News

Eight Budding Entrepreneurs Hone Their Skills at New West Festival, May 5th and 6th in Missoula, Montana

As New West presents their annual Rocky Mountain Festival, one highlight is support for young businesses looking for guidance and funding.

A highlight of this week’s Rocky Mountain conference is the encouragement of new, small businesses by providing access to practice pitch sessions led by Venture Capital expert Trevor Loy http://flywheelventures.com/ and a Montana Angel investor and author of http://www.TheNewRural.Com, Diane Smith.

"When I realized that some of the stumbling blocks for new entrepreneurs seeking funding for their business ideas was first learning how to access potential funding partners and then how to present their ideas, something just clicked," said Lynn Ingham, CEO and Publisher of New West. "Since we were bringing funding professionals to speak at our conference, the kind of people who have demonstrated strong mentoring skills and keen interest in encouraging Rocky Mountain entrepreneurs, we decided to open a special session for budding businesses to participate and learn."

As word spread through the regional press and the New West site and newsletters about the pitch sessions, entrepreneurs responded quickly with business plans and new ideas. Eight budding businesses were chosen for 15 minute sessions with Loy and Smith. The entrepreneurs will each have eight minutes to pitch their ideas with PowerPoint presentations and discussion, and then Loy and Smith will respond with seven minutes of critiques, ideas and suggestions for next steps. The companies presenting are from a wide variety of industries, including retail, agriculture and farming, education, alternative energy and more.

"New West is happy to take a lead position in the encouragement of economic development in the six Rocky Mountain states that we cover editorially," said Ingham. "This region is growing rapidly, and we find that our Western colleges and universities are a unique breeding ground for innovation and technology, resulting in a strong entrepreneurial community."

The Festival hosts an eclectic variety of speakers on the topics of climate change, digital branding, local food systems and farming, economic development and more. The day ends with a discussion on venture and angel funding in the Rockies, led by Loy and Smith.

Kickoff is Thursday evening at the downtown Missoula Art Museum (MAM), where local food, local beverages, local artists (including guest appearances by Alpine Artisans of the Seeley-Swan area) and local music are featured. Lead architect on the MAM restoration, Warren Hampton, will talk about the vision behind the building, which blends the old and the new in a beautiful and functional space to display regional and nationally-acclaimed artist work.

For more information about the Festival, visit http://www.newwest.net/festival.

Sorry, we couldn't find any posts. Please try a different search.

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.