Conference to Focus on Sources of Financing
A recent state study concludes that there’s a $5.4-billion funding shortfall for fast-growing firms in Los Angeles and Orange counties.
Other statistics show Southern California companies playing the bridesmaid quarter after quarter, while Silicon Valley firms attract most of the venture capital flowing into the state.
But Peter Cowen, head of Westwood-based Peter Cowen & Associates, which advises and prepares early-stage companies for fast growth, says there are more funding opportunities available to Southland entrepreneurs than they think.
“There is more money out there pursuing deals of different types and sizes than ever before,” Cowen said. “I’m seeing investors do deals that wouldn’t have gotten funded a couple of years ago. . . . [Entrepreneurs] just need to understand all the options available to them.”
“Where to Look and How to Present” is the theme of the annual Entrepreneurship Capital Conference, which Cowen will chair May 14 in Los Angeles. The fourth annual program, put on by UCLA Extension, will introduce area business owners to the variety of financing sources available, point them toward the ones worth pursuing and help them determine whether they’re even ready for the rigors of taking on outside investors or a load of debt.
Among the financing options to be covered in the all-day conference are “angel” investing from wealthy individuals, private placements, licensing agreements, strategic partnerships, asset-based loans, receivables financing, venture capital, mezzanine financing, initial public offerings and Small Business Administration loans.
“People who have attended the conference in the past have come thinking they need one type of financing, then learn that something else may work better for their situation,” Cowen said. “The wrong source of money can be your downfall. The right source can take you to the next level very quickly.”
The conference will be held at the Westwood Marquis Hotel & Gardens, 930 Hilgard Ave., Los Angeles. The cost is $195. For more information, contact UCLA Extension, Department of Business and Management, at (310) 206-1409.
