Speakers

MGCS 2009 Guest Speakers

Keynote Speakers:

Fred Craves, Ph.D., Investment Partner, Managing Director, and Founder, Bay City Capital
Fred Craves, PhD, is an Investment Partner, Managing Director and Founder of Bay City Capital, and serves as a member of the board of directors and Chairman of the executive committee. Before founding Bay City Capital, he spent over 20 years leading and managing biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. Previously, he was Executive Vice President of Schering Berlin and Chief Executive Officer and President of Berlex Biosciences, a research, development, and manufacturing organization. He founded Burrill & Craves, a merchant bank focused on biotechnology and emerging pharmaceutical companies. He was also the founding Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Codon, and co-founder of Creative Biomolecules. Dr. Craves is a member of the boards of directors of Poniard Pharmaceuticals and VIA Pharmaceuticals. He also serves as a member of The J. David Gladstone Institutes' Advisory Council and is a member of the Board of Trustees of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Dr. Craves earned a BS in Biology from Georgetown University and a PhD in Pharmacology and Toxicology from the University of California, San Francisco.

Jonathan Seelig, Managing Director, Globespan Capital Partners
Jonathan is a Managing Director in Globespan’s Boston office. His investment focus primarily is on Communications and Internet/Infrastructure companies. Jonathan serves on the boards of Blackwave, Dotomi, Provigent and SundaySky. He also led Globespan's investment in Linden Lab and served as Chairman of the board of Zipcar, where he was an early investor. Jonathan was a co-founder of Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the leading global Internet content and application delivery services company. During his tenure at Akamai, he managed fast growing parts of the business, including global infrastructure development and deployment and international expansion and business development. Prior to founding Akamai, Jonathan worked at ECI Telecom in Israel where his roles included product marketing and new product development and working with customers in over 35 countries around the world. Jonathan received a BS degree with honors from Stanford University where he studied Physics. He also attended the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology prior to founding Akamai. Jonathan serves on the board of trustees of the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston and the Arnold P. Gold Foundation for Humanism in Medicine in New Jersey. He is fluent in Hebrew, Spanish and French.

Guest Speaker

Coach Lloyd Carr, Associate Athletic Director and Former Head Football Coach, University of Michigan
Lloyd Carr became Associate Athletic Director in 2008 after completing his 13-year career as Michigan's head football coach with a victory over No. 9 Florida in the 2008 Capital One Bowl. Carr compiled a 122‐40 overall record during his career. He guided U-M to the 1997 national championship and five Big Ten Conference crowns. A member of the Wolverine football staff for 28 years, Carr served 15 years under Bo Schembechler (1980‐89) and Gary Moeller (1990‐94) initially as defensive secondary coach, became the defensive coordinator, and then moved into the position of assistant head coach before becoming head coach in 1995.

Beyond the football field, Carr has been involved in many charitable causes. He has endowed a women's athletics scholarship, initiated the Women's Football Academy and U-M Men's Fantasy Football Experience which benefit the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the “Carr Wash for Kids” to benefit the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s and Women’s Hospital. He also serves as a spokesperson for Mentor Michigan to help recruit men and women to help children in need. He is involved with local charities such as the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, Shelter Association of Washtenaw County, Washtenaw Literacy and United Way and annually hosts the Hall-of-Fame football camp in his home town of Riverview

Panelists:

John Albright, Founder and Managing Partner, JLA Ventures and Co-Managing Partner, Blackberry Partners Fund
Mr. Albright is the Founder and Managing Partner of JLA Ventures and the Co-Managing Partner of the Blackberry Partners Fund. Prior to the founding of JLA Ventures in 1996 and the BlackBerry Partners Fund in 2008, Mr. Albright held senior positions with several private equity and venture capital firms. During his tenure in the private equity and venture capital business Mr. Albright gained extensive experience assisting entrepreneurs and managers to shape their vision and capital plans into successful long term growth programs which typically involve an aggressive financing strategy. Mr. Albright has a history of assisting entrepreneurial companies through significant growth and eventually to the public markets. His ability to work with and advise senior management of investee companies as well as his skills in filling supporting roles where existing management lack the experience or skill set, has been vital to the success of past investments. Mr. Albright is a Chartered Financial Analyst and received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the Schulich School of Business at York University. Mr. Albright serves as a director of several private and public companies, and the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (CVCA) and is an advisory board member of the North American Venture Capital Association.

George Arida, Managing Director, Venture Investors LLC
George Arida joined Venture Investors LLC in 2000 and is a Managing Director with a focus on the firm’s healthcare practice. George currently serves as the Board Chair for Zystor Therapeutics and Nerites and as a member of the Boards of Directors at Celleration, Chromatin and ProCertus BioPharm. He also serves on the Board of the Mid-America Healthcare Investors Network, an association of over forty regional venture capital firms active in early stage healthcare investing. George previously served as the CFO for a financial consulting and brokerage firm. Prior to this, he spent five years at U.S. Filter Corporation in management and technical marketing positions, four years with Betz Laboratories in technical sales and field service management, and two years at Alar Engineering as a Process Engineer. George has a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Master of Business Administration degree with high honors from the University of Chicago.

Amy Banninga, Economic Recovery Coordinator, Michigan Economic Development Corporation
Amy Banninga serves as an Economic Recovery Coordinator for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). Each of the State of Michigan’s departments has appointed Economic Recovery Coordinators to ensure that Michigan fully realizes the benefits available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. Economic Recovery Coordinators work with the Governor’s office and other state departments, foster relationships with federal agencies, and reach out to businesses and the general public to communicate the opportunities available under ARRA and other federal programs. Ms. Banninga has served in multiple roles at the MEDC, including business incentive packaging, business development, and enterprise software implementation. This broad base of experience has provided the background needed to manage the multi faceted opportunities available through the Recovery Act.

Through her work at the MEDC Ms. Banninga has assisted hundreds of businesses with their expansion plans. Her project portfolio includes major automotive manufacturers, alternative energy businesses, life science companies, and other high technology firms. She most recently served as the Director of National Attraction, leading the corporation’s efforts to bring new companies to Michigan, assist Michigan companies with major expansion projects, and diversify Michigan’s economy. Prior to coming to the MEDC, Amy held accounting and finance positions in the automotive and life sciences industries, most notably at Federal-Mogul Corporation and Schering-Plough Corporation. Ms. Banninga holds a bachelor of science in accounting and business administration from Aquinas College.

John Banta, CEO & Managing Director, IllinoisVentures, LLC
John Banta serves as the CEO & Managing Director of IllinoisVENTURES, LLC, and the Managing Partner of the Illinois Emerging Technologies Fund. John is the former President and COO of DigitalWork, Inc., a Draper Fisher Jurvetson, TL Ventures and Dell Ventures portfolio company, having served previously as its Senior Vice President of Corporate and Business Development. Prior to DigitalWork, Inc., John served as Vice President of Corporate Services for UBS PaineWebber (formerly Kidder Peabody), and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Investment Management Consultant's Association. John has worked with a wide variety of portfolio companies, with an emphasis on clean technologies including biofuels and biochemicals. John serves on the Board of Directors of several early-stage clean technology, instrumentation and IT businesses, as well as the Advisory Boards of the College of Engineering at the University of Illinois and the Chicago West Side Entrepreneurship Center. John earned an MBA in finance and statistics with high honors from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business where he has been a frequent guest lecturer, and a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Illinois College of Commerce.

Jeff Bocan, Managing Director, Beringea
Jeff Bocan is the head of the Los Angeles office but spends substantial time in the Michigan office.  He is responsible for investment sourcing, analysis, deal execution and portfolio management. Though a generalist investor, over the years he has developed an expertise in the media and entertainment sector, particularly in content creation, internet advertising, licensing, TV production and publishing. Jeff serves as a board director for the following Beringea portfolio companies: Shout! Factory, Porchlight Entertainment, GetBack Media, Steak Media, and Starbridge Media. Prior to joining Beringea, Jeff was an Associate at early- stage technology VC firm Saffron Hill Ventures in London. He has also worked in marketing roles for BMW of North America and beverage company Honest Tea. During the Clinton administration, he worked on Capitol Hill as a Lobbyist for the Sierra Club, focusing on pollution issues. Jeff graduated with a BA in Government and Sociology from the University of Notre Dame, graduating magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa; and received an MBA with high honors from the University of Virginia.

Ian Carew, Vice President, TD Capital Private Equity Investors
TD Capital Private Equity Investors is Canada’s largest private equity fund of funds. TD Capital has been investing in private equity funds globally since 1969 and currently manages over $2.8 billion in private equity commitments. Based in Toronto, Canada and London, UK, TD Capital focuses on buyout and venture capital fund investments and co-investments, and also has an allocation to secondary investments. TD Capital is also the manager of the Ontario Venture Capital Fund (“OVCF”), a $205 million fund of funds. OVCF is a joint initiative between the Government of Ontario and leading institutional investors with the primary objective of investing in venture capital and growth funds predominantly in Ontario.

Mr. Carew joined TD Capital early 2008 and has over 10 years experience in private equity and venture capital. Prior to joining TD Capital in 2008, Mr. Carew worked at CalPERS, helping manage a $40 billion private equity program, where he was responsible for the global venture capital and Asia private equity strategies. Previously, Mr. Carew was a Partner with KIMC, a boutique private equity advisory firm and spent six years in the venture capital group at Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan executing a fund and co-investment strategy. Mr. Carew’s prior experience includes various financial and accounting roles. Mr. Carew received a Bachelor of Commerce and Graduate Diploma in Accountancy from Concordia University and holds the Chartered Accountant and Chartered Financial Analyst designations.

Theresa Carroll, Partner, Dykema
Ms. Carroll is a Partner in the Ann Arbor office of Dykema Gossett PLLC where she heads up the firm’s Private Equity and Venture Capital Investments practice. Her practice focuses primarily on corporate, finance and securities matters, with an emphasis on corporate matters for emerging businesses, seed and venture financings, and mergers and acquisitions.  She assists clients with organizational issues; negotiation of initial rounds of financing; preparation of private placement memoranda; and negotiation of venture capital financing and bank financing. She counsels public and non-public companies on issues surrounding mergers; stock purchases and asset acquisitions; commercial loan financings; and the drafting and negotiation of a broad array of business agreements. Ms Carroll is a member of the board of directors of the New Enterprise Forum, the Women’s Exchange of Washtenaw and Daycroft Montessori School; a former board member of the Ann Arbor ITZone; and an Ann Arbor City Council-appointed director of the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti SmartZone Local Development Finance Authority. She received her law degree and M.S. from Boston University and B.A. from the University of Michigan.

Lon H. H. Chow, General Partner, Apex Venture Partners
Lon Chow is a general partner with investment focus in software applications and technology-enabled services.  Prior to joining Apex, Lon was a partner with Mercer Management Consulting (formerly Strategic Planning Associates), where he developed and implemented growth strategies for clients in computing, media, and telecommunications industries.  He also held various operating management positions with Pacific Telesis.  Lon received an MBA from the Wharton School and a BA from the University of California, Davis. Lon currently serves on the boards of Advanced Equities Financial Corp., Analyte Media, Austin Logistics, Current Analysis, LifeSnapz  and SitterCity.  Lon's outside board membership includes Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center and Viewpoints Network. Lon's previous investments included ICON Solutions (acquired by AnswerThink), KnowledgeStorm (acquired by TechTarget), PlaceWare (acquired by Microsoft), Shoebuy.com (acquired by IAC/InterActiveCorp), Thinque Systems (acquired by MEI), Tradex Technologies (acquired by Ariba) and WorldPrints (acquired by At Home).

Marc Faucher, Partner, BlackBerry Partners Fund and JLA Ventures
Marc joined BlackBerry Partners Fund and JLA Ventures in August 2008 and brings to the team extensive experience in the communications and venture investing industries. Prior to joining JLA Ventures, Marc spent six years with Summerhill Venture Partners (formerly BCE Capital) investing in communications/technology centric companies throughout North America. He also worked at Bell Mobility driving their strategic equity investment efforts on behalf of the mobile carrier. Prior to Bell, Marc was a senior consultant with the McKenna Group, a strategic consulting firm focused on companies operating within emerging technology markets. During his tenure, Marc advised early stage ventures on their go-to-market strategies.

Marc began his professional career with Ericsson Communications working as a product manager for wireless networks. With Ericsson, Marc played a key role in deploying the first TDMA-based fully integrated dual-band wireless network in the world for Rogers AT&T.

Marc received a BASc in Engineering from the University of Waterloo and an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business.

John Gardner, Partner, Nokia Growth Partners
John Gardner, Partner, has led and managed investments in companies across the information technology spectrum, including enterprise software, carrier software, systems and component companies. John comes to Nokia Growth Partners from BlueRun Ventures, where he was one of the founding partners at that firm. Prior to that, John held a senior business development role at NOKIA Corp. and has over 15 years of experience advising and working with start-up and emerging businesses, including extensive transactional experience in mergers, acquisitions and venture capital investments. John holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and a law degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Law. John is based in Menlo Park, California.

Blair Garrou, Managing Director, DFJ Mercury
Blair Garrou has significant experience in operating, investing and advisory roles with start-up companies, with a particular focus on enterprise and consumer software.  Blair is a Managing Director of DFJ Mercury, a seed and early-stage venture capital firm. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, DFJ Mercury invests in compelling and novel start-up opportunities in the information technology, advanced materials and bioscience sectors. DFJ Mercury has a particular focus on university spin-outs and incubation, focusing on technologies originating out of Texas and targeted regional tech clusters in the Midwest and Southwest.

Prior to co-founding DFJ Mercury, Blair was the CEO of Intermat, Inc., a leader in product information management software, where he led the sale of the company to IHS, Inc. (NYSE: IHS). Prior to Intermat, Blair was a Principal of Houston-based private equity firm Genesis Park, where he managed the firm’s software investments; he helped launch and was the Director of Operations for the Houston Technology Center, the largest technology incubator in the state of Texas; and led the formation of the Houston Angel Network, one of the largest and most active angel investment organizations in the U.S.  Prior to his venture and entrepreneurship experience, Blair was an investment banker with BMO Nesbitt Burns, and an auditor with Deloitte & Touche.

Blair currently serves on the advisory and/or development boards for the University of Texas Health Science Center, MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Friends of Integrative Medicine, Rice Alliance for Technology & Entrepreneurship, and the San Antonio Technology Center. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Jones Graduate School of Management at Rice University where he teaches a course on venture capital. Blair is a licensed CPA in the state of Texas. He received his B.S. in Management from Washington & Lee University.

Tony Grover, Managing Director, RPM Ventures
Tony Grover is a founder and Managing Director of RPM Ventures.  He has a strong operating background with over 15 years of private equity, manufacturing, and technical knowledge with experience spanning a wide array of industries and corporate settings. At RPM, Grover is involved with the boards of Arbor Photonics, Eden Park Illumination, Performix and Mobius Microsystems. He was previously involved with the boards of FLX Micro, ShareThis and VizionWare. Before co-founding RPM Ventures, Grover was Vice President at White Pines Ventures, a $100 million early stage technology focused venture capital firm. In this capacity, he was responsible for investments in telecommunications, enterprise software, and Internet sectors.

Prior to joining White Pines Ventures, Grover was co-founder of Promotum, an Internet-based promotions, marketing, and services company that raised seed capital from Pandesic, a joint venture between Intel Corporation and SAP. He was responsible for developing corporate strategy, managing day-to-day operations, and leading technical development. Grover obtained finance, engineering and manufacturing experience serving as a business and cost analyst with Intel Corporation and as a manufacturing engineer for Cummins Engine Company. Grover also serves on the advisory boards of the University of Michigan Frankel Commercialization Fund, a pre-seed investment fund established to identify and accelerate the commercialization of ideas generated within the University of Michigan community, and the Michigan Universities Commercialization Initiative (MUCI) Challenge Fund, a pre-seed fund that provides awards to commercialization projects at Michigan’s research institutions as part of a program designed to enhance technology transfer. He earned a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan, a Master of Science in industrial engineering from Purdue University, and graduated from the Northwestern University Kellogg Graduate School of Business with a Masters in Business Administration. He lives in Ann Arbor with his wife and two sons.

Ned Hill, Managing Director, DFJ Mercury
Ned Hill has nearly 20 years of experience as an operator, consultant, and investor in technology companies, with a particular focus on communications, computing, and data center technologies Prior to joining DFJ Mercury, Ned was a Director with Sternhill Partners, a Texas-based early-stage venture capital firm, where he worked closely with pioneering start-ups in several important emerging markets, including WiMAX (Navini Networks, acq. by Cisco); blade servers (RLX Technologies, acq. by Hewlett-Packard); and virtualization (Surgient). Prior to Sternhill, Ned was with BellSouth Internet Services where he managed broadband operations during the initial deployment and growth of BellSouth’s DSL service. Prior to BellSouth, Ned was a consultant with McKinsey & Co., focusing primarily on the communications industry; BroadBand Technologies, a start-up fiber-in-the-loop, telecom equipment manufacturer that went public in 1992, where he managed deployments throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico; Alcatel Network Systems; and Siecor Corporation, a fiber optic cable manufacturer owned by Siemens and Corning. Ned earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from N.C. State University and an MBA from The Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College where he was named an Edward Tuck Scholar.

Ned currently serves on the boards of the Texas Venture Capital Association, the Rice Alliance for Technology & Entrepreneurship, and the Houston Technology Center’s IT Screening Committee. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Jones Graduate School of Management at Rice University where he teaches a course on venture capital.

Albert Kim, Ph.D., Vice President Technology, Investor Growth Capital U.S.
Dr. Albert Kim joined Investor Growth Capital's New York office in 2001 and has been part of the Menlo Park office since 2005. Albert's prior professional experience includes summer associateships at McKinsey & Co and Goldman Sachs. Albert received his PhD degree in Applied Physics from Harvard University.  At IGC, Albert  focuses on  investments in communications technologies, clean technologies, and hardware. Albert currently serves on the Board of Directors of Paratek, ReCellular, Skycross and is also a Board observer at Magnum Semiconductor.

Thomas C. Kinnear, Ph.D., Professor of Marketing, Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan
Thomas C. Kinnear is Eugene Applebaum Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies, Executive Director of the Samuel Zell and Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies, and Professor of Marketing at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. He was formally Senior Associate Dean of the Business School and former Vice President for Development and Executive Officer for the University. He headed the $1.4 billion Campaign for Michigan in the 1990s. At Michigan, he has received awards for teaching excellence and service to the University. He holds an undergraduate degree and LLD (honoris causa) from Queen's University at Kingston, Ontario, an MBA from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of Michigan.He has previously held a faculty appointment at the University of Western Ontario, and visiting appointments at Harvard University, Stanford University, and the European Management Institute (INSEAD) at Fontainebleau, France. He is former editor of the Journal of Marketing and former founding editor of the Journal of Public Policy and Marketing. He is co-author of several books including: Modern Marketing Research, (Thomson), Principles of Marketing (Harper Collins), Marketing Research: An Applied Approach (McGraw-Hill), Promotional Strategy (Irwin) and Cases in Marketing Management (Irwin).

He is CEO and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Venture Michigan Corporation, a $200 million venture capital fund of funds. He is Chair of the Board of the American Marketing Association and former Chair of the Board of the American Marketing Association Foundation. He also has served or is serving as a member of the Board of Directors or Corporate Advisory Boards for several companies and community organizations including: Accuri Cytometers, Inc., Ann Arbor Angels, Avail Networks, Inc., Bard Manufacturing, Inc., BlueGil1 Technologies, Inc., Center For Learning Through Community Service, Domino's Pizza, Inc., Greenhills School, Helmac Products, Inc., Ecliptic Systems, Inc., Interpretive Software, Inc., Janeeva, Inc., Mobius Microsystems, Inc., Nanocerox, Inc., National Patent Development Corporation, Venture Michigan Fund, Network Express, Inc., Pennaflex Educational Resources, Inc., and the University Musical Society. He is active in the entrepreneurial community as a co-founder, advisor, angel investor, and board member of startup companies. He is also a limited partner in Apjohn Ventures, Arbor Partner Ventures, Arboretum Ventures, EDF Ventures, and RPM Ventures. He is a member of the valuation committee for EDF Ventures and investment committee for Arboretum Ventures and RPM Ventures.

Michael P. Kurek, Partner, Biotechnology Business Consultants LLC
Dr. Kurek has held senior management positions in marketing, sales and business development at several life science companies—two of which completed successful IPOs. For six years he managed a business incubator serving start-up technology companies. At BBC since 2002 he’s assisted client companies and entrepreneurs in developing strategic business plans and securing non-dilutive funding. He earned a Ph.D. in Genetics from Florida State University and an MBA from Boston University.

Jeffrey LaBine, Principal, Miller Canfield
Jeffrey L. LaBine is a principal and a member of the Corporate and Securities and Venture and Technology Practice Groups. His corporate, finance, venture capital and mergers and acquisitions practice includes private and public securities offerings, venture capital financing, mergers and acquisitions, financing, shareholder relations, public company representation, and general corporate representation of start-up and established companies through all phases of their life cycles, from entity formations to exits. He received his law degree, magna cum laude, from Wayne State University, and his B.B.A., with high honors, from Detroit College of Business. Prior to joining Miller Canfield he was in the Child and Family Abuse Bureau of the Wayne County Office of the Prosecuting Attorney and served as a noncommissioned officer in the United States Air Force from 1983-1988.

Mr. LaBine is a member of the American Bar Association and the State Bar of Michigan. He has published several articles regarding venture capital finance, mergers and acquisitions, securities laws, and fraudulent transfer issues. He has also been a speaker on mergers and acquisitions, venture capital and start-up issues to a wide variety of audiences for organizations such as Ann Arbor SPARK and the Samuel Zell & Robert H. Laurie Institute at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.

Beau Laskey, Managing Director, Steamboat Ventures
Beau Laskey is a Managing Director of Steamboat Ventures. Beau has spent the last 15 years in technology, finance and operational leadership roles where he focused on media, entertainment and consumer infrastructure technologies. Beau currently serves on the boards of Kapow Technologies and Ontela. Beau's prior investments include Zyray Wireless, acquired by Broadcom (NASDAQ: BRCM), Clarity Technologies, acquired by Cambridge Silicon Radio (LSE: CSR), Sircon, acquired by Vertafore, Arbor Networks, Alfalight, Arxan Technologies, IntelePeer, RockeTalk, Greenplum, and Xtera Communications. Early in his career, Beau was a Managing Director of EDF Ventures in San Diego, an early stage venture capital fund. Beau started his career as an officer in the SEAL Teams and completed deployments with SEAL Team One and Eight to Southeast Asia, the Middle East and the Mediterranean. Beau received a BS in Economics and General Engineering with Merit as a graduate of the US Naval Academy, and received an MBA with Distinction in Entrepreneurship and Corporate Strategy from The University of Michigan Business School.

Greg Main, President and CEO, Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
Greg Main is the president and CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the state of Michigan’s lead economic-development agency, where he is responsible for executing Governor Jennifer Granholm’s economic-development strategy. From 2003 through June 2008, Mr. Main served as the president and CEO of i2E Inc. of Oklahoma City, a leading technology-commercialization program. There, he directed efforts to assist start-up companies in attracting risk capital and securing private-equity funding. From 1998 to 2002, he was a general partner with Chisholm Private Capital Partners, a $66 million venture-capital firm in Oklahoma City. Earlier, in 1994, Mr. Main was a partner in Intersouth Partners, a venture-capital firm in North Carolina’s Research Triangle. During his economic-development career, he also served as Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce, where he designed and implemented the Oklahoma Quality Jobs program and Quality Jobs Investment Act. In addition, Mr. Main held various positions with the Michigan Department of Commerce.

Matthew B. McCall, Managing Director, Draper Fisher Jurvetson Portage
Matthew McCall is a partner at New World Ventures and co-founder & Managing Director of Draper Fisher Jurvetson Portage Venture Partners. McCall is or has been responsible for managing the firm’s investments in Analyte Media, Cognitive Concepts, EverDream, Feedburner, Imago Scientific, Lefthand Networks, Siimpel and TicketsNow. McCall has served on the advisory board to the Mayor’s Council of Technology Advisors in Chicago as well as on numerous other regional high technology advisory boards. McCall is an executive board member of the Illinois Venture Capital Association. He is the author of a popular venture blog, VCConfidential.com.  He serves on the Kellogg Alumni Council. He has been honored by Crain's Chicago Business on its annual "40 under 40” list of leading Chicagoans under age 40. He has also been named as one of top 100 most prominent members of Chicago's technology community. He has keynoted or been a panelist at over 50 area conferences and events nationwide. He is a founder & trustee of the McCall Family Foundation, focused on improving early childhood development in Chicago’s disadvantaged communities as well as encouraging entrepreneurship in our youth.

Previous to 1995, McCall worked in the Boston Consulting Group’s Chicago office, where he managed consulting and client teams on projects in the telecommunications, health-care and financial services industries. During and after college, McCall worked for Bankers Trust in Merchant Banking as well as at Merrill Lynch and U.S. Trust. McCall holds a B.A. in Economics and History from Williams College and an MBA with honors from Northwestern University’s J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management. He also holds a Masters in Manufacturing Management from Northwestern University’s McCormick School of Engineering.

John Neis, Managing Director, Venture Investors
John Neis is a Managing Director of Venture Investors LLC, an early stage venture capital firm with offices in Madison, Wisconsin and Ann Arbor, Michigan. The firm has five venture capital funds under management that are focused on opportunities emerging from leading research universities in the Midwest. John heads the firm's Health Care practice. His twenty-two years in the venture capital industry has enabled him to experience several industry cycles, and to serve on the Board of Directors of companies from formation through IPO or sale. He currently serves on the Board of Directors at TomoTherapy, Inc., NimbleGen Systems, Inc., and Deltanoid Pharmaceuticals, Inc. He was appointed by the Governor to the Board of the Wisconsin Technology Council, the science and technology advisor to Wisconsin’s Governor and Legislature. He also serves on the Advisory Board of the Weinert Applied Ventures Program in the School of Business and Tandem Press in the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.S. in finance from the University of Utah, and received a M.S. in Marketing and Finance from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Gilbert S. Omenn, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Internal Medicine, Human Genetics, Public Health and Computational Medicine, University of Michigan
Gilbert Omenn is Professor of Internal Medicine, Human Genetics, and Public Health and Director of the university-wide Center for Computational medicine and Bioinformatics at the University of Michigan. He served as UM Executive Vice-President for Medical Affairs and as Chief Executive Officer of the University of Michigan Health System from 1997-2002. He is PI of the Michigan Life Sciences Corridor Proteomics Alliance for Cancer Research and leader of the international Human Proteome Organization (HUPO) Human Plasma Proteome Project. He is a long-time director of Amgen and of Rohm & Haas Company.

Armando Pauker, General Partner, Apex Venture Partners
Armando is a General Partner with an investment focus in enterprise infrastructure (hardware, software, security) and alternative energy.  Prior to joining Apex, Armando served as Vice President of Networking Products for Cybernet Systems Corporation, a Linux-based software start-up.  Previously, he was a senior product manager for Electronics for Imaging, a developer of high performance digital imaging servers.  Armando also served as a management consultant with Booz.Allen & Hamilton, where he worked with clients in technology industries.  Prior to Booz, Armando was a senior engineering manager at Tandem Computers, Inc., where he led product strategy, and hardware and software development in computer subsystems.  Armando holds an MBA with High Distinction from the University of Michigan, and he received his BS in Engineering from California Institute of Technology. Armando currently serves on the boards of Initiate Systems, Metallect Corporation, and BrightCloud. He recently led an investment in Suniva, Inc.  He previously served on the board of Informative (acquired by Satmetrix).

Tim Petersen, Managing Director, Arboretum Ventures
Tim Petersen specializes in investments in medical device, equipment, and healthcare information technology companies, leveraging his broad business background working in and with entrepreneurial firms. Tim currently serves on the board of directors of Arboretum portfolio companies KFx Medical, Advanced ICU Care, Accuri Cytometers and Accord Biomaterials. He previously sat on the board of directors of HealthMedia (acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 2008), and Asterand (now publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange). Tim's entire career has focused on creating, growing, and financing entrepreneurial companies. Before joining Arboretum in 2002, Tim was the Managing Director of the Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies at the University of Michigan, leading the creation and rapid growth of the Institute's programs. He also directed the Wolverine Venture Fund (WVF), the Institute's venture capital fund that includes the active participation of Michigan's MBA students. During his tenure, the Fund invested in a number of early-stage healthcare and technology companies, including IntraLase (acquired by Advanced Medical Optics) and HandyLab. Previously, Tim spent nine years at Industrial Economics, Inc., becoming a member of the firm's senior management team in 1991. Industrial Economics, founded in the early 1980's in Cambridge, MA, is a leader in the fields of natural resource economics and environmental science. Earlier in his career, Tim was also a manager in the investment banking practice at Plante & Moran. Tim is involved in a number of community and educational efforts in the entrepreneurial arena. For instance, he is currently the Alumni Fund Manager for the Wolverine Venture Fund. Tim earned a BA in Economics from Williams College, a MS in Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and an MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

Rodrigo Prudencio, Partner, Nth Power
Rodrigo Prudencio is a Partner with Nth Power and is involved in all aspects of the firm’s operations including investments, investor relations, and portfolio management. Rodrigo sits on the board of Synapsense, and is an observer of the boards of Terrapass and Imara. Earlier in his career, Rodrigo worked for the Department of State where he focused on a variety of global environmental negotiations, including preparations for the Kyoto round of the Climate Change Convention. Rodrigo was also Director of the international trade program at the National Wildlife Federation where he led NWF’s environmental advocacy to reform the rules of international trade. Rodrigo received his MBA from the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley where he served as president of his class and concentrated on energy markets including outside research at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. His bachelor’s degree in international relations was earned from Middlebury College in Vermont.

John Rice, Ph.D., Managing Partner, Triathlon Medical Ventures
John is founder and Managing Partner of Triathlon Medical Ventures based in Cincinnati and brings 18 years of venture investing and 13 years of research and R&D management experience in biotechnology, devices, and diagnostics. John was a Managing Director of Senmed Medical Ventures from 1989 until 2003 where he was a member of the investment committee and led the emerging medical technology investment efforts. Prior to joining Senmed, John spent 13 years with Battelle Memorial Institute serving in various research, research management, and business development capacities. Locally and regionally, John was among the early organizers of Bio/Start, Cincinnati's biomedical business incubator and currently serves as Chairman of its Board of Trustees. He is also a trustee of BioOhio, Ohio's life science economic development organization and of the Global Cardiovascular Innovation Center at the Cleveland Clinic. John represents Triathlon on the boards of Akebia Therapeutics Inc. as Chairman, and Kereos Inc., and is an observer on the boards of CS-Keys, CoLucid, and Endocyte. John earned his BS, MS and Ph.D degrees in Microbiology and Virology from The Ohio State University and is currently and adjunct faculty member in the College of Medicine.

Alain Rothstein, Principal, Vicente Capital Partners
Alain Rothstein is a Principal of Vicente Capital Partners.  He has over 10 years of private equity experience. Alain began his career with Interlaken Capital, a middle market buyout firm in Greenwich, CT.  While at Interlaken, he focused on companies with revenues ranging from $50 million to $200 million across a variety of industries including specialty chemical manufacturing, financial services and business outsourcing services.  Selected investments include Master Protection Corporation, Strategic Distribution (Nasdaq: STRD) and First Marblehead (NYSE: FMD).

Prior to Vicente Capital, Alain was a principal at Kline Hawkes & Co. where he led and co-led investments in logistics, residential services and environmental products.  He is a current board member of Rayne Corporation.  His prior board positions include CaseStack, Inc., Certus Corporation, Environmental Services Group and IP MobileNet. Alain Rothstein is a member of the Board of Directors of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) Los Angeles and on the Executive Committee of Wharton Private Equity Partners.  He is also a volunteer and finance committee member for Chrysalis (www.changelives.org), an organization helping local economically disadvantaged and homeless individuals become self-sufficient through employment opportunities.  He is a frequent lecturer and panelist on the subject of private equity.  He earned his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

Rob Seidman, Principal, Capital Bridge Consulting
Rob Seidman is currently a Principal at Capital Bridge Consulting, a Washington, DC based government relations firm specializing in building alliances between the public and private sectors. Previously, Seidman served as the Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at the US Department of Commerce where he ran the state government relations portfolio building a vast network of key policy makers in state houses across the country. He also specializes in Intellectual Property protection and managed legislative issues for the US Patent and Trademark office, a bureau of the Commerce Department. Seidman has also worked on Capitol Hill for both a Member of Congress and a US Senator, and has over seven years experiences at a not-for-profit association in Virginia. Additionally, he served as the Deputy National Coalitions Director for John McCain’s 2008 Presidential campaign. Seidman lives in Alexandria, VA with his wife and two children.

Peter Shagory, Partner, Baird Venture Partners
Pete is a Partner with Baird Venture Partners and oversees the healthcare and life sciences investment effort. Prior to joining Baird Venture Partners in 2004, Pete spent five years at Vector Fund Management, a life-sciences venture capital firm, investing broadly across the medical device and biotechnology fields. Prior to Vector, he spent over six years in corporate finance, mergers & acquisitions and merchant banking at JP Morgan & Co. and Banc One Capital Corporation. Pete is currently Board Chairman of Accuri Cytometers, a Board Director of Arbor Surgical Technologies and CoAxia, Inc. and oversees BVP's investments in Aptus Endosystems, and Celleration, Inc. He is a former Director of PharMEDium Healthcare Corporation and NimbleGen Systems. Pete also serves on the Board of the Wisconsin Biotechnology and Medical Device Association and the Children's Memorial Hospital Foundation. He received his undergraduate degree in Business Administration and Finance from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and his MBA from the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College.

Sunil Sharma, Director of International Relations, Canada's Venture Capital and Private Equity Association and Senior Trade Commissioner for Venture Capital, Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
Sunil Sharma is a rotational Foreign Service officer with Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT). Sunil is in the midst of a 3-year assignment with Canada’s Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (CVCA) where his mandate is to build strategic relationships with risk capital communities across the world. Sunil has recently concluded his 4-year posting as Consul and Trade Commissioner (Head of Consulate) in San Diego, California and was responsible for opening one of Canada’s newest diplomatic missions. Previously, Sunil was Chief, Legislative, Regulatory and Policy Affairs at the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) and served as Canada’s representative to the United Nations World Intellectual Property Organization’s General Assemblies in Geneva and was elected Vice-Chair of a key technical committee. Prior to his work at CIPO, Sunil served as a Senior Investment Analyst for Technology Partnerships Canada, an investment arm of the Government of Canada, where he completed several investment deals involving emerging Canadian high technology companies. Sunil possesses a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Victoria and a Master’s of Industrial Relations degree from the University of Toronto.

Michael Staebler, Partner, Pepper Hamilton
Michael B. Staebler is a commercial practice partner in the law firm of Pepper Hamilton LLP. He concentrates his practice in venture capital, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, and real estate. He has extensive experience representing private and public businesses in the entire range of corporate matters, including their acquisition and sale, issuance of securities, corporate finance, and contract negotiations. Mr. Staebler is highly recognized for his expertise in the formation, management, and operation of venture capital firms and in the financial and operational requirements of growing small and medium size businesses. He has served as counsel to more than 160 venture capital firms and licensed Small Business Investment Companies throughout the United States and has participated in financing large numbers of new and high tech businesses on behalf of his clients. Mr. Staebler maintains the country's largest practice in the formation and licensing of Small Business Investment Companies by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Mr. Staebler is a member of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. He has  participated on many governmental advisory committees concerning venture capital and economic development and actively works in community affairs. He earned his JD cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School (1969), following his graduation from Harvard College with a BA magna cum laude in American history (1966).

Nick Tzitzon, Government Policy Advisor, Dykema
Nick Tzitzon is a former high ranking government official at the local, state and federal levels. He advises Dykema clients on the complicated nature of politics, public policy and regulatory affairs. Most recently Chief of Staff for the Justice Department’s programs division, a $3 billion grant-making agency, Mr. Tzitzon specializes in navigating government funding procedures and the impact of public sector investment on services and industries. He has also served as Deputy Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the nation’s largest domestic agency charged with administering programs from Medicare to health research and medical device regulation. Before his service in Washington, Mr. Tzitzon aided and advised former Massachusetts Governors Mitt Romney and Paul Cellucci and served as Chief of Government Affairs for the City of Haverhill, Massachusetts.

Peter van der Velden, President and CEO, Lumira Capital
Peter joined Lumira Capital in 2005 as President and CEO and was charged with responsibility for restructuring of the legacy operations and positioning Lumira for the future. Today Peter continues to oversee the overall business operations of the firm while working closely with the senior management team to set and implement strategic direction. Also active on the investment side, Peter focusing primarily on investments in the areas of growth equity, non-traditional and consumer oriented medicines, spin-outs of operating businesses, re-structurings and public companies. In general his focus is on companies that have made, or are close to making, the transition from “development” to selling and marketing their products. With 20 years of investment and operating experience, he has participated in building companies from start-up through to expansion and has been involved not only with companies in the life sciences sector, but also with companies in the information technology and consumer sectors.

Having participated on both sides of the value creation equation – working as a partner and as a mentor to highly successful management teams as well as an entrepreneur – Peter’s experience includes: partner in a buyouts partnership targeting the retail and consumer centric businesses, vice president business development for a venture capital backed drug delivery company, and an associate role at Canada’s then largest venture capital firm. Immediately prior to joining Lumira Capital, Peter was a founding partner at a merchant banking boutique targeting the IT sector. Peter holds an MBA from the Schulich School of Business, Toronto, Ontario, as well as an MSc in pathology and an honours BSc in life sciences – both from Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario. Peter’s current board and investment responsibilities include: the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association, Skinstore.com, Alveolus Inc., Milcom and Lumira Capital

Nicole Vitullo, Partner, Domain Associates
Ms. Vitullo joined Domain in 1999 and became a Partner in 2004. She has full management responsibility for Domain Public Equity Partners, L.P. and is also involved in distribution/liquidation strategies for the public companies in Domain Associates’ venture capital portfolios. Present board memberships include Calixa Therapeutics, Celator Pharmaceuticals, Esperion Pharmacueticals, Marinus Pharmaceuticals and VentiRx Pharmaceuticals. Past Board memberships include Cerexa, Eunoe and Onyx Pharmaceuticals. From 1992-1999, Ms. Vitullo was Senior Vice President at Rothschild Asset Management, Inc. where she had responsibility for the U.S. public market investments of International Biotechnology Trust plc and Biotechnology Investments Limited. From 1991-1992, Ms. Vitullo served as the Director of Corporate Communications and Investor Relations at Cephalon, a publicly traded biotechnology company. Prior to Cephalon, Ms. Vitullo spent 12 years at Eastman Kodak, most recently in Corporate Development where she was involved in the development management of Kodak’s venture capital activities.