Tag Archives: Preccelerator Workshop

Preccelerator® U Presents: Financial Modeling & Fundraising with Mark Wald

Mark Wald, owner of Supporting Strategies Santa Monica, will deliver this casual talk and combine it with a Q&A.

To attract professional investor capital, you need to be in control of your financials and projections.

Every entrepreneur looking to expand their business should join us for this workshop by one of the leading financial accounting firms in town, Supporting Strategies Santa Monica. Over a 90-minute workshop you can expect to get a glimpse into the following.

Financial Modeling & Fundraising for Startups

Raising money? To understand the value of what they are getting, investors want to maximize their return and minimize their risk. You need to demonstrate to investors that you understand business and your business model, that you know how to make money, and that you can be trusted to deliver results. Learn how to build and understand your financial model so you can demonstrate credibility by presenting it to investors and win their confidence in you.

KPIs and How to Use Them

A Key Performance Indicator (KPI) is a measurable value that demonstrates how effectively an organization is achieving key business objectives. Learn how to identify and track the most important KPIs for your business, and why it is important.

Tuesday, November 10th, 2020
12:00PM – 1:30PM

Presented by:

Mark Wald, owner of Supporting Strategies Santa Monica

About Mark:

Mark is an innovative problem solver who values simplicity, efficiency, and collaboration between people and organizations. Raised in the heart of Silicon Valley by a family of engineers, Mark has an intuitive curiosity and innate ability to understand and enhance disruptive business models. Since earning a BA in Economics from UCLA he has developed an extensive background in accounting, reporting, complex financial modeling, data analytics, and computer programming across a myriad of businesses and industries.

Mark actively volunteers his time as a mentor and advisor to entrepreneurs, is a USC and UCLA guest lecturer on the subject of financial modeling for start-ups, owns and operates a business providing finance and accounting resources and leadership to startups and small businesses, and is cofounder of a SaaS company offering cloud-based financial modeling tools for early stage entrepreneurs.

Register here for Preccelerator® U: Financial Modeling & Fundraising with Mark Wald

Preccelerator® U Presents: Term Sheets with SA&M Attorneys Caroline Cherkassky & Kelly Laffey

Topics that will be covered in this term sheet workshop include:

Type of financing: convertible notes vs SAFEs vs priced equity rounds
Convertible notes and SAFEs: caps, discounts, and other key terms
Priced equity rounds: economic provisions, voting rights, and other key terms

Tuesday, October 13th, 2020
12:00PM – 1:30PM

Presented by:

Caroline Cherkassky

Caroline Cherkassky is a partner of the firm. Caroline’s practice focuses on advising emerging growth, development stage, and middle-market companies on a variety of matters, including venture capital and other financings, employee compensation, securities laws compliance, technology transactions, mergers and acquisitions, stockholder agreements, equity incentive plans, corporate governance, and other general corporate matters, including serving as outside general counsel to early-stage companies. She also advises the funds and other investors that invest in these types of companies.

Kelly Laffey

Kelly Siobhan Laffey is Senior Counsel for the firm and the Director of Business Affairs at the Preccelerator. Kelly’s practice focuses on advising emerging growth and middle-market companies in the technology, digital, internet, interactive media (i.e., AR and VR), and entertainment industries. Kelly counsels clients on issues related to corporate governance and formation, venture capital and other financings, joint ventures, employee compensation, complex stockholder and operating agreements, securities law regulation and other general corporate matters. Kelly also advises investors and funds in connection with venture capital and other financings.

Kelly also counsels clients in connection with mergers and acquisitions matters, including asset and equity acquisitions and dispositions, cross-border transactions, spin-off transactions, secured lending transactions, financing restructurings, and corporate reorganizations.

Drawing on her diverse work experience in the entertainment arena, including time spent with talent agencies, and music and television production companies, Kelly also assists on matters related to licensing, marketing, and exploitation of intellectual property rights.

Register here for Preccelerator® U: Term Sheets with

Caroline Cherkassky & Kelly Laffey

Preccelerator Webinar: Staying Sane in an Insane Industry w/ Dr. Rebecca Roy

If you did not have a chance to attend this workshop on startup mental health “Staying Sane in an Insane Industry” with Dr. Rebecca Roy, the entire webinar can be found here.

To view our other webinar events, please visit our events page.

Presented by:

Dr. Rebecca Roy, PhD

Founder & CEO, CrisisResolve

Dr. Rebecca Roy is a Clinical and Forensic Psychologist, a frequent media contributor and the Founder & CEO of CrisisResolve, a digital platform for mental health. The company is based in Santa Monica, CA.

Dr. Roy is a nationally-known Psychologist who specializes in helping high-achieving people in the Entertainment Industry survive and thrive – by helping them to ‘Stay Sane in an Insane Industry.”

She is a former coach of multiple Olympic gold medalists (U.S. Olympic Synchronized Swimming Team) and a frequent media contributor (Washington Post, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, CNN, ABC World News, Forbes, Glamour, COSMO, Maxim and KTLA-TV).

Dr. Roy has both a master’s degree and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. She has been a Clinical Psychologist in private practice in Los Angeles for 16 years.

Dr. Roy has a widely varied background. She was also one of the first female sportswriters and sports columnists in the country, as a sports reporter for the Long Beach Press-Telegram and as a sports columnist in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Media Appearances:

Washington Post (“An Open Secret” documentary on sexual harassment in the Entertainment Industry), Feb. 2018
New York Times
Los Angeles Times
CNN
ABC World News Tonight with Diane Sawyer
Reuters
Forbes
COSMO
Glamour
Pit Boss (GRB Entertainment)
KTLA-TV Career Day (Dr. Rebecca Roy Day)
KTLA-TV (National Story that aired on David Letterman)
MTV – “Run’s House”
Live with Leeza Gibbons (Nationally syndicated radio show)

Preccelerator Workshop: Term Sheets w/ Caroline Cherkassky & Kelly Laffey

Topics that will be covered in this term sheet workshop include:

Type of financing: convertible notes vs SAFEs vs priced equity rounds
Convertible notes and SAFEs: caps, discounts, and other key terms
Priced equity rounds: economic provisions, voting rights, and other key terms

Tuesday, March 31st, 2020
12:00PM – 1:30PM

Presented by:

Caroline Cherkassky

Kelly Laffey

Preccelerator Workshop: Lean Startup 101 w/ Zhen Wang

In this workshop, Zhen will go over both back-office admin and product team functions to help founders balance between cash spend and doing the right thing. Zhen will also go over a more important aspect of how to save money by focusing on startups’ one-metric-that-mater (OMTM). The workshop will cover finding resources available to spend the least amount on legal, accounting, and tax, while using the cash saved to focus on your OMTM.

Some of the topics include:

• How to close your books yourself
• Minimizing tax return preparation cost to $800
• Finding ways to get money back from the Government – R&D credits and Payroll credits
• Costly mistakes to avoid in the New Year – Payroll, CA SOI, DE Tax, Nexus tax (very high level)
• Doing a financial projection like your life depends on it
• Experience sharing on finding product market fit with low CAC
• Specific Q&A

Tuesday, March 10th, 2020
12:00PM – 1:30PM

Presented by:

Zhen Wang

Zhen is an experienced Financial and Tax advisor to many startups in the California region. Zhen’s primary objective for helping startups is to leverage limited resources (cash) to maximize growth potential. After spending a decade at EY (one of the 4 largest accounting firms), Zhen become a SaaS founder himself and focuses especially on the lean method of the product and process development using proven financial and tax strategies for startups. CEOs, founders, or COOs found Zhen’s experience in setting objective key result (OKR) using financial metrics to be rewarding and empowering.

Preccelerator Workshop: Establishing Your Business Metrics w/ Ken Malouf

“Establishing Your Business Metrics”
Presented by Ken Malouf

In business, what doesn’t get measured doesn’t get done. While business owners are focused are achieving their goals, many have not identified and do not regularly track the essential metrics that will get them to those goals. Determining the right metrics for your business also begins with having true clarity in the vision and goals for your company. This presentation provides an overview of why it’s important to establish business metrics, how to identify the key metrics that align with your business goals, what some of the different results and performance metrics (KRIs and KPIs) are that you can measure for your business. This also includes a discussion of some of the key levers that drive customer and revenue growth, and how to establish a simple process for tracking your business metrics. By learning how to define, track, and evaluate your business metrics, business leaders will be more effective in establishing the processes and metrics to achieve business performance while better ensuring the progress and focus necessary to accelerate them to their goals.

Tuesday, February 18th, 2020
12:00PM – 1:30PM

Presented by:

Ken Malouf

• President & Owner, Game Time Strategies, LLC

• FocalPoint Certified Executive Business Coach

• 20+ years of business management experience

• Wharton MBA

Ken Malouf is a business management, strategy and brand marketing executive, certified FocalPoint business coach, consultant, and Wharton MBA. In the last 20 years, Ken has had key strategic roles at top companies including Nestle and Disney, and executive roles leading key businesses and divisions for large and small entrepreneurial companies in the dynamic toy industry. He is known for being strategic, collaborative, insightful, and versatile with proven results across a range of industries including consumer products, toys, entertainment, automotive, advertising and consulting involving a wide range of consumer targets.

Ken is currently the President and Owner of Game Time Strategies, LLC, an executive business coaching and consulting company. As a trusted advisor, strategic business executive, and elite business coach, Ken partners with successful executives to help spark key insights and ideas and take actions that can accelerate them to their goals.

Preccelerator Workshop: Driving with Data w/ Sari M. Kern

“Driving Data”
Presented Sari Kern

All companies generate information from the day-to-day operations. The question is: how can businesses organize and use this data to drive success? This workshop will walk you through the steps of how to use data to inform strategy and make decisions.

This workshop will walk you through the steps of how to use data to inform strategy and make decisions.

Tuesday, January 14th, 2020
12:00PM – 1:30PM

Featuring:

Sari Kern

Sari is the founder and CEO of S Kern Consulting, a business strategy consulting firm which focuses on using data to drive business decision-making. Her diversified career as an entrepreneurial and strategic operations executive has touched various industries and markets such as healthcare, health-tech, clinical research, strategic consulting, nursing, leadership, visual arts, scuba diving and poker. Sari’s experience and approach give her an edge when it comes to discovering and interpreting information to develop comprehensive and evidence-based strategic business plans.

In addition to her consulting experience, Sari has worked on the corporate side of companies of various growth stages and industries, developing strategic corporate plans, financial projection models for boards and investors, and developing and growing new verticals.

Sari earned her MBA from the Graziadio School of Business at Pepperdine University. While pursuing her degree and since, she has delivered impressive tangible and measurable results for various companies in competitive markets focused on strategy, finance, budgeting, marketing, change management, and competitive landscape analysis.

SAM Preccelerator
1316 3rd Street Promenade, Suite 107
Santa Monica CA 90401

*You must register with your name & email to attend this event.

Preccelerator Workshop: Term Sheets w/ Caroline Cherkassky & Kelly Laffey

“Fundraising Essentials – Term Sheets 101”
Presented by Caroline Cherkassky & Kelly Laffey

Topics that will be covered include:

Type of financing: convertible notes vs SAFEs vs priced equity rounds
Convertible notes and SAFEs: caps, discounts, and other key terms
Priced equity rounds: economic provisions, voting rights, and other key terms

Tuesday, December 17th, 2019
12:00PM – 1:30PM

Featuring:

Caroline Cherkassky

Caroline Cherkassky is a partner of the firm.

Caroline’s practice focuses on advising emerging growth, development stage, and middle market companies on a variety of matters, including venture capital and other financings, employee compensation, securities laws compliance, technology transactions, mergers and acquisitions, stockholder agreements, equity incentive plans, corporate governance, and other general corporate matters, including serving as outside general counsel to early-stage companies. She also advises the funds and other investors that invest in these types of companies.

Kelly Laffey

Kelly Siobhan Laffey is an associate of the firm and the Director of Business Affairs at the Preccelerator.

Kelly’s practice focuses on advising emerging growth and middle market companies in the technology, digital, internet, interactive media (i.e., AR and VR), and entertainment industries. Kelly counsels clients on issues related to corporate governance and formation, venture capital and other financings, joint ventures, employee compensation, complex stockholder and operating agreements, securities law regulation and other general corporate matters. Kelly also advises investors and funds in connection with venture capital and other financings.

SAM Preccelerator
1316 3rd Street Promenade, Suite 107
Santa Monica CA 90401

*You must register with your name & email to attend this event.

Preccelerator Workshop: Employment Contracts & Alternative Compensation for Startups

“Employment Contracts & Alternative Compensation for Startups”
Presented by Louis Wharton

For a company founder, it is easy to understand the benefits of providing stock or stock options to employees. It’s a way of compensating employees that doesn’t drain cash from the business. Employees will feel invested in the future success of the company. Join us to get insights and wisdom about maximizing opportunities and minimizing mistakes in creating equity compensation.

Tuesday, December 10th, 2019
12:00PM – 1:30PM

Featuring:

Louis A. Wharton is a partner of the firm and president of the Preccelerator Program. Louis’ practice focuses on advising venture capital funds and angel networks, along with early-stage, emerging growth, middle-market and public companies in corporate finance, securities compliance, mergers and acquisitions, and general corporate matters.

He counsels clients in the technology, e-commerce, digital media and entertainment industries, among others.

SAM Preccelerator
1316 3rd Street Promenade, Suite 107
Santa Monica, CA 90401

We hope to see you there!

*You must register with your name & email to attend this event.

Preccelerator Workshop: Pivoting With Constraints W/ Jim Cooper, Braid Theory

“Pivoting With Constraints”
Presented by Jim Cooper of Braid Theory

Direction and position of a company’s pivot, relative to risk and other factors, strongly affects how a startup progresses through barriers and objects in the market. These constraints can be difficult for a startup to identify, navigate and adjust to. By applying the constraint model, allows alignment to pivoting. To know more about this characteristic of constraints, make sure you’re familiar with the “axis” of your company. Pivoting can be disastrous for some companies without intellectual capital and customer evidence to support the move. In this workshop we investigate the challenges..

Tuesday, November 19th, 2019
12:00PM – 1:30PM

Featuring:

Jim Cooper, CTO, Braid Theory

Jim has 20 years of experience in commercialization and concentrates on bringing to market novel early-stage technology startups in emerging market segments. He specializes in customer and market validation, competitive analysis, regulatory pathway, business modeling, and go-to-market strategy. He is an inherent of evidence-based entrepreneurship and utilizes the Lean startup methodology, design-thinking, as well as other more traditional approaches to business modeling, and creating a pedagogy for startups to coalesce around to create meaningful benchmarks, waypoints, and milestones. Educated in both Australia and the United States, his background in economics and the life sciences, as well as experience in both the public and private sectors, positions him to assist companies in the deep sciences and engineering fields: Ag and Food Tech, Biotech, Aerospace, Advanced Manufacturing, Transportation, Marine and Maritime spaces, at his company, Braid Theory. Braid Theory is a strategic advisory company, which also supplies incubation resources for early-stage technology startups, taking the nascent to latent demand, pathway. Braid Theory looks for opportunities for revenue, and matches startups in the relevant space, and has raised a fund to support startups in the above market areas.

SAM Preccelerator
1316 3rd Street Promenade, Suite 107
Santa Monica, CA 90401

We hope to see you there!

*You must register with your name & email to attend this event.