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| | The May Report: 02/18/2008: ThePoint.com gets $4.8MM Series A funding, and TMR corrects misinformation in TechCrunch; NSN acquires Apertio; the mgt. team at Signature Days; crowdSPRING founders...
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| | February 18, 2008
The May Report: 02/18/2008: ThePoint.com gets $4.8MM Series A funding, and TMR corrects misinformation in TechCrunch; NSN acquires Apertio; the mgt. team at Signature Days; crowdSPRING founders...
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
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Addicted to entrepreneurship: inside the minds of start-up junkies
Presented by the Coleman Entrepreneurship Center at DePaul University
Thursday, February 21, 2008
8:00 – 11:00 am
DePaul Center, 1 E. Jackson, Room 8012
$35 Registration Fee until 2/18; $45 thereafter
Register at http://cec.depaul.edu/calendar/2008/02/addicted_to_ent.php.
Why do some entrepreneurs, after having lived the highs and lows, uncertainty, and sleepless nights of business ownership, do it again? Why do other entrepreneurs start another business after having failed miserably? Moreover, why do even other entrepreneurs continue to launch companies after successfully harvesting one, earning them the financial independence that many people dream of? At this panel discussion, we will explore these questions with a panel of serial entrepreneurs who are "addicted to entrepreneurship".
PANELISTS
Jim Deters - Co-founder and President of Ascendant Technology, an Austin, Texas-based technology firm that was ranked #13 on the 2007 Inc. 500 Fastest Growing Private Companies in America. He is a serial entrepreneur who has spent the last decade building organizations that deliver elegant web applications with IBM technology. Prior to Ascendant Technology, he founded Portal Interactive, Inc., and subsequently CONET’s U.S. division. Jim earned his bachelor’s degree from DePaul University.
Dave Dingott - President & Founder of Sword Diagnostics, and is a Fortune-100 trained business leader with 25 years experience identifying, creating and leading business opportunities from concept to market. He was president and co-founder of award winning OpenReach (now part of Corentè) named to Fortune Magazine’s 2001 "Top 100 New Companies to Watch" list. Dave received his master’s in engineering from Columbia University, and bachelor’s in engineering and computer science from Polytechnic Institute of New York.
David Gamperl - entrepreneur, real estate developer, and investor who has launched, acquired or invested in numerous ventures. He is a founding partner of Blueleaf Lending, a lending institution for residential construction and development, and previously founded M37, LLC, a marketing firm. He began his entrepreneurial career when he launched and was President of America’s Finest Pasta Sauces, a company he subsequently sold. Soon after, David and a business partner purchased Top Shelf Logistics, a distribution firm which delivered consumer products from major manufacturers to major Chicago-area retailers.
Keith Schacht - Founder of Chicago-based 42 Friends LLC, the company behind leading Facebook applications such as Growing Gifts and Hatching Eggs. Prior to 42 Friends, Schacht co-founded and sold two technology companies. In 2005, BusinessWeek named him one of the top 20 entrepreneurs under 25. He has been featured in Fortune, Forbes, BusinessWeek, and Business 2.0 and served the world’s top consumer product companies including Nike, Proctor & Gamble, Motorola, BMW, Kraft, and many others. Schacht attended University of Illinois where he studied computer science and psychology.
Register at http://cec.depaul.edu/calendar/2008/02/addicted_to_ent.php.
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http://www.midphase.com/
midPhase is always looking to add to its talented staff. You can find a jobs link on midPhase.com and apply right over the website
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Scoop section:
-- Briefly noted, by Ron May
-- Layton Olson: Broadband Consumer Demand Calendar Feb-Oct 2008
-- New Enterprise Associates invests $4.8M in Chicago tech firm, thepoint.com
-- TechCrunch: The Point Organizes a $4.8 Million Series A For Itself
-- Kevin Leong: Chicago GSB TechVision 2008 Conference Details
-- NSN acquires Apertio
-- Jacob Cynamon: Networking event at Reza's on Tuesday, Feb. 19th and if you want to get in free, you have to register today, Monday, the 18th
-- Samsung Not Eyeing Motorola Mobile Ops
-- Spooz, Inc. To Acquire Unwin Technology Ltd
-- Chris Brandt has left Interpublic and gone to Trustwave
-- Ira Bodenstein, the receiver for Efoora
-- The Signature Days management team and advisory board
-- Cards that Ron collected at the 1/24/08 Silicon Prairie Social event and at the 2/12/08 MIT-EF event
1. READERS' COMMENTS AND RESPONSES
1a. Layton Olson: Historical trivia questions
1b. Philip Dziki: Correspondence with Ron on Grosky sentencing
1c. Mari Franklin: Why she missed MIT-EF meeting
2. Events:
2a. Upcoming EDC events
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________________________________
The Scoop section:
__________________________
Briefly noted, by Ron May
* This has to be really fast.
I got very excited over the weekend when I discovered somewhat by accident that Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin were born on exactly the same day, Feb. 12, 1809!! There is much that could be said about that. Layton Olson had mentioned to me that 2009 is the Darwin bi-centennial but I had no idea it was the same day! Read Layton's letter to me in the "Readers' Comments" section in this report with more historical trivia of interest.
Something happened yesterday that one might call a Eureka moment for me. It could end up becoming a pivotal point in my life and I won't say more today than this teaser: Pasedena, here I come. I love those moments when you get really excited and motivated and yesterday I was a bit manic about the idea. I know it would take a lot of work and the overcoming of many obstacles, but it may be the path to my future -- and no, this report is not a part of that equation. I have to fulfill my so-called destiny and "go home" to my roots. I'll tell you more tomorrow.
I watched the movie over the weekend, "Absence of Malice" with Paul Newman and Sally Field. Sally's editor in the movie says that he loves the newspaper biz because "Mondays are always different from Tuesdays; and You don't have to lie a lot; and Once in a while you catch the bad guy."
He added that "I know how to print the truth and I know how not to hurt people but I don't know how to do both at the same time."
This is going to be a busy week. By my current calculations, between five and seven events for me. More on that tomorrow.
* Eleven things:
1. Correction: In the Feb. 14th report with the Valenswine's Day awards, I said that Eric Antonow had started www.freshwaterventures.com. The correct URL is actually www.freshwaterventure.com without the "s." Also, Keith Schacht had a major role to play in the creation of that now-defunct site, defunct in the sense that it is not being updated.
2. Correction: In the report on Friday, Feb. 15th, I wrote that "He was telling me about something called link farms which is not passe or out of vogue since Google clamped down on it last September."
That should have been "which is now passe or out of vogue..."
Apparently, Google changed its policies.
3. An hour ago, about 2:50pm, Jason Rexilius told me that he is really close to finalizing the angel funding deal for $500K or $600K that I have been writing about. "The wire transfer instructions have been sent," he said and he expects the deal to be finalized, as in money in hand, in the next day or two.
4. My information is that www.21stcenturycampaigns.com is in a quiet period. Now I don't know if that is an official quiet period or just a "below the radar" period. But keep an eye on this firm. It is run by Steve Denari. I saw Steve at the Charity Poker event sponsored by the CEC on July 19th.
5. The management team of Signature Days ( www.signaturedays.com) cleverly (or inadvertently) disabled the link to the page on their website that describes the team. Are they hiding out? Who knows.
But never fear! The May Report has retrieved the information and I have printed it in the "Scoop section" in this report. Now, the reason for all the focus on this is that there are rumors of unethical behavior on the part of Signature Days. I would like to have more hardcore information but the fact that this page has effectively been hidden from view tells us that when there is smoke there may be fire. Recall that the rumor is that they are not honoring gift cards because they already spent the money they collected. Serious charges if true but I don't know if they are true. Does anyone?
6. Two founders of www.crowdspring.com will be at Tech Cocktail on Thursday. They are Pete Burgeson and Ross Kimbarovsky. Ross was a partner at Ungaretti and Harris, a prominent law firm. Ross Kimbarovsky has left Ungaretti and Harris but that is not reflected on LinkedIn. The site is not up yet, still under construction, but my info. is that they have created a lot of buzz about it.
+++++++++++++++++++++++
Pete Burgeson
Director of Marketing at crowdSPRING
Consumer Services Relationship:
Recommendations: 1
Connections: 75
Current: Director of Marketing at crowdSPRING
Past: 1-800-GOT-JUNK?; (b)side Inc.; Leo Burnett USA
Keywords: Director of Marketing at crowdSPRING ... Director, Marketing at 1-800-GOT-JUNK? ... Founder at (b)side Inc. ... Account Executive at Leo Burnett USA ...
++++++++++++++++++
Ross Kimbarovsky View Profile
Partner at Ungaretti & Harris LLP
Greater Chicago Area
Industry:
Law Practice Relationship:
Recommendations: 0
Connections: 0
Current: Partner at Ungaretti & Harris LLP
Keywords: Partner at Ungaretti & Harris LLP ... University of Illinois College of Law
7. The $4.8MM in Series A funding for www.thepoint.com which is covered in the Scoop section in this report is deserving of congratulations. Good job, Andrew Mason! Of course, we all know that this is really the handiwork of Brad Keywell.
But I have to say, the comments on Tech Crunch reflect some suspicions about the need for $4.8MM for a plain old website play. I have printed them in the scoop section in this report as well. I also have to say that the reason NEA is funding them probably has more to do with Brad Keywell and his connections to NEA. It is also interesting to note that this funding comes out of the Baltimore office of NEA and not the California office. I wonder if the $10MM that Keywell got from NEA for Media Bank, one of four firms that Keywell is involved in, also came from the Baltimore office.
The Keywell/Lefkofsky empires consists of:
http://www.thepoint.com
http://www.iwprint.com/ for Innerworkings, Inc.
http://www.echo.com/ for www.echo.com
http://www.mbxg.com/ for Media Bank, LLC
But I did have a question for Andrew and I sent him a note late this afternoon. That is: At the Tech Cocktail on November 15th when we met, you told me that your angel funding from Brad and Eric Lefkofsky and others totaled $1MM for the year. So, how did your angel funding go from $1MM on November 15th to $2.5MM in angel funding by December 31st as reported in Tech Crunch? Was there another round of angel funding in that six week period for $1.5MM?
This question dovetails with the questions that the readers of Tech Crunch are asking in that they are wondering why $4.8MM was needed for this round.
I think it is fair to say that the $4.8MM may have less to do with the merits of the idea behind thepoint.com than it does with the connections and the history of Brad Keywell and associates. In other words, the money is really a reflection of the clout of the players and less about the validity of the website and business idea.
Andrew did not just tell me the $1MM figure; he told others the same thing as well. Interestingly, the firm never put out a press release stating it on the record.
I am also intrigued that Aza Raskin took it upon himself to post two comments on the Tech Crunch blog about your video and funding. Aza, I guess that job at Mozilla must not be keeping you busy enough.
Well, I sent a note to Andrew and he responded quite promptly which I greatly appreciate. That way, we are not creating a problem that does not exist. The answer to the question is that they had commitments for $2.5MM from the angels, but.... well, you read his response directly.
+++++++++++++++++++++
Subject: Re: Andrew, a quick question.
Date: 2/18/2008 4:10:19 P.M. Central Standard Time
From: andrew@thepoint.com
To: RONALDMAY@aol.com
Hey Ron -- thanks!
Our angels committed up to $2.5MM, but only funded $1MM initially. We didn't end up taking the additional $1.5MM because NEA stepped in with a higher valuation.
See you at TechCocktail on Thursday,
Andrew
On Feb 18, 2008, at 3:33 PM, RONALDMAY@aol.com wrote:
Feb. 18, 2008
Andrew,
How's it going?
First of all, congratulations on your Series A funding round for a handsome $4.8MM!
We have had a good relationship until now and I would like to keep that open communication going. But I must ask you: How did you go from having gotten $1MM in angel funding prior to November 15th to having gotten $2.5MM by the end of December?
Tech Crunch from Feb. 12th says that you got $2.5MM last year. We spoke on November 15th and then it was $1MM.
I am just curious how I can square the discrepancy in the numbers.
Ron
--
The Point
600 W Chicago Ave
Suite 830
Chicago, IL 60610
Email: andrew@thepoint.com
Office: 312.676.5775
Mobile: 773.865.8653
Fax: 312.676.2728
AIM: picnichouse
Web: http://www.thepoint.com
Blog: http://blog.thepoint.com
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
May again. So, this confirms that the info. on the Tech Crunch site is wrong. The article in Tech Crunch written by Erick Schonfeld says that thepoint.com has now raised $7.3MM, adding the $2.5MM and the $4.8MM.
That raises the question: Was the entire $4.8MM given all at once to the people at www.thepoint.com?? It could just be a commitment for $4.8MM with some strings attached. And it could be that anyone who is trying to figure the valuation has to figure in the fact that the $1.5MM angel traunch was never used.
I also find it interesting that Brad Keywell was one of the angels and he is one of the beneficiaries of their getting the higher valuation from NEA. So, behind the scenes, he was probably pushing for taking more money from NEA and forgoing the angel money. Brad just cleverly shifted the burden from himself and his angel buddies to NEA.
8. Efoora. The receiver is a local attorney named Ira Bodenstein at Shaw Gussis. I have included info. on him in the Scoop section in this report. Several people have asked me for details, among them Al Soboj, on what the other shoe is that will drop. Three things: 1. These questions are not as innocent as they may seem. Folks like Al are tied to groups of investors that may be named in indictments or civil suits; 2. The criminal and civil cases follow parallel paths but there are cross-currents. One thing that I am puzzled about is whether property recovered in a civil case will be distributed to all investors alike or just to the plaintiffs in the civil case.; 3. How much power does the receiver have? Can the receiver unilaterally decide that the offer of $100K for all the outstanding IP should be accepted? This leaves open the possibility that a cabal of Efoora folks can resurrect the firm by buying the IP and there would be no return to the 5,000 investors. That would be a travesty of justice.
9. A company called www.DexKnows.com has been running a lot of ads on TV lately. They are out of North Carolina and here is their WhoIs info.
www.dexknows.com registration.
Registrant:
R.H. Donnellley
6001 Hospitality Court
Morrisville, nc 27560
US
Registrar: DOTSTER
Domain Name: DEXKNOWS.COM
Created on: 14-DEC-03
Expires on: 14-DEC-12
Last Updated on: 12-FEB-08
Administrative Contact:
Wieland, Steve stephen.wieland@rhd.com
R.H. Donnellley
6001 Hospitality Court
Morrisville, nc 27560
US
919 461-9114
Technical Contact:
Haddix, Brock brock.haddix@rhd.com
RH Donnelley Inc.
6001 Hospitality Court
morrisville, nc 27560
US
919 461-1883
Domain servers in listed order:
NS.RHDONNELLEY.COM
NS1.RHDONNELLEY.COM
DEXNS01.DEXMEDIA.COM
10. Salare Security has not announced any products yet which would seem to indicate that they are running behind schedule. My info. is that they will have a better fix on it by the first week of March. CEO Paul Sand is not making any on the record statements.
11. Watch for a new real estate site with the name "property" as part of the URL preceded by a personal pronoun. The person behind it is also the founder of a site you may have heard of whose name is the opposite of "solid" combined with a word often used along with Pepsi in ads of old. The company has rented 2k sf in the west loop and is building out its space as it finishes the website.
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http://www.midphase.com/
midPhase is always looking to add to its talented staff. You can find a jobs link on midPhase.com and apply right over the website
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Layton Olson: Broadband Consumer Demand Calendar Feb-Oct 2008
From: Layton E. Olson [leo@howehutton.com]
To: Layton E. Olson
Subject: Broadband Consumer Demand Calendar Feb-Oct 2008
Sent: Mon 2/18/2008 4:37 PM
Technology Media Colleagues,
Below is Draft Calendar circulated to Illinois Broadband Development Council’s Consumer Demand Committee, in advance of conference call this week and Broadband Deployment Council meeting on March 6. Please contact me or Ryan Croke of Lt. Gov’s office if you would like to be involved in the activities of BDC.
From participation in last Monday’s DCEO Advisory Committee on Elimination of the Digital Divide, DCEO was expecting between 200 and 250 applications, based on the high turnout at 8 public briefings across the state. DCEO calendar calls for review, and in some instances site visits, before presenting recommendations to Advisory Committee at May meeting, and then final grant decisions by DCEO to notify applicants in June. Also attending last Monday in Chicago were Deborah Strauss of Lumity, Paul Adams of Prairienet, Larry Dunn and Jeff Gerhardt.
Layton
ILLINOIS INTERNET CALENDAR February – October 2008
CONSUMER DEMAND COMMITTEE
ILLINOIS GOVERNOR’S BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT COUNCIL
Draft February 15, 2008
For Communication of Illinois Internet Report to public policy leaders in communities-business-learning institutions-public agencies
Layton E. Olson, co-chair Consumer Demand Committee,
Howe, Hutton LTD, Chicago
Additions, updates 312-263-3001 leo@howehutton.com www.howehutton.com
February 6-7 Conference calls, Consumer Demand, Infrastructure, Policy Committees of Illinois Broadband Deployment Council
(IBDC)
February 11 DCEO Eliminate the Digital Divide (EDD) Advisory Committee quarterly meeting
February 12 Lincoln’s birthday, one year to Lincoln Bicentennial 2009 Preview mockup of Lincoln’s laptop image (Charles Boyce) for
Potential activities of Illinois Broadband Public Awareness
February 17 1 year countdown on Digital TV transition day
February 20 Sen. Durbin at City Club of Chicago on national priorities
February 20-21 Conference calls, Consumer Demand Committee, Intfrastructure,
CSen. Durbin at City Club of Chicago breakfast
March 6 Meeting IBDC Springfield, Chicago, call-in
March 18 Hardik Bhatt, CIO City of Chicago, City Club of Chicago luncheon
April 3-6 National Association of Urban Debate Leagues (20 cities) in
Chicago, kickoff US Attorney Patrick Fitizgerald, NW Thorne
Including Lincoln-Douglas debate topic from National Forensic
League’s topic for 150th Year reenactment activities
April
April 16-17 e-NC Symposium
April 18 Paul Revere Day, America’s first digital citizen and connector
April 28-30 Broadband Properties conference, Dallas
May 7 Springfield Tech Day for k-12 schools
May 12 DCEO EDD Advisory Committee quarterly meeting
May 29-30 Adjournment target IL General Assembly
June __ Community Media Summit, Chicago
August 11 DCEO EDD Advisory Committee quarterly meeting
September 8-13 International Manufacturing Technology Show, McCormick Place,
Chicago (90,000 attendees, including 6,000 students) as
Traditional location for Public Official "Technology Policy
Agenda" press events and speeches
September 15-16 Digital Government Summit, Crowne Plaza, Springfield, IL.
September 30- Oct 2 WiMax World Americas conference, McCormick Place, Chicago
October 5-8 National Rural Telecommunications Congress, Smuggler’s Notch, Vermont
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New Enterprise Associates invests $4.8M in Chicago tech firm, thepoint.com
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
New Enterprise Associates invests $4.8M in Chicago tech firm
Baltimore Business Journal - by Ryan Sharrow Staff
Agami gets $45M in 3rd round [San Jose]
New Enterprise Associates leads $20M investment in SugarCRM [Washington, D.C.]
New Enterprise Associates leads $20M funding round of Calif. tech firm [Baltimore]
Venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates said Tuesday it has invested $4.8 million in a young Chicago technology company.
The Point, a social networking Web site that helps groups organize fundraisers, rallies and boycotts, was formed in 2007.
"The powerful concept driving The Point is a natural step forward in the evolution of social networking," said Peter Barris, managing general partner of Chevy Chase-based New Enterprise.
Barris will join The Point's board of directors.
New Enterprise also has offices in Baltimore and Menlo Park, Calif.
The investment will help The Point in business development and marketing efforts, officials said.
Last week, New Enterprise led a $20 million funding round for California-based software firm SugarCRM Inc.
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TechCrunch: The Point Organizes a $4.8 Million Series A For Itself
http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/02/12/the-point-organizes-a-48-million-series-a-for-itself/
The Point Organizes a $4.8 Million Series A For Itself
Erick Schonfeld
14 comments »
After raising $2.5 million from angel investors last year, social activism and campaign-organizing site The Point has closed a $4.8 million series A financing from New Enterprise Associates. The idea behind the site is to create campaigns around social action—it could be donating to a political candidate, boycotting a company’s products, or simply organizing a meetup—but nobody is required to actually do anything until the cause reaches a pre-determined tipping point, or critical mass, of supporters. It is designed to focus activism or community involvement in campaigns that actually have a chance of succeeding. Although, there are some crazy causes, like this one to raise $10 billion to build a winter dome over Chicago.
The startup is based in Chicago. It plans to make money from ads targeted to each cause/topic. I first wrote about The Point when it launched last November.
Here is a video of founder and CEO Andrew Mason explaining why he started the site:
The Point
Website: www.thepoint.com/
Location:
Funding: $7.3M
The Point provides a site for grassroots campaign organization. People who enlists themselves in certain causes pledge only to act on those causes if a critical mass of people have also signed on. Learn More
14 comments:
Allen Vartazarian
February 12th, 2008 at 9:56 am
Its great to see so much interest from investors in this space. The Point really leverages the power of the Internet to "get the ball rolling" (as is embodied in their logo)
Raskin
February 12th, 2008 at 10:02 am
$4.8 million in financing and they can’t even put together a nice looking demo video…what is it with web 2.0 companies!
Congrats tho, good idea and glad it is financed.
Everett
February 12th, 2008 at 10:11 am
I like it and vid wasn’t bad!
Ryan
February 12th, 2008 at 10:23 am
I thought that the video was both funny and genuine. Personally, I think they could have gotten most of the message out in 3-4 minutes and would have had more people watching …
Larry
February 12th, 2008 at 10:25 am
Wow look at their stats? Compete says they had like 5k users last month. How do you get 4.8, after already raising 2.5m
Alan Wilensky
February 12th, 2008 at 11:51 am
I have never seen…..money like this this chase after weak models. Campaigns go up on this site and wither.
Raskin
February 12th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Wow, you guys just prove my point. THAT video was "both funny and genuine"?
Tech people just don’t get media.
Media people just don’t get tech.
It is kinda sad really.
Fabian Schonholz
February 12th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
I have not gone to the site but the idea is awesome. I often question my donations and this will help me donate more efficiently if it works.
briansoo
February 12th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Isn’t this that Blackmail 2.0 company?
They can’t even raise money for $1000 stuff, I don’t see how they’ll raise ~$5M. Silly.
Prashant
February 12th, 2008 at 9:52 pm
i Told you Sean Parker is never wrong . Look out for Project Agape
uploadchoice
February 13th, 2008 at 12:21 am
Looks nice meet up point.
I Am Not Posting To Spam My Blog
February 13th, 2008 at 3:00 am
Nice. That’s, ooh, $4.5m to bribe the entire tech journalism industry to not make "What’s The Point" gags, just under $380k for "sund. exp.", and a few thousand or so to keep a getaway car on permanent standby with the engine running.
This is a cute spin on petitiononline.com, the sort of thing I’d fill bored lunch breaks with at school, but a business? Give me a break.
Turned off video after the "stimuleye" (sic) bit. I think he was talking about engagement at the moment I became significantly disengaged to not care whether it got any better or laughably worse. Kind of ironic, but only in the sense that rayeeyain on your wedding day is.
Andrew
February 13th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
I am SUPER interested to know what they plan to use $7 million for, on a pure web play. And also, what kind of valuation they got on this round: $4.8 million for 99% of the company?
What are their extra costs that every other Web 2.0 company doesn’t have??? I know companies that have taken MUCH less and are manufacturing real life products.
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Kevin Leong: Chicago GSB TechVision 2008 Conference Details
Subject: RE: I put your note in my report and you got many click throughs. Hope that i...
Date: 2/17/2008 7:34:03 P.M. Central Standard Time
From: kleong@chicagogsb.edu
To: RONALDMAY@aol.com
That’s great. You are right; it is a Friday.
In terms of space, we would expect your readers who are attending to register through our site so we have an idea of how many to expect. But I will include you on our guest list and it would be complimentary for you.
I have included more detail below for your benefit and if you think it would be useful for your readers.
Best,
Kevin
Chicago GSB TechVision 2008 Conference Details
Date:
Friday, February 29, 2008
Time:
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM CST
Location:
Charles M. Harper Center
5807 South Woodlawn Ave
Chicago, IL 60637
773-702-7743
Cost of Admission
Alumni - $25
Guests - $45
Online registration: www.techvision.com
Techvision 2008
Panel/Topic Synopsis
Morning Keynote: Tim Healy Co-Founder & CEO – EnerNOC
Tim Healy founded what later became EnerNOC (NASD:ENOC) in his dorm room while at Dartmouth’s Tuck Business school. Tim will share with us his inspirational story of how he has grown and led this Cleantech pioneer while sharing with the audience how his MBA has shaped his management style and career. Tim will provide valuable insight for those interested in working in this space or who are interested in one day leading an organization of their own.
Cleantech: Where we are and where we’re headed
A must see for Cleantech enthusiasts and novices alike. Get ahead of the curve and educate yourself about the next "big thing". This comprehensive panel seeks to educate and entertain by providing both a broad overview of the clean tech industry as well as an in depth look at the technological, regulatory and economic forces that will shape the industry for years to come. Most importantly the panelists will provide the audience with the practical advice for those seeking to enter this sector. Panelists include senior executives from Argonne National Labs, Suzlon Wind Energy, Independence Energy Homes and General Catalyst Ventures
Afternoon Keynote: Gururaj "Desh" Deshpande, Founder and Chairman of Sycamore Networks, Chairman of A123 Systems and Tejas Networks
Dr. Gururaj "Desh" Deshpande, the namesake for MIT’s Technology Innovation Center, is a technology visionary whose long list of accomplishments includes founding and later selling Cascade Communications for approx $4B and co founding optical networking pioneer Sycamore Networks. Desh has helped usher in a new economic era where technology and connectivity have created a truly global market for human and financial capital. Desh will share his insights into how he sees the global economy and technological landscape evolving, how his companies are uniquely positioned to capitalize on these trends as well as opportunities available for MBAs in these new and exciting markets.
Building and Evolving the High Tech Business Model:
Within the technology world, new markets emerge and evolve at a rapid rate. Ecosystems emerge just as quickly, with business models forming to capture value wherever possible. How does one go about thinking about their business model with rapid technological change and uncertain demand? Harder yet, how do you make the decision to change it? Is this the result of careful strategic planning, a serendipitous decision, or an evolution that just seemed to occur naturally? Senior executives from Navteq, Neuros, and 37Signals will share their stories of creating businesses in fast moving markets.
Finding and Funding The Cutting Edge of Technology
Venture capitalists often act as conduits of innovation by funding promising technology with the intent of bringing it to the market. This panel will explore the ways in which technology VCs determine trends and search for technology that capitalizes on those trends, the differences in methodologies and objectives for corporate and independent VCs and the point at which an entrepreneur should start thinking about getting VCs involved. VC’s from Nokia, Vesbridge, Motorola and Qualcomm will be on hand to share their experiences.
From: RONALDMAY@aol.com [mailto:RONALDMAY@aol.com]
Sent: Sunday, February 17, 2008 7:17 PM
To: Leong, Kevin T
Subject: Re: I put your note in my report and you got many click throughs. Hope that i...
Yes, I would like to attend. That is a Friday, I believe which should be fine. About 45 people clicked through from your note so far and I would expect it to be 70 or more by noon Monday. I hope you have enough room
___________________________________________
NSN acquires Apertio
From: Name withheld upon request
To: ron@themayreport.com
Subject: NSN acquires Apertio
Sent: Sat 2/16/2008 10:59 AM
PLEASE DO NOT USE MY NAME AS A SOURCE
Ron,
I’ve read your reports off-and-on for a couple of years... Thought you would have something on this Apertio story but haven’t seen you write anything up yet. Nokia Siemens Networks has just completed an acquisition of Apertio.
http://www.apertio.com/news-and-events/press-release/1471
http://www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com/global/Press/Press+releases/news-archive/Nokia_Siemens_Networks_expands_leadership_in_subscriber_data_management_solutions.htm
http://www.redherring.com/Home/23379
Apertio has a Chicago presence -- Stuart Jones runs the Americas office for Apertio (has for I think five years as he was a very early joiner to Apertio) and therefore this acquisition affects a few Chicagoland people. Stuart was an advisor for Rosetta-Wireless. Prior to that you might recall that he and Bill Bondy had created the Chicago based startup Visogent Technologies. Anyway, I thought you might be interested in this.
Bill Bondy, co-founder of Visogent, is the Apertio Chief Technology Officer for the Americas. The Americas office is based in Palatine and the team in the States has played a significant role in the success of Apertio by leading partnerships with Motorola (including an investment from Motorola ventures), Telcordia, Cisco, Intel, and other domestic companies. Recently the team has driven and closed deals with two of the major three Tier-1 US mobile operators. I think these will be announced in the near future.
You may not be interested in this but I thought I’d pass it along.
Again, please don’t quote me or otherwise use me as the source of this information.
Cheers,
[Name withheld]
_______________________________________
Jacob Cynamon: Networking event at Reza's on Tuesday, Feb. 19th and if you want to get in free, you have to register today, Monday, the 18th
[Editor's note: May here. The event is free to attendees if you register today, Monday, February 18th but if you register tomorrow, Tuesday, the 19th, it is $30. The Reza's being referenced is at 432 West Ontario, downtown.]
From: Jacob Cynamon [Jacob.Cynamon@equiscorp.com]
To: ron@themayreport.com
Subject: Action requested: A special event for you to attend
Sent: Sat 2/16/2008 11:01 PM
Hello Ron,
I wanted to take the opportunity to let you know about a new business relationship event series I am starting this week. Geared toward business professionals, small business owners, and entrepreneurs, the event is designed to change the way professionals meet, share ideas and build relationships. The event is this Tuesday night (2/19) from 5:30-8:30 at Reza's Restaurant. It would mean a lot to me if you would join us at the event. Full details and the registration link can be found at http://www.gametime24x7.com/business.aspx. You are encouraged to invite colleagues and other business professionals as well.
We're also running a special for event sponsors. For those early-bird sponsors who sign up and pay by 1pm on Monday, February 18, we're offering a 3 event marketing exposure for $100. That will include a table from which to promote, visibility on the event series website and a special thanks at the live events. If either you or other professionals/businesses that you know would like to capitalize on this offer, please send them my way.
Sincerely,
Jacob
Jacob Cynamon
UGL Equis
161 N Clark St
Suite 2700
Chicago, IL 60601 USA
Cell: 314.497.2563
Fax: 312.424.0150
Email: jacob.cynamon@ugl-equis.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobcynamon
My Blog
________________________________________
Samsung Not Eyeing Motorola Mobile Ops
Samsung Not Eyeing Motorola Mobile Ops
By Associated Press
10:50 AM CST, February 12, 2008
Article tools
E-mail Share
Digg Del.icio.us Facebook Fark Google Newsvine Reddit Yahoo Print Reprints Post comment Text size: SINGAPORE - Samsung Electronics Co. remains optimistic about its handset sales business in 2008 and is not interested in Motorola's mobile unit, a top Samsung executive said Tuesday.
Choi Gee-sung, president of Samsung's telecommunications division, said during an interview with CNBC that Samsung was not interested in acquiring Motorola's handset business because the South Korean company's handset division already has a strong presence in the United States.
"Our market share in the States represents around 20 percent to 25 percent," Choi said. "We don't need to consider acquisition of any others."
Choi also said the company expects strong handset sales in 2008 despite growing fears of an economic slowdown.
Consumers in emerging markets like the Middle East and Eastern Europe, as well as in Korea, China and India, have not been as worried about a recession as people in the U.S. and developed European markets, he said.
____________________________________
Spooz, Inc. To Acquire Unwin Technology Ltd
http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/industries/technology/article/spooz-acquire-unwin-technology_475609_12.html
Tuesday, Feb. 12 2008
Spooz, Inc. To Acquire Unwin Technology Ltd
CHICAGO, Feb 12, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Spooz, Inc. (OTC:SPZI), announced an agreement to acquire Unwin Technology Ltd ("Technology") by purchasing all of the capital stock in the company in exchange for five million shares of restricted common stock of Spooz, Inc.
"The Spooz acquisition of Unwin Technology is important for two reasons," stated John Unwin the former Director of Unwin Technologies and currently the Spooz CTO. "We now have a London based company to assist us in penetrating the European markets with our product lines, and; Spooz has acquired certain technology important to SpoozToolz and the AlgoServer products."
John Unwin served 3 years as Technical Director in a public company to deliver technically innovative products into new market space improving the bottom line. He is able to present to investors, customers and the media. Previously John was a consultant (11 years) with proven ability to deliver in the finance, retail banking, telecom, public sectors and retail.
"We are excited to have John Unwin on board as he brings tremendous value to Spooz," confirmed Paul Strickland the Spooz CEO. "If you then add the value of the existing technology at Unwin Technology Ltd to the equation, this becomes a win-win for Spooz, besides, I believe John has been developing important components of SpoozToolz and AlgoServer for years."
About Spooz, Inc.
Spooz, Inc., a publicly traded company based in Chicago, provides a suite of solutions designed to streamline electronic trading across multiple asset classes. SpoozToolz(TM: 110.99, +1.47, +1.34%), SpoozToolz(TM: 110.99, +1.47, +1.34%) Pro and SpoozChartz(TM: 110.99, +1.47, +1.34%) and the new Spooz AlgoServer(TM: 110.99, +1.47, +1.34%) enable any trader to quickly and efficiently bridge the gap between concept and execution. The value of the SpoozToolz platform is that it allows any broker or trader to quickly and efficiently develop and deploy trading applications before opportunity for profit is lost. (www.spooz.com; www.spooztoolz.com).
About Unwin Technology Ltd
Unwin Technology Ltd, founded in 1996 is a consulting design and development firm. We deliver expert solutions and recommendations that have real effect on the client bottom-line for a sustained period of time. (www.unwin.com).
SOURCE: Spooz, Inc.
Spooz, Inc.
Darryl Dennis
312-379-3166Copyright Business Wire 2008
_______________________________________
Chris Brandt has left Interpublic and gone to Trustwave
Subject: Re: What happened? You changed jobs!!!
Date: 2/17/2008 9:44:33 A.M. Central Standard Time
From: chris@chrisbrandt.com
To: ronaldmay@aol.com
Hey Ron,
It is a good opportunity with a rapidly growing company. The founders have a great track record and the company is dominant in their space. It feels good to be back in the startup world again.
Hope all is well with you,
-Chris
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Chris Brandt View Profile
Vice President of IT at Trustwave
Location:
Greater Chicago Area
Industry:
Information Technology and Services Relationship:
Recommendations: 0
Connections: 63
Current: Vice President of IT at Trustwave
Past: Interpublic Group; Where 2 Get It; Hey Company; Piper Studios Inc; The Ligature
Keywords: Vice President of IT at Trustwave ... GIS Manager of Global Network Engineering at Interpublic Group ... Fortune 500 advertising/communications holding company overseeing advertising giants such as McCann Erickson ...
_______________________________________
Ira Bodenstein, the receiver for Efoora
http://www.shawgussis.com/attorneys/ibodenstein.html
IRA BODENSTEIN
Member
P: 312.666.2861
F: 312.275.0556
ibodenstein@shawgussis.com
AREAS OF EMPHASIS
Business Bankruptcy, Bankruptcy Litigation, Creditors’ Rights, Commercial Litigation
Ira Bodenstein has been involved in bankruptcy, creditors’ rights and commercial litigation cases for over 20 years. Having been appointed by Attorney General Janet Reno, Mr. Bodenstein joins Shaw Gussis as a member, after serving as United States Trustee for Region 11, which is comprised of the Northern District of Illinois and the State of Wisconsin from May 1998 through January 2006. As United States Trustee, Mr. Bodenstein served as head of the Justice Department component with primary responsibility over all bankruptcy cases filed in Region 11. His duties included serving as chief legal strategist for U.S. Trustee positions in large cases such as Conseco, Kmart, and UAL; appointment and supervision of trustees and examiners in all chapter 7, 11 and 13 cases; and appointment of unsecured creditor, equity and other committees in chapter 11 cases. Mr. Bodenstein supervised a staff of 45 employees in offices located in Chicago, Illinois and Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin. Mr. Bodenstein also served as U.S. Trustee for Region 9 from September 2001 to August 2002 and assumed supervisory authority over all cases and an additional 70 employees in the Grand Rapids and Detroit, Michigan and Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati, Ohio U.S. Trustee offices.
Prior to his appointment, Mr. Bodenstein was in private practice, concentrating in the areas of bankruptcy, creditors’ rights and commercial litigation. In that capacity, he counseled clients with respect to the necessity and timing of filing reorganization cases, and the rights of unsecured and secured creditors prior and subsequent to the filing of a bankruptcy. He is experienced in all facets of chapter 11 reorganization cases, including preparing and confirming plans of reorganization in debtor cases, representation of creditors’ committees, opposing a debtor’s plan on behalf of creditors, and representation of creditors in preference litigation. Mr. Bodenstein also counsels lenders on their rights as secured creditors, negotiates loan renewals on a secured basis, restructures troubled loans and litigates loan defaults in both the state and federal courts.
Mr. Bodenstein has served clients in diverse industries, including real estate, retail apparel, construction, manufacturing, restaurant and transportation. His engagements have included representing the bank syndication group led by Citicorp in the chapter 11 restructuring of a 65 million dollar office building in Washington D.C., serving as debtors’ counsel in the Channel Earth Communications, Demicco Youth Services and Nobart, Inc. chapter 11 cases, and representing the unsecured creditor committees in the chapter 11 cases of Process Control, Mactron, Thomas Steel and Dartmoor Homes.
EDUCATION
Franklin and Marshall College (BA, 1977)
University of Miami School of Law (JD, 1980)
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
American Bankruptcy Institute
Chicago Bar Association
Chair, Young Lawyers Section (1988–1989); Board of Managers (1990–1992); Chair, Public Affairs/Media Relations Committee (1993); Chair, Association Meetings Committee (1994); Chair, Membership Committee (1997)
LICENSES AND ADMISSIONS
Admitted to bar 1980, Illinois; 1983, Florida; United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois including the Trial Bar; United States District Court, Central District of Illinois; United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
PRESENTATIONS
View Mr. Bodenstein’s presentations.
________________________________________
The Signature Days management team and advisory board
http://www.signaturedays.com/signaturedays/pages/aboutus/about_us3.aspx
Welcome
Frequently Asked Questions
In the Press
The Signature Days Team
Dedicated to excellence:
The Signature Days Team
Andrew Playford
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Signature Days
Andrew founded Chicago-based Signature Days in 2004, based on the premise that 21st-century customers will be looking to fulfill their lives through memorable activities and experiences rather than by continuing to accumulate physical possessions.
Prior to Signature Days, Andrew was on the founding management team of Cometa Networks, the AT&T-IBM-Intel joint venture focused on public access WIFI. Before Cometa Andrew co-founded SmartRay Networks, Inc., a NYC based provider of real-time data alert technology which went on to be acquired in late 2000.
Andrew started his career at Price Waterhouse in London and holds a B. Bus. Science from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. He is also a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants for England & Wales.
Chris Widdess
Vice President of Business Development for Signature Days.
Chris most recently served as Vice President, Worldwide Promotions with Intervisual Communications, Inc. a recognized leader in the field of dimensional and interactive print communications. Chris developed an extremely successful international presence and promotions business for the company including opening new markets in Europe, Latin America, and Asia/Pacific regions. Chris was also able to solidify and grow the companies domestic reputation and revenues. Under his direction sales of the company increased dramatically as well as their market leadership position.
Chris started his career with R.R. Donnelley & Sons in Chicago and earned a B.A. from Dartmouth College in Economics.
Advisory Board
Signature Days has assembled at top tier team of executives to assist with strategic and operational direction.
Heidi Messer
[Editor's note: May here. Heidi Messer currently serves as President of LinkShare Corporation.]
Heidi Messer currently serves as President of LinkShare Corporation, a worldwide leader in affiliate network and search engine marketing. Under her leadership, LinkShare has grown exponentially and earned the rare honor of being recognized by Deloitte & Touche as New York's fastest growing technology company in both 2002 and 2003. Heidi has also overseen LinkShare's expansion into international markets and other areas of performance-based marketing, including search engine optimization, media tracking and partnership data analysis. A frequent speaker at industry events around the world and an acknowledged authority on performance marketing, Heidi has served on the board of Shop.org.
Prior to joining LinkShare, Heidi was an associate at the law firm of Baker & Botts, L.L.P. She earned a B.A. from Brown University and a law degree from Harvard Law School. While at Harvard, her paper entitled "Copyright and Censorship: Regulating the Electronic Frontier," which she presented to Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, was published in the working papers at the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information and the Virtual Institute of Information.
Robin Murray
Robin Murray is currently a Partner at the private equity firm of 3i. He also serves on the boards of Mobile365, Precision I/O, Peerflix and Sonim, and is a board observer at Vonage and Merchant E-Solutions
Before joining 3i, Robin served as the COO and CFO of iPIN, an enterprise software company for Wireless and Internet payments. Prior to IPIN, he served as a senior executive with THINK New Ideas, where he managed West Coast finance and operations. Robin was also an executive at J. Sainsbury PLC (FTSE-100), where he identified and implemented new business opportunities and oversaw corporate acquisitions and disposals. In Europe, Robin worked at Ernst & Young and McKinsey & Company, focusing on strategic marketing and providing financial advice to European-based multinationals.
Robin holds an MBA from Stanford University and a B.S. in Chemistry from Bristol University, England. He is a Chartered Accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England & Wales.
Ted Schell
Ted Schell is currently a Managing Director at Liberty Associated Partners LLP, a private equity firm focusing on all aspects of media and telecommunications. Prior to joining Liberty, he was a General Partner at Apax Partners. Ted also serves as a Director of Time Warner Telecom and of RCN.
Mr. Schell held the office of Counselor and Chief of Staff to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, 1978-1981, and for two years prior, directed a Presidential Policy Review, Technological Innovation and U.S. Competitiveness, assessing the impact of federal programs and policies on technological change in the private sector, which resulted in significant policy changes at the federal level.
Mr. Schell holds an undergraduate degree from Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Cameron Yuill
Cameron recently held the position of Vice President, Partner Marketing at Cendant Corp (NYSE:CD), a sales and ad operations group selling integrated marketing campaigns across a network including Orbitz, Cheap Tickets, Away Network, eBookers and Galileo. In this capacity, he succeeded in establishing and building one of the world's leading online media networks. Cameron also held the positions of Vice President, Global Hospitality Distribution and Vice President of Leisure Distribution at Cendant Corp.
Prior to Cendant, Cameron served as Executive Vice President of Viator Inc., a company he co-founded and subsequently grew into the leading global provider of destination products to the online travel industry.
Cameron is regularly called upon to speak at industry events for his expertise in the online media space. He holds a Bachelor of Laws and Masters of Business Administration from Queensland University of Technology and McGill University, Montreal.
_____________________________________
Cards that Ron collected at the 1/24/08 Silicon Prairie Social event and at the 02/12/08 MIT-EF event
+++++++++++++++++++++++
Cards from 01-24-08 Silicon Prairie Social
Peter Christensen
Senior Software Engineer
SmartSignal
www.smartsignal.com
peter@pchristensen.com
Scott B. Harris
scott@scottbharris.com
William D. Anthony, Jr.
Lawyer
anthonylawoffice@gmail.com
wdanthony@mmklaw.com
Mark E. Huntzinger
Vice President & General Manager
Network Service Access
Westell
www.westell.com
Mhunt@westell.com
James Roberts
President
James Roberts Consulting, Inc.
jroberts@jrobertsconsulting.com
Noded
www.noded.com/noded
jr@noded.com
Della Partovi
Office Manager
M. Hedayat & Associates, P.C.
www.mha-law.com
mmhedayat@hotmail.com
dellaph@hotmail.com
Rodger Greif
Senior Client Development Executive
Technology Solutions Practice
Ciber Enterprise Solutions
www.ciber.com
rgreif@ciber.com
Bret Caruso
Sr. Wireless Data Consultant
Wireless Initiatives Inc.
www.wirelessinitiatives.biz
bret@wirelessinitiatives.biz
Sarah Skwirut
Midwest Account Manager
Government, Education & Healthcare
Sun Microsystems, Inc.
sarah.skwirut@sun.com
Kevin Simmers
Software Architect
Realtime Investments, Inc.
Custom Software Design for Complex
Business Environments
Realtime@SimpSoftCorp.com
Ryan Maley
Vice President of Operations
Software Technologies Group
www.stg.com
ryan@stg.com
Aaron Williams
Chief Scientist
Kirix Corporation
www.kirix.com
awilliams@kirix.com
Dave Williams
Chief Technology Officer
Kirix Corporation
www.kirix.com
dwilliams@kirix.com
Offiscion
Connect Communicate Collaborate
Social Networking for the Enterprise
www.offiscion.com
info@offiscion.com
Eric R. Waltmire
Intellectual Property Attorney
www.waltmire.com
eric@waltmire.com
Matthew P. McCormick
President
Technology Decisions
www.technologydecisions.net
matt@technologydecisions.net
Jerry Huang
Program Officer
MacArthur
www.macfound.org
jhuang@macfound.org
Eric S. Camplin
Executive Vice President
Piocon
www.piocon.com
ecamplin@piocon.com
Ajit Pant, MBA
Financial Planner
The Preferred Planning Group
www.ajitpant.metlife.com
apant@metlife.com
Bob & Linda Babcock
Harmony Funding
BobBabcock@ameritech.net
David Spreitzer
Senior Systems Engineer
XNet
www.xnet.com
dspreitzer@xnet.com
Douglas Hart
HelloWorld
www.vmdirect.com/douglashart
douglashart@helloworld.com
David Carman
CEO & President
Business Network Chicago
www.BNChicago.org
davidcarman@BNChicago.org
BNC_Chicago-Subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Robert Sansome
President
Optimized Telecom Solutions
www.optels.com
sansome@optels.com
William Ossler
Ossler Consulting Group
Bill@ossler.com
John F. Fisher
EVP, Strategic Services
NET (net)
jfisher@netnetweb.com
www.netweb.com
Robert Montgomery
M5
www.m5net.com
rmontgomery@m5net.com
Eric Daughtery
Vice President of Operations
Geneca
www.geneca.com
eric.daughtery@geneca.com
David Katauskas
Geneca
www.geneca.com
david.katauskas@geneca.com
Paul J. Kalisz
Consultant
Pjk2700@hotmail.com
Doug States
CFO
Parlano
www.parlano.com
doug.states@parlano.com
Brandy Kaye
Breakthrough Technologies, LLC
www.breaktech.com
brandy@breaktech.com
Alison Zervos
Breakthrough Technologies, LLC
www.breaktech.com
alison.zervos@breaktech.com
Michael Topalovich
The Mikan Group
www.mikangroup.com
mtopalovich@mikangroup.com
Robert Toro
Sr. Project Manager
Business Process Management
Optimus Solutions Consulting
www.optimussolutions.com
rtoro@optimussolutions.com
Brian Clark
CEO/Co-Founder
Xnet
www.xnet.com
bclark@xnet.com
Ola Ayeni
Business Development Manager
Text2Store
www.text2store.com
ola@text2store.com
Jason Jacobsohn
Jacobsohn.com
www.jacobsohn.com
Jason@jacobsohn.com
KMG Enterprises
jason@jacobsohn.com
www.networkinginsight.com
Todd Gill
President
Ossia Systems
www.ossia-systems.com
tgill@ossia-systems.com
Kimber Howard
Account Executive
Innovate Voice Technologies
www.goivt.com
khoward@goivt.com
Avery J. Cohen
Principal
Metrist Partners
www.metrist.com
avery@metrist.com
James E. Hanlon, PE
President
T3Co Chicago
jim_hanlon@t3chicago.com
Robin Hildebrand
Technical Specialist
XNet
www.xnet.com
rhildebrand@xnet.com
Matt Kenigson
Manager of Systems Engineering
Lextech Global Services
www.lextech.com
matt.kenigson@lextech.com
Alex Bratton
President & CEO
Lextech Global Services
www.lextech.com
alex.bratton@lextech.com
Kevin P. Taylor
President
Principal Consultant
www.obtiva.com
kevin@obtiva.com
Julie Spellman
www.cloverdaisy.com
clover.daisy@hotmail.com
Matthew Spellman
www.spellman.biz
m@spellman.biz
David Zabinski
Accord Technology Partners, Inc.
david.zabinski@accordtechnology.com
Kimberly Joyce
Director of Recruiting
Piocon
www.piocon.com
kjoyce@piocon.com
Marcus Harris
Partner
Marcus Stephen Harris LLC
Technology Law
www.mshtechlaw.com
mharris@mshtechlaw.com
Arthur Zards
President/Co-Founder
XNet
www.xnet.com
zards@xnet.com
Bill Winsininski
IT Sales Manager
Imprint Enterprises, Inc.
www.imprint-e.com
bwin@imprint-e.com
Andrew Clark
SharePoint Consultant
Incworx Consulting
www.incworx.com
Andrew.Clark@incworx.com
Adam Zamora
Director Professional Services
Trifus
www.trifus.com
azamora@trifus.com
Mark S. Rath
Vice President Marketing
Corplex.tv
www.corplex.tv
mark@corplex.tv
Brian Payne
Consultant
Navistar Electronics
International Truck and Engine Corporation
Truck Group
brian.payne@nav-international.com
Larry Yablonicky
Channel Sales Manager
Data Robotics, Inc.
www.drobo.com
lyablonicky@drobo.com
Kate Gingold
Author, Historian, Speaker
www.kategingold.com
kate@gnuventures.com
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Cards from 2-12-08 MIT-EF
Keith D. Terry
Director, Strategic Marketing
Abbott
keith.terry@abbott.com
Ruben E. Vadnai, MBA
International Marketing & Sales Executive
Rv23@georgetown.edu
Robert C. Wolcott
Fellow and Adjunct Professor
Co-Founder, Kellogg Innovation Network
Kellogg School of Management
www.kellogg.northwestern.edu
r-wolcott@kellogg.northwestern.edu
Yoshihiko Kawamura
Senior Vice President
Misubishi International Corporation
www.mitsubishicorp-us.com
yoshihiko.kawamura@mitsubishicorp.com
Antoinette Gawin
Chief Marketing Officer
GE
Healthcare Financial Services
www.gehealthcarefinance.com
antoinette.gawin@ge.com
Eric Schultz
Account Executive
Kaleidoscope
www.ksimage.com
eschultz@ksimage.com
Paolo G. Messina, PhD
Marketing and Strategy Director
Consul Tech
www.consultech.us
pmessina@consultech.us
Guy S. Biaszak, CPCU
Technology Division
Heil & Heil
www.heilandheil.com
gblaszak@heilandheil.com
Collin Canright
Principal
Canright Communications
www.canrightcommunications.com
collin@canrightcommunications.com
Stephen G. Smith
Global Strategy Implementation
smithsg@gmail.com
Tanya C. Sienko
President
TSK Global Strategy LLC
www.tsk-global.com
tsienko@tsk-global.com
Brian T. Gray
Financial Consultant
Wachovia Securities, LLC
www.agedwards.com/fc/brian.gray
brian.gray@agedwards.com
Derek P. Usman
Attorney at Law
Certified Public Accountant
Usman Law Group, P.C.
www.dusmanlaw.com
derek@dusmanlaw.com
William L. Reap
Financial Consultant
Wachovia Securities, LLC
www.agedwards.com/fc/william.reap
william.reap@agedwards.com
Josh Kurutz, Ph.D.
Technical Director
University of Chicago
www.linkedin.com/in/jkurutz
jkurutz@alumni.caltech.edu
Steve Ghareeb
Consultant
Objective Arts Technology Consulting
www.objectivearts.com
sghareeb@objectivearts.com
Dennis Beck
Vice President
AltaStaff
www.altastaff.com
dennis@altastaff.com
Zenah M. Khawaja
Founder
Semiautomatic Semiotics
www.semiautomatic3d.com
zkhawaja@semiautomatic3d.com
Timothy E. Curley
Financial Advisor
Merrill Lynch
timothy_curley@ml.com
Ms. Teresa Prahl
Software Engineer, MBA, PMP
tap463@hotmail.com
Xiaoli Chen Youker
Schlindwein Associates, LLC
xiaoliy@sallc.com
Frank Lucchese
llucch1353@aol.com
lucchese@sbcglobal.net
Steve Trybus
Newry
www.newrycorp.com
strybus@newrycorp.com
Lynn Tsoflias
Vice President of Marketing
Arrowstream
ltsoflias@arrowstream.com
Ada Yung
Senior Vice President
CHIC
www.chicadvisors.com
ayung@chicadvisors.com
Jim Bray
Assistant Director, Research Discovery Program
Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute
www.nucats.northwestern.edu
j-bray@northwestern.edu
Kazutaka Takahashi
PH.D Candidate
Senorimotor Control Group
CSAIL
www.csail.mit.edu
robotics@mit.edu
Michel J. Feldman
Seyfarth Shaw LLP
www.seyfarth.com
mfeldman@seyfarth.com
Jim Orrico
Product Development Engineer
jimorrico@yahoo.com
Anne Pansard
Foreign Attorney
Bell, Boyd & Lloyd LLC
www.bellboyd.com
apansard@bellboyd.com
Jeana R. Lervick
Attorney at Law
Bell, Boyd & Lloyd LLP
www.bellboyd.com
jlervick@bellboyd.com
Thor W. Ketzback
Attorney at Law
Bell, Boyd & Lloyd
www.bellboyd.com
tketzback@bellboyd.com
Steven E. Ducommun
Attorney at Law
Bell, Boyd & Lloyd
www.bellboyd.com
sducommum@bellboyd.com
Matthew S. Dicke
Attorney at Law
Bell, Boyd & Lloyd
www.bellboyd.com
mdicke@bellboyd.com
Raymond Drymalski
Attorney at Law
Bell, Boyd & Lloyd
www.bellboyd.com
rdrymalski@bellboyd.com
Thomas C. Shields
Attorney at Law
Bell, Boyd & Lloyd
www.bellboyd.com
tshields@bellboyd.com
Jason A. Engel
Attorney at Law
Bell, Boyd & Lloyd
www.bellboyd.com
jengel@bellboyd.com
Robert M. Barrett
Attorney at Law
Bell, Boyd & Lloyd
www.bellboyd.com
rbarrett@bellboyd.com
Jude M. Sullivan
Attorney at Law
Bell, Boyd & Lloyd
www.bellboyd.com
jsullivan@bellboyd.com
Becky J. Chandler
Product Manager, Dynamic Content North America
NAVTEQ
becky.chandler@navteq.com
Gopal Gehi
Cognizant
www.cognizant.com
gopal.gehi@cognizant.com
Paul A. Dicke
Engine Products Representative
Cooling Design Center
Technical Services Division
Caterpillar
Dicke_Paul_A@cat.com
Rollin C. Dix, PhD
Patpending Marketing, Inc.
rcd9778@sbcglobal.net
David Carman
President & CEO
Carman Capital
David@CarmanCapital.com
Nik Rokop
Managing Director
Jules F. Knapp
www.knappcenter.iit.edu
nrokop@stuart.iit.edu
Bill Burnett
Leader of Innovation
W Burnett LLC
www.wburnettll.com
burnetwm@gmail.com
Rachel Patternson
Multi-lingual Strategy & Marketing Assistance
Fundraising, Program Director, Biz Plans & more
Non-Profit Development
rpatter3@chicagogsb.edu
William A. Myers
Director, Business Development
Early Stage Accelerator
Motorola
william.myers@motorola.com
__________________________________________
1. READERS' COMMENTS AND RESPONSES
1a. Layton Olson: Historical trivia questions
From: RONALDMAY@aol.com [mailto:RONALDMAY@aol.com]
Sent: Friday, February 15, 2008 10:17 PM
To: Layton E. Olson
Subject: I know you mentioned that the year was the same, but the DAY is the same!!!
Charles Robert Darwin (12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882)
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Subject: RE: I know you mentioned that the year was the same, but the DAY is the same!!!
Date: 2/18/2008 9:18:45 A.M. Central Standard Time
From: leo@howehutton.com
To: RONALDMAY@aol.com
Of course!
History Loves Company’s Question man: What two renowned figures who became associated with 19th Century social revolutions were born on the same day in 1809, one in America and one in England?
Interesting that recent Darwin exhibit was in Chicago at Field, wasn’t able to get to it, but it got excellent reviews. He was a great part of "extending the culture of learning" into so many practical fields.
Lincoln’s Administration in 1862 adopted the Morrill Land Grant Act, which among other things, set aside western lands for sale by each state to endow the establishment and expansion of 2 state higher education institutions: one, the State U, and two, the State A & M, agricultural and manufacturing/mining college. Such as Indiana U and Purdue in Indiana.
Question: What is the A & M in Illinois?
Next question: What two Americans received the Nobel Peace Prize on December 11, 77 years apart? Hint: One of them was from Illinois, and there will be an interesting program on March 22 at the Newberry Library, co-developed by American Association of University Women of Illinois, which lobbied to establish the first annual state holiday for this resident of Rockford and Chicago on December 11, 2007. Did you celebrate then?
Next question: What is Chicago largest trade show, which arrives every two years and had over 90,000 attendees, including 6,000 at Student Summit? Hint: Next show is in McCormick Place, September 8-13, and MAY play host to America’s Internet Future debate, potentially among presidential candidates, depending on what parties associated with Illinois Broadband Development Council. Hint: www.imts.com
Thanks for the note.
I’ll be sending along a few items coming from Illinois Broadband Development Council’s Consumer Demand Committee, where I’m a co-chair.
Best to you, Layton
________________________________________
1b. Philip Dziki: Correspondence with Ron on Grosky sentencing
From: Philip Dziki [philipdziki@yahoo.com]
To: ron@themayreport.com
Subject: Thanks, Ron.
Sent: Fri 2/15/2008 9:29 PM
Thanks, Ron. I have a good friend that worked for
them and was taken to the cleaners. These guys need
some serious time in the fed prison.
--- Ron May <ron@themayreport.com>wrote:
> Phil, the Grosky sentencing is currently scheduled
> for March 7th but don't
> hold your breath. They continuously delay because
> they are still wading
> through all the numbers for accounting purposes.
>
> Rappin is currently scheduled to be sentenced on the
> 27th of Feb. but I also
> doubt that will happen.
>
> Ron
>
> Ronald May
> ron@themayreport.com
> 773-525-3944
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Philip Dziki [mailto:philipdziki@yahoo.com]
> Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2008 11:01 AM
> To: ron@themayreport.com
> Subject: Grosky's sentence
>
>
> Ron,
>
> Was there any followup news to Grosky's sentencing?
> He was to be sentenced
> on Dec. 7? Did he and his cohort get jail time?
>
> Phil Dziki
> Trevor, WI
_________________________________________
1c. Mari Franklin: Why she missed MIT-EF meeting
From: Mari Hoashi Franklin [mari@lumatila.com]
To: ron@themayreport.com
Subject: RE: Mari, how come you did not go to the MIT-EF meeting Tuesday night?
Sent: Thu 2/14/2008 3:02 PM
Hey Ron,
Did you miss me? I was in Tampa working with a couple of clients. Otherwise I would have been there. Thanks for checking in with me. --Mari
Mari Hoashi Franklin
Principal
Lumatila LLC: Lighting Your Technology Way
25725 N Oak Creek Circle, Barrington, IL 60010
__________________________________________
2. Events:
2a. Upcoming EDC events
From: EDC Chicago [edcchicago@ameritech.net]
To: Edcchicago@ameritech.net
Subject: February EDC Events
Sent: Sun 2/17/2008 1:48 PM
Upcoming EDC Events
How Can a Manufacturer Access Technology?
February 21, 2008: 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Wright College Theater
4300 North Narragansett
Chicago, Illinois
Join the Economic Development Council at our upcoming events in February. The first, How Can a Manufacturer Access Technology? is a breakfast forum on Thursday, February 21 at Wright College. Join six members of the manufacturing community who will share their successful tech transfer efforts along with representatives from the local research institutions who supported them.
The presenters are Neil Kane, President, Advanced Diamond Technologies, Inc., and Stephen D. Ban, Ph.D., Director, Office of Technology Transfer, Argonne National Laboratory; John Winzeler, President and Mike Cassata, Engineer, Winzeler Gear and Martin J., Morris, Ph.D., Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Bradley University; James Mann, CEO, M4 Sciences Corp., and Steve Shade, Managing Director, Center for Advanced Manufacturing, Purdue University; Charles Kuehmann, Ph.D., CEO, QuesTek Innovations LLC and Gregory B. Olson, Sc.D., Wilson-Cook Professor of Engineering, Northwestern University; Guy Brada, Chief Metallurgist, A. Finkl & Sons, and Thomas M. Jacobius, Director, Interprofessional Studies and Interprofessional Projects Program (IPRO), Illinois Institute of Technology; and Jon Riley. Engineering and Development Manager, L&L Products, Inc., and Merle E. Giles, Director, Private Sector Program/Economic Development National Center for Supercomputing Applications, UIUC.
Attendees of this forum will receive useful information on how their peers identify technology needs, how they access local resources for tech transfer and development and how they utilize these resources to help improve their performance and grow their businesses. An aggressive agenda will provide a high volume of valuable information with time allotted for Q&A with the panel at the conclusion of the program.
Event Agenda
Presentation Spotlight
The cost of the program is $35 for EDC members, $50 for non-members.
Reservations are mandatory. To register online, prepay by clicking one of the links below.
EDC Members click here.
Non EDC Members click here.
Chicago Hosts World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology & Bioprocessing
Brent Erickson, Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO)
February 27, Noon
The Tower Club
20 North Wacker Drive - 39th Floor
The February EDC monthly luncheon on Wednesday, February 27 features Brent Erickson (BIO) who will discuss Chicago Hosts World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology & Bioprocessing. Mr. Erickson will provide the EDC an insight into organizing the World Congress and its’ potential impact on bio and bio-related industries in Chicago, the Midwest, and throughout the country.
Brent Erickson is executive vice president in charge of the Industrial and Environmental Section of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO). BIO represents more than one thousand one hundred biotechnology companies, academic institutions, State biotechnology centers, and related organizations across the United States and thirty one other nations.
Luncheon Announcement
The cost of the program is $35 for EDC members, $50 for non-members and there is no charge for EDC Corporate and Sustaining Members. Reservations are mandatory and due to the expected large number of attendees please register in advance.
To register online, prepay by clicking one of the links below.
EDC Members click here.
Non EDC Members click here.
EDC Upcoming Events
EDC 2008 Calendar
Support the EDC by becoming a member
Economic Development Council
228 S. Wabash, Suite 410
Chicago, Illinois 60604
Phone (773) 279-8787
www.edcchicago.org
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END OF REPORT
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