Update: This page will be updated as new and better resources are found, before we have a github for Mission Investing/Social Enterprise.

What is out there to help a social enterprise startup get going (Version 0.041776)?

First, plug into the firehose:

1. HACKER NEWS. – Hands down, best source for plugging into the startup feed and community.
2. Union Square Ventures – now with startups news. Let’s see how good it is.
3. Techcrunch & the all-powerful CrunchBase.
4. Venture Beat

So, are you in the mindset for tackling a startup?

1. Take a step back
2. Believe you can change
3. Look at yourself objectively
4. Lean into the pain
5. Confront reality
6. Cherish mistakes
7. Fix the machine, not the person

Some other startup tools and resource collections you should have in your back pocket:

1. Steve Blank’s Startup Tools – Definitive rundown of tools.
2. HBS Startup Tribe Tools List – Harvard Business School’s Startup Tribe has a list of (slightly) dated software tools.
3. NYU Startup Resources Library –
4. PBworks startup tools List –
5. Startup Weekend tools list –
6. Y Combinator Startup Library –
7. Startup Foundry tools list –
8. Small Business tools list –
9. Market research list –

Get a Domain, it is your home on the internet. Make it good.

1. Panabee is a simple way to search for domain names, app names, and company names.
2. Network Solutions – or whoever (whatever you do, don’t use GoDaddy)

Lessons from Tech Startups:

1. How to Fund a Startup – Paul Graham
2. Y Combinator  (Startup School) (Series AA Equity Financing Documents) (Hacker News) (What Happens @ YC) – One of the top two tech accelerator programs.
3. Techstars – One of the top two tech accelerator programs.
4. National Venture Capital Association (Model Legal Documents)
5. Founder Institute –

Raising the Money

1. Paul Graham’s How to Raise Money , How to Fund a Startup, A Fundraising Survival Guide, Guide to Investors
2. Direct Public Offerings – Cutting Edge Capital’s Alternative
3.  SmallBizU Finding Money– Basically a glossary of fundraising options for a business. Eh.

Angel Investors:

1. Angelist – You can now find angels individually, get funding from syndicates, and apply to accelerators. Key site.
2. Gust –
3. 500 Startups –
4. New Media Ventures – For progressive media startups (and some nonprofits).
5. Northwest Energy Angels – Leading cleantech angels. Terrific talent from veteran Microsoft execs.

Venture Capital: [caution ahead]

1. The Funded – peer ranking and honest reviews of VCs
2. Entrepreneur’s list of 100 VCs
3. Valuation

Tools to help get going:

1. Capography – The new capitalization table.
2. CoFounder’s Lab – matchmaking for entrepreneurs.
3. Business Model Generation –
4. The Awesome Foundation – Want $1000 for your Badass Idea?
5. SmartSheet – Tool to organize all the elements of your setup & plan, including tracking % completion. Operations rejoice!
6. Pipedrive – Awesome software to organize your first sales (investors, clients, even advisors)
7. DocuSign – get signed documents done fast, easy, and without the friction of a wet signature.

Pitch Deck

1. Writing a Killer Deck
2. 11 Startup Pitch Archetypes – 
3. Reid Hoffman’s LinkedIn Series B Pitch Deck – with commentary.
4. The famous DressRush Pitch Deck – Now OpenSource (also empasizes design over traction, but hey, what do you expect)

Social Impact Investors

1. Open applications: (Toniic) (Investor’s Circle)
2. Communities: (SoCap) (Confluence Philanthropy) (Social Venture Network)

Online Educational Resources:

1. Social Innovators Collective
2. Udacity (How to Build a Startup – EP245)
3. TechChange.org
4. Founder’s Institute

Public Startup Resources:

1. Startup America
2. Small Business Administration (Loans & Grants Search) – What the SBA offers!
3. Small Business Innovation Research/STTR Grants

Software, Startup Licenses, and More.

1. Microsoft’s BizSpark (and BizSpark+) – Get free microsoft licenses and software for your startup and up to $60k in Azure for free.

Sustainable/Social Enterprise Competitions

1. William James Foundation – (List of Sustainable Business Plan Competitions) (Social Venture Accelerators) (Case Competitions)
2. 1776’s Challenge Cup
3. CleanTech Open