On Monday, April 19th, I have the pleasure of interviewing Howard Diamond as part of the Silicon Flatirons Entrepreneurs Unplugged Series.

Howard is certainly one of the most interesting and engaging people that I know and I looking forward to hearing his thoughts on a wide variety of topics. 

Location is ATLAS Room 100 and the event is from 6:15pm to 7:30pm.  Hope to see you there.

The CU New Venture Challenge finals are this Friday, 3/12 beginning at 2pm in ATLAS 100 on the CU-Boulder Campus and are open to the public. Don’t miss the watching the top four teams pitch their business plans to a panel of judges including venture capitalists, angel investors and serial entrepreneurs.
Prizes include:

• 1st – $6,000
• 2nd – $3,000
• 3rd – $2,000
• Judges Choice – $250

Now in its second year, the CU New Venture Challenge is a campus-wide initiative connecting students and faculty with teammates in a broad range of disciplines and with mentors from the business community. The goal is to provide knowledge and experience making entrepreneurship accessible to anyone with the enthusiasm and creativity required to start a new business.

Highlights of the 2010 CU New Venture Challenge include:

• $15,000 in cash prizes
• More than 20 teams in fields ranging from information technology and Internet to music and outdoor recreation
• Dozens of mentors sharing their entrepreneurial experience with competition entrants
• Seven workshops and “crash courses” on topics such as intellectual property, economic sustainability, and how to build a company from concept to completion
• Networking events connecting CU students with employers and building a sense of community among Colorado entrepreneurs
• 145 Facebook members and 463 followers on Twitter
• At least one CU student, employee or faculty member per team

Brad and I are thinking about updating our Venture Capital Term Sheet Series. We’ve heard over the years from folks that they’ve used our series to teach classes.  We are delighted by this and whenever we’ve been asked, we’ve always said (and will continue to always say) “with our blessing.”  However, we haven’t kept track of any of this over the year and have a few ideas for things we can do to update the material now that five years have passed.

So – I’m writing with a simple request.  If you’ve used, or encountered, our Term Sheet series in a college (undergraduate or graduate) course or any other teaching / seminar environment, can you leave a comment below with the information (school / program / year / professor) or email me the information?

For those of you concerned about nefarious plots on our part, I assure you that we are delighted this material is out there in the public and are happy to have it freely used and passed around for all eternity.  I promise we won’t send Jack Bauer your way.

One of my former students, Daniel Fredrickson has started a blog chronicling his quest to secure employment in what seems to be the toughest legal hiring environment ever.

He’s a smart guy and I’m really excited to see what he writes about his travails.  He promises that he’ll mix in some fun along the way, too.

Welcome to the blogosphere, Daniel, and if there are any hiring partners out there looking for a potential first year startup lawyer, let Daniel know!

I must be on the rubber chicken circuit again, as I have yet another talk coming up – this one to (gasp!) lawyers.  If you are in the Denver area and want to attend, here are the details.  I might even opine on Law Firm 2.0 if asked.

COLORADO BAR ASSOCIATION – SECURITIES SUBSECTION LUNCHEON

WHERE:  The Warwick Hotel, 1776 Grant Street, Denver, Colorado 80203

WHEN:  Thursday, January 21, 2010, Noon to 1:15 p.m.

TOPIC: “Hot topics in private company securities law:  a view from a recovering lawyer and current venture capitalist”

SPEAKER:    Jason Mendelson, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Foundry Group

RESERVATIONS: Cost:  $28.00 Luncheon Attendee, $20.00 Conference Call Attendee

Registration Deadline:  Noon on Wednesday, January 20, 2010.

No refunds will be available for cancellations after that date or for no-shows.

Reservations can be made by calling the Colorado Bar Association, 303-860-1115 x 727, or by e-mailing mailto: lunches@cobar.org .  Please specify if you would like a vegetarian lunch. If leaving a message, please spell your name, specify that you are attending the Securities Subsection Luncheon, and include your phone number.  Checks should be made payable to: Colorado Bar Association.

When registering for the call-in program please indicate that you would like to participate by phone.  The day before the program we will email registered call-in participants the materials & CLE affidavit as well as the call in number. 

Submitted for one general CLE credit.

On January 13th, I’m giving a presentation at the University of Colorado entitled “How to Build a Company.”

For information and registration, go here.

This the kickoff of a number of talks going on over at CU that Brad blogged about earlier.

Hope to see you there. Come with questions.  I’ll answer anything.  (and I’ll even try to do so correctly).

Wow.  On September 26th, 60,746 people took the LSAT (the law school entrance exam).  This is the largest single administration in the history of the exam.

Are people not aware what is going on in the legal industry?  These folks are going to be saddled with six-figure debt and then attempt to enter an industry that is shrinking faster than any that I can think of.

Folks, seriously, go get your CS degree.  Or go work at a big-box retailer.  Or be a ski bum.  You at least won’t have the debt.

For a full report, check out Most Strongly Supportive’s post. 

I have another set of open office hours coming up – this Thursday, November 5th.  If you are interested in getting together, you can sign up here.  The TechStars bunker is where I’ll be and I hope, that like last time, I’ll get to meet some new friends.

The 2nd annual CU Venture Challenge is upon us.  If you have a CU identification card, have a great idea and want free mentorship and potential funding if you win, then check it out.

November 11th kicks off a presentation by Paul Berberian talking about how to pick a good idea and whether or not it is worth starting a business around it.  The event will take place in the law school’s large courtroom at 6pm, with networking to follow.

The New Venture Challenge continues to ramp up Nov. 18 with “Pitch Day,” where entrants will deliver short pitches about their business ideas and network to round out their teams with expertise from CU programs ranging from engineering and liberal arts to business and law. The pitches begin at 6 p.m. in the ATLAS Building, room 100.

More information can be found here.

Despite these challenging economic times, it’s still a feel-good thing to know that you are helping out a good cause.  In that vein, I’m supporting the Growe Foundation and would encourage folks to check out what they are doing.

The organization seeks to educate children about healthy and sustainable living.  They focus on both the individual health of the child and how living healthy both impacts them as well as the world around them.

The founder is Bryce Winton Brown, who many of you may know as the most gracious host from the The Kitchen Upstairs.  He is beginning his fundraising efforts in hopes to reach 50% of the Boulder Valley School District this year, with plans to reach 100% soon thereafter.  The video below talks about their efforts, as well.