Buildproof Launches!
First Online System To Protect Homeowners & Contractors Launches in Arizona

We’re thrilled to announce that Buildproof is officially open for business. The system provides a simple-to-use solution to the financial risks and anxieties long-associated with home remodeling. Arizona is the first target market for Buildproof and the company plans to expand nationwide in the coming months.

• Arizona homeowners experience up to $25 million in annual losses due to contractor fraud. Buildproof protects these homeowners, but also provides contractors with the ability to secure payments before, during and upon completion of the home improvement project.

• Buildproof brings safety and stability to the $300 billion home improvement and remodeling industry by providing a “Safe House” money system. Project funds are held by an independent third-party financial institution to ensure safe handling and timely payment processing. There is no cost for homeowners to use the Buildproof system and contractors are only required to pay a small percentage of the total project cost.

• According to the most recent study by the NACAA, home improvement is the number one most complained about industry in the U.S. Buildproof’s project management system enables homeowners and contractors to streamline communication and track project milestones.

Read their launch press release, or visit Buildproof.com.

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The 7th Annual TiE Arizona Demystifying Angel Capital event is being held on May 14, 2008 at ASU Sky Song. Entrepreneurs, this is your chance to practice your 60-second pitch in front of a panel of angel investors and the broader entrepreneurial business community. Not to mention you’ll get to hear from experienced angel investors as they share their insights on fundraising.

To register for the event, click here.

To apply to be a presenter at the event, please complete this form and send your PowerPoint presentation to bwallace@zerohourmktg.com.

TiE Arizona and the W.P. Carey MBA Entrepreneurship Society at ASU are collaborating on producing AUDACIOUS VENTURES: Case Studies in Entrepreneurship. This one-day conference aims to bring together entrepreneurs from both the business community and universities (not just MBA students!) to engage with the real world experience of their peers.

Zero Hour, through its involvement with TiE Arizona, will be moderating a case study panel on the importance of positioning & messaging for start-ups. We will also be donating our services as part of the winning prize package in the “Audacious Venturing” business concept contest.

The event is open to professionals and students alike, click here to REGISTER or HERE to visit the AUDACIOUS VENTURES website.

JumpBox announced at Under the Radar that it is launching JumpBox Open - giving users subscription access to their collection of time saving virtual appliances for Open Source applications. Previously these applications and services were sold individually, but with a JumpBox Open subscription, users can access all the current and future JumpBoxes for the cost of what would have amounted to only a handful of individual JumpBoxes. Read more

Check out Crawdad Technologies/Wonkosphere founder and CEO, Kevin Dooley, on an ASU podcast today. Dooley comments on how blogs, discussion boards and social networking sites have changed the game for communications and marketing. More specifically, how bloggers have accelerated the flow of information, and because they are early adopters, how they have become a valuable source of feedback for politicians and marketers alike.

Listen to the podcast at ASU W.P. Carey School of Business