“Entrepreneurship is a viable career alternative for dislocated workers,” said Sandy Harmsen, Executive Director of the San Bernardino County Workforce Investment Board. “According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, small businesses produced the largest amount of employment in 2010, generating 72.1 percent of net new positions.”

The Workforce Investment Board is partnering with Empact (www.iempact.com) to provide the training necessary to start a business with little start-up capital. Attendees will learn how to develop their business inexpensively while creating enough profit to earn a living wage.

The training requires a one-year commitment. Each participant will receive a full-day of training followed by weekly trainings for the first month, and monthly virtual trainings for the remainder of the year. Each participant will be assigned a mentor to support them throughout the program.

“Entrepreneurship is vital to San Bernardino County’s economic growth and prosperity,” said Josie Gonzales, San Bernardino County Chair and Fifth District Supervisor. “I encourage residents who are thinking of starting their own businesses to take advantage of this unique opportunity to learn proven, real life tools shared by successful entrepreneurs.”

To apply, San Bernardino County residents may visit one of the three Employment Resource Centers to take the assessment. To find the nearest location, please visit www.sbcstartup.com or call (800) 451-JOBS.

About the Workforce Investment Board of San Bernardino County:
The Workforce Investment Board of San Bernardino County is comprised of private business representatives and public partners appointed by the County Board of Supervisors. The Board strives to strengthen the skills of the County’s workforce through partnerships with business, education and community-based organizations.

The Workforce Investment Board, through the County’s Economic Development Agency and Department of Workforce Development, operates the County’s Employment Resource Centers (ERCs) and Business Resource Centers (BRCs). The ERCs provide individuals with job training, placement and the tools to strengthen their skills to achieve a higher quality of life. The BRCs support and provide services to the County’s businesses including employee recruitment.

News Source: Workforce Investment Board of San Bernardino County :: This press release was issued on behalf of the news source by Send2Press® Newswire, a service of Neotrope®. View all current news at: http://Send2PressNewswire.com .

The competition will accept preliminary submissions until May 31, 2012. Preliminary submissions can be made online at http://made2012.istart.org or by going to the http://www.mvcaa.net/index.cfm?Page=MADE.

Participants start by answering a questionnaire about their business ideas, and are provided with tips and suggestions on how to make their businesses better in the first round. Those who advance to final round will present their finished business plans, products, and services in one last round at the Missouri State Fair on August 16, 2012 in Sedalia, Missouri.

Cash grants will be awarded as startup/operating capital to winners of the final round which is held during the State Fair. Judging at all levels will take place behind closed doors, and all information is regarded as confidential and proprietary and will not be shared with outside parties.

Registration is open to any potential business owner or current business owner in operation three years or less. There are Youth and Open categories for participation, and people considering going into business for the first time are welcomed. Participants do not have to be in business yet to compete.

Electronic submissions for the preliminary level are due by 5 p.m. May 31, 2012. Mailed submissions must be postmarked by that date. Judging of the first round will occur the second week of June and participants will be notified of the results by June 22.

The Missouri Alliance for the Development of Entrepreneurship (MADE) is a project facilitated by Missouri Valley Community Action Agency of Marshall, Missouri, a not-for-profit organization.

Missouri Valley Community Action Agency, 1415 S. Odell, Marshall, MO 65340. Online: http://www.mvcaa.net .

News Source: Missouri Alliance for the Development of Entrepreneurship :: This press release was issued on behalf of the news source by Send2Press® Newswire, a service of Neotrope®. View all current news at: http://Send2PressNewswire.com .

The Competition provides new and potential business owners in Missouri an opportunity to compete with other new businesses throughout the state. The competition is designed to support future Missouri businesses and communities by cultivating reliable businesses, creating jobs, and stimulating the state’s economic future.

Why participate in the MADE Competition? According to one of the winners from 2011, “You guys were very accommodating, the detail that was required for the application allowed me to solidify my thoughts and ideas of my business. Also the rounds of feedback made sure I got general, detailed and then specific advice and thoughtful consideration on the development of my business…. This competition gives you a chance for a professional to review and better your idea and then you also have the chance to take home something for yourself as well. It’s important for hopefuls that take business seriously to apply because this is like free business mentorship, rare to find.”

Participants start by answering a questionnaire about their business ideas, and are provided with tips and suggestions on how to make their businesses better in the first round. Those who advance to the final round will develop business plans and provide brief business pitches to judges in a simulated investor scenario. Finalists present their finished business plans, products, and services at the Missouri State Fair on August 16, 2012 in Sedalia, Missouri.

Grants will be awarded as startup or operating capital to winners at the State Fair. Judging at all levels will take place behind closed doors, and all information is regarded as confidential and proprietary and will not be shared with outside parties.

Registration is open to any potential business owner or current business owner in Missouri that has been in operation three years or less. There are Youth and Open categories for participation, and people considering going into business for the first time are welcomed. Participants do not have to be in business yet to compete.

Application material can be accessed online at http://www.mvcaa.net/index.cfm?Page=MADE with a first round submission deadline of May 31, 2012. Submissions by mail must be postmarked by May 31st, and those by email must be sent by 5:00 p.m. on May 31st.

For more information and to register, go online to
http://www.mvcaa.net/index.cfm?Page=MADE
or contact:
Cheryl Zimny
Community Development Manager
Missouri Valley Community Action Agency
1415 S. Odell
Marshall, MO 65340
Phone: 660-886-7476, ext. 816
Fax: 660-831-5039
Made.mvcaa@gmail.com.

About MADE:
The Missouri Alliance for the Development of Entrepreneurship (MADE) is a coalition of a diverse group of organizations, technical assistance professionals, university, federal and state departments, entrepreneurs and other professionals. The guiding purpose behind its creation was the integration of a coalition dedicated to cultivating entrepreneurship in Missouri by assisting entrepreneurs in creating, financing and managing their new businesses and effecting an environment which supports them. The Alliance is facilitated by Missouri Valley Community Action Agency of Marshall, Missouri.

This project is funded 100 percent at $15,000 with federal funds received from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) provided by the Missouri Department of Social Services, Family Support Division.

News Source: Missouri Alliance for the Development of Entrepreneurship :: This press release was issued on behalf of the news source by Send2Press® Newswire, a service of Neotrope®. View all current news at: http://Send2PressNewswire.com .

NGDATA, founded by seasoned entrepreneurs Luc Burgelman, Frank Hamerlinck, Steven Noels and Jurgen Ingels, recently acquired Outerthought, a Belgium-based company with a strong track-record in big data technology. This acquisition is a first step in NGDATA’s goal to become a major player in the big data solutions industry.

Big Data, Big Business:
Market studies show that the future success of companies will depend on their ability to capture, analyze and gain insights from their audiences. Companies want to capitalize on the massive amounts and more complex sets of data they can gather to inform and facilitate fast decision-making. Using big data will help to better understand customer behaviors and get much more accurate insights. This allows companies to execute targeted actions, such as personalized advertising, detection of fraud, one-to-one marketing, etc.

NGDATA targets consumer-facing industries as a big data software provider and is now seeking to secure capital to fuel the company’s continued growth. The additional funds will be used to accelerate the development and roll-out of the product roadmap and support business development activities in the United States.

Key to NGDATA’s growth strategy is the further development of “Lily,” a big data management platform. Lily is set to revolutionize the way companies aggregate vast amounts of data, extract business insights and use this enriched data to impact business operations. Lily provides a user-friendly interface and machine learning engine to easily manage extensive data and quickly obtain powerful insights to generate real-time recommendations and improve business performance.

“Our unique big data management platform is the result of significant R&D investments and demonstrates NGDATA’s commitment to develop technologies that have a tremendous positive impact for our customers and partners,” said Luc Burgelman, Chief Executive Officer of NGDATA. “We want to secure additional capital to expand our technology lead, increase customer adoption and accelerate our business development efforts.”

Experienced management and investors to drive growth:
Driving this business growth are founders and private investors Luc Burgelman, Frank Hamerlinck, Steven Noels and Jurgen Ingels who bring a wealth of combined experience to NGDATA. While Ingels will have an advising role, both Burgelman and Hamerlinck take on an active role in the senior management of NGDATA as CEO and COO. They are joined by Outerthought founder Steven Noels who remains at the forefront of NGDATA as VP Product. Over the past few years, Noels has steered Outerthought towards an established position in the big data market.

Luc Burgelman and Frank Hamerlinck were co-founders, CEO and COO/CTO respectively, of Porthus which went public in 2006 and was acquired by Descartes Systems Group in March 2011. Luc Burgelman was EVP Global Marketing and Product Strategy at Descartes and currently holds board positions at multiple technology companies. Frank Hamerlinck held the position of EVP Global R&D at Descartes. Prior to Porthus Hamerlinck held management positions at VolvoIT. Jurgen Ingels is founder and CFO of Clear2Pay. Previously, Ingels worked at Dexia Bank. He is a board member of different technology companies and investment funds and co-president of the French & Benelux Tech Tour which will be held in May.

With the acquisition of Outerthought, NGDATA now has a solid foundation to further execute its business plan and growth strategy. Securing extra funding will accelerate the implementation of the strategy.

About NGDATA:
NGDATA brings big data technology and machine intelligence together, allowing organizations to capitalize on the massive amounts of data that is generated today. NGDATA develops Lily(*Note), a big data management platform that offers an easy way to extract powerful business insights in real-time and benefit from enriched data to make an immediate impact on business performance. NGDATA’s global partner community provides expert services best suited to meet evolving big data needs. NGDATA is a privately-held company with headquarters in Ghent, Belgium. More information and recent updates are available at http://www.ngdata.com .

(*NOTE: based on Apache HBase, Apache Hadoop and Apache Solr, trademarks of the Apache Software Foundation.)

News Source: NGDATA :: This press release was issued on behalf of the news source by Send2Press® Newswire, a service of Neotrope®. View all current news at: http://Send2PressNewswire.com .

Charles Green, Executive Director of Atlanta’s Small Business Finance Institute (SBFI), says, “We’re in the most difficult environment in which to raise capital in the last 50 years. Any advantages, strategies or corners to cut that small business owners can learn to help them realize their dreams of growing their business and creating new jobs are imperative.”

Attendees will be able to choose four of 12 different workshops covering subjects like finding angel investors, securing bank financing, understanding financial statements, improving FICO scores, alternative financing strategies like bartering, and legal issues related to financing their business. The conference brochure, available on the Organization’s website, describes each of these workshops, giving attendees the opportunity to plan ahead for the event.

Attendees will learn:
1. Best practices to create a well-written business plan;
2. Insights into how lenders/investors evaluate funding proposals;
3. How to get more useable information from financial statements;
4. How to plan and manage business cash flow;
5. Strategies to find business funding from several sources including angel investors, SBA loans, commercial finance, micro loans and other alternative sources.

In addition, they’ll get networking opportunities with other small business owners to share ideas and make valuable connections that can help them broaden their business opportunities. They’ll also meet presenters who are bankers, accountants, investors, funders, credit counselors, business coaches as well other business professionals that can support their enterprise’s growth and success. Finally, entrepreneurs seeking financing will get a chance to network for business funding with bankers, funders and investors during the “Speed Dating for Capital” event.

More event information: http://www.sbfi.org/stepping-up-to-business/ .

“This event offers an opportunity for business owners to learn a lot of information in a short period of time that can be useful the next day and positively impact their business,” adds Green, a former banker with over 30 years of experience helping entrepreneurs secure funding. Green, who launched the 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2010 to provide financial education to entrepreneurs, has written two books on the subject of funding for small businesses. He is regularly featured by business and financial media as an authority on business finance and economic trends.

Honorary Conference Chair for this year’s Stepping Up to Business is Caesar Mitchell, President of the Atlanta City Council. Sponsors include Little Pink Book, Dreamhost, HUB Atlanta, Ballard Spahr, LLP, Southern Barter Club and Aventis Systems.

The cost of the day-long event, which starts at 8 a.m. and concludes at 5 p.m., is $225. Small business owners also may attend just the morning session which ends at after the Lunch Program or the afternoon session, which begins after the Lunch Program for $125 per session. The fee for only attending “Speed Dating for Capital,” which begins at 5:15 p.m., is $10.

Attendees my register for any of these options by visiting the Small Business Finance Institute at http://www.sbfi.org .

SBFI is a 501(c)3 non-profit.

News Source: Small Business Finance Institute :: This press release was issued on behalf of the news source by Send2Press® Newswire, a service of Neotrope®. View all current news at: http://Send2PressNewswire.com .

“I grew up with an entrepreneurial driven spirit and learned how to build business ideas easily and quickly,” says Gray. But years later he would find himself in a position he wasn’t wired for and knew that if he wanted a different future it would require a big leap of faith.

To launch his start-up, Cavanaugh would get up at four or five every morning, fire up the coffee pot and work a couple of hours before dropping off his son and heading to work. In the evening he would work until midnight only to get back up and start all over again. Two months later the business plan was complete, he was ready to leave his job and had come up with a unique name for the company.

The Entrepreneur Cafe, LLC – www.ecafellc.com – is a business development company that helps entrepreneurs operate on a larger scale while achieving more money, more time, more control over their futures and more fulfillment from their businesses endeavors. This year Cavanaugh is on a mission to help launch 100 new start-up companies.

“Starting a business doesn’t have to be complicated, for many future owners it’s all about taking that first step.”

The Entrepreneur Cafe, LLC is offering Small Business Consultations – http://www.ecafellc.com/services/business-condultation – which are designed to help bring clarity to new business ideas before considerable time and money have been spent. Over the past eight years, the Chicago born entrepreneur has been a strong promoter of youth entrepreneurship founding the Young Entrepreneurs Program (YEP), has taught entrepreneurship at the college level, used entrepreneurship to address social issues including aiding homeless families all while helping launch new businesses and helping established companies grow.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau there are an estimated 27.3 million small businesses in the United States. Entrepreneurs often face a similar set of obstacles in their efforts to start and grow their businesses. These obstacles include inexperienced management, outdated marketing efforts, a need for better financial controls and a lack of small business resources.

To assist small businesses in addressing these issues, The Entrepreneur Cafe, LLC has expanded its social networking efforts by offering entrepreneurs more resources via its Daily Grind Newsletter, Twitter ( www.twitter.com/#!/TheECafe ), Facebook ( www.facebook.com/pages/The-Entrepreneur-Cafe-LLC/160182630678613 ), and LinkedIn. After establishing a location in Chicago in 2008, Cavanaugh is currently looking to open a second office in the Washington, D.C. area.

For more information, contact The Entrepreneur Cafe, LLC at http://www.ecafellc.com or:
Cavanaugh L. Gray
Director of Business Development
Phone/Fax: 877-511-4820
cgray@ecafellc.com.

News Source: The Entrepreneur Cafe LLC :: This press release was issued on behalf of the news source by Send2Press® Newswire, a service of Neotrope®. View all current news at: http://Send2PressNewswire.com .

DuPont said the funding came from all its existing investors, including Denver-based eonBusiness, in addition to an undisclosed sum from Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm, Trinity Ventures.

Said DuPont: “The round came together quickly because of TeamSnap’s strong growth and operational performance, as well as promising progress with strategic partners. We have surpassed the one million users per month mark and are fast approaching 10 million emails sent through TeamSnap per month.”

DuPont, who was previously CEO of storage networking firm SANRAD, was also a co-founder of LeftHand Networks, the Boulder storage startup which was sold to HP in 2009.

DuPont said funds will be used to accelerate growth through investments in marketing, partner development, increased ubiquity, (enabling people to use TeamSnap on the platforms and mobile devices they want), and larger organization functionality.

More information: http://www.teamsnap.com .

Media Contact:
James Wall of Agency 33
(303) 894-3131
jwall@agency33.com .

News Source: TeamSnap, Inc. :: This press release was issued on behalf of the news source by Send2Press® Newswire, a service of Neotrope®. View all current news at: http://Send2PressNewswire.com .

The financing will support business growth by scaling the DAX technology platform to meet a rapidly widening client base, as well as adding new features and services.

Sample Digital has dramatically grown its business over the past 12 months and was the first company to go to market with a mobile iPad workflow application in Q1 2011, launching its groundbreaking dax|MOBILE™ with iDailies®. Available at the iTunes® app store, dax|MOBILE™ is powered by Sample Digital’s core platform, dax|D3, currently in use supporting more than 100 active television and feature film productions. Clients during the Fall 2011 production season include such top shows as The Mentalist, CSI, Glee, How I Met Your Mother, and Mad Men.

Jim Osteen, President of Collateral Guaranty said, “Sample Digital has demonstrated great progress and significant business growth over the past 12 months. We believe they have built the foundation for solid cash flow positive company.”

Sample Digital CEO Patrick Macdonald-King added, “Collateral Guaranty is a great partner and they are providing us with the capital to take the business to the next level at the right moment. This capital will better allow us to scale the DAX product line up to handle the increasing demand from our current customer base and new customers waiting to be added. New features, such as on-demand transcoding and more automation workflow tools will now come to market faster!”

Sample Digital is located in the heart of the Hollywood Media District in close proximity to Paramount Studios and other landmark creators of global entertainment content, along with Deluxe, Technicolor, Laser Pacific and other world-class suppliers of innovative media technologies.

About Sample Digital Holdings LLC:
Hollywood-based Sample Digital (www.sampledigital.com) delivers targeted production workflow and media asset management applications and services to companies who produce, distribute and license audio-visual and rich media content.

Sample Digital’s suite of applications, including dax|D3™, dax|Mobile™, Digital Dailies® and iDailies®, optimize business process in content production and distribution management for such creative leaders as 20th Century Fox, CBS, Warner Bros., Showtime, Lifetime Television, Summit Entertainment, and Lionsgate. Clients have found that Sample Digital’s platform reduces production and distribution expenditures, improves time to market and minimizes risk – both creatively and financially.

Sample Digital’s core platform, dax|D3, is a highly secure web-based environment where users can share ideas, information and content created throughout the production or campaign lifecycle, or as required for trafficking and distribution of final product. dax|D3 incorporates media production workflow and collaboration, transcoding, distribution and security services into one robust, extendible solution available via desktop, set top box and mobile applications. Learn more at: www.sampledigital.com.

For more information abbout Collateral Guaranty, visit: www.collateralgty.com .

All trademarks acknowledged.

News Source: Sample Digital Holdings LLC :: This press release was issued on behalf of the news source by Send2Press® Newswire, a service of Neotrope®. View all current news at: http://Send2PressNewswire.com .

VCubate welcomes Ayloo (www.ayloo.net) as one of its first tenants. VCubate is also making a $125,000 investment into Las Vegas based internet startup Rennder (www.rennder.com).

So there you have it. For more information visit www.vcubate.com .

News Source: VCubate LLC :: This press release was issued on behalf of the news source by Send2Press® Newswire, a service of Neotrope®. View all current news at: http://Send2PressNewswire.com .

With shareholders in agreement, the Board of Directors of Masterseek had approved the capital increase, with the proceeds from the private offering to be dedicated to the launch of the company’s newly-developed B2B group-buying and “deals” venture.

According to Masterseek executives, the issue is expected to be fully subscribed. By good fortune, the timing of the Masterseek private placement coincides with the upcoming IPO announced by LinkedIn, which is a larger company dominant in a parallel space. Analysts view the LinkedIn IPO as being especially good news for Masterseek, since it serves to highlight the strong synergy and linkage between the two platforms – Masterseek is the preeminent B2B search and business information platform, while LinkedIn is the premier business-oriented social network platform.

Since the launch of Masterseek.com Beta Version in March of 2011, the company has been drawing attention from users and investors alike, since the new version offers a seamless interface that harnesses social media networking, business networking and business searching together in a single potent platform.

The same market enthusiasm driving the LinkedIn IPO seems to have benefited Masterseek as well, since the company offers the “missing link” between social media like Twitter and business networking like LinkedIn. Since searching is a fundamental functionality for both business and personal networking, Masterseek’s ability to bridge between the two worlds seems likely to continue to attract attention from techies and investors alike.

The offering period for the new shares will expire on June 26, and the results of the offering are to be announced on June 28, 2011.

Interested investors may contact the Masterseek Investor Relations Office for subscription information before June 26, 2011.

For further information, please contact:
Masterseek Corporate Office (International)
Telephone +45 20 300 606
E-Mail investor@masterseek.com .

Masterseek Corp. (USA)
1802 North Carson Street
Carson City, NV 89701.

News Source: Masterseek Corporation :: This press release was issued on behalf of the news source by Send2Press® Newswire, a service of Neotrope®. View all current news at: http://Send2PressNewswire.com .