April 7, 2010

The May Report: 4/7/2010: Bulletin: Chicago-based YCharts Online Investment
Research Attracts Series A Funding From Broad Venture Capital Mix: Hyde Park
Angels, I2A, and Amicus Capital

Editor and publisher: ron@themayreport.com, ronaldmay@aol.com,
www.themayreport.com , 773-525-3944.

If you missed an article, go here:
www.tmronline.com/A55951/tmrarticles.nsf/vwFullNewsletter
_________________________________________
***************************************
Fourth Annual Web Content 2010 Conference

Hear from nationally recognized web content management experts at the fourth
annual Web Content 2010 Chicago, June 7-8 at the Gleacher Executive Conference
Center. www.webcontent2010.com/

Choose from among 4 half-day workshops and 12 conference sessions.

Early bird registration saves $100 until April 24 at
bit.ly/WebContentRegister or call 312.529.3000.
*****************************************
_______________________________________
*****************************************************
Business Owner Academy

Presented by DePaul University’s Coleman Entrepreneurship Center

· Courses designed for business owners and taught by business owners

· Learn from those who have “been there and done that”

· Immediately improve your business through hands-on exercises & homework

· Get fresh ideas from the experiences of business owners in other industries

Courses are limited to 12 students, open only to business owners, and most
beneficial to owners of companies with $500,000 – $25 million in annual
revenue.

Spring 2010 Schedule – Loop Campus

· Finance for the Non-Financial Business Owner: Becoming as Smart as Your
Banker & CFO
cec.depaul.edu/calendar/2010/04/finance-for-the-non-financial.php

Learn how to maximize cash flows, improve profitability, and manage your
company’s finances more effectively. Begins April 7.

· Advisory Boards: Build Accountability, Leverage Connections, and Benefit from
Experience
cec.depaul.edu/calendar/2010/04/advisory-boards-build-accounta.php

Learn how to create an effective board, select the right members, and manage
them as individuals and as a group. Begins April 12.

· Modern Marketing: Getting More Customers Online & Through Social Media
cec.depaul.edu/calendar/2010/04/modern-marketing-engaging-new.php

Learn “must know” internet marketing secrets, including strategies to get more
web site visitors, customer leads, and increased sales. Begins April 15.

· Harvesting, Transitioning, and Moving On: The Five Steps to Life After Your
Business
cec.depaul.edu/calendar/2010/04/harvesting-transitioning-movin.php

Learn how to achieve financial security, sell your business, and minimize your
tax burden. Begins April 20.

For more information and to register, please visit bit.ly/boa_spring2010
or call Stephanie Furlan at (312) 362-8676.
*************************************************************
_______________________________
TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Scoop section:

— YCharts Online Investment Research Attracts Series A Funding From Broad
Venture Capital Mix: Hyde Park Angels, I2A, Amicus Capital, Social Leverage
Combine to Help Launch Website Featuring Sophisticated Analytical Tools and
Market Trend Data for Individuals, Professionals

[Editor's note: May here. Sologear with their first consumer product being
www.flamedisk.com/ and M-Dot out of Pennsylvania (www.mdotnetwork.com)
got the lion's share of the votes from the attendees at Tuesday night's BNC
Capital Group meeting. One of the firms got 17 votes and the other got 19. The
firm I voted for, SeatQuest (www.seatquest.com), only got two votes and I guess
I was clearly in the minority there.

I cheated in a sense because I did know a few facts that were not mentioned in
the presentation. One of them was that the founder, Nomik Eden, did get a $5MM
PE offer a couple of years ago which he turned down.Nomik admitted to me after
the meeting that they need to a better job explaining how they make money.

Five other firms at the meeting which you may want to check out were:

-- www.stembigen.com
-- www.servantworks.com
-- www.mineful.com
-- www.wowway.com
-- www.promogroup.com

I will write-up the meeting for you since Avery was at The Big Ooga.

I'm sorry, but I am still just numb. I barely slept last night. I'm having a
hard time getting my head around the fact that someone I knew for 26 years,
whom I saw quite regularly, and who was a force for stability in my life, who
was by all appearances in good health, is just gone -- just like that. I think
the wake tomorrow evening will help to put things in perspective, and Ned did
have many friends and lived a good life. It will be a time to celebrate his
life and not focus on the shock of his death. He was quite devoted to his
family and loved his five granddaughters. I keep imagining that we're walking
to The Bagel for lunch and suddenly, I turn to look at him and he is not there.
I keep hearing him on the phone, "Hi Ron, Ned" and then realizing that in an
instant, all is changed, changed utterly. You know the suddenness of anything
like this, and the lack of reason behind it, makes it so hard to comprehend.

I kept telling Ned over the years that I would dedicate a chapter in some book
I might write to his world view which, while I disagreed with many aspects of
it, was consistent and quite interesting. We had some fascinating discussions
and it turned out that he was right almost all the time -- a fact the did not
hesitate to remind me of. I also remember telling him back in 2000 when some
internet enthusiasts were telling me that TMR was worth $6MM, that I would
throw him a few shekels if he needed them. Looking back, that was laughable,
but one thing about Ned, he always kept my feet on the ground and was fond of
saying that readers of TMR have nothing better to do. Touche.

I know Ned was Hindu, a Punjabi from Delhi but he did have his massive
hemorrhagic stroke on Easter Sunday. And he did marry out of the Hindu faith
which was somewhat unusual for Indians of his generation. Two of his
grandchildren are one quarter Indian, one quarter Polish, one quarter Greek and
one quarter Austrian. Ned had a catholic view of things, small "c." One of my
favorite poems is by W. B. Yeats and is entitled Easter 1916.

Easter, 1916

I HAVE met them at close of day
Coming with vivid faces
From counter or desk among grey
Eighteenth-century houses.
I have passed with a nod of the head
Or polite meaningless words,
Or have lingered awhile and said
Polite meaningless words,
And thought before I had done
Of a mocking tale or a gibe
To please a companion
Around the fire at the club,
Being certain that they and I
But lived where motley is worn:
All changed, changed utterly:
A terrible beauty is born.

That woman's days were spent
In ignorant good-will,
Her nights in argument
Until her voice grew shrill.
What voice more sweet than hers
When, young and beautiful,
She rode to harriers?
This man had kept a school
And rode our winged horse;
This other his helper and friend
Was coming into his force;
He might have won fame in the end,
So sensitive his nature seemed,
So daring and sweet his thought.
This other man I had dreamed
A drunken, vainglorious lout.
He had done most bitter wrong
To some who are near my heart,
Yet I number him in the song;
He, too, has resigned his part
In the casual comedy;
He, too, has been changed in his turn,
Transformed utterly:
A terrible beauty is born.

Hearts with one purpose alone
Through summer and winter seem
Enchanted to a stone
To trouble the living stream.
The horse that comes from the road.
The rider, the birds that range
From cloud to tumbling cloud,
Minute by minute they change;
A shadow of cloud on the stream
Changes minute by minute;
A horse-hoof slides on the brim,
And a horse plashes within it;
The long-legged moor-hens dive,
And hens to moor-cocks call;
Minute by minute they live:
The stone's in the midst of all.

Too long a sacrifice
Can make a stone of the heart.
O when may it suffice?
That is Heaven's part, our part
To murmur name upon name,
As a mother names her child
When sleep at last has come
On limbs that had run wild.
What is it but nightfall?
No, no, not night but death;
Was it needless death after all?
For England may keep faith
For all that is done and said.
We know their dream; enough
To know they dreamed and are dead;
And what if excess of love
Bewildered them till they died?
I write it out in a verse -
MacDonagh and MacBride
And Connolly and Pearse
Now and in time to be,
Wherever green is worn,
Are changed, changed utterly:
A terrible beauty is born.]
___________________________________
*************************************
StartUp48 presented by ChiTown Startups: From Idea to Market in 48 hours!

Where: Tech Nexus 200 S. Wacker Drive 15th Floor
When: Sat April 17th 9am to midnight & Sun 18th 9am to 8pm
Ticket Price:
Tickets: $30 includes food, drinks, and good times for the whole weekend.
Student Discount: $15 includes food, drinks, and good times for the whole
weekend.
Presentations: $15 includes food, 2 drink tickets, and good times.
Over the 48 hours startup teams will go from idea to proof of concept and
creation of a
demo. Startup ideas will be submitted prior to the weekend and teams will be
organized
based on popularity of idea and experience needed to get the concept to market,
sort of like
a startup team blind date. On Sunday, teams will present before a panel of
guest judges, with
the winner receiving a package of cash and services!

If you are talented and driven, a marketing “guy”, back end or front end, new
to the scene,
startup guru, or just love working on the weekends this is the event for you.
Bring your
ideas, talents, or both and walk away with a team, a demo, and a proof of
concept. Or maybe
it doesn’t work out, but you catch the startup bug and add your talent,
passion, and drive to
the growing dynamic of the Chicago startup community. Either way it is a win
for all of us!
If you don’t have the time to participate for the whole weekend, come on down
Sunday to
watch the presentations and cheer on your favorite team. The presentations will
start
around 5:20pm on Sunday.

Check us out @ www.chitownstartups.org
Tickets are available @ startup48.eventbrite.com/

StartUp48 is being sponsored by the Illinois Technology Institute (ITA) and
Tech Nexus, the
IIT Knapp Entrepreneurship Center, and Steve Voris @ Burke, Warren, MacKay &
Serritella,
P.C.

If you have any questions feel free to contact us @ chitownstartups@gmail.com
or on
twitter @chitownstartups.
**********************************************************
_______________________
*******************************************************
Guys Night Out for the Kids
Benefitting the Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center
Friday, May 7, 2010 5pm-9pm
Carmichaels Chicago Steak House, 1052 W. Monroe

About Guys Night Out
Don’t miss the chance to hang with “the guys” on Friday, May 7 at Carmichael’s
for the 3rd Annual Guys Night Out for the Kids presented by US Cellular. The
event kicks-off with an outdoor Happy Hour in the courtyard followed by an
indoor barbeque, games, golf pros, hand-rolled cigars and celebrity athlete
appearances. There will be a live auction featuring unique items such as a VIP
package to a White Sox game including batting practice on the field or a suite
to a 2010 Bears game.

The evening is being hosted by Mully and Hanley from 670AM The Score, and all
proceeds benefit the Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center (CCAC) for abused
children. Founded by Mayor Daley, the CCAC has served over 19,000 abused
children and their families since opening its doors in August 2001.

Details
Date: Friday, May 7, 2010
Where: Carmichael’s Steak House, 1052 W. Monroe
Time: 5pm-6pm Outdoor Happy Hour in the Courtyard
6pm-9pm – Party inside!

Tickets In Advance: $100 5pm-9pm (includes Happy Hour); $75 6pm-9pm

To Purchase Tickets: www.guysnightoutforthekids.org

Current Sponsors:
U.S. Cellular, Cameron Venture Partners, CA, Continental Resources, Huen
Electric, Labor Management Cooperation Committee of Chicago/IBEW, Northern
Trust Corporation, ComEd, Illinois Medical District, Midwest Generation, Sidley
Austin LLP/Partners of Sidley Austin, Johnson & Krol, LLC, Loop Capital,
Bombardier, CDW, Brown-Forman, Goose Island Beer Company and Vienna Beef

For More Information: www.chicagocac.org; 312.492.3720 Melissa Siemasz
************************************************
_________________________________
The Scoop section:
_________________________
YCharts Online Investment Research Attracts Series A Funding From Broad Venture
Capital Mix: Hyde Park Angels, I2A, Amicus Capital, Social Leverage Combine to
Help Launch Website Featuring Sophisticated Analytical Tools and Market Trend
Data for Individuals, Professionals

www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&news
Id=20100407005088&newsLang=en

April 07, 2010 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time
YCharts Online Investment Research Attracts Series A Funding From Broad Venture
Capital Mix

Hyde Park Angels, I2A, Amicus Capital, Social Leverage Combine to Help Launch
Website Featuring Sophisticated Analytical Tools and Market Trend Data for
Individuals, Professionals

CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–YCharts, an online fundamental stock research engine,
today announced it has received Series A financing from a collection of venture
capital funds. The investment will be used to accelerate development and expand
the YCharts service which provides individuals, business partners, and
investment professionals with research on corporate performance that goes far
beyond the snapshot data typically available.

“YCharts’ offerings are smart, concise, diverse and easy to consume. It has
real potential for professionals as well as someone with basic investing
knowledge.”

YCharts’ first-round funding comes from highly regarded VC sources including
Hyde Park Angels, the Illinois Innovation Accelerator Fund (I2A), Amicus
Capital and Social Leverage LLC. Sam Guren, managing director of Hyde Park
Angels, and Kapil Chaudhary, partner of I2A Fund, join the YCharts board of
directors effective immediately, as does Brian Hand, former Vice Chairman of
institutional investment research firm First Analysis. Hand is an individual
investor in YCharts.

“Receiving our first venture capital investments is an exciting moment for our
company. It provides real impetus to our business activities and the market
need we’ve identified,” said Shawn Carpenter, CEO of YCharts. “We intend to use
these funds to further develop our services and to get the word out regarding
our uniquely valuable solutions.”

Launched as an alpha site last June and in beta since January, YCharts fills a
gap felt by many private investors: sophisticated, real-time analytical tools
and market trend data that enable them to make informed, timely trading choices
and minimize the risk of loss. The basic service is free for individual
investors.

YCharts aggregates and analyzes current stock information, historical company
performance trends and overall market trends from over ten years of actual
business results. It then visualizes this massive amount of company and market
information in easy-to-read table form using intuitive, color-coded charts and
graphs. “Financial markets provide unique challenges given the amount of data
and complex relationships. We are developing solutions at scale that hide this
complexity and drive consumer insights,” said Ara Anjargolian, CTO of YCharts.

“With more individuals managing personal investment portfolios than ever
before, the need is great for information that goes beneath the surface.
YCharts is packaging that information in a form that non-professionals can
understand,” said Hyde Park Angels’ Guren. “We’re pleased to be supporting this
young company which shows significant potential for growth.”

“I2A is constantly looking to support the next wave of innovative technology
companies in the region with a strong value proposition,” said I2A’s Chaudhary.
“YCharts satisfies all these criteria. It has already attracted a large and
growing user base, which shows it is meeting a significant market need.”

Tracking over 5,000 individual companies and 40 million investor trends,
YCharts has already logged a user base of 50,000 unique visitors each month. In
addition to offering its tools directly to users, it is also syndicating its
tools to partners like StockTwits.com. YCharts is partnered with Zacks.com,
BATS Exchange and SeekingAlpha.com.

“Shawn Carpenter and his executive team are well versed in the intricacies of
Wall Street as well as running a high-tech company. Their experience and strong
track record is a good indication of the potential for YCharts,” said Hand.
“YCharts’ offerings are smart, concise, diverse and easy to consume. It has
real potential for professionals as well as someone with basic investing
knowledge.”

YCharts tools are offered at no charge to individuals; later in 2010 the
company will be debuting subscription-based PRO and institutional versions. To
begin using YCharts, go to www.ycharts.com.

About YCharts:

YCharts provides individual investors with unique, innovative online tools that
empower them to invest and trade stocks like professional money managers.
YCharts eliminates the manual process of analyzing company and market trends,
making them visual, interactive and social. YCharts’ powerful company and
market research tool combines advanced data analysis, proprietary algorithms
and intuitive visualizations to help investors analyze companies and make
better investment decisions. Headquartered in Chicago, the YCharts management
team is comprised of senior stock market and financial experts with experience
at Google, Lehman, Bear Stearns, Classified Ventures, Tribune and
WallStreetView as well as Internet and visualization technology experts. For
more information please visit www.YCharts.com.
______________________________________
END OF REPORT