According to Pat Matthews, a DayOne Ventures mentor, applications are still being accepted for its seed stage investment and mentorship program for technology-based startups.

We were delighted that Handshake 2.0 was the venue selected to announce the launch of DayOne Ventures.  With the program beginning May 31, 2010, we look forward to learning about the entrepreneurs and companies selected for mentorship in the inaugural session.

DayOne Ventures has been in the news.  Here's a list we've compiled, most recent first:

Mentorship program gives money and more to technology startups, Blue Ridge Business Journal, May 3, 2010

How To Get Funded or Get Acquired, Building 43, April 2010 (video includes DayOne Ventures mentor Bill Boebel)

DayOne Ventures Brings Small Town Flavor to Startup Incubation, ReadWriteStart, March 31, 2010

Mentors-Plus-Capital Programs - Intense Incubation by Jim Flowers - Startup Professionals, March 17, 2010

DayOneVentures @ VT KnowledgeWorks Launches, PRWeb, March 17, 2010

DayOne Ventures Launches @ VT KnowledgeWorks - Inside VT KnowledgeWorks, March 12, 2010

DayOne Ventures Launches - Seed Stage Investment for Technology Start-Ups - Handshake 2.0, March 12, 2010

DayOne Ventures is a seed stage investment and mentorship program for technology-based startups. Each spring DayOne engages with up to three early stage startups through a competitive evaluation process. Winning teams can receive up to $16,000 to cover personal and business expenses related to participation in the summer mentorship program, plus class A office space and high-speed internet access during their stay. Throughout the summer, each team receives regular mentoring by successful entrepreneurs who have built and sold technology businesses. The program concludes in late August. At the end of the summer, each firm has the opportunity to present to potential investors via a demo day event.

You're invited to read more about DayOne Ventures on Handshake 2.0 and to follow DayOne Ventures on Twitter @dayoneventures.

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DayOne Ventures is housed at the VT KnowledgeWorks Business Acceleration Center, located in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg, Virginia.  VT KnowledgeWorks is a client of Handshake Media, Incorporated, the parent company of Handshake 2.0.

"A chicken in every pot and a car in every garage."
- Presidential campaign slogan attributed to Herbert Hoover

Allen J. Fuller, III asked me via Twitter, "You have talked about regional development in the past.  What would the NRV [New River Valley of Virginia] look like if your vision were realized?" 

Yes, I certainly have talked about regional economic development. A vision of the awesome power of social media to contribute to a regional economic revolution is fundamental to Handshake 2.0's business model.  We walk the talk of economic development through social media and Regional Economic Development on Handshake 2.0 certainly has its own category on the site.

If realized, what would regional economic development look like to me?

An entrepreneur in every garage. 

Or in every basement, coffee shop, dorm room, home office, bedroom or established corporation - wherever computer power and tools and materials could exist for a creative mind to invent.  And then for that mind to think, "This could be a business."

That's part of my vision.  It's only part because of this:

“When I started my company, I had to find my own mentors and scrape together capital in an ad hoc manner - and also do all the work required to make the enterprise succeed operationally.  I’m excited about helping the next generation of entrepreneurs by systematizing those critical tasks.  And Blacksburg [Virginia] is a great place to live and work.”
- Pat Matthews, DayOne Ventures Mentor

That's a hard way to go.  For my vision, which is impatient, I want new companies now, funded now.  That can happen when a culture of entrepreneurship is born of consciousness rather than opportunism.

I see our region creating a culture in which entrepreneurs are valued as individuals, as creators and inventors, as potential world-changers and as potential generators of profits, enriching their companies, their investors, and their communities.

Just look at these recent entrepreneurship launches, some within the past few days:

• Access to Capital, NewVa Corridor Technology Council, NCTC
• VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Summit - In its second year, designed to bring together entrepreneurs and the partners and investors they need to succeed.
• DayOne Ventures

Allen, thank you for asking about my vision for regional economic development in the New River Valley of Virginia.  It's already taking shape.

BTW, Allen, are you an entrepreneur?  Got a garage?  Around here, it's a good time to be an entrepreneur.

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Handshake Media, Incorporated, the parent company of Handshake 2.0, is part of the culture of entrepreneurship through membership in business acceleration center VT KnowledgeWorks. VT KnowledgeWorks is a client of Handshake Media.

“Hundreds of technology entrepreneurs are alive and well and thriving in Blacksburg, Virginia.  But this town is one of the best kept secrets in the start-up world.  DayOne Ventures aims to change that by inviting the brightest and best from anywhere to come here and join the party.”

- A founder of DayOneVentures @ VT KnowledgeWorks

According to David Catalano, a DayOne Ventures mentor, applications are open!

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DayOne Ventures is an invitation-only seed stage investment and mentorship program for technology-based startups. It is housed at the VT KnowledgeWorks Business Acceleration Center, located in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg, Virginia. Each spring DayOne engages with up to three early stage startups through a competitive evaluation process. Winning teams can receive up to $16,000 to cover personal and business expenses related to participation in the summer mentorship program, plus class A office space and high-speed internet access during their stay. Throughout the summer, each team receives regular mentoring by successful entrepreneurs who have built and sold technology businesses. The program typically begins in late May and concludes in late August. At the end of the summer, each firm has the opportunity to present to potential investors via a demo day event.

You're invited to read more about DayOne Ventures on Handshake 2.0 and to follow DayOne Ventures on Twitter @dayoneventures.

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VT KnowledgeWorks is a client of Handshake Media, Incorporated, the parent company of Handshake 2.0.

DayOne Ventures at VT KnowledgeWorks is an invitation-only seed stage investment and mentoring program for technology-based startups, funded and operated by experienced, successful entrepreneurs who are also angel investors. 

DayOneVentures @ VT KnowledgeWorks is housed at the VT KnowledgeWorks Business Acceleration Center, located in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg, Virginia, home of Virginia Tech. 

Each spring, DayOne engages with up to three early stage enterprises through a competitive evaluation process.  Winning teams receive a generous stipend to cover personal and business expenses related to participation in the summer mentoring program, plus class A office space and high-speed internet access during their stay. 

Throughout the summer, each team receives regular mentoring by successful entrepreneurs who have built and sold technology businesses.  The program typically begins in late May and concludes in late August.  At the end of the summer, each firm has the opportunity to present to potential investors via a demo day event.

Up to three teams will be invited to spend the summer in Blacksburg.  Winning teams will receive a cash award related to team size.   Teams live and work in Blacksburg from late May to August.  In exchange for the package of cash, office services, and mentoring, DayOne receives an equity stake in the emerging enterprise. 

At DayOneVentures @ VT KnowledgeWorks, we roll up our sleeves and help you to build and grow your business.  We act as a member of your team with the same motivation, risk, and reward.

Simple Rules

• Proposed businesses should have a relatively low capital requirement and the ability to generate revenue within one year. Examples: web apps, software, ready-to-go widgets.
• The minimum team size is two persons. The maximum is four persons.
• The team must be willing to move to Blacksburg, Virginia and work on the business from late May until late August.
• A business plan is not necessary, just a clear and concise description of the concept, business model, and value proposition.
• Team experience is not as important as team passion.
• Demo day: At the conclusion of the summer, each team will be afforded the opportunity to showcase their company, concept, and team at a private forum attended by local entrepreneurs, local angel investors and venture capital funds.

For more information, please contact VT KnowledgeWorks.

DayOneVentures @ VT KnowledgeWorks launched on March 12, 2010.

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VT KnowledgeWorks is a client of Handshake Media, Incorporated, the parent company of Handshake 2.0.