{"47199":{"#nid":"47199","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Sharing the Experience: Snehal Vashi is ATDC\u0027s Newest Entrepreneur-in-Residence","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Entrepreneur-in-Residence Program matches experienced entrepreneurs with early-stage technology companies enrolled at the ATDC, Georgia Tech\u0027s incubator program for technology companies.  As an entrepreneur-in-residence, Vashi meets regularly with the management teams of ATDC member companies to offer advice and share connections to the support networks he developed while running his own ventures.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nChosen from among the senior executives of ATDC graduate companies, entrepreneurs-in-residence volunteer to spend at least one day a week sharing their experience and expertise with new ATDC companies.  For most who have served in the program, being an entrepreneur-in-residence offers a way to repay the ATDC community and stay involved as they develop their next business venture.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u0022I have started two companies at ATDC with my partners, and have always wanted to give back something to the community,\u0022 Vashi explained.  \u0022Having been bitten by the start-up bug, I am looking for my next venture.  Being at ATDC puts me in the middle of the best start-up company action in Atlanta.\u0022\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nVashi says the entrepreneurial environment has changed dramatically since Simtrex was launched in 1998.  Today, companies must develop their products and obtain their first customers before seeking institutional financing.  That \u0022bootstrapping\u0022 forces entrepreneurs to rely on \u0022friends and family\u0022 investment, and to put their early focus on customers instead of capital markets.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u0022Entrepreneurs must know going in that they are going to be doing it alone for a while, without any institutional capital,\u0022 he said.  \u0022Starting up a company is certainly not for the faint of heart.\u0022\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nHe says timing and tenacity separate the really successful entrepreneurs from the rest.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u0022I believe that above everything else, what distinguishes the really successful entrepreneurs is being in the right place at the right time,\u0022 Vashi explained.  \u0022There are a lot of companies out there with good products, funding, prospects and customers, but nothing beats the timing.  The other important quality is tenacity.  A start-up is all about overcoming challenges, and the odds for the most part are stacked against you, so tenacity and stubbornness come in handy.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"Snehal Vashi has spent the past 13 years building new software products and new technology companies, most recently as founder and chief technology officer of Simtrex Corporation.  Now he\u0027ll be helping other entrepreneurs build their new companies as the","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":"","uid":"27304","created_gmt":"2002-09-10 00:00:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:03:45","author":"Matthew Nagel","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2002-09-09T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2002-09-09T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cstrong\u003E \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/contact\/index.html?id=\u0022\u003EContact  \u003C\/a\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}