Message from the CEO
WELCOME TO 2011 Let's dive right in to it, shall we? Last week we showcased for the investment community 18 companies at the first Astia Investor Forum for the 2011 calendar year; one life science, three clean tech, five enterprise software, and five consumer tech companies. Each is a distinguished member of the Astia portfolio of over 267 companies who benefit from ongoing access to the expertise and networks of Astia's global community of investors, entrepreneurs and industry leaders. The Investor Forums are just one touch point on the road to success for these companies; you can look forward to seeing and hearing more from them over the coming years. The National Venture Capital Association has gone on record as predicting that we will see a "pick-up" in venture capital investment this year. NVCA President, Mark Heesen said in a recent press release that his cautious optimism is a result of the recovering economy, "the improving exit market and a renewed excitement in the IT sector," all of which "have engendered a confidence among VCs." I, too, share this optimism for 2011, but I highlight that during the extremely difficult fundraising years of 2008, 2009 and 2010 the Astia portfolio maintained its historically consistent and exceptional success rate.
A very special thank you to the Astia community without whom, none of this would be possible. And an equal acknowledgement of Team Astia - a team that is growing and in transition as we launch in to 2011. For each member of the team, our singular objective has been to attract and recruit the best and brightest professionals to effectively manage and inspire the Astia community - for your benefit and to the benefit of our mission. In October we announced Simone Brummelhuis joining to spearhead Astia Europe. Today, I am delighted to announce two new additions to the executive team: Rob Delman, Vice President, New York Office, and Jen Shelby, Vice President, Client Services. Rob Delman brings extensive business and angel investor experience - as well as substantial alignment with the Astia mission. Rob has been a Managing Director at Golden Seeds, a network of angel investors dedicated to investing in early stage companies founded and/or led by women. In the same way we were able to find Simone, Rob comes to us from within the Astia community. He has served as a highly rated Advisor and Ambassador for Astia since the launch of Astia NYC in 2008. In addition to joining the team full time, Rob will continue to play an active role in the angel community as well as serving as a guest lecturer at Many of you will already know the name of Jen Shelby. Jen returns to Astia after a two-year hiatus during which she served as CMO of Astia client, Betty Confidential. In welcoming Jen back, we are most pleased to announce the expansion of our client services. Our objective in bringing back Jen is to increase our engagement and support for the Astia portfolio throughout the lifecycle of these businesses. We know that the community is poised to provide value well beyond the initial entrepreneur program, investor forums & Ambassador engagement. Jen's focus will be to ensure for our clients a continued access to capital, a continued access to expertise for the growth of the businesses, and a continued investment in the leadership of the women on the founding team. And finally, it is with a heavy heart that I share with you that Katie Nittler is stepping down as Chief Operating Officer. Katie will continue full time through the end of the month, and then will transition to part time until the end of February to help the new team ramp up. We look forward to her continued involvement in the community long after this - but we will miss seeing her on a daily basis. Her commitment and leadership over the past two years have been invaluable and we know that much of Astia's current success is a direct result of Katie's many contributions. We extend to Katie our deepest appreciation. On behalf of Katie, Simone, Rob, Jen, Mark, Kat, Vanessa, Vinita, Stella and Brian - we wish you all a prosperous 2011! Cheers, Sharon Vosmek Chief Executive Officer Astia's Global Entrepreneur Program - Call for Applications for 2011The Astia Entrepreneur Program is an unparalleled resource for success - a transformative program designed by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs who want to become dominant players in their sectors. The Format? A comprehensive multi-day workshop, 2-month program of personalized advising from premier experts and the opportunity to start benefiting from the global ecosystem of Angels, VCs, corporations, and entrepreneurs that is Astia. Who Should Apply? Exceptional women-led high growth start-ups who know that success is not just about raising money but about growing a business and thriving in today's tough market. Applications are taken on a rolling basis. Apply today if you have...
Visit Astia and complete your application before February 7th to be considered for the European Astia Entrepreneur Programme. Astia 2011 CalendarAstia Entrepreneur Programs Astia Investor Forums Annual Events Astia NewsAstia 2011 Outlook - Will we see a "pick-up" in venture capital investment this year?Read more here. TechCrunch Europe announces Astia European ProgrammeRead more here.
Press Release: Exceptional female entrepreneurs wanted!Read more here.
Stanford Business Cases on Astia with Professor Tom Kosnik & Katie NittlerRead more here.
Community NewsDFJ Partner's New BookBill Draper of Draper Fisher Jurvetson wrote a book about the partnership between venture capitalists and entrepreneurs. Read more here. From Kauffman LabsKauffman Labs for Enterprise Creation Launches Challenge to Illuminate Breakthrough Ideas from Female Scientists and Engineers. Read more here. TEDWomenWhat's next TEDMen? Astia CEO Sharon Vosmek quoted. Read more here. TEDWomen - Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg on Why We Have So Few Women Leaders: Read more here.The National Cancer InstituteThe National Cancer Institute (NCI) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs have announced the launch of a new Regulatory Assistance Program. Read more here or learn more about applying here. How to Follow the Top Angel Investing Women in Tech on TwitterRead more here. Year-End VC Report Shows Strength of Internet & Early Stage InvestmentRead more here. The 2012 Project has launched!It's a national, non-partisan campaign to increase the number of women in legislative office because Election 2010 saw the first decline in the number of women in Congress in more than three decades, and a drastic drop in the number of women state legislators. Click here for more information. 2010 was The Year of Whining About Women in TechRead more here. |
In This IssueSUPPORT Astia as a donor! 2010 Marked the beginning of the Decade of the Woman Entrepreneur. As the year comes to a close, support Astia today! Help us maintain our momentum to grow our networks globally and expand the reaches of our community. Operating on less than a one million dollar budget annually, Astia continues to deliver unparalleled programs and services to women entrepreneurs, but we can't do it without you! Contribute today! Astia is now blogging! Join our ongoing discussions at Astia Notes You can now follow Astia on Twitter: Sharon
Vosmek | AstiaSF | AstiaEurope | Astia is also on Linked-In and Facebook. Be sure to join our groups! Astia Investor Advisory Council JOIN Astia's Investor Advisory Council
Alloy Ventures How to Get Connected Silicon Valley New York Europe India |
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Market Updates |
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Silicon ValleyHosted by Fenwick & West, Astia was proud to present 18 exceptional pre-screened, women-led, high-growth companies from Life Sciences, Clean Tech, Consumer and Class of 2010 companies presenting: Ballooning Nest Eggs, Frontier Markets, Hey Neighbor! and TravelSort, TriBarter, The Comet, ColorModules, Native Cloud Systems, Fanminder, RippleSend, Crystal Biosciences, TerViva BioEnergy, Nutrabella, Yoomerang, And we are thrilled to be joined by these Astia companies who have made great progress since they last presented: Qlubb, Real Life Plus, Formotus and BioVantage Resources In appreciation of the role of the Advisors there will be a networking event on February 24th to say thank you! A new tradition thanks to the generosity of sponsor, Moss Adams. The 2011 calendar is now set and includes two 'on ramp' programs in IndiaThe global Astia community is real - one of the companies, Frontier Markets, who is presenting at the Investor Forum in Silicon Valley has already had tremendous support from our growing |
New YorkWe have just returned to NYC after attending the Astia Silicon Valley Investor Forum. There were several NYC-based companies presenting, including Ballooning Nest Eggs, Frontier Markets, Hey Neighbor! and TravelSort. All generated a lot of investor interest and we will continue to monitor their progress! Rob Delman has joined the Astia team as Vice President, We are also gearing up for our New York Entrepreneur Program so we welcome all introductions to early stage companies with a woman in a C-level role. Click here to learn more and apply! We will be road tripping it to EuropeAstia Europe is organizing events and partnering with relevant organizations to develop the European Astia community. In Astia is proud to be a supporting sponsor and member of the judging panel at the CWT Everywoman in Technology Awards in the UK. As to the upcoming Astia Entrepreneur programme in March 14-18, 2011, the call for applications has received a lot of attention in Techcrunch and The Financial Mail on Sunday. As a consequence, a number of technology entrepreneurs have applied to Astia to get more information, and the screening of companies are taking shape. Apply to Astia to get feedback on your business by investors, entrepreneurs and advisers. |
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Client News
Erica Weirich, Founder, GHRF gave a talk at the World Affairs Council of California on January 12th on Improving Health Care Through Technology and Cultural Understanding in
On January 13th TravelsinTaste launched TravelsinTaste Epicurean Adventures is a limited-time-only, custom-crafted experience that was tailor-made exclusively for TravelsinTaste's most loyal fans. We continue to reach out to our network of chefs, mixologists, sommeliers, restaurants and foodie friends to create unforgettable experiences that you'll be talking about for days to come. To give you a hint: Our next adventure will feature creatures from under the sea paired with exquisite wines. Our inaugural event is: "A Decadent Sunday Night Supper at Strip House - An Exclusive Evening on Sunday Jan. 30."
Imagination Welcome is rebranding as Yoomerang with the tagline: go anywhere. bring back stories. A centerpiece of this re-branding is naming the avatars Yoodles. A Yoodle is you + a doodle (a doodle of you), and Yoodle-creation will be the starting point for kids to have fun exploring through a variety of earth-loving characters in stories, on-line games, and real-life toys. An early version of the website is on-line with a preview of the fun coming soon. Yoomerang's commercial launch will be later this year. Market Spotlight: Q3 2010
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Silicon Valley | New York | Europe | India |