{"id":580,"date":"2018-06-27T17:26:31","date_gmt":"2018-06-27T21:26:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/research.ncsu.edu\/win\/?p=580"},"modified":"2024-01-08T16:42:08","modified_gmt":"2024-01-08T21:42:08","slug":"alumni-investors-boost-wolfpack-businesses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/research.ncsu.edu\/win\/alumni-investors-boost-wolfpack-businesses\/","title":{"rendered":"Alumni Investors Boost Wolfpack Businesses"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n
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Alumni Investors Boost Wolfpack Businesses<\/h1>\n<\/header>\n
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\"Two<\/div>\n
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June 27, 2018<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0|\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0Elizabeth Beal<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n
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A growing number of students come to NC State looking to start their own businesses, and for good reason. Here, they have access to a breadth of resources, research initiatives and industry partnerships. There are\u00a0physical and virtual spaces<\/a>\u00a0to support collaboration with like-minded students, and programs and events where ideas might spark across disciplines. Indeed, NC State is ranked\u00a0among the top 20 universities for undergraduate entrepreneurs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

With such a supportive and synergetic environment, it\u2019s no wonder so many businesses get their start here. But what happens next?<\/p>\n

Enter the\u00a0Wolfpack Investor Network<\/a>\u00a0(WIN), an angel investing platform that brings together entrepreneurial NC\u00a0State alumni to support businesses with a connection to the university.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the things that has kept the Triangle from being the Silicon Valley of the South is the lack of venture capital,\u201d says Joe Sinsheimer, the network\u2019s managing director. \u201cThink about the NC\u00a0State ecosystem. There\u2019s just not enough capital to support all the great ideas. But what if we look at our own alumni base?\u00a0Our wealth lies in business expertise and talent, as well as money. What would happen if we injected more wealth into that ecosystem ourselves?\u201d<\/p>\n

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There\u2019s just not enough capital to support all the great ideas. But what if we look at our own alumni base?<\/p>\n

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\u00a0Joe Sinsheimer, managing director of the Wolfpack Investor Network<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

As a 23-year veteran of early-stage venture investing, Sinsheimer\u2019s job is to reach out to university-affiliated startups and curate hundreds of yearly investment proposals. The goal? Connect NC\u00a0State\u2019s best and brightest with WIN \u2014 and create\u00a0a virtuous circle of alumni entrepreneurship, business creation and investment<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Membership in the network is open to accredited investors who have ties to NC\u00a0State. In practice, that means alumni investors end up supporting alumni entrepreneurs. For NC\u00a0State graduates, WIN offers an ongoing relationship with their alma mater that lets them apply the business expertise and skills they learned as students. And that expertise is key: WIN members are seasoned investors who can recognize exciting \u2014 and profitable \u2014 new ventures.<\/p>\n

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Spiffy, a car-care startup in Durham, N.C., is among the companies backed by the Wolfpack Investor Network.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Companies often present live to a room of WIN members. Far from a typical sales pitch, WIN-vetted ventures share in-depth information about growth potential, operating costs, margins, overhead and company culture. Investors in the audience ask pointed questions, and the discussion continues until potential investors are satisfied. The experience is somewhere between classroom and boardroom.<\/p>\n

One company that recently received WIN backing is\u00a0Spiffy, a mobile car-care business that started in Durham, N.C. Scot Wingo, Spiffy\u2019s chief executive officer, earned a degree in computer science from NC State in 1991. His previous company, ChannelAdvisor, provides auction and marketplace management software and services to companies like IBM and Best Buy. And Spiffy is home to other NC State grads, including Ryan Eade, the company\u2019s chief technology officer, and Morgan Metzger, a 2017 Poole College of Management alumna. She started working at Spiffy part-time while still an undergraduate. \u201cIt\u2019s been really fun to work for a startup,\u201d said Metzger. \u201cBeyond everything I learned from my major, I\u2019m using a variety of outreach platforms, like social media, digital and design.\u201d<\/p>\n

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A Cycle of Entrepreneurship<\/h2>\n

So far, the bulk of WIN applicant companies represent business-to-business software, consumer products and services, and pharmaceuticals. Companies that have benefited from the network\u2019s support include FilterEasy, Feelgoodz, and Tethis, which is set to disrupt the diaper industry with a super-absorbent natural polymer. Last March, it received\u00a0the largest investor contribution<\/a>\u00a0yet in WIN\u2019s short history.<\/p>\n

Student involvement helps set WIN apart. The network invites graduate students in NC State\u2019s\u00a0Jenkins MBA program<\/a>, as well as top STEM students, to offer their analysis and insight during company screenings as part of a diligence team. Gary Sanguinetti, an MBA student with concentrations in technology, entrepreneurship and commercialization (TEC), and finance, is one of three diligence team leads tasked with researching potential investments.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking with WIN has given me tremendous hands-on experience,\u201d said Sanguinetti. \u201cIn my\u00a0TEC<\/a>classes, we focus on finding and developing new technologies that may be profitable. It\u2019s really helpful to see these companies that are a few years down the line, and the process they went through with their development.\u201d This emphasis on experiential learning through\u00a0industry engagement<\/a>\u00a0is typical of the Poole College of Management\u00a0and NC State at large \u2014 and it\u2019s part of why there\u2019s such a deep pool of alumni talent for WIN to draw from.<\/p>\n

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GET INVOLVED<\/h2>\n
\"\"<\/div>\n
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The Wolfpack Investor Network<\/h3>\n

Find out how to join WIN or pitch your business for investment.<\/p>\n

Learn\u00a0more<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Starting out, WIN aimed to recruit 35 members in six months. Across its first 18 months of operation, it\u2019s attracted four times that number.\u00a0\u201cWe\u2019ve tapped into something that people want to participate in,\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0says Sinsheimer. \u201cThe opportunity to connect with and support fellow alumni in the arena where you\u2019re an expert \u2014 it\u2019s the \u2018do\u2019 part of \u2018Think and Do.’\u201d<\/p>\n

New membership is driven by word of mouth and referral: Nearly all members are there because another member recommended the network. Abby Phillips, assistant director for member services for WIN, estimates she and Sinsheimer spend just 10 percent of their time on outreach and the other 90 percent connecting with and vetting potential companies.<\/p>\n

For students engaged in NC State\u2019s culture of entrepreneurship, seeing business owners and investors continue their relationship with the university is important, and inspiring. Long after graduation, the NC State community remains a resource of experienced and committed alumni ready to take part in the future of the Wolfpack. Beyond traditional forms of giving,\u00a0WIN provides a platform for alumni to give back with their time, talent and expertise<\/strong>, ensuring that the next generation of NC State grads can continue to create prosperity across the state.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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