accessories for the bicycle, outdoor and urban lifestyle specialty retail markets. Dwight founded Rickshaw in May, 2007. The company recently began manufacturing and shipping its first products from its San Francisco factory located in the historic Dogpatch neighborhood. Rickshaw sells directly to consumers via www.rickshawbags.com, and to select specialty retailers.

Prior to founding Rickshaw, Dwight was CEO of Timbuk2 Designs, another San Francisco-based messenger bag company. Dwight led a group of investors that acquired Timbuk2 in 2002, oversaw a financial turnaround and period of rapid growth, and then sold the company to private equity investors in 2005. The sale resulted in the locally-publicized distribution of $1.2 million to the company’s 40 factory employees. During Dwight’s tenure, Timbuk2’s annual revenue grew from less than $4M to nearly $20M.

Mark will share his experiences in consumer lifestyle product branding growing an established heritage brand, and starting a brand from scratch and various tips for entrepreneurial success.

You will not want to miss this opportunity to meet Mark Dwight!

When: July 16th, 2008 Wednesday 6:30 p.m.

Where: Amerprise San Francisco Office

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Who is Mark?

Mark Dwight, founder and CEO of Rickshaw Bagworks and former CEO of Timbuk2 Designs, is a Bay Area native, with 20 years experience in high-technology and consumer marketing, product development, and manufacturing operations.

Before joining Timbuk2, Dwight worked at Cisco Systems, holding various positions in manufacturing and marketing. Additionally, Dwight was the co-founder of Astro Studios, a San Francisco-based product design consultancy, and Director of Product Development for Kensington, a leading brand of consumer PC accessory products. Earlier in his career, Dwight worked for KLA/Tencor, Stratus Networks (previously Digital Microwave), and several high-technology start-ups. Dwight has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering (82) and an MBA (89), both from Stanford University.

Dwight currently serves on the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and Mavericks Surf Ventures. Dwight lives in the SOMA district of San Francisco.

Now you have a friend in the industry.

In this turbulent economy, venture capitalists are becoming more cautious about where they invest their money. For the entrepreneur, having the right connections in the industry can be just as important as having a bulletproof business plan.

Former entrepreneur (Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2006) and now a venture capitalist, Amy Errett is your bridge into the world of venture capitalism and the ultimate person to meet.

Amy spent five years as the CEO and partial owner of Olivia.com, a lifestyle destination for lesbians while multiplying revenues from $6 million to $25 million.

You will not want to miss this opportunity to meet Amy Errett.

P.S. Amy is also the chair of the board of Glide Foundation, San Francisco’s largest non-governmental, direct social service organization.

When: June 18th, 2008 Wednesday 6:30 p.m.

Where: Amerprise San Francisco Office

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Who is Amy?

Amy J. Errett brings more than 25 years of experience as a leading edge entrepreneur, senior executive and social mission visionary. Her domain has been varied throughout her career from the online Web 2.0 media industry, to the off-line consumer marketplace, and even to volunteer, non-profit leadership.

Most recently, Errett spent five years as CEO and partial owner of Olivia repositioning the company as a lifestyle destination for lesbians while multiplying revenues from $6 million to an expected $25 million this year.

Still positioned as the number one travel company for lesbians, Errett transformed Olivia into a lifestyle media and lifestyle brand by launching the first lesbian affinity credit card, expanding the company’s entertainment offerings and created lucrative partnership programs for Fortune 500 companies to reach directly into the lesbian market. She also branched out into media and direct content by developing a Web 2.0 social-networking website and community for lesbians, the first of its kind in the marketplace.

Olivia’s reach, including all touch points, and is an estimated 2.5 million women across the globe, making it the primary hub for the lesbian community.

Errett has done a great deal of consulting and advisory work in the commerce, community and content Web 2.0 space. She has worked on start up projects in the green space,content sites in the boomer market, social networking spaces including group technology, profiles, dating as well as micro mapping,GPS applications and the affinity group market.

In 2006, Errett, along with Olivia’s founder was chosen as the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for Northern California. Olivia also won a WEBBIE award from the SF Chamber of Commerce as the leading growth business of the Year. That same year, and for the second consecutive rating period, Olivia received a 100% from the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index, as well as inclusion in the annual list of the best companies to work for in America.

Prior to joining Olivia in 2002, Errett founded and served as chair and CEO of The Spectrem Group, a worldwide strategic consulting, information and M&A advisory firm. She sold Spectrem to an IPG subsidiary, NFO Worldwide (NYSE: NFOW) in 1996. After the sale, Errett joined E*Trade as a member of the senior management team where she diversified the company’s business beyond brokerage by leading E*Trade into growth areas , managing their business to business stock option division and launched a successful asset-based products and investment management services division.

In addition, Errett has dedicated herself to supporting humanitarian organizations. She is the chair of the board of Glide Foundation, San Francisco’s largest non-governmental, direct social service organization. Formerly a member of the national board of the Human Rights Campaign, she now serves on the Wharton West Advisory Board.

Among her citations is the Israel Fellows Award by the San Francisco-based Jewish Community Federation. Errett is also an active member of the alumni associations of The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Connecticut. She is an active member of YPO (Young Presidents Organization) in Northern California.

The SFentrepreneur Challenge will be the ultimate business pitch competition for entrepreneurs in the San Francisco Bay Area.

It all comes down to this. The top five voted entrepreneurs on SFentrepreneur Community will pitch live in front of our power judges, including Kevin Hartz- limited partner of Sequoia Capital, seed investor of Paypal, and co-founder and CEO of Eventbrite; Christine Comaford-Lynch- angel investor of Google, former VC and bestselling author; and also Claudine Cheng - attorney & president and chair of the Treasure Island Development Authority.

This live event will be very similar to American Idol, but only for entreprenurs. You definitely would not want to miss this.

When: June 4th, 2008 Wednesday 6:30 p.m.

Where: Westin Market Street San Francisco

Final Results are in!!

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SFentreprenur attended a great session on “Rules For A Successful Media Launch “ at Startup Bootcamp San Francisco this morning.

Here are a few PR tips we took away…

1. Establish your own personality and personal brand (Watch people like Steve Jobs, Richard Branson or Warren Buffet?)

2. Understand your brand category. Think about this…

• Facebook is a Social NetworkUtility
• Ning is a Social Networking Platform

What is your brand category? Or can you create a new category?

3. Build relationship with your core users early on. If they rely on you to succeed, they will be your best marketer and advocates

4.Ride the trend – Don’t waste your time and wait for the best time. Use the wave to tell your story

5. Five seconds elevator pitch – You don’t really have 30 seconds

6. Answer this question: “What is your unfair advantage?”

Photo by SpacePotato

Are you prepared to get the attention from VCs and angel investors?

Are you confidence with your business models?

Are you working with the right people?

Is your financial plan rock solid?

Christine Comaford-Lynch, former Google angel investor, business accelerator & bestselling author and former VC has the answer for you.

Attention all entrepreneurs: would you like to know the specific ways how Christine did it?

Christine will show you all the possibilities regardless of your education, past experience and know how. These are the insider tips that no entrepreneurs can afford to ignore…

* Key components you must include in your business plan / business pitch to any investors
* Specific types of people you must have on your team
* Do’s and don’ts of fundraising
* Mistakes to Avoid to get funded, stay funded, and even simply stretch your cash
* Specific ideas to boost your credibility in any industries

Ignore it at your own risk or you will be left behind with your unrealized idea and untapped resources…

Who should attend this call?

Everyone but especially entrepreneurs, small business owners and idea makers in all industries including all Foundesr, Managing Partners, Principle, CEOs, CFOs, COOs, CMOs, etc

This conference call was held on May 7th 12:00 p.m (Pacific Time) with Christine himself.

P.S. Christine will be doing a two day summit in Irvine, California on June 6 & 7th. Click here to check it out.

When: Wednesday, May 7, 2008 12:00 PM
Where: Live Call

Who is Christine?
Bill Gates calls her “super high bandwidth.” Bill Clinton has thanked her for “fostering American entrepreneurship.” Newsweek says “by reputation,

Christine is the person you want to partner with.” New York Times bestselling author Christine Comaford-Lynch is CEO of Mighty Ventures , an innovation accelerator which helps businesses to massively increase sales, product offerings, and company value. She has built and sold 5 of her own businesses with an average 700% return on investment, served as a board director or in-the-trenches advisor to 36 startups, and has invested in over 200 startups (including Google ) as a venture capitalist or angel investor.

Christine has consulted to the White House (Clinton and Bush), 700 of the Fortune 1000, and over 300 small businesses. She has repeatedly identified and championed key trends and technologies years before market acceptance. Christine writes the finance column on www.BusinessWeek.com/SmallBiz.

San Francisco takes great pride in being home to many small and new startup businesses whose new ideas, innovations and technologies have had a significant impact on the greater community.

When: May 15, 2008 6:00 PM - 8:30 p.m. Thursday
Where:

Martin Lawarence Gallery (Downtown)
366 Geary Street
San Francisco, CA 94102

Come join us at this complimentary wine reception.

Grand Prize: Featured by AMEX Open as the June 2008 Featured Entrepreneurs

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About this Contest:
The SFentrepreneur Challenge is the ultimate business pitch competition for entrepreneurs in the San Francisco Bay Area. The challenge is created to encourage entrepreneurs to broadcast their business, passion and ideas on the internet and in person.
Entrepreneurs can enter the contest by simply creating an online profile on SFentrepreneur.com. The SFentrepreneur members can then vote for their favorite entrepreneurs online before June 1st, 2008. The 5 top voted entrepreneurs will be selected to pitch and compete in front of a live audience and a panel of judges consisting of seasoned entrepreneurs/angel investors on June 4th, 2008. The live event will be very similar to American Idol, but only for entrepreneurs.
The winning entrepreneur will receive a grand prize of being featured by American Express Open as the “June 2008 Spotlight Entrepreneur” in American Express’ “Ideas for Growing a Business” newsletter which is sent to over 16,000 entrepreneurs across the country.

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How to Enter this Contest?

Round One – Get votes on Sfentrepreneur (Deadline: June 1st, 2008 11:59 p.m.)

• Create a member profile on SFentrepreneur.com and tell the community about you, your business, your passion and your ideas.
• Encourage your business colleagues, customers, partners and other entrepreneurs to vote for you.
• Market yourself online and get as many votes as possible
• Be selected as one of the top 5 voted entrepreneurs and proceed to Round 2.

Round Two – American Idol for Entrepreneurs (June 4th, 2008)

• The Top 5 voted entrepreneurs will be selected and notified by June 2, 2008.
• Finalists will be given 10 minutes to present in front of a live audience and a judging panel consisting of seasoned entrepreneurs/angel investors on June 4th, 2008.
• If you are selected as a finalist, you must present in person at the live challenge in San Francisco or you will be disqualified.

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Eligibility and Rules

• Must be a member of SFentrepreneur (Free to Join!) and submit a complete member profile before June 1st, 2008 11:59 p.m.
• Must complete all questions listed on the member profile in true honesty
• Business ideas must represent the original work of the entrepreneur.
• If you are selected as a finalist, you must present in person for the live challenge on June 4th, 2008 in San Francisco or you will be disqualified.
• SFentrepreneur believe good ideas will spread and the SFentpreneur Challenge is intended to help entrepreneurs to spread their business ideas and passion even faster. The judging panel will ask “Is this business idea spreadable?

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Judges:

Christine Comaford-Lynch – Founder & CEO of Mighty Ventures
Bill Gates calls her “super high bandwidth.” Bill Clinton has thanked her for “fostering American entrepreneurship.” Newsweek says “by reputation,Christine is the person you want to partner with.” New York Times bestselling author Christine Comaford-Lynch is CEO of Mighty Ventures , an innovation accelerator which helps businesses to massively increase sales, product offerings, and company value. She has built and sold 5 of her own businesses with an average 700% return on investment, served as a board director or in-the-trenches advisor to 36 startups, and has invested in over 200 startups (including Google ) as a venture capitalist or angel investor.
Christine has consulted to the White House (Clinton and Bush), 700 of the Fortune 1000, and over 300 small businesses. She has repeatedly identified and championed key trends and technologies years before market acceptance. Christine writes the finance column on www.BusinessWeek.com/SmallBiz.

Kevin Hartz - Currently Co-Founder and CEO of Eventbrite
Kevin was previously Co-Founder and CEO of Xoom Corporation, an international money transfer company providing services to over 30 countries worldwide. Xoom is backed by Sequoia Capital, NEA, Fidelity Ventures, Stanford University, and Peter Thiel.

Kevin began his career as a product manager at Silicon Graphics (SGI) and later co-founded ConnectGroup, a start-up providing high-speed Internet access to the hotel industry. ConnectGroup was acquired by Lodgenet (NASDAQ: LNET) in 1998. Kevin then joined Outlook Ventures, a venture capital firm focusing on seed and early stage technology companies.

Kevin holds a BA and BS from Stanford University, as well as an MA from Oxford University (University College). He has been an active early stage investor and advisor to startups including PayPal (NASDAQ: EBAY), Flixster, Trulia, Tokbox, Geni, Tripit, iControl, Three Rings, Friendster, and BluBet. Kevin currently serves on the Board of Directors of Xoom, BluBet, and TokBox (observer). You can view his full portfolio at www.kevinhartz.com. In his spare time, Kevin advises university students on entrepreneurship through Youniversity Ventures.

Claudine Cheng (Attorney & President and chair of the Treasure Island Development Authority)
Claudine Cheng is a long-time civic leader and an attorney who has dedicated herself to community service and to enhancing the quality of life in San Francisco.

Claudine currently serves as the president and chair of the Treasure Island Development Authority. Under Claudine’s experienced stewardship, the redevelopment of this former Naval base is setting new national standards for green and sustainable development. A 20-year resident of the Northeast waterfront who is deeply concerned about urban and neighborhood issues, Claudine is also an active director on the board of the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association, RENEW SF, North Beach Citizens, and Pathway for Kids. She is one of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s delegates to the California Democratic State Central Committee.

Over the past two decades, Claudine has served in leadership positions on numerous community boards as well as appointed positions. The following is a partial list: president of Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation, trustee of Saint Francis Memorial Hospital, director of California State World Trade Commission, trustee of California Housing Finance Agency, chair of San Francisco Bay Area World Trade Center, director of Music In Schools Today and president of Charity Cultural Services Center.

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Frequently Asked Questions
These are some commonly asked questions. If you still have questions after reading this, email us.

What is the goal of this challenge?
This challenge is designed to encourage all entrepreneurs to act on their passion, talent and energy to promote their businesses and ideas. The winning entrepreneur will be featured on the American Express Open/Meetup.com monthly email to further broadcast their passion and business.

Who is eligible?
Any entrepreneur (CEOs and Founders) is eligible to apply. There is no industry limit, no age limit and no gender limit.

What stage of business do I have to be in?
Any stage – concept, beta launch, funded, growing, etc.

Who will be evaluating my idea?
Check out our “power” judges Christine, Kevin and Claudine in the “Judges” section.

Who can vote for me?
All members of SFentrpreneur.com

Can I vote for more than one entrepreneur?
Absolutely!

Can I give more than one vote for a particular entrepreneur?
Unfortunately not. You vote will only count as one vote.

What kind of questions should I prepare for?
See sample profile questions.

Is there a fee to apply?
There is no cost to apply.

From Wall Street Journal to TechCrunch, OutcastPR push their client beyond PR 101 every single day. With Margit?s leadership, her company combines talent tenacity, imagination, and humor with relentless desire that help their clients to be different. OutCastPR have no patience for cookie-cutter PR, their clients (Facebook, Yahoo, Amazon, Dell and Salesforce.com) deserve better and they know it.

You will not want to miss this opportunity to learn from PR Expert - Margit Wennmachers. It’s time to tell the world about your uniqueness and rise above the noise!

P.S. Margit’s company is also the brainchild behind the San Francisco CEO Dinner from 2002 - 2007. Click here to check this out!

When: Wednesday, May 21, 2008 7:00 PM
Where: Amerprise San Francisco Office

Who is Margit?
OutCast co-founder Margit Wennmachers has set the standard for excellence, integrity and results throughout the agency, while establishing herself as one of the foremost PR practitioners in the industry today.

Margit’s unique ability to balance efficiency with creativity, process with imagination, and aggressiveness with balance, imbues OutCast with a communication style that stands out from the pack. Her expertise spans enterprise software and hardware, internet and consumer technology, browsers, email and communications, and more. Margit has championed PR programs for large and small clients, including corporate and product positioning, launches, crisis and issues management, executive visibility, M&A, to name a few.

Margit is fluent in English, German, Spanish and French.

Click here to find out more about OutcastPR.

Click here to download recording for this call.

Is the New Marketing stuff working for you? Are you mixing your meatball business with your marketing sundae?

SFentrepreneur is proud to present Marketing Guru, Seth Godin and this time we will be doing a conference call with everyone about this latest book- Meatball Sundae for SFentrepreneur members for free!

For those of who doesn’t know who Seth is…

Seth writes the most popular marketing blog in the world. He is the author of some of the bestselling marketing books of the last decade. He speaks to large groups on marketing, new media and he is also the founder of Squidoo.com, a fast-growing recommendation website.

• American Way Magazine called Seth “America’s Greatest Marketer.”
• Promote Magazine called Seth “The Prime Minister of Permission Marketing.”

In his new book Meatball Sundae , the definitive guide to the fourteen trends no marketer can afford to ignore. Seth explains what to do about the increasing power of stories, not facts; about shorter and shorter attention spans; and about the new math that says five thousand people who want to hear your message are more valuable than five million who don’t. Seth doesn’t pretend that it’s easy to get your products, marketing messages, and internal systems in sync. But he’ll convince you that it’s worth the effort.

Ignore it at your own risk and peril. You will be left behind or end up with a “meatball sundae” – a big, ineffective mess.

By the end of an hour, Godin will have us looking at the world we live in very differently - the new rules create new winners (and losers) and there’s no time to waste.

When: April 9th 12:00 – 1:00 p.m (Pacific Time)

Sign Up Here -> http://meatball.eventbrite.com/

Join this conference call on and learn directly from Seth Godin himself!

The Fine Print:
·Participants must purchase a copy of Meatball Sundae in order to register for this conference call. If you are already a meatball fan, great! We will ask you a simple question when you register.
·If you are new to Meatball Sundae, that’s fine too! We will buy you the book and send you the call detail.

This event is proudly hosted by SFentrepreneur.

Be Part of the Best!

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Conference Call Provider

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Participating Organizations