Taking the Entrepreneurial Plunge

David is president of the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center (CEC) and oversees all operations of the organization. This includes: launching and managing a statewide fundraising campaign; developing and implementing additional creative programs to serve entrepreneurs in the Chicagoland area; and identifying new partners and corporate sponsors to continue to grow the base of entrepreneurs in Chicagoland. He also is responsible for the organization’s marketing to entrepreneurs, government officials, and corporate leaders. Since its inception, clients of the CEC’s advisory services have secured contracts in excess of $80 million, and 50 clients secured financing valued at $40 million. 

For the past 15 years, David has worked in a variety of management positions in the technology field, in both the public and private sectors. Previously, he was president of David Weinstein & Associates, LLC (DW&A), a Chicago-based consulting and advisory services firm specializing in assisting businesses to extend their technology services and products to the public sector. 

David also was president and chief executive officer of BlueMeteor from 2000 to 2001 and was responsible for developing and implementing the company’s strategic vision and corporate growth to $5 million in annual revenues with 110 employees. David led the technology firm in successfully raising over $30 million of venture capital and executing strategic alliances with major technology providers and equipment manufacturers that included: Oracle Corporation, TIBCO Software, Sun Microsystems, Exodus Communications, Storage Networks, and EMC. 

Prior to BlueMeteor, David worked in government from 1996 to 2000. He was technology advisor to the mayor of the City of Chicago, Richard M. Daley, from 1998 to 2000. In this role he managed the city’s Technology Development Initiative and helped form the Mayor’s Council of Technology Advisors. 

Throughout David’s work life, he has been active in the local Chicago community and was recently appointed by the mayor to be a member of the Chicago Plan Commission. He also serves on the board of directors for the Chicago Cultural Center Foundation, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Citizens Advisory Board, M5 Artist Collective, the Target Group Inc., and the Mayor’s Council of Technology Advisors. David was recognized for his work with technology entrepreneurs and received the 2006 City Lights Award from the Illinois Information Technology Association. He has also been named to Crain’s Chicago Business’s 2006 “Who’s Who in Chicago Business.”

David Weinstein is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin at Madison, receiving his degree with honors and distinction from the Phi Kappa Phi National All-University Honors Society and the Golden Key National Honors Society. He earned his MBA at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Anatomy of a Business Plan: A Step-by-Step Guide to Starting Smart, Building the Business, and Securing Your Company’s Future, Linda Pinson and Jerry Jinnett. 

Business Plans for Dummies, Paul Tiffany and Steven D. Peterson. 

Leading-Edge Business Planning for Entrepreneurs, James Arkebauer and Jack Miller. 

Model Business Plans: A 3-in-1 Business Plan Kit, Wilbur Cross and Alice M. Richey. 

Your First Business Plan: A Simple Question and Answer Format Designed to Help You Write Your Own Plan, Joseph Covello and Brian Hazelgren. 

ABCs of Entrepreneurship: The Fundamentals All Business Professionals Should Know & Remember, Inside the Minds series. 

The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It, Michael E. Gerber. 

Free Agent Nation: How America’s New Independent Workers Are Transforming the Way We Live, Daniel H. Pink. 

Getting Started in Entrepreneurship: A Practical In-Depth Guide, Jack M. Kaplan. 

Going Solo: The Best Resources for Entrepreneurs & Freelancers, Stanley I. Mason, Jr.

Guru Guide to Entrepreneurship: A Concise Guide to the Best Ideas from the World’s Top Entrepreneurs, Joseph H. Boyett and Jimmie T. Boyett. 

Harvard Entrepreneurs Club: Guide to Starting Your Own Business, Poonam Sharma.

How to Make Big Money in Your Own Small Business: Unexpected Rules Every Small Business Owner Needs to Know, Jeffrey J. Fox. 

Origin and Evolution of New Business, Amar V. Bhidé.

Vault Guide to Starting Your Own Business: From Business Plans to Tax Issues, A Complete Resource to Starting Your Own Business, Jonathan Aspatore. 

Angel Investing: Matching Start-Up Funds with Start-Up Companies: The Guide for Entrepreneurs, Individual Investors, and Venture Capitalists, Mark Van Osnabrugge and Robert J. Robinson. 

Done Deals: Venture Capitalists Tell Their Stories, Udayan Gupta (editor). 

Every Business Needs an Angel: Getting the Money You Need to Make Your Business Grow, John May and Cal Simmons. 

Financing the New Venture: A Complete Guide to Raising Capital from Venture Capitalists, Investment Bankers, Private Investors, and Other Sources, Mark Long.

Fundamentals of Venture Capital, Joseph W. Bartlett. 

Vault Career Guide to Venture Capital: Get the Inside Scoop on Exciting and Lucrative Careers in Venture Capital, Oleg Kaganovich. 

Venture Capital Cycle, Paul Gompers and Josh Lerner. 

Venture Capital Due Diligence: A Guide to Making Smart Investment Choices and Increasing Your Portfolio Returns, Justin J. Camp. 

Venture Capital Handbook: An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Raising Venture Capital, David Gladstone and Laura Gladstone. 

VC Way: Investment Secrets from the Wizards of Venture Capital, Jeffrey Zygmont.