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| | The May Report: 6/29/2010: After a period of dormancy, thepoint.com is being revived as part of Groupon; Guess who showed up at TC Mobile 2? Chris "Mr. Barter" Sweis; Frank Gruber makes the "big time" with an appearance on Channel 2 at 5:45am, but are Sitter City and Vibes really start-ups?; Collin Canright on SMC Chicago
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| | June 29, 2010
The May Report: 6/29/2010: After a period of dormancy, thepoint.com is being revived as part of Groupon; Guess who showed up at TC Mobile 2? Chris "Mr. Barter" Sweis; Frank Gruber makes the "big time" with an appearance on Channel 2 at 5:45am, but are Sitter City and Vibes really start-ups?; Collin Canright on SMC Chicago
Editor and publisher: ron@themayreport.com, ronaldmay@aol.com, www.themayreport.com , 773-525-3944.
If you missed an article, go here: http://www.tmronline.com/A55951/tmrarticles.nsf/vwFullNewsletter
_______________________________________
*********************************************
GP Ventures provides mergers and acquisitions advisory services for technology companies in sectors such as Electronics, Equipment, IT services, EMS, Software, PCBs, Defense, and Distribution.
Some current programs include an acquisition search for Chicago-area IT services companies and the sale of a 40 million euro fiber-optic components company.
Please contact Tom Kastner at GP Ventures (www.gp-ventures.com) for more information:
mail@gp-ventures.com, 847-431-3993
***********************************************
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Scoop section:
-- TechAmerica Midwest Update: Governor Signs Illinois Angel Investor Tax Credit, Economic Recovery Commission Presents Final Report, Illinois R&D Tax Credit, Illinois Digital Textbook Legislation
-- TechAmerica Alert: OMB Releasing Memo today to review IT Contracts and Halt Spending on Financial Systems Modernization Efforts
-- Chicago's MediaBank hires former Yahoo exec as CEO
-- Announcing the midVentures LAUNCH conference -- September 28, 2010
-- Deals
-- Collin Canright on the Social Media Club Chicago meeting last Thursday evening, 6/24/2010
-- Bob Ingersoll on another event last Thursday night: Jonathan Alter speaks at Francis Parker School, his alma mater
-- Article on how Chicago is becoming a destination for venture investors
-- Frank Gruber on Tech Corner last Friday morning at 5:45am on Channel 2
-- Lyn Williams: mysoiree.net
-- Some background on n2, a social recommendation engine firm that had a table at TC Mobile last Thursday
-- The seven companies that presented at TBIF Mobile Soapbox on Monday, June 21st
-- Tuesday, July 6: BNC Capital Group
-- Notes from Dan Malven, Darrell Dvorak, Charles Stack
-- Wednesday, June 30: EDC Luncheon: Challenges and Opportunities for Business and Economic Growth in the Midwest: Richard (Rick) Stephens, Senior Vice President, Human Resources and Administration, The Boeing Company
[Editor's note: May here. I have so much stuff for you and no time. First, is anyone going from the city to the MEF dinner in the burbs tonight? I could use a ride. Let me know at 773-525-3944. Second, there are a lot of "scoops" from the three events I attended last week. One is that thepoint.com is being revived after a period of dormancy. I talked to a woman named Patty Huber who was hired to start up the community campaigns which should launch in a few weeks. Third, guess who is back from the dot com boom days? None other than Chris Sweis, the barter king of years past. He has lost weight and is also looking older. I met Juliana Malka who is 12 lbs at the tender age of three months. Her mother is Daliah Saper. And Darcy, what is this? Darcy Evon: Board of Directors at Hybrid Electric Vehicle Technologies, Inc. I have been going over three tapes and will have all that for you. But right now, because my computer shut down due to low memory, I am very late for dialysis. Good thing my weight is now 252.5 lbs and my hemoglobin is up to 12.5. Still can't walk or stand. I had to sit down three times walking home from The Bagel yesterday -- less than a block -- but three months ago, I would have had to take a cab for that block. But today, TMR trumps good health.]
________________________________________
The Scoop section:
____________________
TechAmerica Midwest Update: Governor Signs Illinois Angel Investor Tax Credit, Economic Recovery Commission Presents Final Report, Illinois R&D Tax Credit, Illinois Digital Textbook Legislation
Subject: TechAmerica Midwest Update: Governor Signs Illinois Angel Investor Tax Credit, Economic Recovery Commission Presents Final Report, Illinois R&D Tax Credit, Illinois Digital Textbook Legislation
Date: 6/25/2010 2:54:27 P.M. Central Daylight Time
From: ed.longanecker@techamerica.org
To: ronaldmay@aol.com
Dear TechAmerica members,
We are pleased to provide several updates regarding some important initiatives, accomplishments, and our continued focus on economic development and policy efforts to support growth and innovation in the state of Illinois. Many thanks to our members, Governor Quinn, partners, and Illinois legislators for their support of these efforts and accomplishments.
It's now time to use this momentum, many worthy recommendations, and our growing resources to elevate Illinois, our members, and industry.
Illinois Angel Investment Tax Credit:
In addition to signing R&D Tax Credit legislation yesterday, we are very pleased to announce that Governor Quinn also signed Illinois angel investor tax credit legislation today. This new law will provide "angel" and early-stage institutional investors with a capped 25 percent credit against state taxes when the investors provide funding to small, early-stage technology firms. This two year initiative by iBIO and TechAmerica (and a coalition we built of over 200 supporting orgs) signifies some notable momentum in our collective efforts to improve the business environment in Illinois and to expand our unique strengths and resources in the state.
Illinois Economic Recovery Commission Presents Final Report to Governor Quinn:
The Economic Recovery Commission presented its final report to Governor Quinn today. I would like to thank the TechAmerica members that committed so much time and energy in developing this report and serving on the commission over the past several months, including Marty Singer, Chairman, CEO, PCTEL, Inc. and Vice Chair of TechAmerica Midwest; Robert Blackwell Jr., CEO, Electronic Knowledge Interchange; Gino Bonanotte, Vice President of Finance, Motorola Enterprises Mobility Solutions; Anders Gustafsson, CEO, Zebra Technologies Corporation; Lee Shapiro, President, Allscripts; and Shelley Stern, Community Outreach Director, Central Region, Microsoft Corporation. The majority of these technology members were direct recommendations from TechAmerica Midwest to serve on the Recovery Commission. Our members and organization provided a significant number of recommendations and support in the development of this report, which is consistent with a longtime focus of TechAmerica Midwest. Many thanks again for the leadership of our members and other participating Commissioners.
I would also like to highlight several Illinois-based organizations that were highlighted in the report for their contributions and recommendations, including TechAmerica, NanoBusiness Alliance, the Illinois Venture Capital Association, the Chicago Entrepreneurial Center, Midwest Alternative Energy Forum, Illinois Biotechnology Industry Organization (IBIO), Illinois Science & Technology Coalition, several Illinois-based technology companies, as well as such public agencies as the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO).
Economic Recovery Commission Presents Final Report to Governor Quinn:
http://www.illinois.gov/PressReleases/ShowPressRelease.cfm?SubjectID=2&RecNum=8568
Audio recording of Economic Recovery Commission press conference:
http://www.illinois.gov/PressReleases/ShowPressRelease.cfm?SubjectID=2&RecNum=8568
Illinois Economic Recovery Commission final report:
http://www2.illinois.gov/economy/Documents/Economic%20Recovery%20Commission%20Report.pdf
Governor Signs Illinois R&D Tax Credit:
Below is a link to a story that ran in the Chicago Daily Herald regarding the Illinois R&D Tax Credit signing ceremony yesterday. The story included several photos of TechAmerica Midwest leadership, including Ken Hunt and myself, with the Governor and many "C" level executives from Abbott, Baxter, and others during the signing of the bill. I have also included a link to the full audio recording of the press conference. There is a nice mention about TechAmerica from the Governor and an emphasis on several leading Illinois based technology companies that participated in the ceremony. As many of your might recall, we emphasized the importance of R&D during our meeting with Governor Quinn in November of 2009 and have been long time advocates of expanding this important resource in our state and country. Much like at the federal level, we ultimately seek and support a permanent and strengthened Illinois R&D Tax Credit and hope to achieve that in the near future.
Daily Herald - Quinn signs tax credits bill at Abbott Ceremony:
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=389789
Full audio recording of R&D Tax Credit Ceremony:
http://www.techamerica.org/Docs/GOV-6-23.mp3
TechAmerica press advisory:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 23, 2010
TechAmerica Applauds Illinois Governor Pat Quinn for New R & D Law
Governor signs legislative measure to incentivize research and development in Illinois
Naperville, Ill. - TechAmerica today applauded Governor Pat Quinn and the Illinois Legislature for signing into law Senate Bill 3655, which contains provisions to incentivize research and development (R&D) activities in Illinois. These provisions will provide a tax credit equal to 6 ½ percent for qualifying expenditures that increase research activities in the state of Illinois, as defined under Section 41 of the Internal Revenue Code. This bill extends the sunset of the R&D Tax Credit from December 31, 2010 to December 31, 2011.
"TechAmerica is a strong advocate for incentives to support research and development investment and innovation in our state and country," said T. Kendall Hunt, Chairman, CEO, VASCO Data Security International, and Chair of TechAmerica Midwest. "We applaud Governor Quinn and the Illinois legislature for supporting resources that will strengthen our ability to create new products, services, and high quality jobs in our state."
Research and development (R&D) is the building block of future economic growth and prosperity. It generates scientific breakthroughs, spawns innovative products and processes, and enhances productivity. It creates wealth, intellectual property, and high paying jobs. The United States has long recognized the economic benefits of encouraging R&D, whether performed by government entities, academic institutions, or private companies. Each has played a pivotal role in contributing to America's preeminence in science, technology, and innovation over the second half of the twentieth century. This windfall to our economy is incalculable.
Illinois Digital Textbook Legislation:
Finally, our digital textbook legislation is expected to receive support from the Governor. We are working with his office on a possible signing ceremony and should know if that is a possibility soon.
We continue to focus on our "reactive" policy efforts and legislative tracking and are working to increase our proactive policy activities and initiatives in the Midwest. We could not accomplish this without your support. Thank you.
Best regards,
Ed Longanecker
Executive Director, Regional Director of State Government Affairs
TechAmerica Midwest
NEW PHONE: 630-282-4332
ed.longanecker@techamerica.org
www.techamerica.org
AeA & ITAA have merged to form TechAmerica
Where the future begins
_____________________________________
TechAmerica Alert: OMB Releasing Memo today to review IT Contracts and Halt Spending on Financial Systems Modernization Efforts
Subject: TechAmerica Alert: OMB Releasing Memo today to review IT Contracts and Halt Spending on Financial Systems Modernization Efforts
Date: 6/28/2010 3:56:33 P.M. Central Daylight Time
From: ed.longanecker@techamerica.org
To: Midwest@techamerica.org
The Administration will release a government-wide memo later today making an official announcement to halt to new task orders or procurements for all financial systems modernization efforts reportedly putting a hold on 30 IT contracts worth $3 Billion annually. The administration will also be reviewing an additional $10 Billion worth of IT Projects deemed at risk. This is part of the Administration's move to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the government by reforming IT. This affects many of our member companies.
We have reviewed a leaked draft OMB memo posted on Government Executive's web site today, contains more information. (http://www.govexec.com/pdfs/061010l1.pdf). We are in the process of gathering more information on this issue and will provide it to you shortly. We plan to host a conference call to discuss the implications of the announced halt to financial management implementations and review of "high-risk" IT programs in the next day or two.
If you have any questions, please call Ed Longanecker, TechAmerica Midwest, 630-282-7332, or email at ed.longanecker@techamerica.org.
For more information please visit the following websites:
http://blogs.govexec.com/fedblog/2010/06/obama_puts_a_stop_to_financial.php
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/blog/10/06/28/Cutting-Waste-by-Reforming-IT/
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-06-28/obama-budget-office-puts-3-billion-in-u-s-technology-contracts-on-hold.html
____________________________________
Best regards,
Ed Longanecker
Executive Director, Regional Director of State Government Affairs
TechAmerica Midwest
NEW PHONE: 630-282-4332
ed.longanecker@techamerica.org
www.techamerica.org
AeA & ITAA have merged to form TechAmerica
_______________________________________
Chicago's MediaBank hires former Yahoo exec as CEO
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=38416
Chicago's MediaBank hires former Yahoo exec as CEO
By: John Pletz June 01, 2010
(Crain's) - Chicago-based tech startup MediaBank Inc. has hired a former Yahoo Inc. executive to run the company.
Bill Wise becomes CEO of MediaBank, which provides media-buying technology, in the next several weeks.
He'll replace founder Brad Keywell, who launched MediaBank with Eric Lefkofsky in 2007. The two tech entrepreneurs have backed several startups, including daily deal Web site Groupon Inc., alongside Maryland-based New Enterprise Associates Inc.
MediaBank has attracted $50.5 million in investment from NEA, Steamboat Ventures and others.
It has about 200 employees, most of them based in Chicago.
Board members include John Walter, former CEO of R. R. Donnelley & Sons Inc.; former McDonald's Corp. CEO Jack Greenberg; former Kraft Foods Inc. CEO Betsy Holden, and Dipak Jain, former dean of Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Mr. Wise was president of Right Media, a digital-advertising agency acquired by Yahoo in 2007 for $850 million. With the addition of Mr. Wise, who lives in New York, MediaBank will gravitate toward the East Coast.
"We feel it is important to shift our customer-facing sales, marketing and professional services offerings toward Madison Avenue, so Bill will be establishing a larger MediaBank presence in New York," a company spokeswoman said.
______________________________________
Announcing the midVentures LAUNCH conference -- September 28, 2010
Subject: Fwd: Announcing the midVentures LAUNCH conference -- September 28, 2010
Date: 6/25/2010 5:26:23 P.M. Central Daylight Time
From: jrpasky@paskyip.com
To: ronaldmay@aol.com
Ron,
Good seeing you last night at SMC Chicago. I'm forwarding you the email announcing the midVenturesLAUNCH conference for Sept. 28, 2010, at the UIC Forum. Let me know if you have any questions!
Thanks,
Jon
____________________________
Jonathan R. Pasky
Principal
PASKY IP LAW LLC
Phone: 1.312.772.3510
Mobile: 1.219.331.1794
jrpasky@paskyip.com
www.paskyip.com
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: midVentures info@midventures.com
Date: Fri, Jun 11, 2010 at 11:05 PM
Subject: Announcing the midVentures LAUNCH conference -- September 28, 2010
To: "<< Test First Name >> << Test Last Name >>" jon@midventures.com
Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.
Announcing the midVentures LAUNCH conference -- September 28, 2010
In the spirit of assembling the entire Midwest startup and tech community in one room, midVentures is hosting a full-day midVentures LAUNCH conference September 28, 2010, at the UIC Forum in Chicago.
We have listened to your feedback from midVentures25 and expanded the program. In addition to hosting an early-stage startup demo day and pitch contest (called COMPETE), we have added a LAUNCH category for later-stage, VC- or angel-backed startups and established companies and corporations to showcase their 2010 innovations on stage.
midVentures LAUNCH is the conference for technology innovators, from seed-stage entrepreneurs to ground-breaking product launches by today's leaders. Web, mobile devices, apps, consumer products, sustainability and green tech. All in one space.
LAUNCH will also host key speakers and thought leaders including Brad Keywell, co-founder and Principal of Groupon, and co-founder of Chicago-based startup investment firm Lightbank.
Learn more...
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#Apply
COMPETE: Early-Stage Startups
Early-stage startups can apply here to be part of COMPETE, where 25 startups will compete to be one of 5 startups to pitch on-stage in front of our expert judging panel and the conference audience, and receive over $20,000 in cash and prizes.
Learn more...
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LAUNCH: Later-Stage Startups & Established Companies
Later-stage startups or established companies can apply here for a spot in LAUNCH, where each company receives a demo table and 3 minutes of stage time to debut their product or service innovation in front of thousands of attendees.
Learn more...
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Exhibitors and Sponsors
If you are interested in having a demo table at the conference, please email launch@midventures.com to see our media kit and sponsorship packages. We have many options to fit your marketing budget.
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#Attend
Tickets
Early bird registration will be open until September 1, 2010, at the midVentures LAUNCH Eventbrite page. Group discounts and student registrations are available as well.
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Venue Capacity: 3,000
The UIC Forum can hold three times as many people as our last venue, with the stage and equipment for epic big-media promotions and launches.
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mV LAUNCH App: Connect with the Mobile Cloud
midVentures is partnering with a mobile app development company to launch an iPhone and Android app, for LAUNCH attendees to get more info on the startups at the event and push comments and messages to an on-site, cloud-powered digital message board.
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midVentures/IIT Incubator Event: July 29, 2010
midVentures has partnered with the IIT Knapp Center and the IIT Idea Shop to host an orientation event where IIT and midVentures will discuss the Midwest startup incubator scene and introduce midVentures LAUNCH to interested startups and investors. Come find out about student talent and resources at IIT and how they can be leveraged on behalf of startups. This event is July 29, 2010; please contact geoff@midventures.com for more details - attendance is limited!
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#Include
Partners
midVentures owes its growth and momentum to our partners, and without them midVentures LAUNCH could not happen. We must thank IIT, Goldstein Caldwell & Associates, Pasky IP, ChicagoMicro, and SFBeta for their continued support as we ramp up planning for the conference.
Follow
Be sure to follow us on Twitter @mvLAUNCH and on Facebook. If you know friends or human-computer automatons who want to receive midVentures LAUNCH update emails, add their email here.
Connect with mV
Twitter
Facebook
LinkedIn
flickr
Contact the team
333 N. Michigan Ave.
Suite 1022
Chicago, IL 60601
312.624.9214 (o)
312.613.2735 (c)
info@midventures.com
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You received this email because you subscribed online, or you attended one of our events. Unsubscribe.
© 2010 midVentures Group Incorporated. All rights reserved.
__________________________________________
Deals
++++++++++++++++++++
FRANKLIN PARK, Ill., Jun 21, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Rubicon Technology,
Inc. /quotes/comstock/15*!rbcn/quotes/nls/rbcn (RBCN 31.82, -1.09, -3.31%)
(the "Company") today announced the closing of its previously announced
public offering of 3,029,100 shares of its common stock at a price to the
public of $30.00 per share. 2,195,100 shares of common stock were sold by
the Company, including 395,100 shares pursuant to the full exercise of the
underwriters' over-allotment option, and 834,000 shares of common stock were
sold by the selling stockholders identified in the prospectus supplement.
Total proceeds of the offering, net of estimated offering expenses and
underwriting discounts and commissions, were approximately $85.2 million,
with proceeds to the Company, net of estimated offering expenses and
underwriting discounts and commissions, of approximately $61.5 million, and
proceeds to the selling stockholders, net of underwriting discounts and
commissions, of approximately $23.7 million. The Company expects to use most
of its proceeds from the offering to expand its crystal growth and post
crystal growth manufacturing facilities.
UBS Securities LLC acted as sole book-running manager for the offering and
Canaccord Genuity Inc. acted as a co-lead manager for the offering.
Copies of the final prospectus supplement filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (the "SEC") may be obtained for free by visiting EDGAR
on the SEC web site at www.sec.gov or by contacting UBS Securities LLC,
Attn: Prospectus Department, 299 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10171, or
by calling 1-888-827-7275.
The offering was made pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement
and related preliminary prospectus supplement, free writing prospectus and
final prospectus supplement, each filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a
solicitation of an offer to purchase the common stock or any other
securities of the Company. No offer, solicitation or sale shall be made in
any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would
be unlawful.
About Rubicon Technology, Inc.
Rubicon Technology, Inc. is an advanced electronic materials provider that
develops, manufactures and sells monocrystalline sapphire and other
innovative crystalline products for light-emitting diodes (LEDs), radio
frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), blue laser diodes, optoelectronics
and other optical applications. The Company applies its proprietary crystal
growth technology to produce high-quality sapphire products efficiently to
supply a large and growing end-market demand, and works closely with its
customers to meet their quality and delivery needs. Rubicon is a vertically
integrated manufacturer of high-quality sapphire substrates and optical
windows that are used in a variety of high-growth, high-volume end-market
applications. The Company is actively developing larger diameter products to
support the continued advancement of the LED and RFIC markets.
SOURCE: Rubicon Technology, Inc.
Rubicon Technology, Inc.
William Weissman
Chief Financial Officer
847-457-3610
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
An Affiliate of Sun Capital Partners, Inc. Acquires Pace American
Leading Brand Name in the North American Cargo Trailer Industry Poised for
Growth
BOCA RATON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sun Capital Partners, Inc., a leading
private investment firm specializing in leveraged buyouts and investments in
market-leading companies, today announced that an affiliate has acquired
substantially all of the assets of Pace American through an ARTICLE 9
auction. The company, a leading manufacturer of enclosed cargo and utility
trailers to the U.S. and Canadian market, will continue to operate under its
recognized brand, Pace American. Terms of the transaction were not
disclosed.
"Pace American has a tremendous reputation in the marketplace for premium
quality enclosed cargo and auto trailers"
Founded in 1986 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Pace American
operates five manufacturing facilities, located in Georgia, Utah, Texas,
Indiana, and Oregon. The Company has the most complete product line in the
industry and manufactures high quality products across various market
segments. Its trailers are some of the most recognized brand names and are
used by a wide range of recreational and commercial customers, particularly
in the racing market. Sold through a large network of dealers and
mass-merchants, Pace American trailers can be custom designed to fulfill
virtually any need.
"We are pleased to work with Sun Capital Partners in executing our plan to
rebuild Pace American into the market leading business it has historically
been," said James Tennant, Chief Executive Officer, Pace American. "We
believe our company will greatly benefit from Sun's operating and industry
expertise spanning over 15 years, and look forward to partnering with Sun's
team on the tasks that lay ahead. In coming months, our focus will be on
strengthening the company's operations to ensure that our customers continue
to be well served with attractively priced, premium quality products."
"Pace American has a tremendous reputation in the marketplace for premium
quality enclosed cargo and auto trailers," said Peter Y. Lee, Vice President
at Sun Capital Partners. "We view this transaction as an attractive
opportunity to work with the entire Pace American team to build upon the
company's operational capabilities and its relationships with both new and
existing customers and dealers. We look forward to a successful partnership
with the company and upholding the tradition of high quality trailers to our
customers."
Lincoln International LLC served as the Company's financial advisor on the
transaction.
About Pace American
Founded in 1986 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Pace American is a
leading national supplier of enclosed trailers to the U.S. and Canadian
market. The Company operates five manufacturing facilities throughout North
America, located in Georgia, Utah, Texas, Indiana, and Oregon. Pace American
sells its products through a large dealer network and the mass-merchant
channel. Its high quality products serve a wide variety of customers in the
general cargo, motorsports, landscaping, tradesmen, vending, concession, and
global marketing industries.
For more information, please visit www.paceamerican.com.
About Sun Capital Partners, Inc.
Sun Capital Partners, Inc. is a leading private investment firm focused on
leveraged buyouts, equity, debt, and other investments in companies that can
benefit from its in-house operating professionals and experience. Sun
Capital affiliates have invested in more than 225 companies worldwide with
combined sales in excess of $40 billion since Sun Capital's inception in
1995. Sun Capital has offices in Boca Raton, Los Angeles, and New York, as
well as affiliates with offices in London, Paris, Frankfurt, Luxembourg,
Shanghai and Shenzhen. For more information, please visit
www.SunCapPart.com
____________________________________
Collin Canright on the Social Media Club Chicago meeting last Thursday evening, 6/24/2010
Subject: SMC Chicago Report
Date: 6/28/2010 9:50:10 P.M. Central Daylight Time
From: collin@canrightcommunications.com
To: RONALDMAY@aol.com
Ron,
Good to see you more alive and well at Social Media Club Chicago's event
last Thursday than I've seen you in some time. I figured you were more
your old self when you asked me to take notes in one sentence and
insulted me in the next.
I've put together a run down of the quotes and comments that caught my
attention on each speaker, along with a do-it-yourself report for your
readers, which means I've added URLs to the Twitter addresses for each
speaker so people can crowdsource their own report. Lazy journalism, I
know, but a service all the same. . .
Collin
Social Media Club Chicago
[http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=36916001352] program hosted with
the British Council's Transatlantic Network 2020
[http://www.britishcouncil.org/tn2020.htm], a network for action which
brings together incredibly talented, young influencers (roughly 25-35
years of age) from business, civil society, the arts, science and media
to revitalise transatlantic and global links for the future.
Titled "Social Media for Social Good," presenters focused on how social
media, generally seen as a means of individual expression, serves a
social purpose. Each presenter had five minutes, roughly following the
PechaKucha technique of a short presentation with a set number of
slides. See http://www.pecha-kucha.org/ for details on that.
Zadi Diaz
@zadi
New Media Producer, Smashface Productions | Host of Epic Fu, web culture
series
http://epicfu.com/
http://www.zadidiaz.com/
Two people, Zadi and her husband, built an independent show and
community that has reached 35 million viewers. The power of video is
community building. "Looking at a another person in another country
creates intimacy like TV cannot."
Michelle Gallen
@michellegallen
@talkirish
Social entrepreneur from Ireland
http://www.michellegallen.com/
Michelle has an inspiring story she told publicly for the first time
about a brain injury she suffered and how she used the internet to learn
what she needed to over come it. Her talk, "Using geolocation for social
good," was the best of the evening, the most inspiring and with the
strongest point of view:
She wondered why people use geolocation services primarily to promote
restaurants and bars when they can use it to change the world. Rather
than get a badge or a great Starbuck's deal, get 1,000 people in
planting trees in Chicago. "That makes my heart beat faster."
Noel Hidalgo
@noneck
@NYSenateCIO
Director of Technology Innovation, New York State Senate
Noel was my next favorite speaker, with a "power to the people" message
about how the worst state legislature in the country is using social
media to provider greater access to government data. Yes, it the State
of New York, not Illinois.
State governments have huge amounts of data that can tell tremendously
interesting stories--which his why data is often inaccessible. As Noel
put it, "There's so much data out there. You pay for it. It should be
available for your access."
His department is building a drupal-based website with Creative Commons
licensing (states can copyright data to present access, he said). Here's
one of them:
http://www.nysenate.gov/opendata
Chris Johnston
@ChrisJMCE
Account Director, MCE Public Relations
The best thing about this talk, "Doing well, by doing good through
integrated communication," was the term "concept marketing". Marketers
should focus not on products but on concepts, values, and trust.
Influence is better achieved by promoting a cause than a product, and
Chris provided a few case studies. The one from 7UP showed, however,
that no matter what the cause, the end result is still selling sugar (or
sugar free) water.
Raul Ramirez Riba
@raulramirezriba
Independent Film Director and Chief Editor of Mexican emagazine
HartoDel.com
http://wthashtag.com/Internetnecesario
The talk "Internet Necesario (or How to Stop the Mexican Congress by
Using Twitter in Twelve Easy Steps)" was funniest. The initiative used
the Twitter hashtag #InternetNecesario
<http://wthashtag.com/InternetNecesario> to stop the Mexican Congress
from taxing internet access. Here are the 12 steps:
1. Your cause or problem
2. Pick a catchy hashtag and focus on the need, not the problem
3. Angry is good.
4. Boring press releases = ZZZZ. You can combat boring industry
association PR, too.
5. Creative Tweets are better.
6. Mass Media? Sure. Bring them on board.
7. The Mexican New Media Big Guys. Get them on involved as well.
8. Don't stay in the hashtag. Live events are good as well.
9. Get together with the enemy.
10. Make the enemy regret its actions.
11. Faceless movements have benefits. Hashtag worked better than
personalities.
12. Ask for more. . .
Stephanie Schierholz
Social Media Manager at the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration
@schierholz
@NASA
@NASATweetup
buzzroom.nasa.gov
nasa.gov/tweetup
Stephanie described how NASA Communications is using Tweetups as part of
its mission to promote the space service. One attendee flew all the way
from New Zealand for a Tweetup Space Shuttle Launch. Successful live
events give exclusive benefits to attendees--that makes attendees into
ambassadors. No matter what anyone says, space is always cool.
Mark Carter
@mjcarter
Twestival
http://twestival.com/
By this point in the evening, we're way over time, and the presentations
are getting shorter and shorter, along with my attention span. "All
these avatars are real people, and I can really meet them." The
Twestival story is about online to offline, positioned as global
networks meet local communities.
Jenn Sutherland
@jennsutherland
American Cancer Society
http://dogood.chicagotribune.com/nonprofits/American-Cancer-Society,-Chi
cago,-IL-
Jenn is working to bring an old-line charity into the new media age. I
have not followed the Cancer Society at all for years, so what I found
most interesting is its branding: The Cancer Society is the official
sponsor of birthdays, "creating a world with more birthdays." Hard not
to like that.
Sami Ari
@samiari
http://www.samiari.net/
Sami talked about using Twitter to call attention to a cause using the
"flash mob" technique. You can read about that in Wikepedia at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_mob and see Sami's blog post for a
report on the event he helped sponsor in Chicago at
http://www.samiari.net/2010/06/07/using-social-media-for-social-good/.
For a final link, you may want to see an official PechaKucha event.
They're held in Chicago periodically at Martyr's, 3855 N. Lincoln
Avenue, right around the corner from my house. The next event is
September 7: http://www.pecha-kucha.org/night/chicago/.
Collin Canright
Principal
Canright Communications
Subscribe to the Canright Featured Chicago Networking Event of the Week
email at
http://www.canrightcommunications.com/newsletter_signup.php
773 248-8935 (office)
773 426-7000 (mobile)
www.canrightcommunications.com
______________________________________
Bob Ingersoll on another event last Thursday night: Jonathan Alter speaks at Francis Parker School, his alma mater
Subject: Fwd: The Promise: President Obama, Year One by Jonathan Alter
Date: 6/28/2010 5:27:49 P.M. Central Daylight Time
From: bobingersoll@gmail.com
To: RONALDMAY@aol.com
Hi, I enjoyed seeing Jonathan Alter discuss his new book "The Promise" at the Francis Parker school in Chicago last Thursday night. Alter, a senior news analyst from Chicago (a Francis Parker graduate), has produced an even handed view of the Obama administration's first year and a half. He provided a number of personal insights into the goings-on in the White House, including the recent firing of General McChrystal (there was a previous run in last year). Bob
Excerpt from review: "Jonathan Alter has delivered an exceptionally well-written account of President Obama's first year in office. Brimming with fresh and judicious ideas, his book fuses political analysis, subtle insights into the president's mind and policy debates into a fast-paced, crisis-filled story. "The Promise," based on more than 200 interviews with Obama and his close friends and aides, provides an uncommonly candid look inside a somewhat walled-off White House."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/14/AR2010051403640.html
________________________________________
Article on how Chicago is becoming a destination for venture investors
Subject: cb insights on groupon,
Date: 6/28/2010 11:23:02 P.M. Central Daylight Time
From: paul@paulmayassociates.com
To: ronaldmay@aol.com
Ron, did you see this article?
Paul
Paul May & Associates PMA
v 708.479.1111
c 312.925.1294
paul@paulmayassociates.com
http://www.cbinsights.com/blog/venture-capital/can-groupons-momentum-help-turn-chicago-illinois-into-venture-capitals-next-big-destination
_____________________________________
Frank Gruber on Tech Corner last Friday morning at 5:45am on Channel 2
Subject: Re: Frank, I watched Channel 2 from 6am to 7am and No Frank. What happened?
Date: 6/25/2010 7:20:25 A.M. Central Daylight Time
From: frank@techcocktail.com
To: RONALDMAY@aol.com
Hi Ron,
Great to see you last night! Sorry they moved the spot up to 5:45am. Sorry you missed it but thankfully it is already posted online.
Check out the link here to watch it online: http://cbs2chicago.com/video/?id=72361@wbbm.dayport.com
Best,
Frank
On Fri, Jun 25, 2010 at 8:04 AM, <RONALDMAY@aol.com> wrote:
______________________________________
May here. I am sorry I missed it Frank, but I did see the video. Here is a note I sent Frank.
+++++++++++++++++++
Subject: Re: Frank, Vibes & SitterCity -- around 10 yrs. Not start-ups. Good job though.
Date: 6/25/2010 3:38:04 P.M. Central Daylight Time
From: frank@techcocktail.com
To: RONALDMAY@aol.com
Oh and Vibes took $15M a little while back and recently acquired Zeep Mobile a startup that offers free APIs for SMS which is a pretty sweet so I had them on the up and comer list of that bit alone. :)
On Fri, Jun 25, 2010 at 4:36 PM, Frank Gruber <frank@techcocktail.com> wrote:
thanks Ron!
i know they have been around awhile now but so has threadless and 37signals. i gave them a list of 3 fresh startups, 3 startups to watch and 3 that have been around a bit and have been doing good biz (grubhub and sittercity were part of that last 3).
best,
Frank
On Fri, Jun 25, 2010 at 4:33 PM, <RONALDMAY@aol.com> wrote:
http://cbs2chicago.com/video/?id=72361@wbbm.dayport.com
--
Frank J. Gruber V
Founder | TECH cocktail & Shiny Heart Ventures
@frankgruber | frankgruber.me
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
May again. And I did send this note to Channel 2, but naturally never heard back.
+++++++++++++++++++++++
Your program featuring Frank Gruber of Tech Cocktail at 5:45am today, Friday, June 25th, had some errors and misinformation that should be corrected. First, Sitter City is not a start-up, even if it does sound nice. That firm has been around for ten years. So has Vibes Media which has been around about ten years, but both were listed as start-ups on your program. There are a few other incorrect characterizations in the interview that I would be happy to list for you in a call. I can be reached at 773-525-3944.
+++++++++++++++++++++++
May again. Who else from the tech community has appeared on the segment, Tech Corner at 5:45am on Channel 2?
______________________________________
Lyn Williams: mysoiree.net
From: Lyn Williams lyn@mysoiree.net
Subject: Chicago to San Francisco
Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2010 16:30:25 -0400
To: ron@themayreport.com
Hi Ron,
I'm here on the west coast in San Francisco, and was introduced to you through David Naylor. I am the founder of the online art gallery and art event promotion company, http://Mysoiree.net. We are revolutionizing how people buy art, and perceive artists, and the Chicago tech firm, Dreamco design has been instrumental in making it happen. In addition I have a virtual office in Chicago, with 3 Chicago employees.
We're a small start up with big dreams and currently touring the country on the 2010 North American Mysoiree.net Art Tour. We will be in Chicago on July 27th at Reggie's Rock Club, http://www.facebook.com/Mysoiree.net?v=app_2344061033#!/event.php?eid=128961177132344&index=1. I would like to share with you the story of how we came to be, such as how I, an automotive engineer was able to transform my life from a pigeon holed job in automotive engineering working for Delphi in Youngstown, OH to the founder and CEO of the online art gallery Mysoiree.net in San Francisco, CA that now has artists from all over the world showing and selling their art work, embrarked on a 12 city tour about the US, and am in the midst of pitching our TV show "Art Rocks", that will chronicle next years global Art tour.
I'll give you a call just to introduce myself, and you can always find me on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Mysoiree.net. If you would like to do a phone interview I really would love to share the story and how helpful the good people of Chicago have been to make it a reality.
Sincerely,
Lyn E. Williams
CEO
Soirée International Inc.
2010 North American Mysoiree Art Tour
Chicago, IL July 27th http://mysoireechicago.eventbrite.com/
San Francisco, CA
http://MySoiree.net
tw: @Mysoireenet
330-831-9593
____________________________________
Some background on n2, a social recommendation engine firm that had a table at TC Mobile last Thursday
Subject: n2 promotional/descriptive text
Date: 6/25/2010 2:25:06 P.M. Central Daylight Time
From: jnathanson2010@kellogg.northwestern.edu
To: ronaldmay@aol.com
Hey Ron,
Was just out on a grocery run when you called, but I got your voicemail. It was great talking to you last night, and I've pasted below the text from the handout. Please let me know if you need any additional information, or if you'd like to interview or speak with us in person again. We'd be more than happy to meet up and chat at any time.
Best,
Jon
-----TEXT BELOW-----
There's a traffic jam on the social highway.
As social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn continue to grow in scale and complexity, they generate a great deal of noise on the social web. Simply put: it's getting harder to keep track of everything and everyone. We're overloaded with data, with feeds, with friends, and with content. We're spamming each other with links, forwards, videos, questions, tweets, check-ins, and status updates. And we don't know whom to turn to for what. It's a mess.
Let's stop getting bigger and start getting smarter.
n2 is a social recommendation engine. Our algorithm connects the user to the right friends for any given situation. Have a question and want to know whom to ask? n2 can help. Find some cool content online, and want to spam all your friends with it? Don't. Use n2, and send it to the people who are most likely to enjoy it (while maintaining the sanity and privacy of those who aren't likely to care). Find a cool item in a store or on a site, and thinking about buying it? Use n2 to get instant and meaningful feedback from the friends in your network who know what's up, and whose opinions you are likely to trust over those of anonymous reviewers. Save time, energy, and search costs.
n2 is the opposite of the traditional shotgun approach to sharing and querying. n2 users don't broadcast everything they do to everyone they know. They "smartcast" to the friends who want to know. Meanwhile, content and commerce partners gain interested traffic to their sites: not just eyeballs, but people who are likely to engage with the content being shared. They don't just get page views; they get serious leads and potential conversions.
How does it work?
n2 will be a distributed ecosystem: a suite of tools, all powered by a social-matching algorithm. The mobile app will focus on social queries while on the go: sharing photos, seeking recommendations, and looking for rapid-fire feedback. The web widget, which can be embedded on content and e-commerce sites, will let users query their friends (i.e., "Are you n2 this?") or share content ("Check this out."). Finally, a web app will let users manage friends and groups.
Who are we?
Jon Nathanson (Founder) is an analytical linguistics specialist who, as an English major at Yale, developed a contextual mapping tool to parse anonymous or unattributed manuscripts and match them to their likely authors. He is a recent graduate from the Kellogg School of Management with a six-year career in digital media at Apple, NBC, and Fox.
Chad Smith (Co-Founder) grew up on a farm in Iowa, used his first computer at age 18, and by 21, was working on mission dynamics and astrodynamics algorithms for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Chad recently added MBA and Masters of Engineering Management degrees from Kellogg to his B.S. and M.S.E. in Aerospace Engineering.
Robert Guoyi Han (Co-Founder) is a Master's student in EECS at Northwestern University's McCormick School of Engineering, with research specialties in the fields of data mining, algorithm design, data structures management, and software development. He is the architect of n2's recommendation matching algorithm and software platform.
Chris Durand (Co-Founder) is a Kellogg graduate with over seven years of operational management experience as a VP of Technology at Game Trust, a successful startup in New York that was acquired by RealNetworks. He specializes in software development, relational database architecture, product management, and startup growth/operations.
Contact: Jon Nathanson | jnathanson2010@kellogg.northwestern.edu | 310.779.1599
Investors: Please contact Jon for further information or to arrange a meeting with the team.
Talent: We're hiring developers, particularly Facebook and Twitter API specialists who understand the latest APIs and can hit the ground running.
______________
Jon Nathanson
Kellogg School of Management | Northwestern University
Class of 2010
jnathanson2010@kellogg.northwestern.edu
Mobile: (310) 779 1599
_______________________________________
The seven companies that presented at TBIF Mobile Soapbox on Monday, June 21st
Agenda for the Meeting on February 21 [sic: June 21], 2010
Sponsored by the Illinois Technology Association
Mobile Soapbox
Tech Nexus, 200 S. Wacker, 15th Floor, Chicago
6:00pm-6:30pm: Open Networking
6:30pm-8:00pm: Soapbox Presentations
8:00pm-9:00pm: Open Networking
Soapbox Format (10-15 Minutes for Each Presenter)
• 5 Minutes: Articulation of pain/problem, concept and/or the business model, milestones trying to achieve, obstacles
trying to overcome, and needs to achieve objectives
• 5-10 Minutes: Comments, feedback, and questions and answers from expert panel
Presenters
Entrepreneur: Phil Leslie
Venture: ProOnGo
Website: www.proongo.com
Contact: phillip@proongo.com
Description: ProOnGo brings expense tracking to the palm of your hand.
Entrepreneur: Nancy Munro
Venture: Mobi-RolePlay
Website: N/A
Contact: nancy@knowledgeshift.net
Description: Mobi-RolePlay takes key HR issues like sales training and customer service and speech therapy
applications and puts them in the palm of your hand.
Entrepreneur: Kent Mages
Venture: MoBeePay
Website: www.mobeepay.com
Contact: kent.mages@mobeepay.com
Description: MoBeePay turns mobile devices into payment acceptance devices as well as e-wallets while using web
2.0 technologies to bridge the gap between the e-commerce and the brick and mortar world.
Entrepreneur: Santanu Gupta
Venture: TeleCascade
Website: www.telecascade.com
Contact: santanu@telecascade.com
Description: TeleCascade provides a platform that allows marketers to execute mobile campaigns by seamlessly
managing content distribution for mobile pages, images, audio and video.
Entrepreneur: Joe Sprovieri
Venture: ReadyPing
Website: www.readyping.com
Contact: joe@readyping.com
Description: ReadyPing is a provider of wait list management and text message paging solutions the helps restaurants
and other businesses manage their waiting customers more efficiently than existing alerting approaches.
Entrepreneur: Lawrence Griffith
Venture: Samplesaint
Website: www.samplesaint.com
Contact: lgriffith@samplesaint.com
Description: Samplesaint is an interactive mobile media company that provides consumer packaged goods companies
and retailers with a mobile and internet platform for delivering their coupon offers and multimedia
messages to the consumer.
Entrepreneur: Ray Reinhardt
Venture: Cuddlevision
Website: www.cuddlephish.com
Contact: raymond.reinhardt@gmail.com
Description: Cuddlevision is a peripheral camera implementation for the Apple iPad as well as other Apple devices.
Expert Panel
• Andrew Bezaitis, SVP Product Management, Aspect
• Mil Ovan, Board Member TBIF, Serial Entrepreneur- Mobile / Green Energy
• Bruce Simpson, Former President, Novarra
• Steve Subar, President, CEO, Open Kernel Labs
Audience Participation
To provide live feedback for each presenter, please go to www.thebigideaforum.org/surveys.
Participating Sponsors
Illinois Technology Association
Illinois Institute of Technology / Jules E. Knapp Entrepreneurship Center
CompTIA / softwareCEO.com
Wexford Science &Technology
Contact Information
For additional information, visit our Website at www.bigideaforum.org or contact our President Jed Abernethy at jedabernethy@comcast.net.
________________________________________
Tuesday, July 6: BNC Capital Group
From: "Len Bland" len_bland@conceptequity.com
Subject: BNC VC Group 7/6 5:00 PM at LLB&L
Date: Sun, 27 Jun 2010 21:06:22 -0500
To: "'The May Report'" ron@themayreport.com
Click here to see web version of this notice http://conceptequity.com/BNCVCGroup.htm
BNC Venture Capital Group
Sign up here: http://tinyurl.com/bncvc0706
Tuesday 7/6/2010, 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM 111 S. Wacker Drive, 41st Floor
Please do not arrive before 5:00 PM.
The BNC Venture Capital Group introduces exciting investment opportunities to professional investors (angels, early stage venture capitalists, and private equity firms seeking add-ons) and fosters the growth of entrepreneurial activity.
Len Bland, CEO of Concept Equity www.conceptequity.com, and David Carman, CEO of Business Network Chicago www.bnchicago.org, lead the BNC Venture Capital Group.
We will review three entrepreneurial opportunities. Each presentation lasts 10 minutes, followed by a 15 minute Q&A.
Effective presentations answer 4 questions:
·What is the product or service?
-Why will customers buy it?
·Why is this management team the best one to run the business?
·How will the investor make money?
5:00 PM - Networking
5:30 PM - Introductions
5:45 PM - Presenter
6:15 PM - Presenter
6:45 PM - Break
7:00 PM - Presenter
7:30 PM - Results
Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell http://www.lockelord.com/
111 South Wacker Drive, 41st Floor
Chicago, Illinois 60606
Sign up at http://tinyurl.com/bncvc0706 - Event cost $25
Evening Meeting includes food and beverages
Call Len Bland at 847-317-0656 or write len_bland@conceptequity.com with questions or if you have any difficulty registering. Other investors welcome.
If you have a scheduling conflict, please join us for the next meeting set for 8/3/2010.
DISCLAIMER: Neither the BNC Venture Capital Group, Concept Equity Group, Inc. (together with BNC Venture Capital Group, the "Sponsor") nor the host for this event, Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell LLP ("LLBL"), has verified, approved or endorsed any materials or information provided (whether in writing or orally) by the presenters, audience or other participants at this event . UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHALL SPONSOR OR LLBL BE RESPONSIBLE IN ANY MANNER FOR, AND EACH OF SPONSOR AND LLBL DISCLAIMS ALL LIABILITY WHATSOEVER IN RELATION TO, ANY MATERIALS OR INFORMATION PROVIDED BY, OR THE CONDUCT OF, THE PRESENTERS, AUDIENCE OR PARTICIPANTS AT THIS EVENT OR ANY OTHER THIRD PARTIES (INCLUDING, FOR EACH OF SPONSOR AND LLBL, ANY MATERIALS OR INFORMATION PROVIDED BY, OR THE CONDUCT OF, THE OTHER). In addition, any written materials provided by LLBL, and any presentations made generally to the participants at this event by LLBL, are solely for informational purposes and are not intended to constitute legal advice or to create an attorney-client relationship.
Regards,
Len Bland, CPA
CEO
www.conceptequity.com
Office/Cell: 847-317-0656
Fax: 847-919-4396
Next BNC Venture Capital Group Meeting
Join BNC Venture Capital Group notification list
BNC Investors Meeting
Current investment opportunities
Concept Equity Blog
______________________________________
Notes from Dan Malven, Darrell Dvorak, Charles Stack
+++++++++++++++++++++
From: Dan Malven dan.malven@analytemedia.com
Subject: Entering the slippery slope
Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2010 14:11:16 -0500
To: Ron May ron@themayreport.com
Ron:
I really don't appreciate late night calls, but I guess it's keeping in your character. Now that I know your phone number I'm not going to answer your calls in the middle of the night anymore.
Engaging in a conversation with you is a very slippery slope. Even though I've never done it, I imagine it's like giving an interview to the National Enquirer....no matter what you say it's going to be twisted into something sensationalistic. But here goes anyway....
1. www.stdexpress.com is not a site that our company owns and nor do I have any involvement in that domain whatsoever. We do own many domains in the same category, but that's not one of them.
2. You claimed to understand my point last night about VC legal due diligence, yet you chose to twist it anyway to make a negative sound bite anyway. I did not make a tautological statement. I made the statement that passing VC legal due diligence is a strong data point that everything we are doing is clean from a legal and regulatory perspective. I didn't make any claim about how receiving VC funding endorses the value of the business (although others would make that claim) and nor did I state that passing VC legal due diligence is an absolute, binary measure. It's just a data point.
3. The comment you pulled up from 2004 about me was again taken out of context, and you chose to make a sensationalist sound bite out of it. At the time I was not writing "VC fund sized" checks, but I was writing angel-sized checks. And I was engaging heavily with a few different companies. My track record as both a professional VC and a full-time angel investor is listed on the About page of my blog, and I'll put it up against anybody, especially given that the time period those returns were generated in was some of the worst-performing vintages in the history of the venture capital industry. My blog is www.startupconversations.com. So if you think that a former professional VC whose portfolio was easily in the top decile of the entire industry, who moves back to Chicago to step up and make angel investments that on average helped companies grow enough such that those investments returned greater than 10X "sums up what is wrong with Chicago", then I guess I'm at a loss for what you think would be "right" for Chicago. And no, even if you badger me about it, I will not give you any more detailed breakdown of my investments or portfolio as a professional VC or full-time angel investor than what is on my blog. That is why I have it up there, to be the single source of information.
4. I wrote a post on my blog about the financial TV news shows that also sums up your newsletters place in the industry ecosystem. You are not a purveyor of "truth" as you tried to tell me last night. You are like the National Enquirer. Your job is to generate an audience to sell advertising against. And sensationalism sells, so you "sex it up" all you can. I don't hold it against you, until you cross the line and damage people's reputations, which you just tried to do with mine. At the very least own up to the fact that your newsletter is all about pushing out sensationalist stories to generate an audience. Read the post at http://bit.ly/9ywoAJ and you'll see what I'm talking about.
--
Dan Malven
Analyte Media | CEO
312.925.0918
__________________________________________
Ron May here. Dan, you are right. I did get the URL for your firm wrong and I realized it shortly after sending the report. I am puzzled by the fact that you did not just give the right URL. It is www.stdtestexpress.com. I left out the word test.
Dan Malven called me Monday morning and we will finish our conversation today, but he did give me contact information for a former employee, Julie Springer.
The one thing I said to Dan with respect to his blog post http://bit.ly/9ywoAJ is that advertising is not so much the issue as is the desire of CNBC to sell stock. The advertising argument could apply to lots of things including any newspaper, or even politicians who take X or Y position because of monies contributed by companies or voters.
As I see it, TMR can report good news or bad news and still have readers, but CNBC's very reason for existence is to encourage people to buy equities (or commodities, but to a lesser degree), no matter what the market conditions. How long would they last if they told people to get out of the market and just park their cash on the side? Any big drop in the market is always met with the response: Where are the stock investing opportunities now?
___________________________________
From: Darrell Dvorak d5547k@yahoo.com
Subject: Re: The May Report: 6/23/2010: After several yrs of regrouping mode, the PR offensive for venture capital -- and Eric Lefkofsky -- seems to be in full swing with The Trib and Crain's stories touting the "surge" of VC investing in Chicago when we all know the tiny percentage of firms that are even considered for it; Firefly Energy filed Chapter 7 and the IP will be auctioned off this summer
Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2010 15:09:27 -0700 (PDT)
To: The May Report ron@themayreport.com
Mr. May,
I know you're not stupid, but I assumed you had a discriminating intellect. Yet you remain a cheerleader for any faux IL government subsidies for programs that will supposedly help IL entrepreneurs. Do you not realize that IL is BANKRUPT (#1 among the states, with CA #2) and that any biz initiative that depends on IL govt subsidies is likely suspect at best? It's far past the time that you started to point out the obvious, if only to retain your integrity. Your fiend will object, but it's the major story about which you should be enlightening your readers, who have the right to expect your best.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Subject: Re: Darrell, what government subsidies am I advocating? I am confused.
Date: 6/24/2010 9:05:05 A.M. Central Daylight Time
From: d5547k@yahoo.com
To: RONALDMAY@aol.com
I said you're a cheerleader, never a critic. I no longer read every mail you send, but there are several easy to find & recent examples. Most recently you failed to criticize the funding of Firefly by two IL cities, who have no business doing such crap. And then there's this, which actually prompted my email:
The May Report: 6/1/2010: Three cheers for David Miller and the IL State Legislature: At long last, a bill providing angel tax credits for life science investments and it is still a good thing even if we are playing catch up;
If you're really a fan of Friedman as you claim, you'd readily know that tax credits are just another form of subsidy - again, why the hell is IL getting involved in this?
--- On Wed, 6/23/10, RONALDMAY@aol.com <RONALDMAY@aol.com> wrote:
From: RONALDMAY@aol.com <RONALDMAY@aol.com>
Subject: Darrell, what government subsidies am I advocating? I am confused.
To: d5547k@yahoo.com
Date: Wednesday, June 23, 2010, 4:04 PM
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: Darrell Dvorak <d5547k@yahoo.com>
Subject: for your (economically ignorant) Krugman sycophant
Date: Sun, 27 Jun 2010 14:02:26 -0700 (PDT)
To: Ron May <ron@themayreport.com>
http://reason.com/blog/2010/06/24/paul-krugman-now-laughingstock
______________________________________
Subject: Thanks for the ad, Ron!
Date: 6/27/2010 10:38:38 P.M. Central Daylight Time
From: cstack@2ci.com
To: ronaldmay@aol.com
LinkedIn
Charles Stack, M.P.H. has sent you a message.
Date: 6/27/2010
Subject: Thanks for the ad, Ron!
Your summary says: "Ron is a combination of watch dog, pot-stirrer, investigator, rumor monger, personality in his own right."
HAH! You ain't kidding!! Be sure to watch for some interesting news from Constant Compliance in coming weeks/months, okay? Best, Chuck Stack, MPH
____________________________________
Wednesday, June 30: EDC Luncheon: Challenges and Opportunities for Business and Economic Growth in the Midwest: Richard (Rick) Stephens, Senior Vice President, Human Resources and Administration, The Boeing Company
From: "EDC Chicago" edcchicago@ameritech.net
Subject: June 30th EDC Luncheon
Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2010 13:00:50 -0500
To: "EDC Chicago" <edcchicago@ameritech.net>
June 30, 2010 Monthly Luncheon
Challenges and Opportunities for Business
and Economic Growth in the Midwest
Richard (Rick) Stephens
Senior Vice President, Human Resources and Administration
The Boeing Company
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
The Tower Club
20 North Wacker Drive, 39th Floor
Chicago, Illinois
***If you have not already done so, make your reservation soon.
We have already received a large number of reservations.
It is simple to do - reply to this email, call our office or prepay online via our website:
Click here to prepay online for the June 30, 2010 luncheon.
Rick Stephens, a 30-year veteran at Boeing, is Senior Vice President and a member of the Boeing Executive Committee. In this position since 2005, he oversees all leadership development, training, employee relations, compensation, benefits, Global Corporate Citizenship, and diversity initiatives at Boeing. The Chicago-based Fortune®50 company had revenues of $60.9 billion in 2008 and worldwide employs 159,000 people.
Historically, the Midwest's powerful industrial engine produced a regional economy with great resources and strengths. The region has substantial scientific, research and engineering assets, including many of the leading research universities and institutions, which produce a highly skilled workforce and innovative ideas. However, despite the large population, GDP, and numbers of science, engineering and health graduate students, the region has not been able to realize the economic value of those assets. In particular, the region lags in the creation of high-growth technology-based businesses and high-value jobs.
Rick will provide his perspective on the challenges and opportunities for business and economic growth in the Midwest and the role of the Global Midwest Alliance in facilitating collaboration among key stakeholders to provide access to global business opportunities and to commercialize of technology from these existing world class resources.
Rick is uniquely qualified with corporate experience with one of the largest private workforces in the country and his leadership of a major Midwest technology-based firm. He is active in a number of civic, educational and charitable activities including the Illinois Business Roundtable which he currently Chairs. For the Economic Development Council, Rick chaired the 2008 and 2009 Midwest Clean Tech Conferences and is Chair of Global Midwest Alliance, a unique regional business-led economic development group.
The luncheon is at noon at the Tower Club, 39th floor, 20 North Wacker Drive, Chicago. The cost of the lunch and program is $40 for EDC members and $65 for non-members. There is no charge for EDC Corporate and Sustaining Members.
Reservations are mandatory. Reply to this email to make your reservation, call our office or prepay online via our website.
Click here to prepay online for the June 30, 2010 luncheon.
______________________________________
END OF REPORT |
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