Chicago – November 2, 2011 – Walker Sands Communications, a full-service marketing and public relations firm, announced today that it will be sponsoring the
Funding Feeding Frenzy and the
Chicago Lean Startup Challenge.
The two events will connect entrepreneurs to investors and venture capitalists who can offer the funding necessary to jump-start a business. Walker Sands will be exhibiting at and sponsoring the Funding Feeding Frenzy on Nov. 2, and will provide support throughout the end of 2011 to the Chicago Lean Startup Challenge.
“Innovative new businesses are the lifeline of the American economy,” said Mike Santoro, president of Walker Sands Communications. “The key to American recovery will be unconventional ideas that shake up the marketplace and offer a unique solution. These events will enable the most creative participants to take a basic idea and build it into a reality.”
For more than a decade, Walker Sands has helped entrepreneurs in the seed and launch phase develop a solid business foundation and expand their client base through a results-driven approach to public relations, marketing, web design, and SEO.
“These events are a valuable resource for entrepreneurs,” said Santoro. “For both competitions, participants that don’t win immediate funding will still walk away with a solid business plan, constructive feedback to improve their viability, and a larger network of investor and venture capitalist relationships.”
About the events:
Funding Feeding Frenzy
The Funding Feeding Frenzy event will bring together startup founders, small business CEOs, entrepreneurs, venture capital firms and angel investors in Chicago on Nov. 2. Emerging businesses looking for funding opportunities will present to a panel of professional investors in one of three categories based on their investment requests, ranging anywhere from $50,000 to more than $5 million. Entrepreneurs that do not secure funding immediately following their presentation will walk away with valuable feedback to make their venture more profitable and jump-start their business. Learn more about the Funding Feeding Frenzy at
fundingfeedingfrenzy.com.
Chicago Lean Startup Challenge
Entrepreneurs will compete in the Chicago Lean Startup Challenge from early October through Dec. 15. Inspired by Eric Ries’
The Lean Startup methodology, it is a three-month competition for new independent ventures in a seed position. The competition kicked off in early October when interested registrants entered their business model canvases.
Participants will blog their progress weekly while judges used predetermined criteria to evaluate and narrow the contestant pool to eight during the semi-finals and four during the finals. Finalists will present at the Chicago Lean Startup Circle on Dec. 15 for a chance to win more than $75,000 in cash and prizes to accelerate the winning venture. Learn more about the Chicago Lean Startup Challenge at
http://chicagoleanchallenge.com/.
About Walker Sands Communications:
Walker Sands Communications is a full-service marketing and public relations firm focused on generating sales growth for our business to business clients. We provide marketing support for a wide range of clients, everything from large Fortune 500 brands to small startup ventures. Firms have been counting on Walker Sands since 2001 for services ranging from basic marketing strategy to our advanced SEO programs. Visit
https://www.walkersands.com for more information.