La Jolla, CA (PRWEB) June 07, 2012
A popular adage is currently making the rounds in Silicon Valley: There are a lot of really smart people in the world. Unfortunately, most of them dont work for your company.
And while this is especially true for small start-ups, creative entrepreneurs shouldnt be daunted by the task of surrounding themselves with the best and brightest. In todays uber-knowledge economy, a blue-chip Advisory Board is a must-have, not a nice-to-have. It can often mean the difference between getting funded and not getting funded between success and failure.
Craig Collins, President and CEO of Perminova, developer of web-based information systems for the nations leading cardiology centers, told an audience of innovators that the creation of the Perminova Board of Advisors was a critical factor in the start-ups turn-around, $ 7 million Series A funding and successful product launch. Collins was speaking at a professional development workshop of CONNECT, an organization that supports the growth of technology and life sciences industries in San Diego County.
When Collins was recruited to lead Perminova in 2011, the company was in the same boat as many start-ups. It had a brilliant, game-changing idea, three part-time employees working for sweat equity and a meager bank account. Six months later, Perminova was transformed by landing Series A funding, a dedicated team of 15 employees and contracts with two of the nations leading cardiology centers.
One of the keys to our success was that we wasted no time in creating our Advisory Board, Collins said. It was among our first orders of business. If you want to compete against the best and brightest, you have to surround yourself with the best and brightest.
He added: An Advisory Board is a vital component of success for start-ups. Advisors provide young companies with a critical mass of credibility, access to capital, introductions to customers, links to strategic partners, help with crafting business strategies and an all-important factor for any start-up buzz.
How did he do it? Collins said its really not as difficult as a novice might think. You merely need ample servings of determination, grit and chutzpah.
Collins shares with fellow entrepreneurs his successful formula in the two attached files:
– Seven Steps to Creating a World-Class Advisory Board
– Eight Reasons Every Start-up Should Have an Advisory Board
Video of Collins on creating Boards of Advisors
About Craig K. Collins
Craig K. Collins is President and CEO of Perminova, Inc., an advanced health information technology company that develops and markets cardiac procedure systems for leading cardiology centers. Perminova is pioneering healthcares movement from traditional client-server systems to modern-and-secure cloud computing. Collins has served as a senior executive for Fortune 100 firms and high-growth technology start-ups. He has raised over $ 47 million in venture capital and was part of a management team that executed a highly successful IPO. Collins served as President and CEO, Board Member and Founder of PetriTech, Inc., an advanced materials technology company. Previously, he was Vice President of Marketing for a division of the $ 43 billion Cardinal Health, where he served as a key member of the divisions executive team, overseeing strategic alliances, business development, promotions and marketing communications. Collins founded and helped launch SupplyPro, Inc., a venture-backed supply chain technology company that was a spin-off of Cardinal Healths Pyxis Division. Collins served as Director of Marketing and Investor Relations for DAOU Systems, a computer systems integrator for the healthcare industry. While at DAOU Systems, Collins served on a management team that executed the 6th-highest-performing IPO of 1997. Collins is a longtime resident of San Diego and active in a number of business, community and charitable organizations. He holds an MBA and a BA in English from San Diego State University.