Event Description:
Could 2012 be the year that the Internet changes the way that successful startups get funded? With Kickstarter paving the way for startups to raise money without VCs (and without dilution!) and with the JOBS Act paving the way for startups to raise money directly from small investors via crowdfunding, Sand Hill Road may be in for it’s toughest competition yet. Come hear from our expert panel how the power of the crowd is changing the startup game and how a new wave of Silicon Valley companies is taking advantage of it.
Presented by:
JHTC and IEFF
Panel:
Ted Hollifield, Co-Head of Venture and M&A at Alston + Bird LLP
Ted is an experienced business attorney with 15 years experience advising entrepreneurs and fast-growing companies on structuring and negotiating public and private financings of all types, as well as on mergers and acquisitions with top Silicon Valley acquirers. Ted’s history of representing startups from formation through IPO and/or sale, gives him the perfect vantage point to explain how the JOBS Act is truly a game-changer.
Jennifer Kessler, Co-Founder and President, Maykah Inc
After raising over $85,000 in a matter of weeks on Kickstarter, Maykah Inc, the maker of creative girls’ toys that erase the distinction between education and play, is both a crowdfunding pioneer and a terrific example of how crowdfunded companies are leading startups in new directions.
Dror Oren, Executive Director of ventures, licensing, and strategic programs at SRI (Stanford Research Institute) Ventures.
Dror Oren is an executive director in the SRI Ventures team at SRI International. In this role, Oren focuses on commercialization of technologies in information and computer sciences. He helps lead venture efforts from raw business concepts, through value proposition and business plan development, to the creation of a stand-alone spin-off company.
Oren has more than a decade of experience in software development and management, sales, marketing, and product management. Prior to joining SRI, he worked at VMware in the product marketing group, focusing on virtualization products, and bringing cloud computing to market.
Previously, he was a product manager at NICE Systems Ltd., where he led a homeland security software product line. In that position, he oversaw marketing, business development and sales activities with customers and partners in more than 20 countries. He has also served as a major in the Israel Defense Forces. Oren holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a double-major B.S. degree in computer science and biology from Tel Aviv University.
Idan Beck, Founder and CEO of Incident Technologies, maker of gTar.
Founder and CEO of Incident Technologies, maker of gTar, an iPhone powered guitar that anyone can play. Their Kickstarter project has raised over $350,000 – 3.5 times it’s original fudning goal, and won second place at TechCrunch Disrupt.
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Event Details
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