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Cooley Godward Kronish LLP  represents hundreds of clients in a wide range of industries from offices in nine major commercial markets. We are counselors, strategists and advocates for the foremost private and public companies. We have a legacy of representing companies that range from startups bringing to market breakthrough products and technologies and frequently argue cases that fall in new areas of law, brought about by technological developments. Our business and litigation practice reaches across a broad array of dynamic industry sectors, including technology, life sciences, clean tech, real estate, financial services, retail and energy. With 650 attorneys throughout the U.S., Cooley has the range and expertise to serve companies of all sizes to seize opportunities in today's global marketplace.

Curriculum

Spring 2010 San Diego / Orange County

The Founder Institute offers a weekly curriculum of company-building sessions designed to help entrepreneurs think through every aspect of their business, from the core idea to the revenue model. Each weekly session is lead by three startup CEO Mentors, who share their unique and often differing opinions on the topic. Participating Founders are given assignments to build key aspects of their companies between the sessions that are completed in Working Groups with their peers.

All of the sessions below are held in the evenings after work.

Founder Institute Orientation

April 06, 2010, at 06:00 PM:

Description:
The orientation will provide an overview of the next four months of the Founder Institute, answer questions and provide a networking time for all new founders to meet each other.

    Your Vision and Idea Types

    April 07, 2010, at 06:00 PM: Develop ideas for your business.

    Description:
    What are you passionate about? What is your vision? How do you translate passion and vision into a business idea? How do you brainstorm ideas? What are tools for evaluating your ideas? What are the makings of a good idea versus a bad idea? Should you pursue multiple ideas at once, and when should you focus on one?

      Basic Research

      April 14, 2010, at 06:00 PM: Validate your idea and target market.

      Description:
      What market are you pursuing? Is it big enough? Is it growing or shrinking? What are the other characteristics of your market, and why do you care? How do you find data on your market? How do you define your competitors? What are inexpensive tactics to do custom market research? How can you determine if you can win in your target market, and when do you decide to walk away?

        Naming and Branding

        April 21, 2010, at 06:00 PM: Name and brand your business.

        Description:
        How important is a good name? What are the different types of names, and how do you choose a good one? What are the best practices to find, review, and select a name from a battery of options? What do you need to do to protect your name? How does a name reflect your brand? What is your brand?

        Founder Institute Working Session

        April 28, 2010, at 06:00 PM:

        Description:
        Bring it all together - Idea, Research & Naming & Branding

        Company Roadmap

        May 05, 2010, at 06:00 PM: Develop a plan to build your idea.

        Description:
        How do you get from an idea to an offering? How do you build an offering? What tactics should you use to ensure success? What is the plan to develop your offering? What are tips and tricks to make that plan accurate? What are common mistakes that every founder makes? What are the best practices? How do you navigate competition, and how do you win?

        Earning Revenue

        May 12, 2010, at 06:00 PM: Build a revenue model for your business.

        Description:
        How do you get revenue, grow revenue, and track revenue? How do you scale your business from the first dollar earned to the millionth? How important is early revenue versus long-term potential? What are symmetrical versus asymmetrical models, and which type of model holds the most promise for your business? What are the various routes to market that you can take? How do you set your revenue goals, and how do you go about meeting them?

        Hiring and Firing

        May 19, 2010, at 06:00 PM: Implement hiring policies and practices.

        Description:
        Do you need a cofounder? How do you find and choose a cofounder? What employees do you need, and when do you need them? How do you hire and fire employees? What are important qualities to look for in employees? How do you decipher a resume? What are compensation guidelines? How do you set expectations? When is it easiest and hardest to find the best resources, and why?

        Founder Institute Working Session

        May 26, 2010, at 06:00 PM:

        Description:

        Intellectual Property

        June 09, 2010, at 06:00 PM: File your provisional patents.

        Description:
        How do you manage your intellectual property using confidentiality, copyrights, and patents? What is the intellectual property of your business? What types of protections are available, and what are the costs? How do you file a patent quickly, cheaply, and with the necessary protections? What can you do on your own, and what do you need an attorney for? How do you pick the right attorney? How much does protecting your intellectual property cost, and why should you do it?

          Startup Legal and Incorporation

          June 16, 2010, at 06:00 PM: Incorporate the business.

          Description:
          Why incorporate at all? What is the right corporate structure for your business to attract and retain the best founders, employees, investors, customers, and partners? How do you incentivize a founding team with equity? How do incentivize a Board of Directors and a Board of Advisors? How do you manage a Board of Directors? What are the necessary corporate formalities? What are the costs of incorporation?

            Partners and Suppliers

            June 23, 2010, at 06:00 PM: Select key vendors.

            Description:
            What is the core competency of your team, and what should it to be? What should you insource and what should you outsource? What vendors do you need? How do you select the best vendors for your business on the best terms? What guidelines should you use? How do you evaluate the economics? What are some horror stories to avoid?

            Founder Institute Working Session

            June 30, 2010, at 06:00 PM:

            Description:
            Pitch Night Review

              Marketing and Publicity

              July 07, 2010, at 06:00 PM: Create a marketing and publicity plan.

              Description:
              What is the story of your company and your offering? How do you sell that story? Who are you trying to reach with the story? Do you solve a problem, create controversy, offer something new? Are you a pain killer or a vitamin? What is your brand? What are the best tactics for your outreach: publicity, guerilla marketing, advertising? How do you measure the success of your efforts and your spending?

              Presentation

              July 14, 2010, at 06:00 PM: Create a perfect pitchdeck.

              Description:
              How do you present your business to target partners and investors? What are the tricks to captivate and retain attention? What makes for a great presentation, and what makes for a bad one? How do you convey enthusiasm, conviction, and success? How do your meeting reflect on your company culture? How can you innovate in your meetings to reflect your culture and be more productive?

              The Funding Lifecycle

              July 21, 2010, at 06:00 PM: Create a funding plan with targets.

              Description:
              How does startup funding work? When can my company raise capital, and what are the stages in a typical funding lifecycle? What are the milestones and expectations? How much money should I raise, and how long should that money last? How does one begin the fundraising process? What are some tips and tricks to succeed?

              Graduation

              July 28, 2010, at 06:00 PM: Time to celebrate!

              Description:
              The Graduation is the beginning of an exciting period for Founders, where the seed of an idea becomes reality. Graduating Founders are invited to bring one guest of their choosing to the session and to the after party. The Institute will continue to provide office hours, add special service provider deals, assist with fundraising, and give guidance on publicity and launch strategies for Graduated Founders.

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