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Solving the Challenges of Early Day Funding as a Successful Entrepreneur

About the class

Investment in entrepreneurial ventures is approaching levels not seen since the dot com boom in the late 1990s. Much has changed over the past two decades: a broader palette of funding sources, more exit options, startups that are simpler and cost less, and billion-dollar companies that remain private among others. Despite this recent growth, other challenges remain the same: finding the right investor, negotiating terms, rights and preferences, agreeing on a valuation, etc… Professor John F. Terry, one of the founders of the SMU MBA Venture Fund addresses these challenges of early-stage funding by answering two essential questions: When do I get my money back, and how much do I get back? 

Join Professor John F. Terry and his two former students, Sabari Raja and Alexander Urranaga, in identifying and understanding: 

1. What do all successful entrepreneurs have in common? 

2. What types of funding and what investors are available to you? 

3. Overcoming obstacles to get the deal done while adapting to the deal terms of today. 

About the Presenter

Professor John Terry, one of the founders of the SMU MBA Venture Fund, is the founder and President of ChurchillTerry, a management consulting and financial advisory firm formed in 1997 to support rapidly growing businesses.  He is now in his 19th year as an Adjunct Professor at the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University, teaching entrepreneurship as well as finance for private enterprises.  A life-long entrepreneur and investor, Mr. Terry has also co-founded or provided early-stage funding for a half-dozen other successful ventures.

Alexander Urranaga is the Principal of Plan B Group, Inc. Alex founded and leads this landmark hospitality branding, architecture and design firm (www.planbgroup.net), as they provide consulting for 75% of the US’s national restaurant chains. Successes include turning around underperforming Joe’s Crab Shack, Taco Diner, Jamba Juice, Zoe’s, Kitchen, On The Border and the ideation of the Food Hall at Legacy West.

Sabari Raja is the co-founder of fast growing edtech company, Nepris Inc, a first of its kind cloud based platform connecting industry and education to inspire students through real world connections.  She has worked in education technology for 18 years leading product and content strategy, business development, publisher relations, and emerging market growth strategies. Sabari has an undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering from India, Masters in Computer Science from Louisiana State University and an Executive MBA from Cox School of Business, SMU. 

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