FountainBlue offers networking, education and support for entrepreneurs in the Silicon Valley by conducting monthly entrepreneurs' forums for high tech and life science and clean energy entrepreneurs. These monthly lunch meetings are designed to share successes and challenges in a safe environment, focused on helping fellow members run and grow their entrepreneurial ventures.
About Our High Tech Entrepreneurs' Forums
FountainBlue's High Tech Entrepreneurs' Forums are open to high tech entrepreneurs & their teams (such as staff members, advisers, board members or investors) with a wide range of entrepreneurial experience, at various stages of growing or supporting a new or existing entrepreneurial venture. In general, the program topics for the first six months of the year are focused on securing funds for high tech organizations while the topics for the second six months of the year focus more on executing and running a business. See notes from our previous sessions.
High Tech Entrepreneurs include:
Hardware, including semiconductors, communications including wireless networks, telephony
Software, including Web and internet, software as a service, open source, etc.,
Media Convergence, including telephony, wireless, etc.,
Who Is Invited
Please note that we help ensure the quality of our programs by strictly restricting attendance to entrepreneurs and investors only, no service providers, except for presenters and sponsors, which are limited and by invitation only. We thank you in advance for respecting our policy.
Rough Meeting Agenda
5:30 Registration, Lunch and Networking
6:00 Welcomes and Introductions
6:15 Facilitator Comments and Panelist Introductions
6:20 Interactive Panelist Discussion
6:50 Questions from the Audience
7:25 Final Comments from Facilitators
7:30 Thank Yous and Close, Networking
Sponsorship and Location
We are grateful to Fenwick & West LLP for their support and sponsorship from April 9 through the end of 2007. The events will be held in their Mountain View facilities at 801 California.
Our August 13 Topic is: Balancing Process and Results: Product Development in an Early Stage Company facilitated by Jane Divinski, JAD Consulting For this month's high tech entrepreneurs' forum, we will talk about the challenges of developing a product in an early stage company, from both an engineering and a project management perspective. Our panel of successful entrepreneurs will share their successes and challenges and their advice on how to balance the short-term need for quick results and for the long-term need to put effective processes in place.
Facilitator Jane Divinski, JAD Consulting
Panelist Subutai Ahmad, VP Engineering, Numenta
Panelist Steve Martin, VP of Engineering, Ruckus Wireless
Panelist Jay Michlin, VP Engineering, OnStor
Panelist Jim Nisbet, Founder and CTO at Tablus
We are grateful to our sponsors Fenwick & West LLP!
We are grateful to our sponsors for their ongoing support.
See below for a list of program topics and speakers for 2007.
Date
Title
Facilitator
Monday, January 8
Investor Panel - Technology Trends
Marc Burch, Independent Angel Investor Steve Bennet, Sand Hill Angels Clifford Tong, Keiretsu Forum Ben Wan, Independent Angel Investor Ron Weissman, Band Of Angels
Monday, February 12
Successful Entrepreneur Panel
Steve Adelman, Nexus Partners Naveen Bisht, founder/CEO Ukiah Software, currently CEO/founder of Nayna Networks Mike Grossman, co-founder/CEO LiveCapital,currently CEO, Tempo Payments, Inc. Chuck Haas, co-founder Covad, currently CEO and co-Founder of MetroFi Wendy York-Fess, co-founder MarketSmart, President Electric Minds, currently COO of IMMI
Monday, March 12
Corporate Investments in High Tech Companies
Facilitator, Antony Awaida from StartLeap Corporation, is a corporate executive and serial entrepreneur. Panelist Lisa Lambert, Managing Director, Intel Capital, Software and Solutions Group Panelist Cliff Reeves, Emerging Business Team at Microsoft Panelist Ray Wu, is Director, Strategy and Corporate Development at HP
Monday, April 9
Successful Web 2.0 Consumer Business Models
Facilitator, Steve Bengston, Managing Director, PriceWaterhouseCoopers Panelist Keith Rabois, VP Business Development, LinkedIn Panelist Bill Schreiber, Corporate Partner, Fenwick & West Panelist Jeffrey Walker, CEO, Atlassian Panelist Karsten Weide, IDC Panelist Peter Ziebelman from Palo Alto Venture Partners
Friday, May 18
An Investors' Eyes' View on Trends in High Tech Investing
Facilitator, Linda Prowse Fosler, Prowse-Fosler and Associates Panelist Clint Chao, Formative Ventures Panelist Vish Mishra, Clearstone Ventures Panelist Rich Simoni, Asset Management Company Panelist Ted Wang, Fenwick & West
Monday, June 11
Successful Exits through Acquisition
Susan Felix, Managing Partner, Felix Consulting Liam Goudge, Senior VP, Corporate Development & Licensing, Tessera Andrew Luh, Attorney at Fenwick & West Diaz Nesamoney, former founder and CEO of Celequest / co-founder, president, and COO Informatica
Monday, July 9
Developing Clear Value Propositions
Facilitator Chuck DeVita, President, Growth Process Group Inc. Panelist Allen Blue, VP Product Strategy and a Founder at LinkedIn Panelist John Hall, Managing Director, Horizon Ventures Panelist John Occhipinti, Managing Director, Woodside Fund
Monday, August 13
The Role of Process in Early Stage Companies
Facilitator Jane Divinski, JAD Consulting Panelist Subutai Ahmad, VP Engineering, Numenta Panelist Steve Martin, VP of Engineering, Ruckus Wireless Panelist Jay Michlin, VP of Engineering, OnStor Panelist Jim Nisbet, Founder and CTO at Tablus
Tuesday, September 11
Acquiring Reference Customers
Facilitator Chuck DeVita, President, Growth Process Group Inc. Panelist Steve Blank, Commissioner at California Coastal Commission, Lecturer at Stanford University, Graduate School of Engineering, Director at IMVU Panelist John Hall, Managing Director, Horizon Ventures
Monday, October 8
Integrating the Sales and Marketing Plan
Diane Wieser
Monday, November 12
Doubling Your Business Revenue
David Leland and Michael Knowles, One Straight Line LLC
Monday, December 10
Successfully Positioning Your High Tech Company
Karen Kang, Karen Kang Consulting
Below is a list of past and upcoming programs for 2006.
Date
Title
Facilitator
Thursday, March 9
SV High Tech Entrepreneurs' Forum
Bill Joos, Go to Market Consulting
Thursday, April 20
SV High Tech Entrepreneurs' Forum
Steve Adelman, Nexus Partners Christine Comaford-Lynch, Mighty Ventures Jenelle Cox, DLA Piper
Monday, May 8
SV High Tech Entrepreneurs' Forum
Bill Joos, Go to Market Consulting Linda Usoz, Kirkpatrick & Lockhart
Monday, June 12
SV High Tech Entrepreneurs' Forum
Christine Comaford-Lynch, Mighty Ventures Linda Usoz, Kirkpatrick & Lockhart
Monday, July 10
SV High Tech Entrepreneurs' Forum Theme: Sales Strategies for Entrepreneurs
Jeffrey Walker, Atlassian Mike Griego, MXL Partners Linda Usoz, Kirkpatrick & Lockhart
Monday, August 14
SV High Tech Entrepreneurs' Forum Theme: Revenue Models
Steve Adelman, Nexus Partners Linda Usoz, Kirkpatrick & Lockhart
Monday, September 11
SV High Tech Entrepreneurs' Workshop: Semiannual Gathering
Kirkpatrick & Lockhart
Monday, October 9
SV High Tech Entrepreneurs' Forum Theme: Building an Executive Team
Kurt Amundson; Linda Usoz, Kirkpatrick & Lockhart
Monday, November 13
Alternative Funding Options
Ed Lambert, Bridge Bank Dirk Michels, Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Jake Schwarz, Kirkpatrick & Lockhart
