Startup Junkie Underground

"The AeroGrow Story"
 ...an ingenious startup story with the power to transform your life

In 2002 Michael Bissonette 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.

Join us as we dive into this amazing story and hear from the chief architect of AeroGrow.

EVENT: Startup Junkie Underground
DATE:  Monday, July 21, 2008
TIMES: 6:15- 9:00 pm - COME EARLY AND NETWORK!

 

LOCATION: MADCAP Theater, 10679 Westminster Blvd, Westminster CO 80020
DIRECTIONS: Driving Directions
WEBSITE: www.startupjunkieunderground.com

 

COST:  Members - Free, Nonmembers - $25
REGISTER - Click Here
PHONE:  303-666-4133

TOPIC: "The AeroGrow Story"
SPEAKERS:  Michael Bissonnette, Founder and Chairman of Aerogrow

SPEAKER:  Michael Bissonnette has over 25 years of hands-on, battlefield-proven, entrepreneurial experience in the funding, development and marketing of revolutionary, technology-based consumer products. Michael has built three consumer product companies from conception into multi-million dollar businesses - two became sizeable national and international corporations. An experienced fundraiser, he has raised substantial sums of money for his ventures and clients - more than $25 million dollars both privately and publicly. In addition, he has taken two of his companies public, and has negotiated the multi-million dollar acquisition of a third.

Mr. Bissonnette's extensive consumer marketing experience encompasses retail sales distribution and direct-to-the-consumer marketing, including direct mail, radio, television and long form infomercials. He brings hands-on skill in the use of broadcast media, having conceived, developed and produced his own extremely successful radio and television commercials.

 

CO-HOSTS:  Allison Taylor and Dave Taylor are co-hosting the Startup Junkie Underground and as serial entrepreneurs, both will be on hand to help solve your startup related issues. 

 

Allison Taylor is a Business Consultant specializing in relationship selling, referral marketing, customer and employee retention and non-traditional sales training.  Through her business, Paravox, she offers innovative marketing and performance tactics to significantly improve business growth and profitability.

 

Dave Taylor has been involved with the Internet since 1980 and is widely recognized as an expert on both technical and business issues. He has been published over a thousand times, launched four Internet-related startup companies, has written twenty business and technical books and holds both an MBA and MS Ed. Dave maintains three weblogs, The Business Blog at Intuitive.com, focused on business and industry analysis, the eponymous Ask Dave Taylor devoted to tech and business Q&A and The Attachment Parenting Blog, discussing topics of interest to parents. Dave is an award-winning speaker, sought after conference and workshop participant and frequent guest on radio and podcast programs.

 

One-Minute Business Consultant: You have one minute to tell us your problem, we have one minute to give you a solution.

 

Elevator Pitch Competition: Give us your best pitch. You only get 30 seconds before we start throwing things.
 

Reinventing the World One Business at a Time

Startup entrepreneurs are a unique breed of people. Many are tortured by their ideas. They are driven by their needs to accomplish their visions, and this relentless desire to fulfill their dreams permeates virtually every aspect of their lives. And with the present economic climate as it is, many startup entrepreneurs have ruined their lives trying to succeed. They've ruined their marriages, gone bankrupt, lost their homes, and have generally made a mess out of their lives.

These people are our heroes. They will once again rise up from the depths of their depression and figure out a way to succeed. These are the people that will once again take center stage in the business world. The Startup Junkies Underground is all about helping these people succeed.

If you are an aspiring entrepreneur working on a startup business, an inventor trying to launch an invention, or a critical thinker wanting to launch a new movement, this event is for you.

No other group like this exists. If you can imagine a person standing up in front of the crowd saying, "Hi, my name is Bob, and I'm a startup junkie. And I'm damn proud to be here tonight." (Maybe not quite like that, but you get the picture.)