Author: Jeffrey Donenfeld
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How to position your startup for investors – GoViral KZ Interview
I had a solid discussion about how to position your startup for investors during GoViral.kz in Almaty, Kazakhstan with U.S. Embassy Tashkent Information Officer Susannah Wood. Thanks for the awesome discussion! Go Viral is an international festival sponsored by the U.S. Mission to Kazakhstan that brings together innovators in media, culture, business, and technology to…
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Interviewing on How Central Asian startups can position themselves for US investors at GoViral.kz
Aliya Shaikhina and I sat down during the Go Viral Conference in Almaty, Kazakhstan to discuss how Central Asian startups can position themselves for US investors, #entrepreneurship, #investing, #technology, and Boomtown Accelerators. Thanks for your time Aliya, and thanks to the U.S. Consulate Almaty for hosting me at GoViral.kz! Go Viral is an international festival sponsored…
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Discussing Where Traditional and Digital Nomads Meet at GoViral Almaty
Thanks to GoViral Organizers and my amazing conference colleagues Rolf Potts, Gani Abadan, Daniyar Amanaliyev, and Saken Nigma for an engaging panel discussing long term travel, working remotely, and the changing landscape of digital productivity. Go Viral is an international festival sponsored by the U.S. Mission to Kazakhstan that brings together innovators in media, culture, business,…
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Mentoring Startups from Emerging Markets at Seedstars World Summit 2019
I’m proud to have spent an action-packed week mentoring startups from global emerging markets at part of the Seedstars 2019 World Summit in Lausanne, Switzerland on behalf of Boomtown Accelerators (where I currently serve as Investment Director) It’s always a pleasure to connect with founders from across the globe, trade ideas, and teach them about…
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Discussing life in Antarctica on REN TV Russia’s “The Riddles of Humanity”
This week, I appeared on REN TV Russia’s adventure show “The Riddles of Humanity”, Episode 255 to discuss life at the South Pole, Antarctica. Skip to minute 12 of the clip for my segment. My part of the segment covers (Google Translated from Russian: “Why is Antarctica called white Mars? How do people survive in…
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Mentoring startups at the Seedstars CEE Summit
In December 2018, I was honored to mentor startups and speak at the Seedstars CEE Summit. Meeting with leading edge entrepreneurs in the CEE region was an inspiring project, and I’m looking forward to continuing to work with this engaging group. A few of the key topics covered included: Key considerations for CEE startups appealing…
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Checking out the Breeders Cup at Churchill Downs with Longines and Wrist Watch Review
I write watch reviews for Wrist Watch Review, and this past weekend covered for WWR the 2018 Breeders Cup at Churchill Downs as a guest of watchmaker Longines. My original writeup is published on Wrist Watch Review: WWR goes on-site as Longines times the 2018 Breeders Cup at Churchill Downs. Here are a few excerpts…
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Pitching Boomtown at the University of Colorado’s Tech Transfer Office Accelerator Seminar
Today I had the opportunity to speak to a group of grad students and early entrepreneurs about the details of the startup accelerator and incubator ecosystem in Boulder. I was joined by industry colleagues from Innosphere, Rockies Venture Club, Boulder Small Business Development Center, and CatalyzeCU. Boomtown Accelerator is currently accepting applications.
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Exploring Panama – Panama City, Boquete, Bocas Del Toro
This September, I had the opportunity to explore Panama with H. A few pics, and our trip notes. Thu Sept 13 Flew Denver to Ft. Lauderdale Tight connection Flew Ft. Lauderdale to Panama City Took Uber to Casco Viejo AirBnB Finally got in bed in AirBnB around 3am. Slept! Fri Sept 14 Woke up late…
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Mentoring Startup Summer Pitch Night
This week, I was pleased to mentor Startup Summer Pitch Night with Silicon Flatirons, at the Boomtown Accelerators office. What a great set of teams! Pleasure working with Sarah Phillips of Boulder Bits. Startup Summer 2018 concludes with a pitch competition, where students from the program pitch their unique startup ideas. This summer, students have interned at local tech startups and built their…
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Teaching the Galvanize Workshop: What’s Next for My Startup?
This week, I was proud to develop and teach the Galvanize workshop titled “What’s Next for My Startup?“. During this hour-long workshop, I worked with a group of emerging entrepreneurs to discuss pathways for their startups, analyze the state of venture capital, and go over the model we’re pursuing at Boomtown.
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Discussing International Investing and Russian Startups on The Syndicate Podcast
This week, I had the pleasure of recording an interview with Matt Ward of The Syndicate Podcast: “The Russian Startup Scene and What Founders and VCs Need to Know with Jeffrey Donenfeld of Boomtown Accelerator” Listen to me on The Syndicate Podcast: Apple Podcasts, Android, RSS, Direct Here’s what I discuss with Matt on the…
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Boomtown Accelerator Demo Day Spring 2018 showcases our 10th Cohort
Last Friday, May 18th, I was proud see Boomtown Accelerator’s 10th cohort showcase their businesses at Demo Day, part of Boulder Startup Week. As Investment Manager at Boomtown, it’s always a satisfying experience seeing the companies I helped to bring into the program finally graduate, with the growth and success of their businesses on the…
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Mentoring future global entrepreneurs at the Kazan OIC Youth Entrepreneurship Forum
Kazan OIC Youth Entrepreneurship Forum “The Kazan OIC Youth Entrepreneurship Forum is a joint initiative of the OIC Youth Forum and the government of the Republic of Tatarstan. Since 2014, the Forum has been held annually, attracting hundreds of startups, investors and industry experts from the OIC states and the Russian Federation. Speakers will discuss…
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Teaching US entrepreneurial mindset at More Ideas Sochi
More Ideas Sochi “Autonomous non-profit organization “The Sea of ??Ideas” in the city of Sochi is engaged in the formation of an innovative ecosystem “Sochi Innovation Valley”. We know that in Russia there are promising start-ups, and we believe that Sochi is the best place in our country, where the founders of start-ups can live…
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Lecturing on startup trends in the United States at the Kazan IT Park Business Incubator
Kazan IT Park Business Incubator “The main objective of the business incubator is to help promising startups in the sphere of information technologies to develop ideas and products, getting investment, searching for potential partners and clients.”
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Discussing American startup investing with The Saint Petersburg State University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics
The Saint Petersburg State University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics “The Saint Petersburg State University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics (ITMO University) is one of the leading higher education institutions in Russia, providing training and research in advanced science, humanities, engineering and technology. Founded in 1900, ITMO has grown to an organization with…
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Speaking to The Internet Initiatives Development Fund on startup investing in the United States
The Internet Initiatives Development Fund “IIDF stands for Internet Initiatives Development Fund. According to Dow Jones, we are the most active early-stage venture fund in Russia and Europe. We have $100M (6bn RUB) under management. Since 2013 IIDF has closed more than 370 deals ranging from $20k to $5.5M. Our investment activity accounts for more…
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How to move your startup to the USA and get accepted by a top US startup accelerator…
Building your company in the United States can be a great idea – we have resources, expertise, and a quickly growing startup and entrepreneurship industry. In my role as Investment Manager at Boomtown Accelerator in Boulder, Colorado, I review a wide variety of applications to the Boomtown Accelerator Program from startups all over the world,…
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Coming home to the Igloo Home Deadbolt 02
Smarlocks, compatible with smart home, are increasingly popular lately. Major brands like Kwikset and Schlage make consumer focused models with basic features and a focus on basic smarthome access – but Igloohome has gone much farther than that with the IglooHome Deadbolt 02. This smart lock not only adds a keypad for owner access via…