Aspiring entrepreneurs and technology-based businesses in the Bay Area have a new, no-cost resource for specialty expertise with the launching of the Tech Futures Group.
The Tech Futures Group, a new initiative of the Northern California Small Business Development Centers, provides strategic advisory services for ambitious technology companies to help them either get started or keep growing. Inventors, founders, and principals of companies with technology that can be developed into niche products and services all stand to benefit from TFG advising. Unlike some of the other services provided by the SBDC, Tech Futures Group is an exclusive advising opportunity for which technology entrepreneurs must apply to participate.
Qualified applicants include small tech businesses well-positioned for rapid growth that require intellectual property protection and that have the potential to create high wage jobs in the future. The Tech Futures Group assists entrepreneurs with targeted fundraising efforts and strategic advice to help technology companies commercialize their products and services. Advisors with the Tech Futures Group mentor technology companies in the following areas: market launch and traction strategies, funder presentation preparation, research and development, marketing, trademark and copyrights for intellectual property, venture capital pitches, and Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant applications.
"The Tech Futures Group has been in the planning stages for almost one year now, and we look forward to launching our services to assist qualified technology companies from across Northern California," said James Alva, director of the Tech Futures Group. "The growth support and partner ecosystem we have built for our clients to access at no cost is a unique service even in the Bay Area."
When accepted into the Tech Futures Group, clients gain access to TFG's advisors, which include general strategy advisors and specialty advisors, as well as TFG's network of preferred service providers. The Tech Futures Group's advisors have all founded or served as executives of technology related companies. Another benefit of TFG services is that advisors will also make introductions for their clients to a network of strategic partners like law firms, venture capital firms and market research companies who will offer specialized services or preferred rates for Tech Futures Group clients.
"The TFG initiative is an invaluable resource for technology-driven companies looking to catapult their business," said TFG Advisor Ashwin Gulati. "With specialized advisory and partner resources, clients can optimize their business plans, revenue models, IP and financing strategies."
Gulati -- who will offer advising through the Tech Futures Group to entrepreneurs in San Francisco and the North Bay -- has 20 years of executive-level experience in the technology industry including the areas of Internet, software, green business, finance, and e-commerce, and is currently the president of his own business, Match Point Ventures.
"We have assembled an outstanding group of advisors who could work anywhere but choose to dedicate a portion of their time to help other promising entrepreneurs," Alva said. "It's inspiring work."
To find out about the Tech Futures Group, its advisors or to apply for services, go to www.techfuturesgroup.org .
About the Tech Futures Group: TECH FUTURES GROUP is funded by the Northern California Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), private entities, and universities. SBDCs are the largest technical assistance provider to small business owners in the United States. TFG serves technology clients from across the 14 counties of the NorCal SBDC Region. Learn more by visiting: techfuturesgroup.org or norcalsbdc.org
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