A primer on venture capital – Entrepreneurs in biotech get funding advice – "Money finds great deals"

You run a start-up company that is scrambling for funds – when should you look to venture-capital firms for financing?

That and other questions were tackled at "Commercializing Arizona Life Sciences," a two-day presentation recently given by Arizona State University Technopolis and the Translational Genomics Research Institute. About 100 people attended the event geared toward educating beginning bio- and life-sciences entrepreneurs about federal funding and private-sector money.

"Money finds great deals," said Jock Holliman, general partner of Valley Ventures, a Tempe venture capital partnership with more than $70 million under management. It specializes in investing in the Southwest and has helped with the development

The advice is especially helpful in Arizona, where fledgling biotech companies are trying to tap into venture capital, often the financial stage before getting bank loans or launching initial public offerings.

Jodie Snyder
The Arizona Republic

Full Story: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/business/articles/0217venture17.html