Paul Singh’s custom Airstream outside Unquarked Wine Bar in Central Park Square for the Los Alamos stop of his Tech Tour. Courtesy photoBy NICHOLAS SEET
Los Alamos
A sleek silver-bullet-shaped Airstream trailer rolls up to the center of Central Park Square in downtown Los Alamos. Its unlikely driver is Paul Singh, renowned venture capitalist and angel investor.
Paul has been stopping in cities across America in his 2016 Tech Tour, meeting with local entrepreneurs and giving advice, making connections, and occasionally 5-figure investments. This stop is his fifth on his nationwide drive across America, he had just finished spending a great few days with the entrepreneurs of Taos.
The venue was Unquarked Wine Bar, and a packed house with 30 plus entrepreneurs, scientists, advisors, and community developers mingled and networked.
Local VAF Entrepreneur In Residence Nicholas Seet encouraged the audience to steel themselves for the 90 to 180 second elevator pitches. “It is a surprisingly rare opportunity to have the undivided attention of an audience to listen to your business pitch.” Seet said.
Paul Singh then took center stage to talk about his experiences selling his house and then touring the country in his Airstream travel trailer. He said he was excited to be connecting with real entrepreneurs all over the country and expected to find many diamonds in the rough. Paul’s presentation was exciting for small town entrepreneurs who long for a taste of big city attention.
“Entrepreneurship can be done anywhere these days,” Singh said, “the Internet and technology has opened huge opportunities, even right here in New Mexico.”
Paul has invested in more than 1,000 early-stage companies including mint.com the celebrated money management startup. Patrick Sullivan, executive director of the Los Alamos Commerce and Development Corp introduced 12 local entrepreneurs who gave elevator pitches about their businesses.
Mandy Marksteiner pitched her concept of a website to match marketing copywriters with restaurants and hotels. TianMei Yang pitched her Chinese-learning through stories website TMChinese.com.
Monty Wood pitched SFIon.com, nano-etching of photos onto sapphire. Pitches were from a diverse set of members of the Los Alamos community including retirees and Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists. Seet thanked the LAB, and the LACDC for sponsoring Singh’s visit and there was more networking and discussions with Singh.
A full video of the event has been posted on Seet’s website lava.guru. Follow Singh’s Tech Tour or sign up for his weekly roundup of entrepreneurial news at resultsjunkies.com.
Local residents gather at Unquarked waiting to hear perform elevator pitches for Paul Singhor. Courtesy photo
Micheline Devaurs of LANL, Patrick Sullivan of the LACDC and Paul Singh talk shop in Central Park Square. Courtesy photo
Dr Monty Wood pitches SFion.com to angel investor Paul Singh. Courtesy photo