Silicon Valley Association of Startup Entrepreneurs (SVASE)

Tue, 12/16/2008 - 4:19 pm - Guest

Start: 07/09/2009 - 5:45 pm
End: 07/09/2009- 7:30 pm

Contact Info:Anne Donker Email: anne@annedonker.com

Location:DLA Piper Phone: 415.378.3966
555 Mission Street, Suite 2400

San Francisco, CA 94105

Click Here to Register Now!

As a first time entrepreneur – or maybe even a seasoned veteran! - How do you decide which is best for you, between angel & VC money?

While on the whole most angels and VCs are smart and successful people, who want their portfolio companies to be wildly successful, there are significant differences in the way they approach potential investments. A clear understanding of the similarities & differences between individual angels, angel groups and VC firms is critical to a successful funding strategy.

In a lively and interactive discussion, our panel of seasoned investors will explore the following:

• What are the metrics for individual angels vs. angel groups vs. VC firms? How much are they looking to invest, at what stage, over what period of time, for how much equity & how much return at the exit?
• Does anyone actually invest at the seed stage – that is, just an idea on paper anymore? If so, what does my seed stage deal have to look like to be attractive to investors?
• I’m further down the road; I’ve built a prototype/beta of my widget/web site, but don’t have any customers/users yet. Is this fundable, who would be most interested if I need less than $1M or more than $5M to start marketing? How much equity would I typically trade for this?
• I’m further down the road; I have a small number of paying customers/visitors, so I’ve validated the business model & customer demand. I now need expansion funding. Who would be most interested if I need less than $1M or more than $5M? How much equity would I typically trade for this?
• What else can the individual angel, angel group or VC firm provide besides the funding?

The Panel:

• Shomit Ghose, Partner, Onset Ventures
• John W. Cornwell, Sand Hill Angels
• Tom Cervantez, Founder Golden Gate Angels and Harvard Angels and Partner at Hayden Bergman Rooney

When: Thursday, July 9
11:45-12:00 Registration, Networking and Food
12:00-12:15 SVASE/Startup-U Overview, Introductions, Speaker Intro
12:15-1:15 Speaker Presentation & Interactive Q&A
1:15-1:30 Additional networking

With your help, we will start on time so the speaker can provide you with as much interactive information as possible.

Please arrive by 11:45am to register. We will start the program promptly at 12:00!

Please note topics are subject to change without notice.

Speaker Bios:

Shomit Ghose, Partner, Onset Ventures

Shomit Ghose joined ONSET Ventures in 2001 after 19 years of working at high-tech companies in the Silicon Valley. During his career he participated in several successful IPOs, including those of Sun Microsystems and Broadvision.

Prior to joining ONSET, he was Sr. VP of Operations at Tumbleweed Communications, where he managed the marketing, professional services, applications engineering and corporate development departments. He helped the company through a successful IPO in 1999. Previously, he was VP of the Worldwide Professional Services Organization at BroadVision and helped that company through a successful IPO in 1996.

His first job was as network protocol engineer at Metaphor Computer Systems, a company acquired by IBM. Later, he was an engineer in the original pre-IPO software development team at Sun Microsystems. He has also been Director of Marketing and then Director of Asia/Pacific Operations for nCUBE, a manufacturer of video-on-demand servers, and a board member of Alier, a data integration software company that is now part of webMethods.

Shomit was awarded two academic scholarships to the University of California, Berkeley, at age 15. He graduated in 1982 with a degree in Computer Science.

At ONSET Ventures, Shomit focuses on software, networking and infrastructure companies. He also mentors and provides management resources to portfolio companies to help maximize their success.

Shomit led ONSET's investments in Netseer, Opinmind, Sentilla, Truviso and Xorp. He is an Industry Fellow and lead venture coach at UC Berkeley's College of Engineering, and serves on the entrepreneurship advisory board at the University of San Francisco.

John W. Cornwell, Sand Hill Angels & Cornwell & Associates

Mr. Cornwell has over twenty years of experience as a serial entrepreneur and early stage investor. He has co-founded a profitable software security company, an educational software venture and held various R&D and BD roles at Genentech and Cell Genesys/Abgenix. He has been an early stage investor, board member and advisor to a broad spectrum of start-ups, ranging from GeneEd, an established e-learning software company, to VaxArt, a series-B stage company developing an oral vaccine for avian flu. Mr. Cornwell has been an active angel investor for the past decade, currently serving on the Board of Directors of Sand Hill Angels and as a member of Life Science Angels.

Mr. Cornwell was raised in the Silicon Valley suburb of Saratoga and received an undergraduate degree in Medical Biophysics from U.C. Berkeley and dual MBA degrees from U.C. Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and Columbia’s Graduate School of Business in New York City with honors. He currently directs a consulting practice providing strategic, financial and operational guidance to early stage technology companies via Cornwell & Associates (www.cornwellandassociates.com).

Tom Cervantez, Founder Golden Gate Angels and Harvard Angels and Partner at Hayden Bergman Rooney

Tom has over 17 years experience as an angel investor and in working as a lawyer in the venture capital and startup technology company field in Silicon Valley.

Tom's core area of legal expertise is in the securities and finance field, with a focus on helping emerging growth companies, venture funds, and software and hardware computer companies navigate legal issues concerning securities, capital structure planning, private placements, mergers and acquisitions, venture financing and licensing transactions. Tom has also participated at an operating level at several companies, including a venture fund, boutique investment bank and an ISP.

Tom is also an active angel investor in the computer/Internet, communications and networking sectors and runs the Harvard Angels (angel group for Harvard Business School NorCal Alum and Harvard Club SF) and the Golden Gate Angels investor group in San Francisco.

Tom holds a Bachelor's in Business Administration, magna cum laude, from Loyola Marymount University, a JD from Harvard Law School and a MBA from Harvard Business School.

Popular FAQs regarding Startup-U:

What is the cost of this event?

A $5 (member) or $15 (affiliate/non-member) registration fee, plus a $1.50 credit card processing fee, includes event and lunch, available through advanced online registration. A $10 or $20 fee is collected at the door.

What is the format of a Startup-U event typically?

Generally speaking, each event begins with an introduction by the host followed by a brief talk about SVASE and self-introductions by each of the attendees. After the introductions, the host introduces a speaker (usually 20 minute presentation, followed by group discussion) or the discussion topic; the exact format varies based on the host and that variety is what makes this event so exciting!

Who should attend?

Startup entrepreneurs, anyone thinking about forming a startup, service providers, angels and VCs active in the Silicon Valley information tech and biotech entrepreneur communities. Past participants include:

Current and aspiring entrepreneurs

Venture Capitalists, Angels and other members of the funding community

Service Providers (e.g. human resources, contract programming, etc.)

Independent Consultants (e.g. sales, marketing, engineering, etc.)

Do I need to be a member of SVASE to attend this event?

Non-members and guests of members are welcome to attend any 2 SVASE Startup-U events. Afterwards, we recommend that non-members become members of SVASE. For more information on the benefits of joining SVASE, please visit our website at http://www.svase.org/?q=membership or alternatively, you can also join at the event itself.

This event is co-sponsored by DLA Piper, http://www.dlapiper.com.

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