Green Entrepreneurs Summit—Scaling Up Without Selling Out

Learn successful tools and strategies for rapidly accelerating New York-based businesses committed to more sustainable ways of operating. This means being comfortably profitable while taking care of their stakeholders and the planet. 

Green Entrepreneur Summit is for companies:

• looking to raise capital to scale up operations
• in a highly competitive market
• with a new technology, product or service and first movers advantage
• concerned about your environmental impact

AGENDA

Part I: Marketing Strategies Panel

Topics Covered

• Social media

• Leveraging stakeholders

• Retooling your business model

• Rebranding your business

• Pitfalls to avoid greenwashing

Moderator

   Erica Grigg - CEO of Carbon Outreach

Panelists

  - Michael Margolis—Get Storied, company branding and positioning

  - Susan McPherson - SVP Fenton

  - Les Neuman - Managing Director, Hudson Valley Innovation Center

  - Marissa Feinberg - Co-Founder, Green Spaces

  - Martin Saposnick - Hudson Valley Innovation Center

Part II: Funding Strategies Panel

Topics Covered

• Good money vs. “bad” money

• Sources of capital to consider

• Bootstrapping strategies

• Joint Ventures and Partnerships

• Pitfalls to avoid

Moderator

   Stefan Doering, BEST coaches, Inc. 

Panelists

  - Micah Kotch - NYU/ Poly ACRE, director of operations, green incubator

  - David Kistner - Green Apple Cleaners, green entrepreneur

  - Ron Bergamini - Action Carting, CEO

  - Franklin Madison - ITAC, government grants

Part III: Scaling Up Strategy Workshop

Topics Covered

• The power of your vision

• Not selling out while scaling up

• Putting it all together:

• Vision review

• Financial strategy

• Marketing strategy

Facilitator

Stefan Doering—BEST coaches, Inc.

Part IV: Bonus - Government Grants for Green Businesses

Grants are an overlooked source of early stage funding. The SBIR program provides small businesses the opportunity to propose innovative ideas that meet federal R&D needs. 

Eleven federal agencies offer these grants, and cleantech opportunities exist in many of them. Learn how to access these grants, and to find out whether your technology is a good fit for non-dilutive government investment. Nearly $2.5 billion was invested in FY 2010. Will your project be ready to win in FY 2011?

ORGANIZERS