⚡ Seed level funding for startups in Minnesota

by Hassan Syed | at MinneBar 12

Entrepreneurs in Minnesota struggle with finding angel capital at an early stage of their idea. Angel networks in Minnesota mostly focus on the later stage companies that are generating revenue. Over the past years, I have many startups move to Silicon Valley or to East Coast.

If we like to see a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem in Minnesota, we need to think about the serious shortage of capital and come up with ideas on how to address it.

I would like to invite all interested parties, entrepreneurs, investors, and support organizations to work with me on an action plan.

All levels

Hassan Syed

Hassan Syed is the CEO of Bir Ventures and a board member at TechCast Global. A technologist at heart, he has 30+ years of broad international experience and an impressive track record to convert concepts into successful products. As the CEO of Bir Ventures, Hassan leads the development of new ideas and focuses on growing the partners network. At TechCast Global, Hassan is leading the development of new technology that will enable TechCast Global Customers in using the same tools that TechCast Global uses for forecasting Emerging Technology Trends.

At Bir Ventures, Hassan amalgamated and leads a collaborative network of 90 professionals from diverse backgrounds. Harnessing the power of this network, he has launched four knowledge-based products in the market, including www.ideagist.com, first ever SaaS based virtual incubator, which now connects more than 300 communities worldwide.

Hassan firmly believes that behind every success story was a good idea, and every good idea needs a robust execution plan. He has brought numerous products to the market from when they were just an idea, developing intellectual property that provided great return on their investments. The success Hassan brings to the table is his ability to lead teams by creating seamless synergy where everyone is connected to the vision, understands what roles they play, and find personal fulfillment as well. His colleagues describe him as visionary, big-picture thinker, and innovative.

Before starting Bir Ventures, Hassan worked as the Executive Director for Twycross Zoo in the UK, leading Finance, IT, Fund Raising, Project Management and HR. During his job at Twycross, Hassan let the future search for the organization and also helped in a Horizon Scan for Species Conservation by Zoos and Aquariums, under the banner of the World Association of Zoo and Aquaria.

From 2003 to 2011, Hassan worked as the Chief Information Officer at International Species Information System. Hassan led a global team on the Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS) project since its inception in 2002 through to its launch in 2010. ZIMS is a SaaS-based solution for the global aquarium and zoo community, currently in use by 900+ institutions worldwide. During his role as a CIO, Hassan managed a team of 600+ scientists and other subject matter experts from 40+ countries worldwide, developing more than 350 data standards for the global zoo community.

Hassan is always interested in new ideas and always willing to hear about them. He is an advisor to many technology startups.