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JULY 2020 HBS ALUMNI ANGELS NEWSLETTER

Updated: Feb 10, 2021

In this issue:

Educational Webinars:GETTING DEALS DONE: What The Best Deal Leads Do

LAUNCHING TECH PRODUCTS IN TOUGH ECONOMIC TIMES: 3 crucial questions to ask before launch – not afterwards!

Smoodi Syndication Success

HBSAA Global Angels News


Upcoming Virtual Events



GETTING DEALS DONE: What The Best Deal Leads Do!

GLOBAL WEBINAR PRESENTATION: July 23rd, 2020 I 9:30am PDT, 12:30pm EDT, 4:30pm London, 5:30pm Continental Europe

Presenter: Brad Schrader, MBA'80

By leading deals as a standard process, you can save time, engage new members, avoid deal fatigue, and better help founders. While angel groups differ, every deal follows the same basic path of discovery, due diligence, and deal closing. When Pitch Night ends, and the angels love the company, then the real work starts. The faster and more efficiently a deal team can do its job, the more the founder is relieved and on course, and the more the brand of the angel group builds.


This webinar showcases a "deal clock" with critical milestones, based on extensive experience from HBS Alumni Angels of Greater NY, the largest of the 14 HBS Alumni Angels Association chapters with more than 350 accredited investor members. It is intended for any angel investor leading a deal evaluation, as well as angels looking to grow his or her skills.


Brad Schrader has led multiple B2B startups and turnarounds. He consults to Corporate Venture Capital clients, having recently retired as Chief Strategy Officer at Sun Chemical. He also serves as President of HBS Alumni Angels of NY, the largest angel investor group in New York.

From a start as an engineer he has helped grow diverse businesses, from fiber optics to airbags to specialty chemicals to eCommerce - working with BCG, Corning, TRW, Honeywell among others. He is an active venture investor and adviser - and in his spare time an avid car mechanic, sailor and jazz singer.

Come join moderator Steve Kirschner'86. Active angels won’t want to miss this webinar!

Cost: $25.00 for HBS AA Members

          $35.00 for Non-Members


LAUNCHING TECH PRODUCTS IN TOUGH ECONOMIC TIMES: 3 crucial questions to ask before launch – not afterwards!

GLOBAL WEBINAR PRESENTATION: July 29th, 2020 I 10:00am PDT, 1:00pm EDT, 5:00pm London, 6:00pm Continental Europe

Presenter: Michael Eckhardt, MBA'85

Hear from the leaders in Silicon Valley product/market success, who will provide an overview of the framework/tools/real examples from 225 clients and newly-updated Crossing the Chasm 3.0


Chasm Institute helps bring innovative new products to market by advising founders and investors - in both new tech ventures + larger growth companies - on how to accelerate + scale to profitable growth.


We look forward to a lively and valuable conversation!


Michael Eckhardt is Managing Director & Client Services Leader at Chasm Institute, a Silicon Valley consultancy, is a veteran of PwC, Harbridge Consulting, HP, and TCG / Everest.  An MBA graduate of Harvard Business School + Wall Street Journal Award winner, Eckhardt has deep expertise in defining winning product / market strategies for start-ups / scale-ups, to accelerate profitable growth and gain market power + competitive advantage.

He has provided 225+ clients in the U.S., Europe, and Asia Pacific with market strategy workshops, frameworks & tools for gaining and sustaining market leadership positions in tough, highly-competitive markets. His primary areas of focus are target market strategy and driving start-up / scale-up results in both new ventures and within global tech enterprises.

Client list includes Salesforce, Autodesk, Adobe, RSI, Citrix, Model N, SAP, Agilent Technologies, Samsung, Google / Nest, Philips Medical Products, Logitech, Xilinx, WorkSpan, Intel, Spotify, and many other tech-based businesses, from venture-backed start-ups to scale-ups to larger growth companies. Their newly-updated 2019-2020 Crossing the Chasm 3.0 has recently been published, with over 3,000,000 books sold.

Come join moderator Jean Kovacs'85. You won’t want to miss this webinar!

Cost: $25.00 for HBS AA Members

          $35.00 for Non-Members



Global Syndication


Smoodi Syndication Success!

Syndication via HBS Angels was a big success for Smoodi, an automated, self cleaning smoothie maker which incubated at the Harvard i-Lab. HBSAA Boston President John Reichenbach spotted the potential for Smoodi to be the Keurig for smoothies, mentored the founders, and subsequently invested. Smoodi raised $50k from HBSAA Boston, and another $510k from syndication to other HBSAA chapters. Investors included Alvaro Rodriguez from FCP Ventures. This raise of $765k will fund expansion as Smoodi targets convenience stores, universities, retail locations and offices. The ability to offer a limited-touch, healthy snack in a category defining format sets Smoodi apart in the marketplace.

Pascal Kriesche, CEO and co-founder says "John believed in us early on and suggested to pitch to the HBS Angels Global Syndication that was fundamental in getting us over subscribed quickly even as COVID lockdowns were in place. We are glad and fortunate that through the HBS Angels community we have brought on board an incredible set of new investors that can open doors for us and contribute with their specific expertise far beyond the investment itself."




NEWS FOR THE GLOBAL ANGEL NETWORK HBS Alumni Angels new Website! Welcome New Officers & Chapters in the Global Angel Network

Chief Technology Officer, Prashant Dixit, introduces the new HBS AA website!


HBS Alumni Angels welcomes new Officers:

CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER - Prashant Dixit

VP PORTFOLIO RELATIONS - Varun Athi


HBS Alumni Angels welcomes new Chapters: Boston Germany


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