The Gold Coast Venture ForumThe Forum
The Forum was created by the Gold Coast Venture Capital Association to provide start-up, early stage and expansion or second stage companies with a venue to reach funding sources, i.e.; Angel Investors, Venture Capital companies, Investment Bankers, Fund Managers, etc. The Forum also provides these companies with the opportunity to meet professionals such as Attorneys, CPAs, Financial Consultants, Management Consultants, Business Plan Consultants, Marketing Specialists, Service Providers and other entrepreneurs.
The Forum, which is held five times a year, features a presentation of a company’s business plan by its senior management. For the year 2010 The Forum will be held in January, April, June, July and September. Four companies present at each meeting. The Forum is also held at the start of regular monthly Educational Meetings. Only one to two companies are allowed to present at each regular monthly Educational Meeting based on the Program time constraints. For the year 2010 the Monthly Educational Programs will be presented in February, March, May, August, October and December. Each company is allotted twelve minutes for their presentation. The presenting companies are selected from candidates who have submitted their business plans to the Vice President of the Venture Forum for review by the Venture Forum Review Committee of the Association.
The Forum Review Board will review the material and application and contact the potential presenter within two (2) weeks. The Forum Presentation Application can either be accepted, receive recommended changes or denied.
FORUM PRESENTATION
Forum Presentation Application Process
The company or individual submitting the Forum Presentation Application MUST be a Primary Member in one of the appropriate GCVCA Membership / Sponsorship categories (Click Here Membership Application). In order to file a Forum Presentation Application the Primary Member must log-on with their Membership User ID and Password. If the Forum Presentation Applicant is not a Primary Member of GCVCA at log-on they will be referred to GCVCA Membership / Sponsorship Application which the Presenter will need to become the Primary Member and each additional Presenter will need to become an Additional Member. If the Applicant company has one (1) to three (3) employees they will be required to join, at a minimum, as an Entrepreneur / Small Entity Primary Member ($175.00). If the Applicant company has four (4) or more employees they will be required to join, at a minimum, as a Large Entity Primary Member ($225.00).
You MUST be a GCVCA Member (Click Here Membership Application) in order to apply to present at a Forum meeting or Educational meeting. The Applicant company or individual must submit a digital copy of the Business Plan and PowerPoint Presentation (see PowerPoint Presentation Guidelines below) and an completed Forum Presentation Application.
The Primary Member of the Companies wishing to present at one of the Forum Meetings or at one of the Educational Meetings must submit a digital copy of their Business Plan and PowerPoint Presentation (see PowerPoint Presentation Guidelines below) and a completed Forum Presentation Application along with $350.00 Presentation Fee. Click Here
Four Companies can present at a GCVCA Forum Meeting and one or two Companies can present at an Educational Meeting based on the Program time constraints.
At the Monthly Networking/Dinner Meeting the Presenting Company or Companies are provided a 6 foot Draped Exhibit Table for any materials they wish to display during Networking. The Exhibit Table is located in the Networking Area. The Exhibit Table and one (1) Pre-Registration for a Presenter is provided at no additional cost.
At the conclusion of the presentation as part of the program there are audience questions, suggestions, and evaluation of the presentation. Also, an electronic version of each company's Business Plan, Executive Summary, PowerPoint Presentation, Contact Information and Brief Description will be available to each Member of the Association on our website.
PowerPoint Presentation Guidelines
The Forum has adopted a modified version of the Guy Kawasaki’s Guidelines for presenting a PowerPoint Presentation. The 10/12/28 rules are as follows:
· Ten PowerPoint Slides Maximum*
· Twelve (12) Minutes Presentation Maximum
· Twenty-Eight (28) Point Font Text Minimum
* All PowerPoint Slides must be PC based (no Mac's) and fonts must be common fonts such as Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, Times New Roman, Helvetica, etc.
The purpose of a PowerPoint Presentation is to stimulate interest, not to close a deal. The number of PowerPoint slides is limited to ten. This seemingly impossibly low number forces the presenting companies to concentrate on the absolute essentials. The fewer slides needed, the more compelling the Presentation. Our guidelines allow for an additional few PowerPoint slides, that must be presented for pre-approval by the Review Committee, that provide greater detail about your technology, marketing and other key strategies if asked to provide a more-in-depth explanation during Q&A. The time limit for the PowerPoint Presentation is twelve (12) minutes maximum. The minimum font size to be used on the PowerPoint Presentation is twenty-eight (28) points, except for text in logos, graphic diagrams, schematics, flowcharts or charts. However, no text in graphic diagrams, schematics, flowcharts or charts can be smaller that sixteen (16) points. If the Presenter has to use a small font to accommodate the material, they are putting too much detail on their slides. Each slide should portray one primary point. All the text and bullets should support this point. Use slides to lead, not read. They should paraphrase and enhance the verbal presentation. Because people can read faster than that of a verbal presentation, if there is too much detail on the slide, the audience will read ahead and not listen to what is being said.
 PowerPoint Presentation Guidelines & Recommendations
Acceptance Process
Forum Meeting Presentation: Once a company has been selected by the Review Committee, they may choose to present at one of the five scheduled Forum Meetings.
Monthly Educational Program Forum Presentations: Once a company has been selected by the Review Committee, they may choose to present a Presentation at the start of regular monthly educational meetings.
Monthly Networking/Dinner Meeting Procedure
If the company chooses to present at a Forum Meeting or an Educational Meeting then one (1) Monthly Networking/Dinner Meeting Fee is provided for the Presenter. The Pre-Registration Monthly Networking/Dinner Meeting Fee for a Member is $45.00. Additional attendees of the company, that are not GCVCA Members, may attend the Monthly Networking/Dinner Meeting at the Guest of Member Pre-Registration rate of $50.00.
Denied Procedure
If a company is not selected by the Review Committee than the Presentation Fee of will be refunded. If the Application is approved, the accepted presenter will be contacted and given details of time, place and meeting format. If the approved presenter accepts the details of time, place and meeting format then the Presentation Fee can not be refunded. However, if the accepted presenter does not wish to accept the details of time, place and meeting format and an agreed alternate time can not be arranged then Presentation Fee will be refunded.
The Gold Coast Venture Forum is designed to facilitate the flow of information between entrepreneurs and investors and does NOT function as a securities broker-dealer, securities exchange or an investment advisor and it is not registered as such with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Companies making presentations to the Gold Coast Venture Forum have not been recommended by any federal or state securities commission, regulatory authority and government entity or by the Gold Venture Capital Association. The GCVCA makes no representation or warranties regarding the truth, accuracy or completeness of the information provided by the entrepreneurs. The GCVCA is a not-for-profit networking membership organization. The Gold Coast Venture Capital Association does not recommend nor make investments. | 
