Steve Pearson Talks about Business Intelligence for Early Stage Companies

Steve Pearson Talks about Business Intelligence for Early Stage Companies

Where are you from originally?

I was born in Denver and moved to Boise, Idaho, in 7^th grade. After high school, I moved to Texas to join my family’s home state and get a job. That’s a long way to say that I call Texas my home!

What university did you go to?

The University of Texas at San Antonio.

What is the idea behind your startup?

To provide business intelligence in the early phase of a need or idea development, when that information is most valuable.

For example, if you want to explore where a market is moving many years down the road, wouldn’t you want to know that another company already holds a patent similar to your technology?

Or, would you want to know about an adjacent technology that could disrupt your market and make it much smaller in the near future?

What need does it fulfill?

Many of the small to medium-sized businesses we help are used to keeping idea generation and development in-house. Only when the idea is fairly mature will due diligence be performed to verify future market sizes, patentability, technical feasibility and so on.

We believe this approach wastes time and money. A small amount of early phase due diligence is much more cost and time effective than lots of money invested in medium-to-late stage development.

What exactly does it do?

Our consultants are well versed in technology, markets and intellectual property. We bring in the appropriate expertise for each client’s needs to supply competitive intelligence and work together to develop innovation and strategy most likely to succeed.

Who is it for?

Our typical client is a vice president or director at a small to medium-sized technology, energy, transportation or consumer products company. Any company or institution can be a great fit, but only if they have a culture open to outside input.

What was the most challenging aspect of starting up?

Our challenges are similar to many other start-ups: too little time and forging new channels to bring in appropriate clients. Our business is so novel that it can take 20 minutes to educate a prospective client about what we do and how we can meet their needs.

What is the next step for you and your business?

Persuading satisfied clients to endorse our work publically. It is no surprise that many clients see a competitive advantage to keeping themselves and their companies anonymous.

What advice do you have for entrepreneurs?

Make your plans, obtain your financing and network to establish relevant contacts as quickly as possible. Get as far down the road as possible before leaving your current position.

What resource have you found to be the most helpful and why?

Input from friends, colleagues and my network. Honest input from a friend beats 10 lost clients on any day.

TiE Dallas Talks about TiECon SW 2013

TiE Dallas Talks about TiECon SW 2013 

Where are you from originally?

The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), was founded in 1992 in Silicon Valley by a group of successful entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and senior professionals with roots in the Indus (Indian subcontinent) region.

TiE is the world's largest not for profit organization for entrepreneurs. It is spread across 61 chapters in 17 countries. The strength of TiE is its global network of 13,000 members worldwide including over 2500 charter members.

What is your group’s mission?

TiE’s mission is to foster entrepreneurship globally through mentoring, networking, and education. Dedicated to the virtuous cycle of wealth creation and giving back to the community, TiE’s focus is on generating and nurturing our next generation of entrepreneurs.

What brought you to North Texas?

TiE Dallas has been serving as a networking, mentoring and educational resource to the DFW Entrepreneurial community for over 10 years by organizing valuable events for its members and non-members alike. 

This year, for the first time, the Dallas, Austin and Houston chapters of TiE are collaborating on a conference, and bringing TiECon SW 2013 to the North Texas region. This conference is a fantastic opportunity for entrepreneurs, investors and corporations to connect, learn and create new opportunities and relationships

What need does it fulfill?

The conference brings entrepreneurs, investors, service providers, university and corporate representatives, all under one roof. By providing one venue to bring together the key players in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, TiECon SW 2013 serves as a platform to raise funds, to find mentors and advisors, for business development, to create partnerships, to learn from experts and from each other, and most importantly to network and build connections.

What exactly does it bring to startups?

In addition to a lineup of dynamic speakers, we have three diverse panels on highly relevant topics for today’s environment. Our panels cover Funding Choices for Startups, Big Data Trends and Cross Border Trade and Innovation. This year, for the first time, we also have a Mentoring Roundtable, where over a working lunch, entrepreneurs have the opportunity to seek advice on specific business issues from experienced startup executives and entrepreneurs. And of course, the most exciting event of the day is the Elevator Pitch Competition, when finalists, shortlisted from an extremely competitive pool of applicants, will get the opportunity to pitch their business idea to a panel of judges composed of angel investors and VCs. This is the opportunity for startups to get in front of investors and take the first step to secure funding for their business.

What type of startup would benefit from your group?

TiE does not have an industry or stage focus, we welcome any and all entrepreneurs.  From technology to hospitality we have a wide variety of members that can not only learn from each other but also provide advice to the next generation of entrepreneurs.

What advice do you have for entrepreneurs?

Take advantage of these networking and mentoring opportunities. Learn more about TiE and TiECon SW 2013 at http://tieconsw.org

As a member of the Texas Entrepreneur Network, you receive a 15 percent registration discount. To register, click here, select register today, enter your email address, select non member. After you complete the registration page, enter discount code Partner in the promo code field at the bottom of the page to receive your 15 percent discount.