IDEA, Northeastern's Venture Accelerator, will host the IDEA Investment Forum, featuring a panel of distinguished early-stage investors who will discuss how emerging entrepreneurs should approach investment in their ventures.

IDEA's student leaders will serve as moderators for the panel. They will lead the panel through a series of topics about what most early stage ventures face. The challenges are particularly acute when emerging entrepreneurs have never raised money before.

The success of young entrepreneurs will depend on the comfort they feel raising money. Practical topics will include:

• Who and when should I approach investors?
• How far does my idea need to be developed before talking to an investor?
• How do I protect my ideas?
• Should I engage mentors/hire an experienced ceo?
• What is an investable team?

The audience will include many of the ventures that IDEA currently works with. They will have the chance to ask questions, talk about their experiences, share frustrations and successes.

IDEA's mission is to help ventures become sustainable and investment-ready (unless they are lucky enough to be self-funding). The IDEA Investment Forum will be held twice a year and its goal is to bring emerging entrepreneurs and their ventures into contact with angels and venture capital firms.

There will be a networking session following the panel. Refreshments will be served.