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| | The May Report: 12/14/2007: Trust, legitimacy and tranparency in our institutions & programs: Is the EIR program really pairing experience with youth or can it be gamed?; The CEC party
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| | December 14, 2007
The May Report: 12/14/2007: Trust, legitimacy and tranparency in our institutions & programs: Is the EIR program really pairing experience with youth or can it be gamed?; The CEC party
Editor and publisher: ron@themayreport.com, ronaldmay@aol.com, www.themayreport.com 773-525-3944.
August 2007: Celebrating 19 years since the first column in the Chicago Computer Guide, 15 years since the first column in the Guide on Chicago high tech; and 10 years as an online newsletter and website
If you missed an article, go here: http://www.tmronline.com/A55951/tmrarticles.nsf/vwFullNewsletter
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MITEF Chicago Annual Holiday Party
‘Tis the season for good cheer and good networking
The holidays are upon us and the MITEF - Chicago invites our members and their guests to celebrate on December 18 at our annual Holiday Party. Come out to share the holiday spirit with your friends and colleagues as we enjoy the exquisite hospitality of Drinker Biddle Gartner Carton.
At the MITEF - Chicago Holiday Party you'll:
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* engage in a little sleight of hand as Danny Orleans spins his own brand of holiday magic
* win a special bottle of wine, a Lake Michigan summer sail, a nice dinner or other great raffle prize to make the season bright
* enjoy the fine wine selections of Great Lakes Wine Company
* contribute to terminally ill children through the great work of SEWonderful Quilts
Don’t miss the networking event of the holiday season!
Register today!
PROGRAM DETAILS
WHEN: December 18, 2007 - Registration & Networking from 5:30pm to 8:00pm
WHERE: Drinker Biddle Gardner Carton LLP, 191 N. Wacker Dr, Suite 3700, Chicago, IL
CONTACT: Tracey Harris, December Program Chair, engineer@uicalumni.org
REGISTRATION: www.mitefchicago.org
COST:Free for all MITEF - Chicago members.
Non-members and MITEF guests: $40 through 12/17
$50 at the door
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Scoop section:
-- Briefly noted, by Ron May
-- Press release from Governor: New Initiatives to develop entrepreneurship in the state [EIR, the IL-Celerate Program, TechNexus, Innovate Illinois and an 800#]
-- A September 4th press release May found: Governor gives $190K: Innovation Challenge Grant Program Matched Critical Federal Research and Development Dollars for Firms in Cook and Will Counties
-- A one-page description of the EIR program from the CEC website at www.chicagolandec.org
-- A list of presentations made at Ignite-Chicago on Thursday, December 6th. [May here. Still working hard on getting the links to as many of these as I can. Thanks to Harper Reed and Matt McCall for providing the links.]
-- December 18th: UIC Concept2Venture Event
1. READERS' COMMENTS AND RESPONSES
1a. Anonymous: Another Startsampling Innovation-The Covert Business Incubator Program
1b. Mary Smith: Who's who at RevStor
1c. Sal Burd: Raj Bhatia is...
1d. Jeff Nianick: Grosky and Efoora
1e. Daliah Saper: Upcoming IP seminar
1f. Monica Metzler: Doctor Atomic
1g. Nick Arvis: Firm helps create advisory boards
1h. Cheryl Osran: Journalism suggestion
2. EVENTS
2a. Monday, Jan. 14, 2008: ITDA January Monday Morning Meeting
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The Scoop section:
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Briefly noted, by Ron May
* First of all, a correction:
I wrote that John Bender would be on the committee deciding the recipients of the EIR program grants and I can't believe I got his name wrong, since I have known him for years. It is John Banta from Illinois Ventures: http://www.illinoisventures.com/ourteamoperating.html# Sorry about that John.
* The CEC holiday party last night was well attended. I am not good at estimating crowds in large rooms, but my bet is that they had 250 to 300 throughout the evening. As I was coming in, Adarsh Arora was leaving and so was Ed Condon, so you have to figure that some people came for a half hour or 45 minutes and they have to be counted in the totals as well.
I just got off the phone (at about noon) with Julia Stamberger who runs GoPicnic and she said that things are going very well. They have seven people full-time right now and they did get $1MM in angel funding. Howard Tullman has been of help to them and Bill Weaver is on their board. Bill had hip surgery a few months ago, Julia told me. www.gopicnic.com
Their clients include event planners, hotels, travel firms, airlines, even trains -- they did a pilot project with Amtrak -- and lawyers and other corporate folks order their boxes. Remember, the food has a shelf life of sixty days so it can be safely shipped all over the country and they are national, Julia said.
A hotel charges $30 for a box lunch, she told me and GoPicnic, if it is selling on a wholesale basis to an event planner will be charging $6.25 (cases of 24 @ $5.75 per box plus fifty cents for shipping) for a box lunch and often they are used as parting gifts at a convention of 2,000 people so that people can have something to take with them to the airport, she said.
I believe she said that their boxes are produced in Bollingbrook.
Recently, she told me that they have started offering children's boxes with temporary tattoos thrown in.
So, all in all, things seem to be going well.
Julia also told me that she was over at the offices of the ITA, aka TechNexus, on Thursday for the meeting of the INNOVATE Illinois program. The 13 winners throughout the state meet three or four times during the program and the CEC is responsible for the Chicago area firms. There is another organization that handles downstate in Carbondale, I believe she said.
So, it was a busy day over at 200 S. Wacker yesterday at the offices of the ITA. They had Jack Lavin announcing the EIR Program which if you read the press release very carefully is more than just the EIR program -- it also includes the IL-Celerate program which I believe is tied into the ITA. The ITA is offering space and there is more. Read the release carefully. There is even an 800# entrepreneurial assistance program.
And Mark Achler who kept running away from me last night also moderated a program with Troy Henikoff at the ITA. I don't know what Troy is doing since the Chicago office of Amacai imploded, but Achler has just been made an Entrepreneur-In-Residence under the program run by DCEO. I still have to do my homework on what Achler really did at Rightfield (now EmmiSolutions).
Word is that Weinstein pulled out some of his good old "mafia" routine, telling David Dalka that he should not be showing up at "his" party and criticizing his operation. As I understand it, Dalka told Scott Issen that he did not understand how they can have an Entrepreneur-In-Residence program and not have a way for people to find out about it or apply for it.
Evidently word got back to David and he approached Dalka whereupon a few heated words were exchanged.
As I understand it, Weinstein is claiming that ten people will be selected for the EIR program this year and the program is funded for $860K for a year. That comes to about $80K per person chosen assuming there is not a huge administrative overhead.
Look, you know that there will be much more on this program in the report. I would like to know how the first two people were chosen and what the criteria used were.
I would like to know who is in charge of making the selection of the EIRs and what the exact process is. I would like to know if this is a gatekeeper situation where someone like Weinstein has to vouch for you.
Having said that, I suppose that it is too much to ask that there be something called due diligence on the EIR recipients. Let us say, hypothetically of course, that some guy named Al comes to the EIR program and says he's unemployed at the moment looking for a firm that he can run as CEO where the investors will pour millions in --- you know the drill -- what happens then? -- or should I say this time??
Will David say, "Sure, I know Al and he's an all around good guy, poker player and all, let's put him in the program since he has no job right now"?
Will David say, "We need to investigate this and get the input from the people who invested in the last firm Al ran and get the facts -- as if we don't really already know them -- before even considering it."?
That is clearly a hypothetical because I doubt that a guy named Al who is on the CEC board, who is on the ITA board would have the chutzpah to approach these guys for money given the obvious conflict of interest and problem with fiduciary responsibility here, but some people try to redefine the lines.
On the other hand, some people spend time in Oxford, WI.
This is a test guys. We will be watching and if you foul this up, it is a pox on all of us.
Let's try to make Illinois just second rate in how it handles state and organization supported programs for once, bringing us up from third and fourth rate.
Does any other state have more governors who have gone to jail or been indicted than Illinois? Probably Louisiana, but you get the point.
Stop!! I finally got some real information. OK, Scott Issen of the CEC is one of the under-appreciated apparachnik who says that "being humble is a virtue" and he "likes to let his work speak for itself." But he added that sometimes you have to toot your own horn. I know, that is Weinstein's department.
Scott is low key but he graduated magna cum laude from the Washington University business school, majoring in marketing and finance. He told me that things have definitely changed from my era when Wash. U. was a lot of Ivy League rejects from Long Island. These days, Scott says, Wash U. gets people who have turned down the Ivy League.
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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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Scott clarified a few key things.
First, the EIR grants go to companies, to businesses, not individuals. The grant can be up to a maximum of $80K for the business.
Second, the first EIR went to a company called Free Lunch which develops Facebook applications.
Third, the key to the program is to pair up or match up experienced entrepreneurs with start-up entrepreneurs who have less experience but may have the technical talent. I am gathering that the logic here is for the experienced entrepreneurs to bring value, not just line their own pockets. This way, they give back the value of their experience and do what we used to call skills transfer dating back to my headhunting days when we talked about why firms hired consultants.
Fourth, in the case of Free Lunch, the experienced guys are Mark Achler and Troy Henikoff who are working together to help a 23 year old guy whose name I don't know. That is how I got confused about the 23 year old because he is probably working with them.
Fifth, the goal is to keep the talent and serial entrepreneurs in the state and they are paired up with an aspiring entrepreneur who may have more current technical talent but who less experienced as a business person. In this instance that is the 23 year old kid who started Free Lunch.
Sixth, there will be ten EIR "deals" for the first year. The CEC is administering the program for the state, so they can take applications from companies all over the state.
The selection committee is made up of Nancy Sullivan, Neil Kane, Adarsh Arora, John Banta, Matt McCall and Ellen Carnahan. David Weinstein is not on the selection committee, Scott believes. He is more like the go-between.
Getting back to the issue of how they can select a company for the program without having announced the program and without having publicized it or the process, Scott explained that the CEC does not want to say that they have a program and then have nothing happen as so many organizations do. "You never hear about it again," Scott said of a lot of programs and organizations without naming names.
The CEC likes to test first, bake the cake, see what it is like, taste it first, see how the process works in reality not in theory, Scott said.
That is what they were doing with pairing up Achler and Henikoff with the 23 year old at Free Lunch.
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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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Well, not so fast!
I did some cursory internet research and have found out that Troy Henikoff incorporated Free Lunch and Achler had been an investor, which we knew, in SurePayroll!
This is Henikoff's firm and the phantom 23 year old is a developer whom he hired as well as I can determine at this point.
Here is some material I found and what I have yet to find out is who that 23 year old is. Is he a tech or is he an entrepreneur??
This is from a Brad Spirrison column on October 1, 2007. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20071001/ai_n21021642
+++++++++++++++++
All or nothing
Most early-stage businesses constantly face multiple challenges with limited resources. While full-time CEOs find it hard enough to manage in this environment, trying to split operational focus among two or more enterprises is virtually impossible.
"You can't be a person leading a startup and committing only 10 or 20 hours per week," said Troy Henikoff, a founder of SurePayroll.com and other businesses. He also teaches entrepreneurship at Northwestern. "It is so hard to start a business as it is, I can't fathom reducing your odds by doing two at once."
Henikoff, who is 43 and founded his first venture in 1986, guides companies from the idea stage to self-sustainability. SurePayroll, founded in 1999, is the largest online payroll-processing firm in the country, and processes $3.5 billion in payrolls annually. Henikoff most recently ran Amacai Information Corporation.
Last month, Henikoff incorporated Free Lunch Inc., a company that builds applications on top of social networking services such as Facebook. Local venture capitalist Mark Achler, an investor in SurePayroll and a serial entrepreneur as well, is also involved in the venture.
Free Lunch is one of a few prospects Henikoff is considering for his next full-time gig.
"I have four or five opportunities bubbling up," he said. "But once I commit to something I'm all in."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
May again. Note no mention of any 23 year old entrepreneurs as of October 1st. OK, here is more evidence that this was not a pairing, it was a company started by an experienced entrepreneur, Troy Henikoff, who did a search for a Facebook developer.
How much equity does that developer have? Does he have founder status? If so, then I may be wrong, but if he is the hired help, this "deal" does not fit the model they have espoused.
I hate to ask tough questions and put a pin prick in the balloon, but we need transparency here.
Exhibit B: A September 14th Tech Cocktail email.
http://techcocktail.com/blog/2007/09/14/chicago-facebook-developer-wanted/
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Chicago: Facebook Developer Wanted
My friend Troy Henikoff is looking for a Facebook app developer. Below you’ll find a description of what he is looking for and I encourage you all to give it a good look. Troy is a very talented entrepreneur and one that would be fantastic to work with. Here it goes:
Awesome opportunity for a developer to get in on the ground floor of BOTH facebook development and a rapidly growing new company. Initially we are looking for contract programming work to be done creating facebook applications. The apps are fully spec’d out by a product manager and ready to code. For the right person, this will quickly turn into a full time opportunity. For more information e-mail your resume to Troy [at] Henikoff [dot com].
Subscribe to this feed • Save to del.icio.us • Digg This! • Email this
Posted by Eric Olson on September 14th, 2007
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Exhibit C:
Eric Benderoff article on October 22nd: http://blog.blueye.com/?p=37
Eric Benderoff's blog entries that mention Facebook applications: http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/eric2_0/facebook/index.html
+++++++++++++++++++++
May again. I don't want to jump the gun here. This is just the beginning of the investigation process.
There is nothing wrong with Troy starting a firm that does Facebook applications. There is nothing wrong with Troy hiring a Facebook developer.
But the question here is: Is the program being corrupted? Is the system and idea set up by DCEO and the CEC being gamed?
In plain English, if the idea is to legitimately pair up experienced entrepreneurs who will be advisors with less experienced and younger entrepreneurs who need the help, but it is the younger less experienced entrepreneurs who are being assisted, then how is a firm started by an experienced entrepreneur like Troy Henikoff who hired a developer in Facebook and who has brought an old friend/investor named Mark Achler into the deal a good fit for this program?
Is this an $80K grant just under a different name, the name of Entrepreneur-In-Residence. The fact that Troy started the firm and incorporated it would seem to me to be a real problem in the qualification of the firm for the EIR program. Maybe Free Lunch would be eligible for another program, but this one?
Think about it. Let me know what you think and if this is even an issue in your mind.
Scott Issen did say to me that nothing is "cookie cutter" and he emphasized the importance of testing the program before it is fully implemented. He also said that the point person is Jason Felger who can be reached at jason@chicagolandec.org.
Issen said that there will be benchmarks, and reporting requirements. Great. I figured that. But the issue is whether this is a square peg in a round hole. Is it the same old story?
Two guys with connections (Troy and Mark) wants state money and their buddies help him to get it through a program that has just started up, even if it is a very rough fit. Here's our guy, here's the money.
I am not saying that Troy won't use the money successfully. I am not saying that his firm is not a good idea.
I am saying that if the system can be gamed, it will, and that raises the question of the legitimacy of the whole EIR program.
By gaming the system I mean that folks who do not fit the spirit of the program will try to present themselves for it just to get the $80K grant. A young start-up entrepreneur (or entrepreneurs) could approach an older more experienced guy who is in-between gigs right now and bring him on as an advisor to get the money. Or an experienced guy who is in between gigs could hook up with a start-up firm for the purpose of getting the grant money. In both instances, it could be legit or it could be a scheme to get the $80K.
I am sure we will be looking into this and talking about it for some time to come and it is almost 5:30pm on a Friday.
A lot of people who read TMR wonder not only why I don't have an editor but also why I don't appear to bother to edit. The answer is that sometimes it is valuable to see how a story develops. I heard about Henikoff and Achler from Julia Stamberger but I did not link them together or with Free Lunch. Then I heard about Issen and Weinstein and Dalka. Then I talked to Issen but that was still not the end of the process. I then did some digging on Free Lunch which I had heard about from Issen. I found the info. I gave you and that is the value-add, but it would not have taken place were it not for all the preliminary pieces of the puzzle. All of this since noon today.
Fred Hoch alluded to a mentorship program that he is working on at the ITA, so the folks at TiE have some competition.
I know, these are typical Ron May comments. Always looking to stir the pot and start a fight. The Don King of Chicago High Tech or as Terry Howerton suggested, The Larry Flint of Chicago High Tech. I know, I know, we are one community and let a thousand flowers bloom. The more the merrier. Fred made that point to me very strongly last night at the CEC party. He loves to see the proliferation of a variety of tech groups that all do their own thing and all create value. He would love to see 15 or more of them. You know what, I believe him. No one group can do everything and everyone has a role to play.
I did question Jai Shekhawat from Fieldglass on the Indian thing. How is that six of six mentors are Indians and two of three entrepreneurs are Indian? He said that I should ask Adarsh about it. Or Tom Churchwell. I don't know Tom all that well, but assuming that he is of British descent, Indians are not exactly enamoured of the Brits considering what the brits did to them. And our hero Winston Churchwell is no hero in India. You have to know some history here.
I know I just stepped into it big time. I do that sometimes. I am not trying to stir ethnic conflict or criticize Churchwell or the Brits. I am just pointing out that the issue of converting TiE from being an Indian entrepreneurial organization to a general entrepreneurial organization not tied to any specific ethnic group is far more difficult and complex than we may realize. Despite the huge success of Indians in our society, they are still: a. a minority; b. discriminated against at times; or c. used as a token minority at times or d. still very much in need of ethnic pride and identity reinforcement as are all rising groups over the history of our society.
What I am leading up to is that Adarsh Arora's ideal of converting TiE Midwest from "The Indus Entrepreneur" to "Talent, Ideas and Enterprise" is admirable, the reality is harder to achieve than the rhetoric. I hope that Tom Churchwell is not the token non-Indian. And I have joked about how many of the Charter members of TiE-Midwest are Jewish or Catholic: Weinstein, Glickson, Carnahan.
Look, TiE is an Indian organization -- nothing wrong with that -- but if the reforms that Arora wanted are real, a 50/50 split of Indian/Non-Indian makes more sense than 8 of 9 people involved being Indian. That is 89/11 which is hardly even close to 50/50.
The ITA had a board meeting as well Thursday in their offices and I joked with Fred about how he is still employed. He said that this is exactly what my cousin, Ken Wasch, used to say when he returned from a board meeting of the SIIA (fka the SPA). Fred worked for Ken for six years before coming to the ITA and Chicago.
Here is a preliminary list of people you may know who were there last night, December 13, 2007:
Carson Conant, Mediafly
Bob Brill, WoodPhillips
David Dalka, professional gadfly and looking
Jed Abernethy, AthenaSecurity.net
Adarsh Arora, Lisle Tech Partners, AthenaSecurity.net
Fred Hoch, ITA
Sara Habansky, ITA
Mary Pat Glynn, ITA
Jim Figliulo, TimeXchange
Joe Piekarz, TimeXchange [Jim, Joe; Sara, Mary Pat and Fred of the ITA went off to Carnival at the end of the evening]
Barbara Rose (talked a lot to Mark Glennon and Michael Krauss)
Michael Krauss
Brad Spirrison, Midwest Business
Lou Calamaras, Midwest Business
Katie Spirrison, Brad's wife, William Blair
David Weinstein, CEC
Jason Felger, CEC
Kapil Chaudhary, CEC and Kellogg
Jai Shekhawat, Fieldglass
Keith Waxelman, Mediafly
Brian Crummy, FlowerPetal
Scott Issen, CEC
Jason Jacobsohn, CEC
Stel Valavanis, OnShore
Michael Rosenthal, Sonnenschein
Mark Glennon, Leo Capital
Bob Geras, LaSalle Investments
Al Wasserberger, looking -- for how long prospectively we can only guess
Kris Hammond, DevLab at Northwestern [I had a great conversation with him, more on that Monday. I discussed the new firm that has six people and no announced name yet, that has search algorithms to discover what is interesting and how to distinguish stories from facts.]
Joe Jablonski, Acumence
Nik Rokop, IIT
Ron Kirschner, Heartland Angels
Ed Condon
Larry Hayward, Scius
Jason Rexilius, HostedLabs
Jason Rexilius' girlfriend
David Weinstein's new girlfriend
Todd Evans
Sam Mele, Firm58
Mark Achler (kept running off when I came around)
Ed Szofer who has started a new firm, www.seneca-global.com
Daliah Saper, Saper Law
Charles Krugel, lawyer
Len Bland
Dave Sallander, Sherlock Systems
Brad Desent, Apex [not the venture firm]
Arsen Avakian, Argo Tea
Steve Wasko, formerly of Nanosphere, now helping start-ups from Argonne to NU commercialize technology. His b/g is finance and operations. He has projects from bio-encapsulation to chiropracty going on now.
Scott Whittaker, Northwestern
Patrick Hughes, Inclusion Solutions
Jason Starr, Winona Capital and UCGSB
Tom Lemanski, Vista Development
David Wright, Liquid Talk
David Peak, Liquid Talk
Dan Anderson, Liquid Talk
Plus a few other people from Liquid Talk including one woman
Chris Hill, Perkspot
Melissa Tararico [very pregnant, oh, but I thought you could not be a little pregnant?]
Julia Stamberger
Wes Shepherd, Channel Velocity
Greg Rudin, thepoint.com and MediaBank
Jay Fisher, IIT
Bruce Zivian, Bell Boyd
Larry Birnbaum who works with Kris Hammond at DevLab
Matthew Smith, Complaints.com
I did not see Bruce Montgomery, Chris Rollyson, Paul Davidovich, David Smith, Linda Darragh, Dennis Serio, Scott Glickson, Chris Gladwin, Scott Glickson, Maura O'Hara, Jerry Mitchell, Terry Howerton, Raman Chadha, David Baker, Bret Maxwell, Michael Gruber, Tom Figel, and quite a few others.
That list was people out of the tech community, but many people at the CEC party are from real estate, restaurants, jewelry, lingerie, financial institutions, especially commercial banking and minority lending, etc. It is a diverse group and I have to hand it the CEC. They are hands down the one group in this town that actively includes minorities in their events and their business activity. Now, Bruce Montgomery has pointed out to me that there are promises made and not kept, something about the Runner's Club, but I know what I see.
I'll have a better list for you on Monday. The attendees included a guy who sells ties on W. Webster, www.leeallison.com who advertises on WFMT, and a woman who sells jewelry, www.oneofonejewelry.com run by Samantha Goldberg who told me that she had her website developed by Tecture, a firm that previously advertised in TMR. There was also Sandy Reeve of She Beads, www.sbstore.com, and the winner of the hot babes contest last night has to be Meghan Hoover of www.xploreu.com, whom I believe is new to town. Wherever she is from, I had my eyes on her. Katie Spirrison and Julia Stamberger were looking fetching last night too.
I need to know more history but the folks at Lumen have some connection to the tech community and Jeff Jackson used to work for Erica Swerdlow at Porter Novelli and now he works at Lumen and he has his own card. (www.lumen-chicago.com). At the end of the evening there were people cropping up from another party altogether which was a group of Europhiles. www.eurocircle.com, a group that must think they are hot stuff.
Stel drove me home in his new Prius which cost about $24K and he only got $4,600 for his Saab. The Prius gets 39.6 miles per gallon and Stel says that it charges up during stops. The batteries are so heavy, my landlord told me today that the Prius does not do as well in MPG for highway driving that is 65-70mph and not start and stop. In-town driving is better with the Prius, straight highway driving at 65-70mph is better with regular cars, he told me, adding that he has no direct knowledge.
Stel is going to have some good things to announce in a few months, he told me. Also he said that www.mfive.org is having some issues these days and has slowed down its events. The group combines art, music and tech, plus some seriously hot women, Stel said.
So, not having cards typed up yet, here are people who were there both last year and this year, both December 13, 2007 and December 20, 2006:
Dave Peak of Liquid Talk
Julia Stamberger of GoPicnic
Wes Shepherd, Channel Velocity
Arsen Avakian of Argo Tea
Sam Mele and his partner from Firm58
Bruce Zivian, Bell Boyd
Jeff Coney, Northwestern
Adarsh Arora of Lisle Technology Partners
Scott Issen, CEC
Jason Felger, CEC
Jason Jacobsohn, CEC
David Weinstein, CEC
Kapil Chadhary, CEC
Melissa Talarico, CEC
Ron Kirschner, Heartland Angels
Larry Hayward, Scius
Michael Gray of Neal Gerber Eisenberg
Fred Hoch from the ITA
Brad Spirrison
Lou Calamaras
Adarsh Arora of TiE
Greg Rudin, last year of Cleversafe
David Dalka
Nik Rokop, last year of Bias Power
Len Bland
Tom Lemanski, Vista Development
Kris Hammond, Northwestern and DevLab
Here are people who were there last year, December 20, 2006, but not this year:
Steve Pazol
Lou Pasqually of InXpo
Scott Sheridan, one of the founders of Think or Swim
Tommy Sheridan, a hottie and Scott Sheridan's wife
Chris Gladwin of Cleversafe
Irv Shapiro of IfByPhone
David Naylor of Starthis
John Muntean of Bias Power
Elizabeth Stamberger, Experiencia
Pat Stanakas of Claim Force and his CEO, I believe
Troy Henikoff of Amacai and formerly of SurePayroll
Kathleen Burkhart, the CFO of Akoya
Terry Howerton of FastRoot
Bret Johnson
Matt Summy
Jaime V. from DCEO
Kristi Lafleur
David Weinstein's girlfriend Halle
Melissa Talarico's husband
Jasmine Moore
Dennis Serio
Adam Koopersmith from New World Ventures,
Michael Gruber,
Matt Brown of KMZR
Michael Bredahl from LES
Jerry Mitchell of the MEF
Maura O'Hara of the IVCA
Raman Chadha from DePaul
Monica Metzler
Terry Howerton of the ITA.
Michael Carruth,
Bob Lepkowski who tells me he's traveling a lot these days
David Baker,
David Smith
Tom Figel
Adam Boris
Russ Zitny
Lauren Dimmet, formerly of Anet
Bruce Montgomery
Linda Darragh and her husband,
Dan Shomon
Ed Zaretsky of The Oliver Group
Maria Barud of Zanon Group
Greg McDermott of the MCA
Clancy Ryan
Samantha Jones
Jay Moore
Tom Caprel
Arturo Venescia
Phil Rosen
Mark DeSousa
Rich Gallagher
Nick Nefrano
Bob Fasken
Holly Maloney
James Ferrando
Kris Hammond's lovely wife, Robin Hammond
I cannot swear to the validity of this list since I certainly don't know everyone who showed at the CEC party, but I do know many of the tech folks.
You can see that last year drew more tech entrepreneurs and investors and organization heads. But last year, the party was December 20th and maybe there were fewer scheduling conflicts. Also, Bella Lounge was much closer to downtown. That west loop area over by Halsted and Fulton is so out of the way, but there are a lot of night clubs there. Lumen and Fulton Lounge are now two I have been to in the last two weeks.
* A last question: Does anyone know what the industry standard is for the monthly T&E (Travel and Entertainment) for a 15 person software or internet start-up. I would like to get some real world ranges.
* Yesterday, and the day before, were emotional roller coasters for me, both the highs and the lows. Over the weekend, within the limits of good judgement, I will try to describe the experience for you without doing too much damage to anyone.
One thing. I won the weight bet by a mile and ended up with a total of $312 (I beat Al by 8.2 lbs. lost and Bob by 7.5 lbs. lost) I lost 11.5 lbs. in 93 days and am now at 241 lbs. which is a really big deal for me. I have been holding solidly below 250 lbs. and that is not something I have done for more than 4 mos. in my entire adult life and that includes high school. My all time high was about 325 lbs and a lot of time was spent at 285 lbs. or 290 lbs. So, if that was the high, what was the low? We'll get to that.
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Press release from Governor: New Initiatives to develop entrepreneurship in the state [EIR, the IL-Celerate Program, TechNexus, Innovate Illinois and an 800#]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACTS:
December 13, 2007 Abby Ottenhoff 312/814.3158
Rebecca Rausch 217/782.7355
Gerardo Cardenas 312/814.3158
Marcelyn Love 217/299.8333 (DCEO)
BLAGOJEVICH ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES NEW INITIATIVES TO DEVELOP ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN THE STATE
State partners with the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center and Illinois Technology Association to develop two new pilot programs to support innovation in Illinois
CHICAGO – Governor Rod R. Blagojevich today announced two new initiatives to foster entrepreneurship in the state. The first, the Entrepreneur in Residence Program, will engage serial technology entrepreneurs to stay in Illinois and build new businesses while commercializing promising technologies from the state's top researchers and institutions. The second, the Illinois Celerate Program, will take young technology entrepreneurs through a 12-week apprenticeship to develop a prototype of a new idea or technology venture. Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) Director Jack Lavin made the announcement today on behalf of the Governor during an event at the Illinois Technology Association (ITA). Representatives from the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center and the ITA joined Director Lavin for the announcement. Additionally, small business who won the 2007 Innovate Illinois program were recognized for their innovative, high-growth potential.
"Innovation and entrepreneurship are essential to Illinois’ competitiveness in a global economy. Gov. Blagojevich recognizes the importance of programs like these to ensure Illinois remains in a viable position to attract venture capital investments in the state. The pilot programs announced today are just one part of those efforts and will capitalize on the tremendous amount of publicly and privately funded research and development activity that occurs in the state," said Lavin.
The Entrepreneur in Residence Program (EIR), administered by the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center (CEC), affiliated with the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, will partner experienced entrepreneurs with young entrepreneurs to develop new business ideas or commercialize promising technologies from academic and industrial researchers. The program will enhance Illinois’ entrepreneurial community and capitalize on the tremendous amount of young and experienced talent, along with research and development activity that occurs in the state.
A total of $860,000 has been awarded by DCEO to support experienced and young entrepreneurs to creating new, high-impact companies poised for business growth. The CEC and independent selection committee will review qualified entrepreneurs to enroll into the EIR program. The EIR selection committee is comprised of Adarsh Arora, President & CEO, Lisle Technology Partners; John Banta, CEO & Managing Director, IllinoisVentures LLC; Neil Kane, President, Advanced Diamond Technologies; Matt McCall, Managing Director, DFJ Portage Venture Partners; Ellen Carnahan, Managing Director, Seyen Capital; Nancy Sullivan, Senior Director, KeraCure.
The CEC will work with these EIRs to identify promising technologies and engage young entrepreneurs to start new businesses. Up to $80,000 in funds will be available to EIR approved businesses to support prototype development, technology assessments, intellectual property protection and market assessments. Grant funding is intended to propel the company forward in a meaningful way toward first round professional financing.
"We must continue to accelerate the growth of technology businesses in our region by engaging Illinois talented serial entrepreneurs. Working with the extensive network of seasoned entrepreneurs in Illinois, we can assist in the successful commercialization of technologies from Illinois institutions. By providing Entrepreneurs in Residence with resources to enhance their success and ensure they have access to technologies necessary to bring new products and services to market we will support new business growth and job creation throughout the state and region," said CEC President David Weinstein.
Through the IL-Celerate Program, the Illinois Technology Association will help to nurture young entrepreneurs who have a promising idea or technology. To achieve these goals, the IL-Celerate Program will initially sponsor five separate "seed stage" companies through a twelve-week process as they develop technology companies. At the end of the process, each of the companies will have a completed prototype-stage product or service that will serve as the base for which they will continue to grow. Participating companies will receive grant awards up to $15,000, with the state providing a total of $120,000 in funding.
Participants will also receive office space and associated services including furniture, Internet access, phone service, and conference facilities in the ITA’s TechNexus. The TechNexus is a 26,000 sq. ft technology community center developed to support the ongoing collaboration of the technology community in the state of Illinois. In addition, companies in the IL-Celerate program will participate in a number of networking activities with leading practitioners from areas of specific need to seed-stage companies, and will receive membership in the ITA.
"The technology industry plays an enormous role in the Illinois economy and we are glad to be working with the state to drive it to new heights," said Fred Hoch, President, ITA. "The IL-Celerate programs offer an opportunity for ideas to flourish in Illinois and foster the development of homegrown talent for the future."
The Entrepreneur in Residence and IL-Celerate Programs are a part of a larger strategy to promote entrepreneurship and innovation throughout the state. In March 2005, Gov. Blagojevich launched the Illinois Entrepreneurship Network (IEN) to help create jobs and high-growth businesses across Illinois. Throughout the state, small business owners looking to expand their companies can connect with business experts through local Entrepreneurship Centers and many other economic development centers supported by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO). The IEN Web site, www.ienconnect.com, features a free business needs assessment and a referral within 24 hours for personalized, face-to-face assistance. Entrepreneurs, who call toll-free to the IEN information center (1-800-252-2923), can also connect with service representatives who will assess their business concerns and direct them to the local resources that best meets their needs.
At today’s event, winners of the 2007 INNOVATE Illinois award were also recognized. INNOVATE Illinois, a six-month program administered by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, was created to recognize innovative, high-growth, small businesses throughout Illinois. The goal of INNOVATE Illinois is to provide revenue-generating businesses throughout Illinois with the assistance and resources to help them take their innovations further and grow their businesses. A complete list of winners is listed below.
Northern Region
Colorlab Custom Cosmetics
Colorlab Cosmetics creates hand-crafted, custom-blended and fresh-made cosmetics.
Contact: Mary Swaab – (815) 965-2001
K.W. Powell and Associate
K.W. Powell provides a web-based, manufacturing sales enabler product to manufacturers that sell through dealer/distributor networks.
Contact: Sparky (Kent) Powell – (815) 637-8989
Leading Edge Hydraulics
Leading Edge Hydraulics is a premier manufacturer of hydraulic tube assemblies and fittings to the off-highway & mobile hydraulics industry.
Contact: Russell Dennis Jr. – (815) 316-3502
Chicagoland Region
Bright Star Healthcare
BrightStar Franchising keeps parents and grandparents out of nursing homes and in their own homes by providing a full range of medical and non-medical services.
Contact: Shelly Sun – (847) 828-0126
ClaimForce
ClaimForce is a service chain technology company that enables insurance claim professionals to streamline the claims service process.
Contact: Stephen Applebaum – (847) 580-4262
GoPicnic
GoPicnic provides a unique and innovative foodservice option to a variety of industries, including airlines, hotels and elementary/high school fundraising
Contact: Julia Stamberger – (773) 426-7007
Neat-Oh!
Neat-Oh! International, which launched its first product ZipBin, is focused on rapidly developing, manufacturing, marketing and selling products that make it fun to be neat.
Contact: Gerry Linda – (847) 441-4290
Professional Swine Management
Professional Swine Management, LLC provides management on all phases of production, including breeding, gestation, farrowing, nursery, finishing and project development to swine producers
Contact: Ken Haas – (217) 357-2811
R Cubed Technologies
R Cubed Technologies is a full service technology company providing Information Technology products and services.
Contact: Ed Rockhold – (309) 342-8233 ex. 100
Vision Technology, Inc.
Vision Technology develops new types of cameras, usually with previously unavailable features.
Contact: Narendra Ahuja – (217) 369-3898
Southern Region
The Arthur Agency
The Arthur Agency is an interactive advertising agency, which combines all of the traditional advertising services with new media services, like web design, CD-Rom’s, DVD’s and 3-D animation.
Contact: Jon Greenstreet – (618) 534-6550
Boon Docks Equipment
The Boon-Docks company designs and manufactures farm implement solutions unique to the contractor, landscaper, small farmer and hobbyist.
Contact: Jerry Watkins – (618) 925-2117
So iLL, Inc.
So iLL, Inc. is a manufacturing company that produces a line of indoor and outdoor rock climbing hand and foot grips for artificial rock climbing walls.
Contact: Daniel Chancellor – (618) 420-9388
About the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center (CEC):
The Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center is a nonprofit affiliate of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce that seeks to make a perceptible and lasting economic impact on the Chicagoland region by helping entrepreneurs and high-growth businesses build viable, sustainable, and profitable enterprises. The CEC works with entrepreneurs to create and sustain opportunities for business success, job growth, and profitability. To learn more visit www.chicagolandec.org.
About the Illinois Technology Association: With roots dating back to 1982, the Illinois Technology Association (ITA) represents the interests of a diverse membership of more than 400 companies in Illinois that create, deploy and utilize information technology as a core part of their organization. By connecting members with industry peers and participants, providing the latest strategic information, market research and critical market insight and by promoting key thought leaders to raise visibility and gain a greater market awareness and presence, ITA is focused on building and developing the Illinois technology community through collaboration. Additional information is available at http://www.illinoistech.org/
About Opportunity Returns
Gov. Blagojevich’s Opportunity Returns regional economic development strategy is the most aggressive, comprehensive approach to creating jobs in Illinois’ history. Since a one-size-fits-all approach to economic development just doesn’t work, the Governor has divided the state into 10 regions – each with a regional team that is empowered and expected to rapidly respond to opportunities and challenges. Opportunity Returns is about tangible, specific actions to make each region more accessible, more marketable, more entrepreneurial and more attractive to businesses. It is about upgrading the skills of the local workforce, increasing the access to capital, opening new markets, improving infrastructure, and creating and retaining jobs. Opportunity Returns is about successfully partnering with companies and communities, both large and small, to help all of Illinois reach its economic potential.
______________________________________
A September 4th press release May found: Governor gives $190K: Innovation Challenge Grant Program Matched Critical Federal Research and Development Dollars for Firms in Cook and Will Counties
http://www.illinoisbiz.biz/dceo/News/pr09042007.htm.htm
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT
Release Date
September 04, 2007 Contact Information
Abby Ottenhoff 312/814.3158
Rebecca Rausch 217/782.7355
Gerardo Cardenas 312/814.3158
Mark Harris 312/814.0095 (DCEO)
News Title
GOV. BLAGOJEVICH ANNOUNCES $190,000 IN GRANTS TO HELP FOUR HIGH-GROWTH, TECH-BASED FIRMS ADVANCE COMMERCIALIZATION EFFORTS IN THE CHICAGOLAND AREA
Related Image
News Description
Innovation Challenge Grant Program Matched Critical Federal Research and Development Dollars for Firms in Cook and Will Counties
CHICAGO – In his continuing efforts to support technology-driven enterprises, Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich today announced $190,000 in Opportunity Returns grants to four Chicagoland technology-based firms to help these companies advance commercialization efforts and grow their businesses. American BioOptics in Evanston, MicroLink Devices in Niles, QuesTek Innovations in Evanston and Advanced Diamond Technologies in Romeoville all received funding through the federally-administered Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) program, which these dollars helped to match. This support comes as a part of Opportunity Returns, the Governor’s pro-active, comprehensive economic development strategy designed to create even more jobs and spur continued growth throughout the region.
"Illinois is filled with world-class research and promising new technologies, but, in order to successfully translate this research into viable ventures, companies need access to the critical dollars to get there. By investing in innovative, high-growth companies like these four Chicagoland firms, we are helping them leverage vital federal contracts that will turn cutting-edge research into successful new products. We will continue creating a business environment that encourages innovation, so emerging firms can access the resources they need to build their businesses and create even more high-paying jobs," Gov. Blagojevich said.
American BioOptics, an Evanston-based medical diagnostics company, is receiving a $50,000 grant. The company is commercializing two innovative optical backscattering technologies developed at Northwestern University and Evanston Northwestern Healthcare for the purpose of early detection of colorectal cancer. In the long-term, this project aims to develop and commercialize an optical technology for colon cancer screening in a simple, inexpensive, and minimally invasive test that would forego need for bowel cleansing. Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. largely because only a small fraction of the eligible population undergoes a screening colonoscopy. (Contact: Andrew Cittadine, CEO – 847/467.0628).
MicroLink Devices, a Niles-based ISO-9001 semiconductor manufacturing company providing specialized high performance GaAs (gallium arsenide) based semiconductors, is receiving a $50,000 grant to develop a
low-cost manufacturing process for high efficiency and high specific power solar array technology.
The high performance GaAs based semiconductors are currently being used as power amplifiers in cellular phones and RF (radio frequency) test equipment. MicroLink has developed state-of-the-art gallium arsenide based semiconductors for RF amplifiers with the highest efficiency and reliability performance. As part of the Phase I SBIR, this technology will be extended to provide high conversion efficiency and cost effective solar cells for terrestrial concentrator systems in addition to high specific power density for space applications. This project is expected to create two new jobs and retain three others. (Contact: Dr. Noren Pan – 847/588.3001).
QuesTek Innovations LLC, an Evanston-based materials solutions company that computationally designs new alloys per customer specifications, is receiving an almost $40,000 grant. The company, which was born out of research at Northwestern University, has worked with the U.S. Air Force for the past six years designing, developing, and qualifying for flight a new alloy for Air Force landing gear. QuesTek is now in the final portion of this effort and has signed its first license agreement with a specialty steel maker to supply the Air Force with the new alloy moving forward. QuesTek received this state grant to match funds provided by the U.S. Navy targeting the design and development of similar steel: a low-cost, high-strength, high-fracture-tough, corrosion-resistant metal alloy for use in Naval landing gear. (Contact: Brian Tufts – 847/425.8241).
Advanced Diamond Technologies, Inc. (ADT), a Romeoville-based nanotechnology company formed in December 2003 to commercialize diamond technology from Argonne National Laboratory, is receiving a $50,000 grant. This SBIR Phase I project will advance the development of foundry-quality MEMS (micro-electromechanical systems) wafers made from diamond—ushering in the era of diamond MEMS. Diamond MEMS have great promise in RF devices (resonators, filters, oscillators for wireless communications), bio-implantable chips (artificial retina, cochlear implants, implantable ID chips), electronics and material research (AFM probes, data storage devices, x-ray and electron optics) and sensors (SAW sensors, vibrating cantilever sensors, etc). This project is expected to create two new jobs and retain three others. ADT, which has secured over $1 million in SBIR grants, has also received $140,000 from DCEO’s Innovative Product Grant (IPG) program, the nation’s first state-funded grant program focused on developing products to meet homeland security needs. (Contact: Neil Kane – 815/293.0900).
This funding comes from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s (DCEO) Innovation Challenge Matching Grant program, which is designed to help companies across various technology sectors tap into federal contracts, like the Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, to develop technologies that can lead to commercial products. The Governor committed $1 million toward this program, which provides an up to 50 percent match on federal funding to assist with technology development and commercialization efforts.
SBIR and STTR provide early-stage R&D funding directly to small technology companies or individual entrepreneurs across the country developing leading-edge technologies of interest to eleven federal departments and agencies. Companies apply first for a phase I award of up to $100,000 to test the scientific, technical, and commercial merit and feasibility of a particular concept. If phase I proves successful, the company may be invited to apply for a two-year phase II award of up to $750,000 to further develop the concept, usually to the prototype stage. As such, these programs provide seed capital of up to $850,000 to develop technologies that can lead to commercial products. The Innovation Challenge Matching Grant program helps to assist Illinois companies in receiving SBIR/STTR contracts, while increasing their attractiveness to acquire additional investment.
"As we keep building our regional economy, it’s important that the necessary resources are available for our young, tech-based businesses, especially when it’s a matter of vital early stage dollars that can make or break a promising new venture. My thanks to Gov. Blagojevich for stepping up to address this need, which is helping these innovative companies develop new products and move new technologies into the marketplace," said State Senator Jeff Schoenberg (D-Evanston).
"The Governor’s Innovation Challenge Program is an excellent complement to the federal SBIR programs to better help high-growth companies secure technologies or market products. By investing in new technologies and cutting-edge research, we are better positioning the region for greater economic growth," said State Senator Ira Silverstein (D-Chicago).
"I commend Gov. Blagojevich for establishing the Innovation Challenge Program, which is helping to increase tech transfer opportunities for more high growth Illinois firms like Advanced Diamond Technologies. We will continue to work together with our growing companies to help them create more jobs and expand their presence in the region," said State Senator A.J. Whilelmi (D-Joliet).
"In order to translate cutting-edge research into commercial products, we must help nurture our growing tech-based firms, which will only lead to more good jobs. Northwestern University is one of the world’s top research institutions and American BioOptics and QuesTek Innovations are prime examples of why we need to invest in important new technologies. Gov. Blagojevich and I will continue to lend our support behind these innovative ventures," said State Representative Julie Hamos (D-Evanston).
"This type of funding is a lifeline for companies to develop bold new technologies and position their products for success in the marketplace. Gov. Blagojevich has created a program that is going a long way to help advance our high-growth, tech-based firms and create more good-paying jobs," said State Representative John D’Amico (D-Chicago).
Gov. Blagojevich also created the Innovation Challenge Technical Assistance program to increase the number of SBIR/STTR applications in Illinois through assistance with the proposal writing process. DCEO is working in partnership with the Champaign County Economic Development Commission and the Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) to perform SBIR/STTR-related proposal writing and assistance services for technology-based entrepreneurs, innovators and new venture start-ups to access federal funding opportunities, driving technology-based job creation and economic development.
"Gov. Blagojevich and I strongly believe that in order to create more good jobs we must be strategic about providing our young, tech-driven firms with the resources they need to develop into economically viable and sustainable companies. These four companies are prime examples of growing, high-tech firms that are in need of these critical early stage dollars to position them for long-term success. Through initiatives like the Innovation Challenge Matching Grant Program, we will continue the state’s progress to further develop a vibrant tech industry throughout the region and statewide," DCEO Director Jack Lavin said.
Since January 2004, Illinois has gained more than 186,000 jobs, which is best in the Midwest. Illinois led the nation in new job growth in January with 19,100 new jobs and in June of this year with 12,400 new jobs. In 2006, Illinois gained 71,000 new jobs, which is the best calendar year gain since 2000. Over the last 4 years, from January 2003 to December 2006, Illinois had the second largest unemployment rate drop in the nation. The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Illinois Department of Employment Security compiled these statistics.
For more information about the program, contact Scott Henkel in the Technology and Industrial Competitiveness Bureau at DCEO, 217/557.6880 or scott.henkel@illinois.gov.
__________________________________________
A one-page description of the EIR program from the CEC website at www.chicagolandec.org
http://www.chicagolandec.org/content/cec-at-work/entrepreneur-in-residence-program.asp
ENTREPRENEUR IN RESIDENCE PROGRAM
Background
Innovation and entrepreneurship are essential to Illinois’ competitiveness in a global economy. Supporting entrepreneurial management and leveraging their expertise in the commercialization process is a critical component to the success of technology transfer in Illinois.
The Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) Program, developed by the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center (CEC) and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), selects experienced entrepreneurs and provides the opportunity to focus on creating new, high-impact companies in Illinois by partnering with young entrepreneurs to develop new business ideas or commercialize promising technologies from academic and industrial researchers. The program enhances Illinois’ entrepreneurial community and capitalizes on the tremendous amount of young and experienced entrepreneurial talent along with research and development activity that occurs in the state.
Program Overview
The CEC selects and then works with the EIR to identify market opportunities and build new start-up technology companies by providing access to organizations working with young talented entrepreneurs, Illinois’ academic and corporate research institutions and commercialization teams. The CEC coordinates program activities, including the following:
Coordinate the recruitment and selection of EIR candidates
Provide logistical support to EIRs including office and meeting space
Facilitate industry and university introductions
Assist the EIRs and their newly formed teams in developing pre-seed funding recommendations
Assist EIRs in accessing financial resources, including grant funding of up to $80,000 provided through the program
Coordinate project monitoring and reporting
EIR Candidate Profile
The EIR program is highly selective and targets high-level experienced technology entrepreneurs. Ideal Entrepreneurs in Residence have been involved in a number of startups, and have successfully guided their companies through an initial public offering or acquisition. They are regarded as "experts" in their particular field of knowledge.
The EIR candidate must have an immediate interest in commercializing promising new technologies formed at Illinois research institutions and corporate laboratories along with:
A history of raising top tier venture capital
One or more significant financially successful exits
Meaningful top management experience in a previous technology related venture
Recruitment and Selection Process
The CEC coordinates the recruitment of highly qualified Entrepreneurs in Residence. The EIR candidate must fit the profile outlined above and submit an application to be considered for this program. A selection committee reviews the applications, interviews EIR candidates and makes the final EIR staffing decisions. In addition, the panel reviews and approves the projects submitted by the selected EIRs.
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A list of presentations made at Ignite-Chicago on Thursday, December 6th. [May here. Still working hard on getting the links to as many of these as I can. Thanks to Harper Reed and Matt McCall for providing the links.]
http://ignite-chicago.org/
Presentations
Published by seanharper on December 13, 2007 in Uncategorized.
We are going to get videos and copies of the decks up online, but in the meantime, here is the full list of speakers along with their topics:
Sean Blanton - Using Perl to Control Java
Matt McCall - Ugly Duckling or Black Swan?
Derek Wade - Scrum: It Depends on Common Sense
Steve Heady - Divless - CSS Coding that Works from Front To Back
Brawley Reishman - How to Preserve Your Sanity in the Global Economy
Massimo DiPierro - Gluon (Python web framework)
Justin Kruger - Game Economics
Erin McKean - lex i cog ra pher
Ravi Shankar - Moving Toward Rich Internet Aplpications
Keith Shacht - Why You Should Care About Platforms Like Facebook
Leon Chism - WoW! Everything I Know I Learned in Azeroth
Jon Pasky - Protecting Your IP in 5 Minutes
Michael Gruber - Killing Your Startup’s Changes to Receiving Early Stage Funding
Jason Fried - 20 Questions
Harper Reed and Scott Van Den Plas - Zebras vs. Mustaches
Jason Rexilius - Scaling Web Applications Across Distributed Networks
Paul Caswell - Thinking Together
__________________________________________
December 18th: UIC Concept2Venture Event
From: Holly Griffin [holly@uic.edu]
To: ron@themayreport.com
Subject: Concept2Venture Event- December 18, 2007
Sent: Fri 12/14/2007 3:41 PM
Stefanie Lenway (Dean of UIC’s College of
Business Administration), Gerald Hills (Executive
Director of UIC’s Institute for Entrepreneurial
Studies), Motorola (our lead sponsor) and Rod
Shrader (Director, Concept2Venture) cordially
invite you to join us at UIC on December 18, 2007
for our third annual campus-wide business plan
competition. At the competition, called
Concept2Venture or C2V, graduate and
undergraduate students from all 15 UIC colleges
can compete for $20,000 in cash prizes, plus a
wide array of in-kind business services. This
high-octane event is a highlight of our
year. The schedule is outlined below. If your
schedule allows, you are welcome to attend all or any of the following events:
7:30 am- Registration and continental breakfast
8:00 am-11:45 am- Semifinals
11:45pm-1:00pm Lunch with keynote speaker Michael
Ferro, Chairman and CEO of Merrick Ventures; Past
Chairman, CEO and Founder of Click Commerce
1:00 pm-1:30 pm Elevator pitch competition (each
semifinalist gives a 2-minute overview)
1:40 pm-5:00 pm Final round of competition and public feedback from judges 5:00 pm-6:30 pm Awards reception
Please R.S.V.P to Holly Griffin at holly@uic.edu
All events will take place at UIC in Student
Center East (750 S. Halsted St.).
Parking is available directly across the street.
Within the next few days you will also receive an
electronic invitation to the event that will
allow you to easily RSVP. This e-vite will come
from Holly Griffin, Assistant to the Dean
(holly@uic.edu). However, in advance of the
e-vite I wanted to send you a personal invitation
and provide a bit of background on the event.
In the first two years of C2V, twenty teams made
it to the semifinals. Of those, five launched
companies that have enjoyed considerable
success. Representing UIC, they won 43 prizes in
regional, national and international business
plan competitionsbesting teams from the most
prestigious universities in the world. More than
115 news reports about them were featured in
media including the New York Times, Chicago
Tribune, Chicago Sun Times, Houston Chronicle,
San Francisco Examiner and Chicago Public Radio:
· OrthoAccel Technologies was launched to
commercialize an orthodontic device invented by
College of Dentistry Professor Jeremy Mao. The
device significantly reduces the time required to
correct misaligned teeth. OrthoAccel was
acquired in Feb. 2007 by a medical device company
in Texas and expects to bring its first product to market in 2009.
· SanoGene Therapeutics was conceived to
develop a promising cancer therapy based on RNA
interference (RNAi) that was discovered by Dr.
Jasti Rao, UIC Professor of Oncology. SanoGene
remains a going concern engaged in ongoing
discussions with potential investors and industry partners.
· Optimal Vision Corporation was devised
to promote a non-surgical, infrared laser-based
technology invented by Dr. Edward Yavitz that
reshapes the cornea and corrects the vision
impairment presbyopia. After extensive media
attention the company was approached by and is
talking to six venture capitalists, a potential
acquirer, a merger candidate, and three potential CEOs.
· Flow Diagnostics was based on a
non-invasive, acoustic blood flow imaging device
created by Mechanical Engineering Professor
Thomas Royston, which will be used for diagnosing
and preventing diseases associated with blood
flow turbulence. The company is currently
applying for SBIR and STTR grants to allow them
to continue research and development efforts.
· Baskets by Design secured $10,000 in
seed capital and, using faculty offices and
conference rooms at UIC as incubator space,
launched their business immediately following C2V 2006.
Sponsors of the event include Motorola;
Microsoft; Caterpillar; IllinoisVENTURES;
Sonnenschein, Nath, and Rosenthal; ARCH
Development Partners; LEK Consulting; Illinois
Business and Investors Forum; Chicago West Side
Entrepreneurship Center; Nimlok-Chicago; Coleman
Foundation; Trillium Solutions; Presidents
Advisory Council; and successful UIC alumni
entrepreneurs. Besides cash ($20,000 total), our
sponsors are providing assistance with organizing
the event and in kind services to assist winners
with further developing their businesses.
Judges and VIP guests are distinguished members
of the Chicago business community and include
highly successful entrepreneurs, venture
capitalists, angel investors, foundation
executives, state officials, city officials, UIC
administrators, and members of the press.
I look forward to seeing you soon. Please
contact me if you have any questions.
Best regards,
Rod
Holly Griffin
Assistant to the Dean
University of Illinois at Chicago
College of Business
Office of the Dean (MC 075)
601 South Morgan Street, Room 2203
Chicago, IL 60607
Ph 312-996-2622
Fax 312-996-4567
___________________________________________
1. READERS' COMMENTS AND RESPONSES
1a. Anonymous: Another Startsampling Innovation-The Covert Business Incubator Program
From: Name withheld upon request
To: ron@themayreport.com
Subject: Another Startsampling Innovation-The Covert Business Incubator Program
Sent: Thu 12/13/2007 1:25 PM
NOTE TO RON: Please do not use my name...
Hi Ron,
As you know, Startsampling is an online marketing website backed by Mobius (Chris Wand), Aviance Capital (Gary Dvorchak) and a couple of other VCs. For the last eight years, they've provided online sampling, marketing research and other brand building marketing services to a variety of CPG companies like P&G, Unilever and Kimberly Clark.
The company is run by Larry Burns and Mike Weiss and they've always run a very loose ship (not much oversight or accountability). As long as an employee is perceived to be "loyal" and does not question the direction of the company, employment is practically guaranteed.
One of the most devoted "Kool-Aid drinkers," is a business development guy named Tom Malkin. While he is not well liked by his co-workers, Larry and Mike love him for his perceived loyalty. What they don't know is that their boy Malkin has started a "covert business incubator," right under their noses! He’s been moonlighting (and probably daylighting, too) for the last 18 months, working as the President for a start-up called GeeYee which positions itself as a direct competitor of Startsampling.
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What makes this more surprising is Malkin hasn’t exactly been discrete about the new venture. He is featured prominently on Gee Yee’s website, playing up his online marketing "expertise" to give the company credibility. They’ve made a number of presentations at VC forums. Here’s a link to a company overview they presented recently: http://www.chicagolandec.org/esm/pdf/PitchProfile_GeeYee.pdf . The overview mentions that they are already approaching potential customers. I wonder how many are on Startsampling’s client list?
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If you compare the capabilities of the two companies, the similarities are quite striking. Gee Yee’s website talks about becoming the most efficient and effective gatherer of opinions and insights on any subject matter. They plan to provide clients with consumer feedback about their products and those of their competitors to help them increase market share and profitability. On their website, Startsampling talks about providing information tools to understand consumer reactions to our customers brand marketing efforts.
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There is no question that both companies target the same pot of CPG marketing dollars. Now you'd think that a company that has spent eight years building its expertise and client base would have had its employees sign a non-compete agreement so that proprietary knowledge doesn't walk out the door and get used for another company’s benefit. Startsampling has never enacted or enforced such a policy! It definitely makes you wonder what other employees are doing while Larry and Mike are asleep at the switch.
So what happens now that Malkin's new venture has come to light? Most companies would fire him on the spot and consult with an attorney to make sure that their intellectual property was protected. If past performance is any indication, Startsampling won’t do that. Larry and Mike will probably try to downplay the whole thing and sweep it under the rug. Is it any wonder that they've been unable to find someone to buy the company despite repeated efforts over the years? I wonder when the VCs will finally run out of patience and clean house?
______________________________________
1b. Mary Smith: Who's who at RevStor
From: Mary Smith [smith@revstor.com]
To: ron@themayreport.com
Subject: RE: Mary, where is Russ Felker. Isn't he the CEO/President??? What are your respective titles?
Sent: Thu 12/13/2007 1:21 PM
Hi Ron,
Russ is the CTO/President. He can be reached via email also at russ@revstor.com
I am the Chief Strategy Officer & maintain the responsibility for sales.
Guess we all have more than one hat :)
Hope you are doing well
Kind Regards,
Mary Smith
Chief Strategy Officer
800-763-4170 x231
847-909-8636 cell
www.revstor.com
Recent Revstor Articles:
eWeek– December 2007
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2229140,00.asp
Chicago Tribune - November 2007
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-mon_minding_1112nov12,0,6708956.story.
CIO Insight – May 2007
http://www.cioinsight.com/article2/0,1397,2124270,00.asp
-----Original Message-----
From: Ron May [mailto:ron@themayreport.com]
Sent: Thursday, December 13, 2007 11:38 AM
To: smith@revstor.com
Subject: Mary, where is Russ Felker. Isn't he the CEO/President??? What are your respective titles?
Ronald May
ron@themayreport.com
773-525-3944
___________________________________________
1c. Sal Burd: Raj Bhatia is...
From: Sal Burd [sburd@tezzaron.com]
To: ron@themayreport.com
Subject: RE: The May Report: 12/12/2007: TiE and EIR: Arora, Churchwell; Goel,Felker, Dalal; Warrior, Bhatia, Gaitonde, Shekhawat, Bhatia, Patel; Achler, McCall, Bender, Carnahan, Sullivan, Kane, Arora; Weinstein
Sent: Thu 12/13/2007 9:58 AM
Ron,
Raj Bhatia is a Merrill Lynch top broker in Chicago. He set up a network of high net worth people throughout the US. He is a good guy to know but a tough person to work with. I worked with him at Merrill for 4 years.
I've been on your list for a long time
Sal
_____________________________________
1d. Jeff Nianick: Grosky and Efoora
From: Jeff Nianick [jeff@onarolltrucking.com]
To: ron@themayreport.com
Subject: grosky
Sent: Tue 12/11/2007 8:38 AM
Curious what happened at the Grosky (Efoora) sentencing? When will you be writing about it?
___________________________________________
1e. Daliah Saper: Upcoming IP seminar
From: dsaper@gmail.com; on behalf of; Daliah Saper [dsaper@saperlaw.com]
To: ron@themayreport.com
Subject: Fri 12/14/2007 2:07 PM
Sent: Fri 12/14/2007 2:07 PM
Hi Ron,
Great seeing you at the CEC party last night. If you needed/wanted more info on the seminar you can view the details at:
http://saperlaw.com/blog/?p=59
Thanks,
Daliah
--
Daliah Saper
Attorney at Law
Saper Law Offices
203 North Wabash, Suite 2010
Chicago, IL 60601
Tel: 312.641.1551
Fax: 312.641.1611
dsaper@saperlaw.com
www.saperlaw.com
_________________________________________
1f. Monica Metzler: Doctor Atomic
From: Monica Metzler [monicametzler@yahoo.com]
To: ron@themayreport.com
Subject: Dr. Atomic
Sent: Fri 12/14/2007 3:49 PM
Hello Ron -
I noticed your interest in the opera "Dr. Atomic". FYI - there are numerous public talks about this opera. If you're interested see:
http://www.lyricopera.org/atomic/communityLectures.asp
Also, I believe the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientist might be hosting additional programming on the subject in January. (I know they are having a benefit in conjuntion with opening night.)
I'm going tonight. I'll let you know how it is.
~ Monica Metzler
__________________________________________
Ron May here. Monica, I would love to hear about it and I am planning to see the opera while it is here for one of the nine performances.
Now, Monica, I am going to say something that may shock you or at least surprise you, especially since we really have not gotten on all that well.
I do not say this flippantly. I believe that if I could get to know you better, we might be well matched for each other. I admire what you are doing for the community and I find that we share a lot of interests. I see you at the Chicago Humanities Festival and we seem to have some similar intellectual interests. You were at the talk on the Black Death as was I. You are interested in Doctor Atomic and I like your personality -- feisty, yet approachable. You're no pushover but you are outgoing and have joie de vie. Also, I think you are attractive. I know nothing about you personally, but take this as a request to have coffee. I have decided that I may live a somewhat normal lifespan, all my health problems notwithstanding. That is not a prediction, it is a statement of desire. I would like to live. A lot of people don't and I can't say that I always have. Since I would like to stick around and I think I stand a chance to actually do it, finding a life companion may be something to look into. All kidding aside, with all my blather about this hot babe or that hot babe, most of those girls would have nothing to talk to me about. We would be bored by each other.
Before I hit the send button, did I really write this?? This is what happens when you have been sitting at the computer for 14 hours.
__________________________________________
1g. Nick Arvis: Firm helps create advisory boards
From: Nick Arvis [NickA@PresidentsAdvisoryCommittee.com]
To: ron@themayreport.com
Subject: Advertising in the May Report
Sent: Mon 12/10/2007 1:37 PM
Ron,
A friend forwarded this to me from one of your issues:
[May here. Michael Goodman is a friend of Robb Hendrickson's. He is looking for funding and asked me about OCA Ventures. I told him to talk to Greg Rudin who was standing right there and I doubt that they knew each other. Dugan financed Cleversafe run by Chris Gladwin and Rudin worked for Cleversafe. That ties into what Michael Goodman was interested in. I love making connections between people that are truly meaningful and useful and which are sitting right under the noses of the parties and yet, they don't know it, but I do.
But the most useful connection I made all evening was putting David and Cam from Fippex together with Andrew Mason and Greg Rudin of thepoint.com. They talked for quite a while and one of them told me that the web start-ups really need to be talking to each other because they are facing many of the same issues. That gets highly diluted when you have so many financial services people running around and can't we do without the insurance salesmen. But all it takes is one good connection or conversation to bring value to the evening. My fear is that the MEF crowd is so diversified and "service provider" heavy that it makes it harder for the true entrpeneurs to connect. Also, it tends to look somewhat like Business Network Chicago which is also very diversified over a number of industries. Nonetheless, I met two new internet firms that I don't think I have encountered before: Fippex.com and Textfyre.com.
Here is the problem. If the MEF had only Web2.0 entrepreneurs, it would not be the MEF. Most groups are somwhat homogeneous, and the MEF by design is more diverse. They hope for more entrepreneurs than consultants and service providers, and that is always a struggle. My own experience is that guys like Michael Bolden who provides marketing services wants to start his own business and Gary Shorter had an internet company that went belly up, so even if folks pay the rent through consulting they probably want to be entrepreneurs in most cases.]
My firm builds and faciliates peer advisory boards. So, we provide exactly what the people from Fippex and thepoint.com say they need. However, when I went to the link on your homepage to look at advertising in your publication, I got a "Webpage Can't Be Found" error message.
What do you suggest?
Nick Arvis
www.PresidentsAdvisoryCommittee.blogspot.com
___________________________________________
1h. Cheryl Osran: Journalism suggestion
From: cheryl201@aol.com
To: ron@themayreport.com; tomosran@aol.com
Subject: journalism suggestion
Sent: Mon 12/10/2007 9:35 AM
Ron,
If you had an editor, here's what he/she would recommend: you take too long to get to the point. Start with the current news first, then do background on the news.
For example, your story on Business 2.0, you take 2-3 paragraphs before you do your lead, which is the latest news on that topic.
To summarize:
1) Lead sentence: what's going on today
2) Background on this news from today
3) what happened months ago, catch everybody up on how you screwed up covering this originally.
In journalism 101, this is called the inverted triangle: most important news today is the lead, then explain your lead, then go into background, then you can bring the reader up to date from months ago. Amusing comments about yourself are last.
Your report is long and wordy, takes forever to get to the point. You need to work on redoing your stories because people are busy and they need to get to the point in the first two paragraphs or you have lost them. They simply go on to the next story. Nobody in high tech has time to read a novel.
Also, overall on your report, when you sit down to write it, first I would recommend that you do each story.
Then, just like a newspaper would do, you need decide which story is the most newsworthy for that report. Put everything in order of newsworthiness: Story #1, Story #2, Story #3, press releases, calendar, briefly noted, etc.
The way you write its like stream of consciousness, you just dump all your stuff onto your computer screen without organizing it. You are not Jack Kerouac or Hunter Thompson, your May Report is news, its information. News reporting requires that you cover who, what, when, where and why at the top of the story. After you get the news reported, then you can do your comments/editorializing after that.
Cheryl
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++=
From: tomosran@aol.com
To: cheryl201@aol.com; ron@themayreport.com
Subject: Re: journalism suggestion
Sent: Mon 12/10/2007 10:20 AM
this is called "pearls to the swine"
________________________________________________
2. EVENTS
2a. Monday, Jan. 14, 2008: ITDA January Monday Morning Meeting
From: John Noel [noel@itda.biz]
To: ron@themayreport.com
Subject: ITDA January Monday Morning Meeting
Sent: Mon 12/10/2007 3:10 PM
Monday Morning Meeting
January . 14 . 2008
Quick Links...
ITDA Website
ITDA Monday Morning Meeting
Technology Innovations Center-The Incubator
Jade BioMedical, Inc.
Secure Data Imaging LLC
Tula Foods
Monday Morning Meeting Registration
The Illinois Technology Development Alliance cordially invites you to the January 2008 Monday Morning Meeting.
ITDA provides companies, seeking investment capital and business development leads, the opportunity to present at its Monday Morning Meetings. Selected companies deliver their presentation to an audience consisting of fellow entrepreneurs, angel and institutional investors, entrepreneurial assistance organizations, industry experts and service providers. Presenting companies receive critical feedback on their presentations, and assistance in addressing questions and concerns that prospective investors would likely raise. In addition, attendees will be able to network and discuss business opportunities with established members of the community.This January Monday Morning Meeting will feature companies: Jade BioMedical, Secure Data Imaging, & Tula Foods
We hope you will join us for this informative event!
Sincerely,
John Noel
Co-Host Information
The Monday Morning Meeting is co-sponsored by the
Technology Innovation Center-The Incubator
The Technology Innovation Center (TIC) is a business incubator dedicated to supporting the growth of very early stage technology-based businesses. It is an extremely entrepreneurial
business environment that fosters collaboration and sharing among young companies, while respecting the independence and self-reliance that motivates entrepreneurs. It is a community with a culture that supports risk-taking, invention and the creation of wealth.
The goal of the TIC is to bring the greatest possible range of assistance and resources to tecchnology-based companies through a business network encompassing a full range of professional support services, an alliance with the Northwestern University and its world class poll of technical and management talent, and an internal management team that mobilizes these and other resources to meet the unique needs each talent.
EVENT INFORMATION
LOCATION
Hilton Garden Hotel
1818 Maple Avenue
Evanston, IL 60201
TRANSPORTATION & PARKING
Please click here for driving directions
Parking Structure
1800 Maple Self Park
(Enter from Maple Avenue at Clark Street or University Pl.)
Parking Rate
0-1 Hour: FREE
1-2 hours: $2
2-3 hours: $3
3-4 hours: $4
4-5 hours: $5
CTA accessible by Purple Line at Davis Street EL Station
(Hotel is 1 block north or EL stop)
DATE
Monday, January, 14th , 2008
TIME
8:30 ~ 9:00 am
(Registration, Continental Breakfast, and Networking)
9:15 ~ 11:00am
(Company Presentations)
REGISTRATION
$10 in advance online ~ by Friday, January 11th 5:00PM
$15 at the door ~ day of event
(cash and check will be the only form of payment the day of event)
*PLEASE REGISTER IN ADVANCE, SEATING IS LIMITED*
Click here to register and for more information
Forward email
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