A little more of the upside of hope in RI

Speaking of Tim White, he was interested by my short piece this week on Wayne Franklin, so Franklin and Owen Johnson, another of the new wave of entrepreneurs who sometimes gather under the Geek umbrella, joined us for this morning's taping of WPRI/WNAC-TV's Newsmakers.

Johnson went so far as to say that Providence has tipped in favor of a point where the smal but important IT-digital media sector can make some big gains. Watch the show for details. Investment guru Don Sowa also joins us to talk about the economy.

In related news, the Providence Geeks are slated to have their next dinner on Wednesday, November 19. And RI Nexus sends along word of the following:

The Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation will host two financing educational seminars and panels this month: “Navigating the Credit Crunch: Alternative Lending Sources” on Wednesday, November 19 at noon and “Financing Fast Growth” on Tuesday, November 25 at 10 a.m. Both events will be held at the RIEDC’s Providence offices located at 555 Valley St., Providence and are free to the public.

Navigating the Credit Crunch: Alternative Lending Sources

Who: Moderator: Ralph X. Stone, Commercial Financial Consulting
Peter Aransky, Greenfield Commercial Credit
George P. Gochis, Diamond Business Credit
Jack O’Neil, Danvers Savings Bank
David McIlroy, Wells Fargo Business Credit

What: While Rhode Island banks are an important source of capital for the state's businesses, a moderated panel discussion will introduce Rhode Island companies to non-bank sources of debt capital. Local businesses will meet alternative asset-based lenders, learn how their loan products work and create relationships with potential new lending sources. Lunch will be provided.

When: Wednesday, November 19 Noon–2 p.m.

Where: Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation, 555 Valley St. Providence, 401-278-9100. Google maps

The program and lunch are free, but registration ends on November 17. Contact moconnor@riedc.com to RSVP.

Financing Fast Growth in Rhode Island

Who: Michael Gurau and Michael Burgmaier, Clear Venture Partners
Richard G. Horan, Slater Technology Fund
Peter Dorsey, Cherrystone Angels and BDCRI
Tim O’Loughlin, Vencore Capital
Richard Ferro, RLF Management Services

What: An educational seminar detailing early stage capital sources for Rhode Island fast growth businesses, featuring local equity and near equity capital providers followed by lunch and networking. Attendees will learn about equity sources and how to tap into them, the venture capital process, how angel investors differ from venture capital, and innovation and technology grants.  

When: Tuesday, November 25 10 a.m.–1 p.m.

Where: Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation, 555 Valley St. Providence, 401-278-9100. Google maps

The program and lunch are free, but registration ends on November 18. Contact jw@clearvcs.com to RSVP.