July 21, 2008 - Monday
Michael Bissonnette speaks on "The AeroGrow Story ...an ingenious startup story with the power to transform your life"
Event Video Available
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In 2002 Michael Bissonnette created a company called AeroGrow in Boulder, with the dream of marketing and selling a revolutionary idea involving growing plants without soil. In fact, his idea is so unique that a new category of kitchen appliances had to be invented - kitchen crop appliances.
Mr Bissonette previously sold a voice-recognition based remote-control company and a wireless home-security company. After looking at many possible products, he became excited about the potential of a technology called aeroponics. Originally developed by NASA, aeroponics accelerates the speed at which plants grow by drizzling nutrients onto their roots, which dangle in the air instead of being planted in soil.
Driven by this ingenious new product, he hoped to create a whole new market generating billions of dollars in new revenue. He is now well on his way to succeeding.
AeroGrow’s products consistently occupy a number of the top ten slots among Amazon.com’s bestselling indoor plants. In the final quarter of 2007, AeroGrow’s revenues topped $14 million, three times its revenues from the last quarter of 2006. Mr Bissonette believes annual revenues for the aeroponics industry could eventually rise to $1.5 billion.
In addition to finding and selecting great products, Michael has an extraordinary talent for raising money and providing investors with huge returns on their investments.
EVENT: Startup Junkie Underground
DATE: July 21, 2008 - Monday
TIME: 06:30am-09:00am
WEBSITE: http://www.startupjunkieunderground.com
LOCATION: MADCAP Theater, 10679 Westminster Blvd, Westminster, CO 80020
DIRECTIONS: Driving Directions
COST: $20, Members: Free, SuperMembers: Free
PHONE: 303-666-4133
TOPIC: Michael Bissonnette speaks on "The AeroGrow Story ...an ingenious startup story with the power to transform your life"
SPEAKER: Michael Bissonnette
SPEAKER: Michael Bissonnette
Founder and former CEO and Chairman of AeroGrow International (Inventors of the AeroGarden), Current Founder of Bissonnette Fund
Michael Bissonnette is a serial entrepreneur and fundraising expert with over 28 years of proven experience in funding, launching, and expanding start-ups into successful companies. He has built five businesses from concept to reality—including three multi-million dollar companies and two global enterprises. These include AeroGrow International, producer of the world’s first kitchen crop appliance, and Voice Power Technologies, which developed the world’s first hand-held consumer product that used voice recognition.
Having researched raising money through conventional channels including banks, angels, and venture capitalists, Michael quickly recognized the long odds of getting funding. He turned to a little-known (and quite revolutionary) fundraising approach that allowed him to market his offering direct to individual investors.
In 1982, he launched his first fundraising campaign and raised $1.5 million in less than 100 days. Michael continued to use “Investor Direct Funding” for the next 27 years to fund his companies. In total he has launched 21 funding campaigns in good times and bad, and he has been successful all 21 times. He has raised a total of over $50 million and funded five companies with this process.
Michael has likely raised more money from small individual investors using Investor Direct Funding than any other entrepreneur in the United States.
Over time, Michael refined and improved his process into a streamlined, battle-proven methodology, which he now uses to help entrepreneurs fund their companies.
