SAINT JOHN, NEW BRUNSWICK - It's not easy to attract investment these days - entrepreneurs must show both that they have a product that's needed and that there's a market willing to buy that product.
So says Richard Bendis, president and chief executive of Philadelphia-based Innovation America, who was in Saint John last week to speak at a meeting on the provincial energy hub. Bendis began his career in the private sector and is an experienced venture capitalist. The public/private organization he now heads advocates economic development based on innovation, something Bendis is passionate about.
The Telegraph-Journal sat down with Bendis who shared his thoughts on what entrepreneurial ventures - in particular those based on emerging technologies related to a "cluster" like the so-called energy hub here in New Brunswick - need to be successful.
"In the past, it used to be that if you could prove that you had proof of concept, you might be able to get some private-sector capital," Bendis says.
But with the economic crisis, he says, it's become more difficult for entrepreneurs to find money at an early stage.
To read the full, original article click on this link: nbbusinessjournal.com - Relevance key to securing early-stage capital: expert | Christine Dobby - Breaking News, New Brunswick, Canada
Author: Christine Dobby
