SVASE Startup-U SFO: First Time CEOs How to Gain Credibility with Investors and Customers May 8, 2008

SVASE Startup-U SFO: First Time CEOs How to Gain Credibility with Investors and Customers

First Time CEOS. How to gain credibility in the investment community and beyond

Most early-stage companies are leanly staffed, requiring everyone to shoulder several roles at once.

Especially if you happen to be the startup’s CEO.

But wearing multiple hats is only part of the challenge. In a world where it helps to have several startups under your belt, how do you convince the outside world, not to mention investors, you are the right person for the role?

Join SVASE’s Startup-U featuring serial entrepreneurs and angels Stuart Coulson and Ken Schroeder, as we will discuss do’s and don’ts that help any startup CEO gain credibility in the investment community and beyond.

Some of the questions would include:

What are the characteristics of a successful CEO?
What are the skills necessary to grow a company into a profitable entity?
Can you learn these skills or are CEOs born leaders?
To persuade investors as a first-timer, what are some of the things you can do to mitigate your lack of CEO expertise?

The panel session’s format will be interactive and we encourage the audience to bring questions.

Ken Schroeder
Ken Schroeder is a successful Silicon Valley based senior-level serial entrepreneur and Fortune 50 trained GM.

Ken has been interim CEO at Vidient, Astoria Software, and Crosslogix. As President of Resonate, Inc., he led the company from start-up to very successful public offering in 2001. Ken's experience includes senior management roles in a number of public companies, including Lotus and General Electric. Ken holds a M.Sc. in Computer Science from Rutgers University and a B.E.E. from City College of New York. Ken is also a Limited Partner in three Venture Capital firms.

Stuart Coulson
Stuart has worked in travel technology and data communications for over 18 years, holding various positions based in Ireland, US and UK. Following development, project management and sales engineering positions in a number of data communications and travel software companies, Stuart moved to Worldspan as Director, International Technology. Stuart was responsible for product development, customer solutions and technical support, product marketing and internal systems for all of Worldspan's EMEA markets. In 1997, Stuart co-founded Gradient Solutions, where as Joint CEO and Technology Director, Stuart was responsible for technical strategy, product architecture, product development, customer solutions and hosting operations, as well as sharing the responsibility for general management.

Following Gradient's acquisition by Sabre until August 2002, Stuart held the position of Vice President, Product Development, with global product architecture design and development responsibilities.

Stuart is a Computer Science Graduate of Trinity College in Dublin.

Contact Info:
DLA Piper 153 Townsend Street, Suite 800 San Francisco,
CA 94107 Please note additional parking expenses will be
incurred if you choose to park in DLA’s garage. DLA Piper
does NOT validate parking.

Contact Name: Anne Donker
Contact No: 415.378.3966
Email: SFStartupU@gmail.com
URL: www.svase.org/?q=node/733

Official Website: http://www.svase.org/?q=node/733