Crowdfunding Programs at the Westport Library

The Westport Library is offering two programs in May about using crowdfunding sites such as Kickstarter to raise money for a project or business. The programs will be in the Library’s McManus Room, and are free and open to the public.

 

Wednesday, May 11, 6:30- 8 pm: Is Crowdfunding Right for Your Business? Attorney and author Cliff Ennico will discuss the pros and cons of crowdfunding under new SEC regulations and will talk about his book The Crowdfunding Handbook: Raise Money for Your Small Business or Startup Using Equity Funding Portals. Points he will cover include:

•          seed money for your idea
•          crowdfunding as a resource to get your project off the ground
•          support from like-minded people
•          driving prospective customers to your website

Advance registration with SCORE at scorefairfieldcounty.org is suggested. Sign-in at 5:30 pm; workshop 6-8 pm. Co-sponsored with Fairfield County SCORE.

Ennico is an attorney, author, syndicated columnist, speaker, television personality and humorist. He is a small business expert and has helped more than 15,000 small businesses accelerate over the past 35 years. A former Wall Street lawyer and business development consultant, he is the author of ten books including The eBay Business Answer Book, The eBay Seller's Tax and Legal Answer Book, Small Business Survival Guide, MoneyHunt: 27 New Rules For Creating and Growing a Breakaway Business and The eBay Marketing Bible. He speaks nationwide to corporations, business groups and professional organizations on legal and tax issues affecting entrepreneurs, technology companies and e-commerce platforms.
 

Wednesday, May 25, 7-8:30 pm: Panel Discussion on Kicking Up Your Pitch With Crowdfunding. A panel of product designers, developers, inventors and entrepreneurs will speak about their experiences using crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo. Hear about what worked, what didn't, what they might do differently and factors to consider. The speakers are:

Vlad Alexandrescu is the founder of Aeolian Kitesurfing, maker of the Triple Action Pump, a hybrid-electric hand pump that combines the easy inflation of an electric pump with the dependability of a hand pump into a portable and affordable electric compressor useful for watersport lovers. He has over four years of experience with innovative ideas, designs and product development from Sikorsky Aircraft, where he invents, designs, implements, tests and distributes Computer Implemented Business Solutions for production and logistics.

Orlando Fonseca is a financial controller for a real estate and construction law firm in Stamford, Connecticut. He also runs a consulting boutique, helping individuals and small businesses with a range of services including branding, photo and video projects, and product development.

Alex Giannini is the Westport Library’s Manager of Experiential Learning. He’s also a writer, and author of Sarah Faire and the House at the End of the World, which was a Kickstart Staff Pick, and his first attempt at crowdsourcing. 

Sheila Torgan and Bonnie Tyler founded their company Cybersidewalks.com over eleven years ago. Their core business has been building web sites for small to medium-sized businesses in the Fairfield County area. Their invention, The Negg™ Maker, quickly peels a boiled egg. It was launched by a Kickstarter Campaign to fund its production.
 

For further information, phone 203-291-4800, or check westportlibrary.org.