Miami panel, June 17, on Angel Investing 101 – Best Practices

The HBS Club of South Florida is hosting me at a panel discussion on “Angel Investing 101 – Best Practices”, Monday, June 17, 2013, 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM, at Greenburg Traurig, 333 SE 2nd Avenue, 44th Floor, Miami, FL 331312.  Click here to register.

The rest of the panel:
1. Juan Pablo Cappello, Principal Shareholder of Greenburg Traurig and investor in over 25 start-ups
2. Rhys Williams, President of New World Angels
3. Daniel Echavarria, Director of The Lab Miami, and CEO of El Paso Advisors

Organizer: Ohad Jehassi

I periodically present on the fundamentals of angel investing, most recently to the Harvard Business School Alumni Club of Connecticut and the global HBS Alumni Angels Association.  HBS Alumni Angels members can view my webinar on this topic gratis. I hope you can join us in Miami!

http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/14804903

Webinar: Angel Investing 101 – Best Practices

I’m leading a webinar for HBS Alumni Angels on “Angel Investing 101 – Best Practices”.  Click here to register .   I’d welcome your feedback on my draft presentation, below:

http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/14804903

Date: March 22nd, 2013
Time: 12:00 Noon Eastern Time (9:00 am Pacific)
Introductions: Dan Rosen (Partner, Commerce Ventures; Learning Officer- HBS Alumni Angels)
Speaker: David Teten (Partner, ff Venture Capital, and Chair, HBS Alumni Angels NY)
SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY RATE
: FREE for members and $25 for non-members.
This webinar will run 60 minutes.

Click here to register

This webinar is designed to be an introduction to angel investing as well as to the HBS Alumni Angels organization.  Among the topics I will cover:

  • Introduction to HBS Angels and the 2013 Webinar schedule
  • How to assess opportunities (idea, team, valuation)
  • How to source great deals
  • How to add value to portfolio companies after you invest
  • How to increase your returns (on average)
  • How to make the most out of angel group participation
  • Latest trends in angel investing and where the industry is headed

INTRO BY: Dan Rosen, Partner at Commerce Ventures & Learning Officer at HBS Angels

Dan Rosen (HBS ’06) is a Partner at Commerce Ventures, a sector-focused venture capital firm he recently founded. At Commerce Ventures, Dan focuses on investing in mobile, payments and retail innovations. Prior to Commerce Ventures, Dan spent 6 years at Highland Capital Partners, where he invested in several early-stage mobile, payments and consumer media startups. Prior to joining Highland, Dan worked at HarbourVest Partners, LLC, where he invested in and worked closely with several growth-stage technology and communications businesses, as well as in corporate development at RSA Security (RSAS, acquired by EMC) and as a software consultant for American Management Systems (AMSY, acquired by CGI Group). Today he resides in San Francisco, but is a Boston native and still holds out hope for another Brady Superbowl win.

March 3-6, Birmingham, AL: Alternative Investing Conference

The Southern States Business Coalition (SSBC) is bringing some of the country’s leading Plan Sponsors, Institutional Investors, and Alternative Investment professionals to Birmingham, AL, March 3-6 for the Southern States Alternative Investment Symposium 2013.  This conference is an evolution of the Alternative Investment Roundup that the executives at SSBC designed, developed and ran each February in Arizona from 1997 through 2008.  Each year the Arizona event attracted more than 130 Institutional Investors representing over $2 Trillion in investable assets.

The program is designed for Institutional Investors, Plan Sponsors, Endowments and Foundations that are based in the South and active or interested in Alternative Investing Strategies.  Noteable speakers include:

Dr. David Bronner, CEO, Retirement Systems of Alabama

Professor Edwin T. Burton, III, Trustee, Commonwealth of Virginia Retirement Systems (VRS); Member, Board of Directors Chase Investment Counsel Corporation; Professor of Economics, University of Virginia

Joseph P. Borg, Director, Alabama Securities Commission

Stephen P. Harbeck, President, Securities Investor Protection Corporation, SIPC

Ms. Shelley I. Smith, President & General Counsel, GrayShell Consulting; Member, Pacific Pension Institute’s Board of Directors; Member, Governing Board of The Robert Toigo Foundation; Former Trustee, LACERS; Former Board Member Council of Institutional Investors

Ms. Gail Stone, Executive Director, Arkansas Public Employees Retirement System (APERS)

Mr. John Mcfarlane, Chairman of the Board, University of Virginia Investment Management Company (UVIMCO)

My Partner John Frankel  and I are both speaking.   Register today and join us in Alabama at www.ssais2013.com.

Feb. 28, Stamford, CT: HBS Event on Angel Investing 101 – Best Practices

I hope you can join us 6:30 pm EST, February 28th in Stamford, CT for a HBS Alumni Angels event on Angel Investing 101 – Best Practices.

Click here to make a reservation

Speakers:

– Bob Dahl, HBS Alumni Angel, formerly head of Global Healthcare for the Carlyle Group
– Susan Balloch, Managing Director, Golden Seeds; formerly Executive Director and Principal, The Blackstone Group
– Karen Bantuveris, CEO of VolunteerSpot (ff VC and angel-backed startup with 2.5m moms)
– David Teten, Partner, ff Venture Capital; Chairman, HBS Alumni Angels of Greater New York

Moderator: Katina Stefanova, Bridgewater Associates

Our panelists will share best practices of angel investing and guide you through potential pitfalls. From the perspective of best practices, we will address questions such as:

  • How to assess opportunities (idea, team, valuation)
  • Should you require a full-blown business plan and what to look for
  • How to source great deals
  • How to build a portfolio of startup investments
  • How to add value to a portfolio company
  • What to do when your portfolio startup pivots
  • When should you think about exits
  • How to make the most out of angel group participation
  • How to collaborate effectively with other angel groups

We will also discuss the latest trends in angel investing and where the industry is headed next. For a preview of the discussion, see “Introduction to Angel Investing

Agenda: 4-speaker panel on February 28th, 6:30-9pm
6:30 Registration
7:00 Panel discussion
8:00 Panel Q&A
8:30 Networking

Susan Balloch, Managing Director of Golden Seeds
Susan Balloch is a Managing Director of Golden Seeds, an angel fund that invests in early stage companies founded or led by women. Ms. Balloch’s 20+ year career prior to becoming an angel investor was in financial services both in the private equity world- fundraising and investor relations, and in investment banking. She is also an adjunct professor, who taught a leadership course at Columbia Business School. Ms. Balloch earned a BS degree from Georgetown University and an MBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

Karen Bantuveris, Founder and CEO of VolunteerSpot
Karen Bantuveris has 15 years experience as a consultant in customer centric- leadership development, marketing strategy and business process design. She is the Founder and CEO of Volunteer Spot an online coordination app that facilitates volunteering. Ms. Bantuveris is a recognized national expert in boosting parent involvement in school and using social media for social good. She frequently speaks at conferences including National and State PTA’s, mom blogger conferences, SXSW and Parenting Magazine’s Mom Congress. As the Founder and Principal of Radiance Learning, she worked with leadership teams at clients including Silicon Graphics, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Tenet Healthcare and Stanford Univeristy. Prior to Radiance Learning, Ms. Bantuveris was a consultant with Towers Perrin’s healthcare practice. Ms. Bantuveris holds both a BA and MHA from Tulane University.

W. Robert Dahl
Robert Dahl is currently a private investor, focusing on the healthcare industry. Previously, he was the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Arrowhawk Capital Partners, an investment company and the Vice President of Strategic Business Development and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Golden Pond Healthcare, Inc. From April 1999 until June 2006, Mr. Dahl served as the head of Global Healthcare for the Carlyle Group, a leading private equity firm, where he was responsible for the firm’s investments in the healthcare field. Prior to Carlyle, Mr. Dahl served as co-head of healthcare investment banking in North America at Credit Suisse First Boston. Mr. Dahl is a director of several private companies. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Cancer Research Institute. Mr. Dahl received a BA from Middlebury College and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.

Katina Stefanova, Bridgewater Associates
Ms. Stefanova has 15 years of international experience in the financial and technology industries. For the last eight years, she was with Bridgewater Associates in a variety of leadership positions driving corporate strategy and transformation during the company’s rapid expansion from $15 billion to $140 billion in AUM. Currently, she manages Bridgewater’s Back and Middle Office and Corporate and Client Legal Relations. Prior to that, she was a Management Committee Advisor to Bridgewater’s CEO, Ray Dalio. Before joining Bridgewater, Ms. Stefanova was a Senior Manager at IBM, Global Business Services, specializing in post-merger integration and change management in the financial services and technology industry in Europe, Middle East and Asia (EMEA). She started her career at Arthur Anderson as a consultant in financial services and technology. Ms. Stefanova’s entrepreneurship experience includes being the Founder of Delta Business Consulting, an idea incubator company for start-ups in the technology and telecommunication industry and being one of the early employees at AdRelevance, an Internet Advertising Measurement Company. She is also an Angel Investor in early stage businesses. Ms.Stefanova is fluent in Russian and Bulgarian. Katina Stefanova received a BA in International Relations from Brigham Young University and a Masters of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.

Thursday, February 28th

Location: The Stamford Innovation Center, 175 Atlantic Street, Stamford, CT
Time: 6:30pm Registration, 7:00pm Program
Cost: $20 Members of HBSCT and/or HBS Angels of NY; $30 Non-members & Guests
Please register by 3:00pm on February 27th.
Includes drinks and hors d’oeuvres.

Organizers:
Harvard Business School Alumni Angels of Greater New York, Diana Dowling (ddowling@namllc.com) and Margaret Miao (marmiao3@gmail.com)
Co-sponsor: HBS Club of CT and The Stamford Innovation Center

Click here to make a reservation

Feb. 27: Launch of AIPAC’s Technology Division in NY

Over the past year I have become active on the Steering Committee of AIPAC’s new Technology Division in New York.  On February 27th we are holding our Launch Event at Bloomberg Tower with Dan Senor, co-author of “Start-Up Nation”, as the keynote speaker. This issue is close to my heart and I hope you will join me at this important event.

Our growing Steering Committee includes: Alan Patricof, Greycroft Partners; Andrew Perlman, Vringo; Arthur Bierer, AB Dev Labs; Avi Fogel, NY Angels; Baylene Wacks, Strategic Consultant; Ben Siscovick, IA Ventures; Daniel Etra, reThink Autism; Daniel Leon, Minders Group; David Bercow, TriNet; David Teten, ff VC; Dror Futter, Sorin Rand; Evan Stahl, NextGen Management; Jay Rand, SorinRand LLP; John Frankel, ff VC; Jonathan Caplan, Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel; Jordan Levy, SoftBank Capital; Larry Rolnik, Venafi; Laura Rolnik, BMC Software; Lou Kerner, Social Internet Fund; Marc Hayem, MicroStrategyr; Michael Altman, OneReceipt; Richard Dukas, Dukas PR; Samuel Fine, OneReceipt; Shaula Yemini, NY Angels; and Yossi Siegel, The Beanstalk Group.

Described by The New York Times as “the most important organization affecting America’s relationship with Israel,” AIPAC (The American Israel Public Affairs Committee) advocates for U.S. cooperation with Israel on a wide range of issues. From promoting peace between Israel and its neighbors to facilitating U.S.-Israel exchanges of expertise and equipment for homeland security, defense and counterterrorism, to collaborating on technology, science and agricultural products, AIPAC is there to encourage the close working relationship between the countries.

The Technology Division engages NY’s thriving tech sector to strengthen the U.S. – Israel relationship through supporting the work of AIPAC, involvement in pro-Israel political efforts and building relationships with members of Congress.  We are a group of VC, Angels, Entrepreneurs, Service Providers, and Computer Scientists that are committed to working together to support Israel.

The event on February 27th will be a first of its kind gathering of the technology community to support the U.S. – Israel relationship and learn how we can do more to defend Israel.  Tickets are only $50 before February 15th and include a reception with open bar and lots of good food.  I hope to see you there.

RSVP.

Dec. 4 TAAAPS Alternative Asset Summit and Boot Camp, NY

TAAAPS, the Alliance of Alternative Asset Professionals, is holding a boot camp in New York for investment managers focused on the capital-raising process.  If you’re a manager and interested in taking part, contact mkosara@ taaaps.org.

The event will start with a 1 hour one-on-one round robin session from 5 pm – 6 pm for Investors and Managers to meet and get directly introduced to each other.  The Summit Boot Camp Recap Panel discussion will then be from 6 pm – 7 pm .  Lastly, they’re holding a death match bake-off – a quick competition for managers to present in front of a panel of judges.   Seating is limited.  This event is strictly for Accredited Investors and Pre-registered Managers Only

Agenda

5pm – 6pm:  Manager – Investor One-on-Ones.

6pm – 7pm:  Boot Camp ReCap Panel Discussion.

7pm – 8pm:  Manager Presentation “Bake-off”.  Judged by Fund Experts: Lance Baraker – Celadon Financial;  Lauren Colonna – Ovis Creative; Dennis Schall – Marcum, LLP; Victor Park- Alternative Assets

Moderator:   Paul Marino

Place:        750 Third Ave, 11th Floor, New York, NY

Date:         Tuesday, December 4th, 5:00pm – 8:00pm

Cost:          $40 in advance, please register at the link below.

RSVP:       Register Here

Nov. 7, NYC: NY Tech International Meetup

On November 7th evening at our fitness office in midtown, Michael Petrucelli and I will present to members of the NY Tech International Meetup regarding US visa regulations for startups and international venture capital.

Michael Petrucelli, the founder and executive chairman of Clearpath, a startup that helps streamline the immigration filling process, will discuss current immigration policy, the impact of the Presidential election, and the different visa and immigration classes available for technologists. As a former director of US Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS), Michael is an expert in US immigration procedure.

I’ll discuss ffVC’s current investments in startups in Canada, Israel and Europe, as well as opportunities for non-US citizens within the New York tech scene.

RSVP: NY Tech International Meetup

Oct. 25 NY: Enterprise Tech Meetup: Best Practices in Startup Hiring

I’m participating this Thursday, Oct. 25, in the Enterprise Tech Meetup, where we’ll discuss best practices in B2B startup hiring.  We’ll also cover how can a candidate make themselves more attractive for a quickly growing enterprise company.  You can see some of my thoughts here.

RSVP

Besides me, the other panelists are:

Sean Maclsaac, CTO, Yext

Debbie Madden, Senior Vice President, Cyrus Innovation

Daniel Chait, Co-founder, Greenhouse

Moderator: João-Pierre S. Ruth, Journalist, Xconomy

RSVP

Nov. 14-15: NY Business Expo 2012

Both my Partner John Frankel and I are presenting at the first NY Business Expo, November 14-15.  I think Andrew Wong has done an exceptional job growing a small Meetup group into a real conference business, riding the boom in the NY entrepreneurial economy.

I particularly like their Startup Central track, a chance for any startup or small business to have a one-on-one session with mentors that are experienced in taking companies to the next level.  Marginal cost: free.

I was also glad to see they’re incorporating the StartEngine Demo Day, an LA-based accelerator.  This is a logical strategy on StartEngine’s part, to leverage the platform of the Expo to market their companies to the right coast.

To register for the NY Business Expo: RSVP.

Here’s a preview of my talk on “Identifying your next entrepreneurial opportunity”:

Nov. 13-14, NYC: Global Innovation Conference

 Worldwide Investor Network (WIN) is holding a 2-day conference on “Funding The Best In Global Innovation” November 13-14 in NYC, showcasing 10 tech startups from around the world.

Among our speakers are Habib Kairouz (Managing Partner, Rho Capital), Ed Sim (Founder of BOLDstart Ventures), Kirill Sheynkman (Senior Managing Director, RTP), and me.

I’ve been following WIN’s growth since its inception in early 2011 and think it’s a source of companies that would typically remain off the radar of the NY investor ecosystem.   My research on deal origination has found  that investors who focus on less-popular geographies and source proprietary investments get superior returns.

As a way to encourage students from the NY area to attend the event, WIN is offering 50% off already-reduced student tickets, making it less than 50 dollars to attend. You can use promo code innovation to get this special student pricing.

In addition, WIN has a few spots available for the “Learn From The Best” section of the conference, where CEOs of top NYC-based startups share best practices, common mistakes, and advice on becoming a global company and expanding successfully to the US market. If you are a CEO/VC interested in participating, email ASAP Eyal Bino at eyal(@)worldwidein.com.

I’m still figuring out what I’ll present on…suggestions welcome!