Caltech/MIT Enterprise Forum

Creating Successful Companies Through Incubation

Saturday, February 11, 2012
at California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
Registration and Continental Breakfast:
8:00 a.m. Baxter Lecture Hall
Program:
9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at Baxter Lecture Hall
Networking:
11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Baxter Lecture Hall
Cost:
$40 on-line registration fee; $50 at-the-door; $10 for students with full-time student ID and free for Caltech students (must show ID at door). Caltech students can now register online.
On-line Registration closes at 5:00PM on Thursday, February 9, 2012. There are no refunds for no-shows.

In today’s economic environment early stage companies need to optimize their resources, and can benefit from assistance in building their organizations into growing and successful businesses.

Business incubators and accelerators provide essential resources and counsel that entrepreneurs need to become successful, self-sufficient businesses. Additionally, they reduce the risk of failure by offering affordable space and shared facilities along with an array of mentors and advisors that are invaluable for companies just starting out.

Astute entrepreneurs recognize that joining a well-run incubator provides them with access to a business community that can help them leverage advantageous connections and networks. The National Business Incubator Association reports that 87% of all firms that graduated from NBIA member incubators are still in business after five years.

The Caltech/MIT Enterprise Forum’s February 11th program will feature some of the award winning business incubators in Los Angeles and there will be many others in attendance and exhibiting. If you are a business entrepreneur interested in optimizing the success of your company you are invited to come and learn about the Business Incubation Network of Southern California (BINS) and to discover the many ways this network can benefit your business.

What are a business incubators and what types will best suit your needs? What kind of entrepreneurial companies benefit from incubation? How do entrepreneurs apply? What do graduates say about how worthwhile joining an incubator was for them? Would they do it again? How investors feel about businesses in incubators?

The Directors of major incubators and accelerators in the Los Angeles area will be available to answer these and many other questions. Successful entrepreneurs who graduated from an incubator will also be participating and can answer your questions as well. Come to listen, learn and ask your own questions. The services and advantages these organizations offer can save you time, money and provide you with the resources that will help you advance your business goals.

Andrew is a strategy expert in the technology and aerospace markets. Working in multiple Strategic Development roles at The Boeing Company, he developed and deployed numerous initiatives that helped position the firm as the premiere aerospace company in the world.

In Andrew’s current role, he has developed SceneTap’s innovative expansion and growth strategy. Andrew and the SceneTap team are on the forefront of leveraging leading edge facial detection technologies and applying them to both the data analytics and social media industries.

Andrew, who currently resides in Washington, D.C., was born in St. Louis. He has earned an MBA from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University and a Master of Global Management (M-GM) from the Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Jeff Milanette- Executive Director, PortTechLA Incubator

Incubator Grads

Erik Hovanec- President & CEO, LeisureLink, Inc.

Stan Tomsic- Partner, ACODA Technology & Investments, LLC
Chairman/Co-Founder, Business Incubation Network of Southern California (BINS)

Stan Tomsic - Partner, ACODA Technology & Investments, LLC
Chairman/Co-Founder, Business Incubation Network of Southern California (BINS)

Michael Krieger has practiced high technology business and intellectual property law for more than 20 years. A member of the Los Angeles firm Willenken Wilson Loh & Lieb, his practice focuses on strategic counseling, litigation and preventive methods to both secure and exploit clients' trademarks, patents and other key IP assets. Assisting clients ranging from start-ups to industry leaders in contract, trademark and dispute resolution matters, he also has provided counsel in the university tech transfer arena as well as to the United Nations and other international technology initiatives.

With degrees in mathematics (B.S., Caltech; Ph.D., UCLA) and law (UCLA), Michael was on the MIT Mathematics and UCLA Computer Science faculties and also a Fulbright Scholar prior to practicing law. This technical background led to early contributions to issues of encryption, domain name/trademark disputes, and open source licensing. Likewise his technical, law and academic experience frequently leads to serving as an expert in computer system and related litigation to investigate and "teach" lawyers and courts about the underlying technology.