About VentureMash

Why are we doing this?

Starting a business is a struggle. There are so many things that can trip up a new venture and make it lose valuable momentum. Like you, we have started businesses and experienced the highs and lows of early stage entrepreneurship. There are a lot of resources available to entrepreneurs, but there is not enough support for the early stages of the venture process, when the venture or concept is in its most fragile state.

VentureMash is a platform for local entrepreneurship of all types: high tech or low tech, venture capital potential or social enterprise, full-time or side project. We know that strong support and active nurturing at the local level are critical to helping a venture succeed. Whether finding other founders or just finding a good accountant, it is essential that a new idea find a welcoming ecosystem of information, advisors and service providers.

We want less talk and more action. Our mission is to energize entrepreneurs, helping them guide their early stage ventures to the next phase of development.

Why "venture?"

Although the term "venture" can often imply high-tech venture capital, we feel that all endeavors to launch a business or organization are fundamentally ventures. There is high risk and peril facing every idea or organization struggling to make it to the next stage. It is only with great passion and perseverance, some luck and support, and new connections that a venture will succeed.

Why "mash?"

We thought "mash" most accurately captured the process of creating new companies. Entrepreneurship is a messy and non-linear process. New influences help transform the idea. The business model adapts to changing market conditions. We like the references to a brewer's fermentation process and the DJ origin of "mash up," mixing and combining various influences. All successful entrepreneurs are skilled in combining information, ideas and people in new ways to create their ventures.