Pre-Launch Category
VT KnowledgeWorks’ Pre-Launch program components are carefully constructed to help startups organize, formulate strategy, obtain outside investment, and launch in an efficient manner.
Starting a Business Self-Check – Success or failure of a new venture is largely determined very early on the strength or weakness of only a few fundamental factors, four, to be exact. Take the Fundamental Factors Self-Check to gauge the Market, Magic, Moxie, and Mentors of your business venture.
Initial Concept Consultation – Discuss your entry market, the magic behind your product or service and the moxie to run a successful business by registering for a FREE consultation. After submitting the request our staff will contact you to schedule a meeting.
Founders’ Readiness Retreat – Test the strategic essence of your business concept, tighten up managerial focus, and address the unique challenges of an entrepreneur, including Accounting De-Mystified.
Pre-Launch Strategic Package – Systematic risk reduction for an entrepreneur.
- preliminary legal advice
- financial and administrative set-up
- 12 monthly meetings with a seasoned professional mentor
- consultation with a Pamplin College of Business Strategic Fellow
- introduction to an Entrepreneur-in-Residence
- strategic review by a panel of business and financial veterans
- banking services primer
- commercial insurance offerings overview
- options for intellectual property protection
- human resources – issues and answers
- public relations tips
- introduction to audits
- the company’s first logo
- business cards
- local and regional start-up press releases
- Founders’ Readiness Retreat is a pre-requisite
Running Start Financial Support – Market rate loans for strategic pre-operational needs.
- Available to selected very early stage ventures
- Market rate loans with deferred payback terms
- Only corporate (no personal) assets as collateral
- Simple, white-paper style application process
Virginia Tech Business Technology Center Strategic Studies – Validation of your strategic assumptions.
- Market Opportunity Assessment: a formal examination of end user needs, structural characteristics, and potential size of a selected market segment (starting at $2,500; typical completion in 6 weeks)
- Competitive Analysis: a comparison of proposed products with competitors and substitutes addressing the same targeted end user needs (starting at $1,500; typical completion in 4 weeks)
- Launch Feasibility Bundle: a Market Opportunity Assessment plus a Competitive Analysis (starting at $3,500; typical completion in 6 weeks)
- Financial Projections Model: a spreadsheet-based model that projects cash flows and investment capital requirements implied by various strategic options, such as product/service design, pricing, promotion, distribution, and company structure (starting at $3,000; typical completion in 6 weeks)
- Intellectual Property Review: a non-legal assessment of the patent landscape for the proposed products and a review of market entry strategies appropriate to the observed situation (starting at $1,000; typical completion in 4 weeks)