2010 Angel Capital Summit

Denver Skyline

This year I had the pleasure of volunteering for the Angel Capital Summit (ACS) which was held at the University of Denver - Daniels College of Business. The ACS provides business professionals with the tools and intensive screening needing in preparation for presenting to real investors.
As an aspiring young entrepreneur and a marketing professional, I have come to understand the value proposition within networking. The ability to connect with people can sometimes be more beneficial than academic credentials alone. All of the events that led up to me participating in the ACS were all brought about by networking and the generosity of people who understand you're future goals.

The Power of Networking
A few months ago I received an email from a professor (Dr. Paul Bauer) referring me to an event searching for Daniels student business volunteers to help with the ACS. I instantly connected to Mr. Les Makepeace, who is the CEO at TIGON Enertec and an adjunct Professor at Daniels College of Business.
It was through Mr. Makepeace that I was connected to an exceptional young man, Xander Page. He was the liaison between the ACS production team and Mr. Makepeace. After contacting both, numerous time, I finally was able to connect to the event.

During the event I was a "room producer" which afforded me the opportunity to sit in and watch successful CEOs/Entrepreneurs and other business executive give workshops on entrepreneurial "tricks of the trade". The first presenter was Mr. Brian Tsuchiya Founder of StartupGuru.com and serial entrepreneur. Mr. Tsuchiya gave valuable information about building venture capital through crowd capital as well as other means.

The second presenter that sparked my interest was Ms. Becky De Stigter, Director of International Operations at The Business Catapult. She gave an informative presentation on many insightful points about International Operations and how to notice and strategically navigate cultural barriers such as etiquette, mores, and professional status. As a student with an International Marketing background, her presentation was one that I definitely made sure to make mental notes of.

The third presenter was Ms. Chia-LiChien, CFP® CRPC PMP or "Jolly" as she presented herself to the audience. Ms. Chien was a dynamic speaker at the ACS, during her presentation on the 5 Deadly Business Sins to Avoid, I found myself trying to balance my tasks as a volunteer as well as taking valuable notes on many of the key points Ms. Chien shared. As an aspiring young business professional, there are two nuggets of gold that I took away from Ms. Chien’s presentation: 1. Know who you’re industry market makers are and 2. You must have predictable profits! I would recommend reading her articles at chialichien.com.

 One the closing day-2 of the event, I was able to speak to many exceptional business leaders and found that successful networking isn't about excessively promoting yourself and your professional agenda, sometimes it's about simply listening to others and learning from their success/mistakes. Everyone has a story and I honestly believe that business networks is a balance between professional relationship building as well as mutually benefiting each other.
 
I am very grateful to everyone who was involved in the ACS at Daniels this year. The event was a huge success and I look forward to working with many of the people I met again.