|
SVR Newsletter
February 2011
|
Welcome to the New Year's Edition of
SVR's Newsletter. Here you will find updates on the recent happenings
at SVR along with discussions of important issues facing investors
and entrepreneurs.
|
|
|
|
Solar energy monitoring provider, Locus Energy (www.LocusEnergy.com),
partners with SVR to help prepare and position for ongoing growth and
funding in 2011.
Locus Energy
provides hardware and software monitoring solutions to the solar
photovoltaic (PV) and distributed renewable energy market. As
distributed energy expands, large and small systems need novel power
monitoring solutions. Locus offers an open API, web-based
platform that enables solar PV projects to maximize the efficiency
and transparency of installed systems. Locus' software aggregates
performance data from a network of distributed renewable systems and
provides customized interfaces and analytics to owners, operators,
financiers and regulators.
The Locus
team is comprised of experienced professionals from the IT consulting
and clean tech industries, who are committed
to accelerating the ongoing global transition to renewables. Locus'
goal is to deliver soft grid services that pave the way for
wide-scale adoption of clean energy generation by providing real-time
intelligence and management services at the point of use.
|
SVR Launches Newest Portfolio Company
|
|
SVR welcomes its newest portfolio company SquareWine.com.
SquareWine.com is an online wine retailer focused on building a wine
community for all wine drinkers from the dabbler to the
enthusiast.
SquareWine
leverages user participation by offering a novel new rewards system
for buying wine online. Using its "Grape Points", customers
can reap rewards not just for buying wine but also for participating
in SquareWine's community: contributing to
customer reviews and general wine related discussion.
By creating a
forum for wine reviews and discussion, SquareWine
makes buying wine more approachable. In addition to searchable
descriptions and user reviews, SquareWine
also provides a thorough wine education resource to help customers
identify the perfect product for them. Although learning about
viticulture and oenology is fun in its own right, SquareWine
allows any person to find a great bottle without a sommelier degree.
|
3 Things I Wish I Knew Before I
Became an Entrepreneur
|
|
1.
Hire Your Friends
Or more specifically,
hire people with whom you want to be friends. While it may not seem
that important, hiring someone that you like
is critical. It is important to consider your compatibility with
the candidate  on a personal level. You can't hire based solely on
experience and intelligence, because you will be fighting in the
trenches with this person for a long time. If you are spending your
days and nights with someone that grates on you, it will make you miserable, impact your productivity and the
productivity of your team.
2.
Plan to Work Harder Than You Could Ever Imagine
One of the first
things you should ask yourself before starting your business is,
"Can I fully commit the time necessary to be successful?"
Not everyone can. Creating and running your own
business will be one of the most difficult projects you ever attempt.
The hours required will always be greater than you anticipate.
Entrepreneurs must always be on call and ready to work. This means
working during vacations, or canceling them altogether. Once your
business grows and stabilizes, you will have ample opportunity to
work fewer hours and take a vacation.
3. Do Your Homework
You must have an expert understanding of the industry
that you are entering. Your product needs to compete with other
similar products and will be evaluated according to industry
standards. It may be subject to  government rules and regulations, so appreciating the
legal subtleties may be vital. The more thorough your research, the
more likely you are to foresee potential obstacles. Preparing for
such challenges will significantly increase your chances of success
and the likelihood that your idea will actually become reality.
|
|
|
|
|
Abe Goldstein is a Master's student studying Economics
at NYU. Before joining SVR, Abe worked as the Director of Customer
Relations for an internet start-up in New York. He managed and
analyzed customer feedback and support, as well as site troubleshooting.
Abe produced statistical models to analyze user success rates to
confirm and provide insights on motivating factors for the site's
users.
Jonathan Freed graduated from Brandeis University with
a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Psychology in 2009 and earned his
Master of Arts in International Economics and Finance from the
International Business School at Brandeis in 2010. During his senior
year at Brandeis, Jonathan investigated saving rates and employee
participation in 401(k) and other employer sponsored retirement
plans.
|
|
If you are interested in learning more about SVR, please
contact Mitchell Hauser at mhauser@svrglobal.com (718)
433-4111 x 5 or Abe Goldstein at agoldstein@svrglobal.com
(718) 433-4111 x4.
|
|
