Entrepreneurs get their chance to find financing.Fifteen entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to present their business plans to investors with the hope of getting financing at the first-ever Special Investor Forum being held Nov. 9. The event is being presented by the California Venture Forum, a Pomona-based non-profit organization A non-profit organization (abbreviated "NPO", also "non-profit" or "not-for-profit") is a legally constituted organization whose primary objective is to support or to actively engage in activities of public or private interest without any commercial or monetary profit purposes. made up of business people and educators dedicated to helping entrepreneurs. It is being held at California State Polytechnic University
Dina Lane, a member of the California Venture Forum and manager of regional recovery for Rosemead-based Southern California Edison Southern California Edison (or SCE Corp), the largest subsidiary of Edison International (NYSE: EIX), is the primary electricity supply company for much of Southern California. It provides 11 million people with electricity. , is spearheading the effort. In her Edison role, Lane develops programs to improve the economies of depressed areas in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, . The California Venture Forum is in its final phase of soliciting business plans from entrepreneurs all over Southern California. Forum members will then review them to select the 15 most viable by Sept. 16, Lane said. Entrepreneurs whose plans are chosen will then be invited to a workshop Sept. 24, at which they will be taught the skills needed to present plans to investors, Lane said. Then, on Nov. 9 these entrepreneurs will have about 10 minutes each to make their presentations to more than 25 investors whom California Venture Forum has solicited for the Special Investor Forum. These investors include venture capitalists Venture Capitalist An investor who provides capital to either start-up ventures or support small companies who wish to expand but do not have access to public funding. Notes: Venture capitalists usually expect higher returns for the additional risks taken. , representatives from traditional investment companies and non-traditional lenders, Lane said. One non-traditional lender that plans to participate is downtown L.A.-based Community Lending Corp. which targets minority businesses and has more lenient le·ni·ent adj. Inclined not to be harsh or strict; merciful, generous, or indulgent: lenient parents; lenient rules. lending criteria than do traditional lenders, Lane said. Hopefully, the Special Investor Forum will enable entrepreneurs to link with investors, she said. If the program is successful, the California Venture Forum plans to make it an annual event. |
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