Event Notices From Dec. 2

The Great Lakes Entrepreneurs Quest monthly entrepreneurial event listing was released Monday and contained the following technology and entrepreneurship-related events.

Lansing To Offer Launched Entrepreneurship Celebration
Thursday, Dec. 12: Launched, a celebration of Lansing-area entrepreneurship, will be held Dec. 12 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum on the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing. Join GLEQ, other event sponsors and Lansing-area business leaders for a celebratory event toasting the recent accomplishments of innovators and entrepreneurs in the community. More at www.launchedevent.com.

SBIR/STTR Proposal Preparation for Department of Energy
Tuesday, Dec. 3: This Department of Energy-focused seminar provides detailed instruction on the ins and outs of preparing a Small Business Innovation Research or Small Business Technology Transfer grant proposal to meet the requirements of the DoE, including both technical and commercialization plans, and navigating the often complicated submission process. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at BBC, 803 N. Main St., Ann Arbor. More at www.BBCetc.com.

Invest on Main Street – Angel Investing 101
Tuesday, Dec. 3: Alpena will host an event on who can invest, what makes a good investment, what investors are looking for and how to speak the language to get a deal in process. It will be an interactive afternoon dedicated to exploring options for those who want to launch a new business and those who want to give back to their community by investing. The event runs from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at the George N. Fletcher Public Library, 211 N. 1st Ave., Alpena. More at www.mmic.us/event-list.

Motor City Connect Live Hits Novi
Tuesday, Dec. 3: Join the business professionals of Motor City Connect for an effective and fun alternative to the traditional networking meeting. This is a chance for everyone to come face-to-face with other MCC members. MCC Live lunches are relaxed, casual and usually good for a few laughs. It's never a something you have to attend; it's an event you want to attend. No sixty-second commercials. No 10-minute speakers. This is just a chance to break bread together, meet new people, seek to understand their needs and connect on a new level. The event runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at BD's Mongolian BBQ, 43155 Main St., Novi. More at http://motorcityconnect.groupsite.com.

Best Shot Competition – Alpena
Tuesday, Dec. 3: At the MidMichigan Innovation Center's Best Shot Competition, you'll test your business savvy by getting in front of customers in a real live environment. An expert panel of guest judges critiques your pitch while a supportive audience cheers you to victory. Winners receive valuable prizes along with MMIC and their sponsor's expert guidance to: locate target customers, arrange presentations, assist with consumer websites, develop sales channels, advise on legal and accounting issues, help with PR and marketing and more. The event runs from 5 to 8 p.m. at the George N. Fletcher Public Library, 211 N. 1st Ave., Alpena. More at www.mmic.us/event-list.

Ann Arbor Spark Offers Hot Shots – Career Connections
Tuesday, Dec. 3: Bring your resume, and come and mingle with growing, innovative companies in a fun and relaxed environment. This event is only for talent seeking opportunities for themselves. Recruiters and staffing companies should use other venues to meet with these company representatives. The event runs from 5 to 7 p.m. at Spark Central, Lower Level, 330 E. Liberty, Ann Arbor. More at www.annarborusa.org/events/month/2013-12/

Start Garden Offers Class In Business Development Fundamentals
Wednesday, Dec. 4: Business development is not just for people with those words in their job titles – to succeed you need to engage your team broadly across the organization. You will learn how to reinforce your business development skills, the What-When-Who-How of Business Development, how to involve everyone on your team and more. The event runs from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Start Garden, 50 Louis Ave., 1st floor, Grand Rapids. More at www.StartGarden.com.

MSU Bioeconomy Innstitute Offers Program On Biosensors
Wednesday, Dec. 4: The Michigan State University Bioeconomy Institute sponsors a speakers series periodically throughout the year. Don't miss this opportunity to hear Evangelyn Aloclija, Professor of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering for MSU speak about Biosensors for Rapid Detection of Infectious Agents and Adulterants. The program runs from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at the i6 Proof of Concept Center, 242 Howard St., Holland. More at http://bioeconinst.msu.edu/calendar/2013-12.

Improve Your Odds When Seeking a Small Business Loan
Thursday, Dec. 5: How much money do you think you'll need before you can open the door and start doing business? If you've done your homework and completed a business plan, your conservative budget will provide the answer. Before attending the workshop, it is suggested you review your business plan with a SCORE counselor. The event runs from 8:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at the Oakland County Conference Center, 2100 Pontiac Lake Road, Waterford Township. More at http://detroit.score.org/localworkshops.

Venture Start – Detroit
Thursday, Dec. 5: Venture Start is a series of workshops targeting aspiring entrepreneurs. The first workshop in the series is the Starting a Business workshop. This workshop is designed to help aspiring entrepreneur assess their ability to lead and manage a company, as well as to help you evaluate market and sales potential for your products and services. The basics of business ownership and start-up issues are introduced, along with a presentation of the resources available to help you launch your new venture. The event runs from 9 to 11 a.m. at the MI-SBTDC Detroit Business Center, 163 Madison St., Detroit. More at www.misbtdc.net/events.aspx.

Team SBA – Financial Roundtable
Thursday, Dec. 5: Team SBA consists of a preferred SBA lender, a business consultant, SBA economic development staff, and business owners like you. We'll debunk the myths and demystify the process of bank financing -- in plain English. You will learn how your loan application will be analyzed, what underwriting criteria are used, and how banking regulations affect the decision. The event runs from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Delta College, H Wing, 1961 Delta Road, University Center. More at https://www.misbtdc.net/events.aspx

Create Your Business Website
Thursday, Dec. 5: As a business owner, you are the best salesperson for your product or service and no web-master can capture and present the benefits of your product and your enthusiasm better than you can. This is an instructional workshop. You will get the information you need to get started. The event runs from 5:15 to 8:30 p.m. at Fifth Third Bank, Second Floor Training Room, 1000 Town Center, Southfield. More at http://detroit.score.org/localworkshops.

Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association Annual Meeting
Saturday, Dec. 7: The GLREA annual meeting will feature key note speaker John Quackenbush, chairman of the Michigan Public Service Commission. The meeting will include introduction of the new executive director, election of new board members, annual awards, and an update on GLREA activities. The event runs from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Grand Rapids Community College, 151 Fountain St. NE, Grand Rapids. More at www.glrea.org.

SBIR/STTR 101 – Introduction and Overview
Tuesday, Dec. 10: This half-day class helps small, technology entrepreneurs and businesses assess their eligibility to receive R&D funding through the government's Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs. Through these programs, 11 federal agencies make over $2 billion in high-risk, non-dilutive capital available to innovative small companies annually. Attendees will learn SBIR/STTR program basics, including: program purpose, eligibility, sources of funding and tools for proposal development. The event runs from 9 a.m. to noon at BBCetc, 803 N. Main, Ann Arbor. More at www.bbcetc.com.

Ann Arbor Spark Offers OpenCoffee
Tuesday, Dec. 10: A networking event for entrepreneurs, investors and those who work with innovation businesses, particularly in IT, cleantech and life sciences. The event runs from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at Spark Central, 330 East Liberty, Lower Level, Ann Arbor. More at www.annarborusa.org/events.

Energy Climate Series: Jennifer Hill, Climate Reality Project
Tuesday, Dec. 10: Jennifer Hill of The Climate Reality Project, the first of four speakers in Grand Valley State University's Energy Climate speaker series, will speak in Muskegon and in Grand Rapids on evaluating climate change science and its implications for energy. The event runs from noon to 1 p.m. at the Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center, 200 Viridian Drive, Muskegon. The program also runs from 6 to 7 p.m. in Room 1008 of the Seidman Center on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus of Grand Valley State University. The event is free but an RSVP is requested at this link. Upcoming events include a Great Lakes Region solar energy update Jan. 14, renewable energy in Africa on Feb. 11, and global sustainable energy goals March 11. More at www.gvsu.edu/marec.

Grand Rapids Inventors Network Meeting
Tuesday, Dec. 10: Come and network and learn with GRIN. Monthly meetings include an opportunity to hear from an expert speaker, get your questions answered and meet other area inventors with shared concerns. The event runs from 6 to 8 p.m. in Room 119 of the Grand Valley State University Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences, 301 Michigan St. N.E., Grand Rapids. More at www.grinventors.org/schedule.html.

Marketing Roundtable – Go Fish! Customer Attraction
Tuesday, Dec. 10: "Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime." Wandering angler and marketing expert Sean Hickey will show you five key rules of marketing … and fly fishing. You'll take away theories you can apply to your own marketing programs and challenges to make your programs more efficient and more effective. The event runs from 5 to 7 p.m. at Spark Central, Lower Level, 330 E. Liberty, Ann Arbor. More at www.annarborusa.org/events/month/2013-12.

CEED Microloan Orientation
Wednesday, Dec. 11: If you have a need for alternative financing consider the MicroLoan Program. Discover the requirements and process necessary to apply and obtain a microloan. The event runs from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Michigan Small Business and Technology Development Centers' Detroit Business Center, 163 Madison St., Detroit. More at https://www.misbtdc.net/events.aspx.

BioArbor – Assessing the Potential for Your Product
Wednesday, Dec. 11: Panelists Rich Sheridan (Menlo Innovations), David Hartmann (UM Tech Transfer), and Molly Hoult (Fletcher Spaght) will discuss the importance of evaluating the market potential, identifying key drivers of customer behavior, defining critical specifications, and creating a clear statement of value proposition that resonates with customers. These objectives are critical for any corporate strategy, from the start of a new venture through capital investment, product sales, business development and eventually exit. The event runs from 5 to 7 p.m. at Spark Central, Lower Level, 330 E. Liberty, Ann Arbor. More at www.MichBio.org.

Class @ Start Garden – How to Present Like a Pro
Wednesday, Dec. 11: This session is designed to equip you with the basic skills you need to know before your next presentation. Participants will learn how to refine your topic, how to best identify the needs of your audience, gather and organize your research and present it all in such a way to leave them wanting more. We will also talk about the appropriate use of visuals and how to polish your delivery skills. The event runs from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Start Garden, First Floor, 50 Louis Ave., Grand Rapids. More at www.StartGarden.com.

Innovation Club for Entrepreneurs – Doing Business Globally
Wednesday, Dec. 11: The topic of discussion at this month's meeting will be "Networking and Building Relationships - How I can leverage working with people I know." Join ICE as Fathy Shetiah from 7C Lingo shares his story about how he started his business and his work and also share some insights on how those interested in doing business globally can enter the market. The event runs from 6 to 8 p.m. at the MARC, 4675 Okemos Road, Okemos. More at www.meetup.com/ICE-meetup.

CEED Microloan Orientation
Wednesday, Dec. 11: If you have a need for alternative financing consider the MicroLoan Program. Discover the requirements and process necessary to apply and obtain a microloan. The program runs from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Oakland County Business Center, Building 41 W., 2100 Pontiac Lake Road, Waterford Township. More at www.misbtdc.net/events.aspx.

Using Google Drive for Collaboration and Engagement
Thursday, Dec. 12: Eastern Michigan University professor Toni S. Jones will teach a workshop on Google Drive, which allows users to create presentations, documents, spreadsheets and forms that are based in the cloud and can be collaborated on in real time and shared with an audience. Set up a gmail account if you don't have one already and bring your laptop for a hands-on experience as we learn in the cloud. The event runs from 6 to 8 p.m. at Spark East, 215 W. Michigan Ave., Ypsilanti. More at
http://bit.ly/1aGtYe6.
Inventors Council of Mid-Michigan
Thursday, Dec. 12: The Inventors Council of Mid-Michigan is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization incorporated in Michigan to help inventors pursue their dreams of bringing new and innovative products to market. Their goal is to help fellow inventors succeed in the most efficient and least costly manner possible by providing education and business networking. The event starts at 7 p.m. at Walli's Restaurant & Banquet Center South, 1341 S. Center Road, Burton. More at www.inventorscouncil.org.

Bootstrappers Breakfast
Wednesday, Dec. 18: Bootstrappers Breakfasts are for founders of early stage technology startups. It is a chance to compare notes on operational, development, and business issues with peers. These breakfasts were designed for entrepreneurs to share ideas and leverage thoughts with other folks who are serious about growing their business. The focus is on issues for growing a business, not on VC fundraising. The event runs from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the Hudson Café, 1241 Woodward Ave., Detroit. More at www.meetup.com/Bootstrappers-Breakfast-Detroit.

Class @ Start Garden – Customer Discovery
Wednesday, Dec. 18: How do you determine if your idea for a new product or service is a vision of the future that will propel your dreams forward or a hellish hallucination that will lead you into a quagmire? The customer discovery process can answer this question quickly and efficiently. John Farris of Grand Valley State University will assist attendees to understand how to approach customer discovery specifically for their businesses. The event runs from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Start Garden, First Floor, 50 Louis Ave., Grand Rapids. More at www.StartGarden.com