Serving the public relations needs of America’s startup companies is fulfilling work. So, I was especially interesting in attending today’s UVEF event for entrepreneurs.

A large crowd filled the Novell facility for today’s UVEF luncheon. They heard from  Brock Blake, CEO at Funding Universe who addressed his company’s recent survey of 60 Utah angel investors. Utah Angels was the largest group in the sample, but several groups were represented. Here are some key findings.

While recent months have seen about a 50% drop in angel funding activity, Brock is convinced things are “picking back up” in Q2 of this year.  The average Utah angel takes a 14% ownership position with total ownership for all angels per funding round is 34%. Brock counsels entrepreneurs to accept less than 45% angel ownership when seeking funding. He says angel investors do not usually seek to take controlling interest in a company. They want influence, but want others to manage the business day to day.

Angel investment most commonly takes the form of preferred stock (65%), but can be common stock (16%) or other intruments such as stock warrants. Angels take a board member postion 47% of the time or take an advisory board postion 11% of the time.

In Utah, the most active industry sectors using angel investment are Internet/Web (including SaaS) – 55%; Live Sciences – 18%; and Consumer Products – 11%.

85% of angel funding rounds are less than $1 million or less.

Do these numbers match your experience?

For new startup public relations tips see PilmerPR Small Business PR

Yesterday, master communicator Rick White drove straight from the airport to make a date with UVEF and giving back to entrepreneurs just like him. Well, not just like him. Fusion-io, co-founded by White, is rising faster than a meteor streaking across the sky. Just check out their online press room for the evidence of more than savvy public relations. The reason being is they are providing the fastest data storage technology on the planet and everyone from Michael Dell and Steve Wozniak are in on the game.

However, in his presentation Rick spoke about Fusion-io only in his Q&A. On this day he shared insight into how he thinks as an entrepreneur. He counseled marketers to distill their messages down to the “syrupy goodness” ala iPod – “1000 songs in my pocket.” Most of his time was spent counseling entrepreneurs to stop living their fears and to live their dreams instead. Rick spoke about how to change one’s reality by changing one’s perception.

Here’s a YouTube video of Rick summarizing his recipe for the “brocolli principle” and other cool insights for entrepreneurs.

OREM, Utah–(BUSINESS WIRE)–US Synthetic Corporation, a Dover Company (NYSE: DOV) and the leading provider of polycrystalline diamond cutters (PDCs) for oil and gas exploration, announced today availability of the industry’s first commercially viable radial bearing line based on synthetic diamond technology. Coming out of field trials with major manufacturers, this groundbreaking technology from the US Synthetic Bearings division has garnered the 2009 Spotlight on New Technology Award from the Offshore Technology Conference, and was also recognized by the 2009 Utah Innovations Awards, presented by Stoel Rives LLP and the Utah Technology Council…more

YouTube video about these new diamond bearings. www.youtube.com/ussynthetic 

There is an upside to everything. Although it may be hard to believe, there is actually a very visible upside to the current economy. This upside is innovation. During tough economic times the entrepreneurial spirit thrives, and innovation accelerates as the stock market decelerates. Just within the last year there have been impressive and ground breaking innovations ranging from outdoor equipment, solar power and super powered servers… Read more at Utah Business Blog

I love great Guerrilla PR. With some existing brand recognition like Steve Wozniak has, Dancing with the Stars  builds public relations momentum in a huge way. I’m excited for how “Woz” wizardry will build his next tech company, Fusion-io (www.fusionio.com).  Not a bad dancer… What do you think?

It takes 3 tons of wood and 20k gallons of water to make 1 ton of virgin uncoated paper. But, we plant more trees in the U.S. than we harvest. We are doing something right for the environment. This week I spoke on CSR and environmental PR at the Hewlett Packard Dscoop digital solutions conference in Orlando. I was greatly encouraged by the new print on demand, intelligent marketing world of digital print vs legacy offset. Offset, though it has its place, is on the decline, while digital in on the way up. Why? Less waste, variable print, distributed printing, socially responsible.

Did you know 30% of all offset print is stored, but never used?

How the heck does Wall Street react so fast to the Obama Stimulus Plan? Thumbs down was the ruling as stocks tumbled once again.  The answer, the Internet. It has changed everything. When FDR passed his massive social programs in the 1930’s,  radio, newsreels, and newspapers spent days,  months and years getting the details of those plans to “the end of the row” to the average Joe.

Today, the average Joe is connected to the Internet and gets news almost instantaneously. The Wall Street experts and the media know more about the Stimulus Plan than the average congressional representative – scary. This morning while on the treadmill at Golds Gym,  Fox News interviewed two congressmen who knew fewer details of the Plan than the reporter did. Wow!

Ramification for corporate public relations: Get fast or get dead!

What do you think?

The Pew Research Center released a study last month, about the use of Internet news outlets.

The Internet, which emerged last year as a leading source for campaign news, has now surpassed all other media except television as an outlet for national and international news.

Currently, 40% say they get most of their news about national and international issues from the internet, up from just 24% in September 2007. For the first time in a Pew survey, more people say they rely mostly on the internet for news than cite newspapers (35%). Television continues to be cited most frequently as a main source for national and international news, at 70%.

For young people, however, the Internet now rivals television as a main source of national and international news. Nearly six-in-ten Americans younger than 30 (59%) say they get most of their national and international news online; an identical percentage cites television. In September 2007, twice as many young people said they relied mostly on television for news than mentioned the Internet (68% vs. 34%).

The percentage of people younger than 30 citing television as a main news source has declined from 68% in September 2007 to 59% currently. This mirrors a trend seen earlier this year in campaign news consumption.

The survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted Dec. 3-7 among 1,489 adults, finds there has been little change in the individual TV news outlets that people rely on for national and international news.

Contact us to discuss the implications of this massive change for your public relations strategy.

Yesterday, I attended the 2008 UVEF Annual Awards honoring companies and leaders that have contributed at the highest level to business growth and their communities. Great event! KSL’s Keith McCord covered the event in this great entrepreneurial story in terms of current economic troubles.  The Daily Herald story also discussed entrepreneurs as the remedy for today’s recession.

In this video, Entrepreneur of the Year John Edwards, CEO at Move Networks, shared why the company leads the world in HD Internet television delivery, as well as how entrepreneurs have what the economy needs to recover from its current recession – without bailouts.

 Other winners included:

Most Innovative Product – Hand-held X-Ray, Aribex

Ronald K. King Social Entrepreneur of the Year – Warner Woodworth

Community Service Award – Todd Manwaring

Greatest Contribution to Entrepreneurs – Paul Allen, Provo Labs  (one of my personal heroes)

Utah Valley’s Best Kept Secret - Reflect Scientific

Last week I flew to the Big Island of Hawaii to do public relations support for Certiport PATHWAYS conference.  Certiport is a global company certifying digital literacy skills and computer desktop proficiency in more that 120 countries. The annual PATHWAYS event attracted more than 200 dignitaries from media, education, government, and the private sector from every continent. 44 students competed here in the Finals for the Worldwide Competition on Microsoft Office, sponsored by Certiport. Thailand came away the winners in both Excel and Word categories. Germany won the IC3 World Cup for digital literacy. Peru garnered the Inspriation Award for Digital Literacy.

The great thing about this event is the phenomenal focus on advancing digital literacy around the globe. Why digital literacy? Most jobs worth having require computer and Internet skills. Previously marginalized countries are finding a level field with much larger competing countries by helping their populations get skilled up. Nations no longer compete just within their own boundaries. It’s a global market place. And, digitally literate populations will garner the best jobs and life opportunities.  Certiport PATHWAYS is helping advance and distinguish countries, one person at a time.