SVASE Main Event: Raising Capital for Early Stage Startups August 5, 2010

SVASE Main Event: Raising Capital for Early Stage Startups

Start: 08/05/2010 - 6:00 pm
End: 08/05/2010- 8:30 pm

Contact: Laura Weigant
Email: Info@svase.org

Location: Cooley LLP
3175 Hanover Street, Palo Alto, CA 94304

url: www.svase.org/events/main-event-raising-capital-early-stage-startups/4849

Raising Capital for Early Stage Technology Startups

With the cost for developing anything software related continuing to decline, technology startups need far less cash than they did even a few years ago. However, most startups that want to grow fast still do need some venture capital, so where should you now go to raise that first round beyond friends & family?

Do you just need to be one of the pack to get portfolio strategy angels like Ron Conway to throw you a few crumbs? Or, do you need to look bigger than you are to attract the attention of Mike Maples with his “Thunder lizard” approach? What about more conventional angel groups such as the Band of Angels, Sand Hill Angels, and Angels’ Forum? What sort of deals are they looking for? What about individual angels such as those featured on the Venture Hacks Angels List? And, what about the new smaller VC funds?

Based on the VC and angel activity at Launch: Silicon Valley 2010, it looks like there ARE investors with real money actively seeking interesting startups investments. Given that, the key question becomes, what does a technology startup need to look like, to cause VCs and angels to reach for their wallets?

Finding the Funding for YOUR Company!

This lively panel discussion will explore current trends and panelist opinions on topics including:
· What types of startups are getting funded? – Consumer? Technology? Social? Wireless? CleanTech? or what?
· What are the most attractive markets – 5 million free members to the next Flagr/Fligr/Flikr, mobile & loco apps, or the Fortune 500?
· Are industries that require a lot on money to get going, such as CleanTech, Semiconductor and Life Sciences still attractive to the new breed of investors?
· What are investors looking for from startup teams?
· What are investors looking for in startup exits – a long-term company, a quick flip to Google or perhaps an IPO?
· Do you need to have a business model, or can that wait until you have enough eyeballs?

The Panel:
· Andy Bartley, Associate, The Angels Forum
· Ben Choi, Principal, Maveron
· Rob Hayes, Managing Partner, First Round Capital

· TBD
Moderator: TBD

When: Thursday, August 5
6:00 – 7:00 pm Networking and hors d’oeuvres
7:00 - 8:15 pm Panel discussion and Q&A
8:15 - 8:30 pm Additional networking

Location: Cooley LLP, 3175 Hanover Street, Palo Alto, CA 94304

Pre-Registered Rates (All Rates Include Hors D’oeuvres):
Members - $20; Affiliates who advertise this event - $29; General Public - $49

Pre-registration closes at 9 PM the night before the event.

Walk-In Rates: Add $10.00 to the listed price

To reserve an Exhibit Table, please contact Info@svase.org, $350 Members, $850 Non-members (Includes exhibit table, 2 tickets to the event and 1-year corporate membership).

Seating is limited, so early registration is recommended to avoid disappointment on the day.

This event is co-sponsored by Cooley LLP, www.cooley.com.

Speaker Bios

Andy Bartley, Associate, The Angels Forum
Andy is an Associate at The Angels Forum and The Halo Funds. He is responsible for sourcing and identifying potential investment opportunities in the life sciences, high tech, and consumer product spaces. Andy is actively involved in the evaluation of businesses seeking seed/early stage financing. He enjoys working with promising entrepreneurs to help them develop investor-oriented pitch decks and presentations.

Prior to joining TAF Andy worked for Stryker Endoscopy. He has a MBA from Santa Clara University and a BS in Biological Engineering from Oregon State University.

Ben Choi, Principal, Maveron
Ben has a wide-angle view of the world. And it’s not just because he’s a published amateur photographer. Born in Peoria, raised in San Francisco, and educated in Cambridge, Ben looks at everything in life from multiple angles.

Ben joined Maveron as a principal in 2009 and focuses on investments in the mobile and Web enabled consumer services sectors. Ben joins Maveron from Storm Ventures where his board involvement included Ad Infuse, Adgregate Markets, Boorah, DeviceVM, Marketo, Mobio, and YieldBuild. Ben began his career in venture capital at RRE Ventures, where he invested in Massive, an in-game ad network purchased by Microsoft in 2006 for over $200 million. He later joined the strategic venture capital arm of the CIA, In-Q-Tel, where he led their investment in Rhevision, maker of tiny cell phone zoom lenses.

Ben came to venture as an operator in several technology startups. Most recently, Ben served as vice president strategy at Greystripe, a mobile rich media ad platform. At Yahoo, he directed the Southeast Asia mobile strategy. Ben was also an engagement manager at ZEFER, an Internet consulting firm (acquired by NEC), which raised over $150 million in venture capital financing and grew to over $100 million in annual revenue.

Ben received his BA in Computer Science with honors from Harvard University, and his MBA from Columbia Business School, with Dean's List and Beta Gamma Sigma distinctions. Ben is also a graduate of the Kauffman Fellows Program, an exclusive professional organization for the venture capital industry.

Rob Hayes, Managing Partner, First Round Capital
Rob joined First Round Capital in 2006. Rob came to First Round Capital from Omidyar Network where he was their first venture investor. He led most of Omidyar Network's initial venture capital deals and later built and ran the technology investing group.

Prior to joining Omidyar Network in 2004, Rob was at Palm where he started up their corporate venture fund. While in that role he also managed the strategy effort around Palm OS that led to the spinout of PalmSource. Rob started at Palm as product manager for the initial device-independent releases of Palm OS. During this time, Rob was responsible for the versions of Palm OS on dozens of devices including the initial Treo products.

Rob previously spearheaded complex, system-level product development efforts at companies such as Geoworks and Go Corp where he focused on building products for the Japanese market. He began his career with the Japan External Trade Organization, studying international trade issues and building relationships between US and Japanese businesses, at a time when trade friction between the two countries was at its peak.

Rob has an MBA from Columbia University and a B.A. in Political Economy from the University of California, Berkeley.

Official Website: http://www.svase.org/events/main-event-raising-capital-early-stage-startups/4849