Angel capital is a critical source of funding for early stage technology businesses. Our panel of angel experts will discuss some of the key elements they look for in prospective companies, the best way to pitch ideas to potential investors, and share some of their recent experiences in investing in start-ups.
There will be ample time for questions from the audience. Whether you’re thinking of funding your own start-up or simply want a rare insider’s view, come join us to learn from our panelists’ own experience.
Register today at www.vef.org for our November 22nd event moderated by ‘Angel of the Year’ – Boris Wertz (W Media Ventures). Our speaker panel includes:
- Mike Edwards, Managing Director (Initio Group)
- Geoff Entress, Venture Partner (Voyager Capital)
- Jason Bailey, CEO (Eastside Games)
- Paul Antoniadis, Partner (Scenario Creation Ltd.)
Speaker’s Bio’s:
Boris Wertz:
Is one of the top tech angel investors in North-America and the CEO and founder of W Media Ventures. His portfolio encompasses over 25 early-stage consumer internet and mobile companies, including Chloe & Isabel, Edmodo, Flurry, GoInstant, Indochino, Suite101, Sparkbuy (acquired by Google), Summify, Tynt, Wattpad and Yapta.
Boris is a venture partner of Munich-based Acton Capital Partners, a consumer Internet fund that is focused on later stage companies with an established track record of revenues and profitability. He is also one of the founders of GrowLab, a Vancouver-based start-up accelerator.
Before founding W Media Ventures, Boris was the Chief Operating Officer of AbeBooks.com, the world’s largest marketplace for new, used and rare and out-of print books which got sold to Amazon in 2008. Boris joined the company in 2002 after JustBooks, the German company he co-founded in 1999, was acquired by AbeBooks. At AbeBooks, Boris was primarily responsible for marketing, business development, product, customer service and international operations and lead a team of about 60 people.
He successfully finished his PhD as well as his graduate studies at the Graduate School of Management (WHU), Koblenz, majoring in Business Economics / Business Management. In 2005, Boris was named the Pacific Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award winner and in 2011 a Top 40 under 40 nominee by Business in Vancouver.
Mike Edwards:
A life long entrepreneur, Mike has started and invested in technology companies for over 20 years. Prior to co-founding Initio Group, he co-founded AreaConnect, a localized search directory, which sold to Marchex in 2006 and provided a significant return to it’s shareholders. He co-founded InternetStudios.com, one of the first companies to exploit the digital revolution in the marketing and delivery of filmed entertainment. Mike recently co-founded Urbandig.com, the source for off the beaten path experiences delivered to your iPhone.
Mike invests in smart people with big ideas, and thrives on helping other entrepreneurs turn a napkin sketch into a prosperous business. Since March 2010, he has invested in more than 35 technology startups including Punch’d, which sold to Google in July 2011, Artsicle, Summify, Hoseanna, LaunchRock, and Rewardli, as well as Dave McClure’s 500 Startups venture capital fund and Vancouver based accelerator, Grow Labs. Mike currently serves on the board of directors for Urbandig, Compass Engine and Sosido Networks. When not advising or meeting with entrepreneurs, Mike can be found hanging out with his family in Whistler at one of the coffee shops he owns. Mike is also an avid cyclist and athlete, who has participated in several Ironman competitions.
Geoff Entress:
Is an active angel investor in the Pacific Northwest, focusing broadly on investments in information technologies. Currently a venture Partner with Seattle-based venture capital firm Voyager Capital, Geoff was previously a venture partner with Madrona Venture Group.
Geoff is a current investor in over thirty private companies in the Pacific Northwest and is a current board member of four companies, including drugstore.com (NASDAQ GM: DSCM), BuddyTV.com and Sandlot Games. Geoff is also a long-time member of the Executive and Screening committees of the Alliance of Angels, the largest angel investor organization in the Pacific Northwest, and is a board member of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Washington.
A former securities lawyer and financial analyst, he has also held positions at Perkins Coie, UrbanEarth.com, Salomon Brothers, The Prudential Home Mortgage Company, Mellon Bank, Priority Investment Management and Duquesne Capital Management.
Jason Bailey:
Has built a handful of successful Internet businesses over the past 15 years. As the founder of KITN Media, he bootstrapped Super Rewards from zero revenue to a 100mm run rate in just over 12 months. In July 2009, he successfully sold the company to Adknowledge, one of the largest online advertising marketplaces.
Jason has invested in and is mentoring many local companies including DES Games, Compass Engine, PayPhone App, CrowdFanatic, and OverInteractive Media. He is also an LP in Real Ventures and Bootup Labs.
Paul Antoniadis:
Is a dynamic entrepreneur with over 20 years international experience building and scaling large multi-channel business start-ups, joint ventures and acquisitions. In addition to consulting on technology & retail trends with investment funds, Paul actively invests in and advises local start-ups to help drive commercialization and scale operations.
Paul is the former CEO of Best Buy Brands in Europe, a joint venture between U.S.-based Best Buy and FTSE 100 The Carphone Warehouse. As CEO, Paul led all strategic and implementation planning for the launch of Best Buy in the UK.
Prior to his CEO role, Paul led Best Buy’s international expansion as President of China and Senior Vice President of International Operations in China, Mexico and Turkey. He has extensive consumer technology and multi-channel retail achievements across North America, Asia and Europe and was previously Vice President of Sales in the United States for Best Buy.
Consider becoming a VEF Member, attend all 8 events at no extra charge for an annual fee of $ 200.
Membership benefits include:
- access to all VEF events at no charge (excluding VEF Momentum)
- $ 360 value of yearly events for a yearly membership fee of $ 200
- Fast, one click online event registration
- Subscription to VEF news on technology community and events
- Invitation to and voting privileges in the VEF Annual General Meeting
- VEF Member printed on event name badge
Memberships can be purchased at: www.vef.org.
Lightning Pitch Opportunities
We are looking for applications for our Lightning Pitch segment – ideal for early stage companies looking to raise funds or create visibility for their company. Lightning Pitches are strictly controlled, 100 second time slots at the beginning of the VEF presentation. Please send in your applications now (ideally event topic related companies). Companies chosen will be notified by Friday 18th November.
Applications are www.vef.org
- Start:
- Tue, November 22, 2011 5:00 PM
- End:
- Tue, November 22, 2011 8:00 PM
- Location:
- Vancity Theatre, 1181 Seymour St, Vancouver, BC V6B 2E8, Canada
- More info:
- http://www.vef.org
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