 | ||
| ||
| ||
|
Texas’ Competitive Edge
Emerging Technology Fund key to long term economic growth
By Craig Casselberry, Tom Kowalski and Jeff Clark
We have all heard the bad news.
The National Venture Capital Association reports that venture investing in early stage businesses is down 71% over the last 12 months, and no money was raised by Texas based venture firms in the 1st quarter of 2009. Most venture funds are reserving their capital for existing portfolio companies. Small business lines of credit are not being renewed by banks seeking to preserve liquidity. As credit is tightened, companies are forced to consider layoffs to stay in business.
Historically there has been a shortage of capital available to create and grow small businesses, and the current economic climate only exacerbates the challenge.
Over the last two decades the term “economic development” has been redefined. While government efforts continue to include traditional business attraction and retention strategies, economic development today must focus on building a diverse, sustainable economy based on high-growth service and technology-based industries.
continue reading
Coalition Releases Blue Chip List of Capital Sources
The Texas Coalition for Capital is announcing the release of the most comprehensive list of capital sources in Texas.
The Blue Chip Investors list will detail public and private funding sources that are actively investing in all business sectors across the state.
“Emerging companies need consistent access to capital to ensure their success over the long term,” said Craig Casselberry, Coalition president. “This list will provide the information needed to allow these companies to access funding at all stages of their growth.”
Access to working capital often makes the difference between success and failure for small and emerging companies. Working with industry partners, investors, and public and private sector leaders, the Texas Coalition for Capital has become the premier resource in Texas for information on public and private sources of long term capital for entrepreneurs and emerging companies.
The Coalition continues to promote strong economic development and job creation in Texas by connecting companies with capital. Many small businesses are unaware of the broad spectrum of funding sources at their disposal. With the help of an impressive advisory board consisting of distinguished business leaders and entrepreneurs from across the state, the Coalition has helped secure nearly one billion dollars in funding for programs supporting young companies.
continue reading
Texas Coalition for Capital Announces New Advisory Board Members
The Texas Coalition for Capital is pleased to announce the addition of three outstanding leaders to its advisory board.
Sara Patuel, Mark Ellison, and Jacqueline Northcut join a impressive group of leaders supporting programs and policies that provide access to capital for Texas entrepreneurs and emerging companies.
“We are thrilled that these distinguished leaders agree with the Coalition’s mission,” said Craig Casselberry, Coalition president. “Their expertise will increase our organization's effectiveness as a resource for promising young Texas companies, and their experience will be most valuable in our work to keep Texas the best place to do business in America.”
The Coalition advisory board is made up of a broad cross section of leaders, including entrepreneurs, investors, industry executives, economic developers, and higher education officials.
Sara Patuel, Program Director of TechBA
Sara Patuel is a leading expert in cross-border business development between the US and key Latin American markets. As head of the University of Texas TechBA business accelerator, Sara drives initiatives which pair the university’s IC2 Institute with top-tier Mexican technology companies in a variety of industries including digital media, telecom, software, etc. The TechBA program, now touting over 30 companies, is sponsored by the Secretary of Economy of Mexico through a non-profit foundation (FUMEC). Previously, Sara occupied a senior level business development role for Fortune 50 telecom giant, MCI, where she led Hispanic partner programs and was responsible for launching multi-state programs accounting over four billion dollars in gross revenue.
Mark Ellison, Associate Vice Chancellor for Economic Development with the Texas A&M University System
Formerly he was the founding director of the Texas Emerging Technology Fund, where he oversaw more than $300,000,000 million in investment in over 40 promising Texas small businesses.
Jacqueline Northcut, President and CEO, BioHouston
Jacqueline joined BioHouston as its President and CEO in December 2002, creating an organization that is the foundation for what BioHouston has become today. BioHouston, Inc. is a non-profit, tax-exempt corporation founded by Houston-region academic/research institutions. They are leading a broad effort to establish the Houston region as a vigorous global competitor in life science and biotechnology commercialization.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
