Law firm Polsinelli Shughart and the Center for Emerging Technologies is offering its third seminar in its “Advance St. Louis” series on May 7, 2013. With past events focusing on patent law and board of directors selection, their next event promises to deliver another strong topic with how to successfully structure and complete a friends and family financing round. The friends and family financing round is a common-practice for startups and likely provides the much needed funding to get an idea off the ground. It could also be some of the easiest funding you’ll receive, too (depending on your family). They are investing because they love you, not because you have a great business plan. However, they may or may not understand all of the implications from doing so. Let’s face it. Taking money from friends and family comes with pretty high stakes attached. After all, if you take money from Aunt Sally and lose it, Thanksgiving could be extremely awkward for you. Make sure you get all of the facts and educate yourself prior to starting down this path, and an event like this is a great place to begin. Starting at just $30 per person, attendees will learn how to set the terms of friends and family financing, the pros and cons of debt vs. equity financing, proper legal documentation, and much more from entrepreneurial, legal and finance experts. With more experienced entrepreneurs in mind, this seminar also offers credit toward a CLE Certificate for another $20. St. Louis is the ideal location for these interactive sessions designed with bioscience, medical and other advanced technology entrepreneurs in mind. Just this past March, Dice named St. Louis the fastest growing city for tech jobs with 25% growth year/year. And, these jobs carry a higher salary, too, with the average tech salary up 13 percent in St. Louis to $81,245. This is thanks in part to St. Louis becoming one of the premier startup towns in the country, and there are fantastic resources available for those looking to foster new relationships and grow their business. This is just one example of the resources available. With hands-on, practical knowledge driving these events, it’s sure to be a great resource for tech entrepreneurs looking to take their business to the next level. If you’d like more information on this event or others like it, click here, and find more event details below. “How to Successfully Structure and Complete a Friends and Family Financing Round” When: Wednesday, May 7, 2013 Program: 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. Networking Happy Hour: 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. Where: Center for Emerging Technologies 4041 Forest Park Avenue St. Louis, MO 63108 RSVP by May 3, 2013, by emailing CET_programs@emergingtech.org or by contacting Heather Beaven at 314.615.6915.
