For Entrepreneurs

It is widely accepted that that Texas and the South Central U.S. region are underserved by venture capital investment.  We do not believe that is a reflection of a lack of high quality early stage investment opportunities but a lack of visibility for companies seeking investment and platform by which qualified companies can be matched with institutional investors. The NTEC VAP was designed to facilitate access venture capital investors through a structured, actively managed referral program that increases the odds of securing funding.

The NTEC Venture Alliance Program delivers the following benefits to Entrepreneurs:

• Connectivity - Through the NTEC VAP, entrepreneurs gain access to regional and national venture capital firms that are not locally (North Texas) based. Additionally, the Alliance Partners participate in NTEC hosted educational conferences and have recurring visibility at NTEC.
• Credibility - NTEC is a trusted partner and referral source to the VAP Partner venture capital firms. Entrepreneurs whose companies are referred to the Alliance Partners are assumed to be credible and are assured of an initial meeting with one or more of the Partner firms.
• Feedback - Each company that applies to the NTEC VAP will receive a high level review from a senior member of the management team as well as one or more of our highly qualified Advisory Team members. This well defined process results in valuable feedback to entrepreneurs, regardless of whether or not your company is referred to our Alliance Partners. Additional coaching is provided to those companies who are accepted into the VAP. Coaching is focused on the key elements for a successful investor presentation.
• NTEC Partnering - Entrepreneurs applying to the VAP Program will have the opportunity to meet with members of the NTEC Preferred Partner Network. These Partners are qualified manufacturers, suppliers, professional service providers and consultants who have been screened by NTEC and accepted as Partners based on their reputation, qualifications, and experience in working with early stage, technology-based businesses.

How the Program Works

Interested entrepreneurs submit an online application for participation in the VAP.

The application process is simple and usually takes less than 15 minutes to complete.  The Application consists of the following:

• Review our VAP Partner venture capital fund web sites to verify that your company fits the investment focus and criteria of one or more VAP Partner firms
• Completion of a Primary Contact information form
• Submission of a company Executive Summary compies with the following Guidelines:
  
  Your executive summary should be four (4) pages or less and contain, at a minimum, the following information:
  
  
  • Company overview including stage of development
  • Management team overview
  • Intellectual property status and plan
  • Product(s) overview, pain you address, and related regulatory path
  • Overview of market, competition, and what makes you different
  • Sales and marketing strategy including how you make money
  • Milestones achieved to date, including historical investment in the business
  • Summary financial projections for the business (at least 3 years with 5 preferred)
  • Financing needed along with use of funds, timeline, and milestones to be achieved
  
  Keep in mind, the purpose of your summary is to provide sufficient information to motivate an investor(s) to accept a face-to-face meeting.  Make your summary interesting, easy to read, and concise.
• Submission of a company Investor Presentation that complies with the following guidlines:
• Your investor presentation should be prepared in MS PowerPoint or Adobe and should not contain more than 10-12 slides.  Consider the 10-20-30 rule of investor presentations developed by successful entrepreneur and investor Guy Kawasaki of Garage Ventures. Your presentation should contain no more than 10 slides that can be presented in 20 minutes with no font smaller than 30 point.  Click here for additional information on Guy's 10-20-30 rule. At a minimum, be sure your investor presentation:
  
  
  • Captures the attention of your audience
  • Clearly communicates customer pain/need and how your product(s) uniquely address
  • Defines the size and potential of the market and your competition
  • Details how the business makes money - sales and marketing strategy
  • Demonstrates that your team is qualified to prepare and execute the business plan
  • Explains what has been accomplished to date (milestones) - current status of the business
  • Funding sought and use of funds including timeline and milestones to be achieved
• A successful investor presentation will capture the investors attention and give them sufficient information to establish your credibility, the market opportunity, your competitive edge, and the potential for superior investment return.  Be sure to use some graphs, images, and even video to make your presentation stand out.
  
  
• Other, non-confidential information may be requested

Your application and supporting information is prepared and submitted electronically. Please remember, before making an application, review the VAP Partner venture capital firm summaries on the main VAP landing page and visit their web sites. The first step in reviewing applications is to verify that your applicant fits the investment profile (sector, investment stage, investment amount, structure, etc.) of one or more of the Investor Partners. If you know your company is NOT a fit, please do not submit an application.  If you are unclear as to whether your company is a fit, contact NTEC at 972.987.1400 or by email hzajicek@ntec-inc.org.

Once your application is received, it is reviewed for compliance with program guidelines and fit with one or more of the Alliance Partner firms. A Quick-Look Venture Assessment (hyperlink) is then performed on your Application by NTEC Advisors and management to further determine whether a referral to one or more Partner funds is warranted. This process takes from 8-10 business days and may include follow-up requests for information. Applicants who are not accepted into the Program will be notified and provided with the reason(s) for not being accepted. In some cases, an applicant can re-apply after addressing one or more concerns noted in the Quick-Look Venture Assessment. Applicants who are accepted into the VAP will be notified that they have been accepted as an Alliance Program Company and be directed as to next steps in the venture firm referral process. Once referrals are made by NTEC, the Alliance Program Company and Venture Partner(s) take the relationship lead and NTEC maintains a passive, support role.  Alliance Program Companies are required to notify NTEC of their investment status and to provide feedback on their VAP experience. This information is critical to assessing the success of the NTEC VAP and all of those who participate in it.

NTEC acts solely as a facilitator, providing investors and applicant entrepreneurs with a forum in which to interact regarding possible investment opportunities. NTEC does not provide investment advice and does not perform comprehensive due diligence on applicant companies. Participating VAP venture funds form their own opinions about which companies they consider investment worthy.