MIT Venture Lab -- "Planning Your Business" -- February 2nd, 2006

 MIT Venture Lab 

Thursday, February 2^nd, 2006  
6:00 to 8:00pm 
Doors open @ 5:30

 "Planning Your Business" 

One Union Square Boardroom 

600 University St., First Level
(Lower lobby, 6^th Avenue level, behind the escalator by Starbucks) 

Seattle, WA 98101  

 

 

Whether you are looking for financing or not, your business must be well thought out and planned. Plans are flexible but the elements of a successful business must be thoroughly understood and evaluated. A great product idea or technology is a great start, but not enough.  You also have to plan a great business.

Join Venture Lab speakers Bill Valenti of Melodeo and Adrian Smith of Ignition as they share their knowledge, experience and perspective regarding the essential elements of a well-planned business.

This process will drastically improve your chances for success and minimize your pain along the way. It will also provide you with the material for your written business plan and presentation.

Investors quickly recognize a well-planned business. 

Speakers 
Bill Valenti - Executive Vice President - Melodeo

Bill Valenti is a seasoned entrepreneur and global-business executive, combining more than 20 years of experience in international investment banking and successful technology start-ups.

Valenti spent 17 years in Asia developing commercial and investment banking business for Chemical Bank/Riggs Bank. Returning to the U.S., he launched New Pacific Partners, an investment banking partnership focused on Asian-market strategies.

He later served as CEO of Tegic Communications, a software development/licensing firm that was later acquired by AOL. Valenti also has founded and/or headed a number of innovative companies including World2Market, Hutchison Mediator and HEEDworks, Inc.

Valenti received a B.A. in Liberal Arts from Temple University and a Master's in International Management from the American Graduate School of International Management. He remains active on the boards of a number of start-up companies and served as a Trustee of the International Snow Leopard Trust.

 

Adrian Smith - Principal - Ignition

 

Adrian is a principal at Ignition. Adrian invests in telecommunications and wireless companies and represents Ignition as director on the board of Wireless Services Corporation.

Prior to Ignition, Adrian spent 12 years in leading technology roles at Nextlink, AT&T Wireless, McCaw Cellular Communication and British Telecom Research Laboratories.

 

Adrian is the author of a number of patents associated with cellular technology as well as co-author of the book "IS-136 TDMA Technology, Economics and Services.

 

Workshop Location:
One Union Square Boardroom, 600 University Street, Seattle, WA 98101
(Lower lobby, Street level, behind the escalator by Starbucks)

5:30 - 6:00 PM - Registration and Networking
6:00 - 8:00 PM - Presentation

Parking:
Covered parking is available in the Union Square building garage, accessible from 7th Avenue.
Tip:  arrive after 5:00pm for their $6 evening rate.

Registration:
Seminar cost will be $25.00 per attendee. In addition, the cost of parking for the evening is $6.00 after 5:00pm.  Reservations may be arranged as follows:
- Register online at www.mitwa.org until 5:00 pm, February 1st, 2006.
- Phone registrations at (206) 283-9595 accepted until February 1st at noon
- Onsite registration begins at 5:30pm February 2nd, space permitting
- VISA, MasterCard and American Express are welcome

About MIT Venture Lab
The MIT Venture Lab is designed to optimize the entrepreneur's path to success by providing the information they need to plan, finance and operate a profitable company in today's environment.  The lab is offered in two series, each consisting of four to five workshops.  The goal of each workshop is to drill down into the details of its topic and provide the relevant information necessary to help the entrepreneur effectively get the job done. 

About MIT Enterprise Forum of the Northwest
The MIT Enterprise Forum of the Northwest is a volunteer, non-profit organization that gives emerging technology-based companies the opportunity to present their strategies to panels of experts during a series of public forums.  The Seattle chapter of the MIT Enterprise Forum is one of 24 worldwide chapters of the MIT Enterprise Forum, Inc. affiliated with the Alumni Association of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  All Events are open to anyone interested in growing or enhancing a business.

In an effort to keep the chapters connected and the volunteers informed, each year the Enterprise Forum headquarters produces three newsletters with information on Enterprise Forum programs, as well as articles of interest to entrepreneurs and Enterprise Forum members. The latest issue is now available online and can be found at: http://web.mit.edu/entforum/.  You can also visit the archives of past Forum Focus issues with this link.