CU entrepreneurs and principal investors offer their expertise, Feb. 8

By Linda Myers

Learn from the pros about how to turn business ideas into plans that will attract investors, or, if you're an aspiring venture capitalist, how to spot good investments, even in a recession.

From left, Sean Day, Kevin Saliba, Ross Berntson, Brian Silver and Brent Rosenthal, MBA students at the Johnson Graduate School of Management, meet in the Parker Center for Investment Research in Sage Hall to plan the 2002 Entrepreneurship and Principal Investing Symposium, which will take place Feb. 8 in Sage. All are members of the Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Club, a student entrepreneurship club that is hosting the event. Charles Harrington/University Photography

A stellar lineup of successful entrepreneurs and principal investors will share their insights Feb. 8 in Sage Hall on campus. The second annual Cornell Entrepreneurship and Principal Investing Symposium (EPIS) is organized by students at Cornell's Johnson Graduate School of Management who themselves are aspiring entrepreneurs and principal investors.

The symposium aims to expand the tradition of entrepreneurship and principal investing at Cornell through a day of learning, debate and networking. The event, which is open to the public, is $10 for Cornell students and $25 for non-students. Space is limited, so participants should register and get tickets early via the web site www.cen.cornell.edu, which includes a schedule of events.

Keynote speakers Gerry Langeler and Roger Strauch, who are both Cornell graduates, offer hard-won lessons -- drawn from their own multifaceted experiences in launching and funding new businesses -- that today's entrepreneurs and investors can use from the start-up stage on up.

Langeler is co-founder of Mentor Graphics Corp., a technology-based company that he helped lead through an initial public offering (IPO) in 1984 to more than $400 million in worldwide sales and more than $1 billion in market capitalization. He now is a leading partner with OVP Venture Partners, a venture capital firm.

Strauch is co-founder of TCSI Corp., a telecom software firm that grew from a start-up in 1983 to a company with more than $60 million in annual revenues. He is now chairman of the Roda Group, a venture development company based in Berkeley, Calif., that gives entrepreneurs the environment, resources and guidance to launch and grow high-technology businesses.

Panel discussions at this year's event look at the four major stages of development for a business, as it grows from idea to start-up to publicly traded company. Four panels mirror the four stages: "Technology Transfer: Turning Promising Technology into Commercial Success" highlights key activities and pitfalls faced by inventors and founders as they attempt to convert a good idea into a successful business; "Entrepreneurship: Making the Leap" discusses the issues and opportunities faced by the founders of a new company as they add their first employees, gain their first large customers and formalize their company structure and processes; "Venture Capital in Down Markets" outlines what entrepreneurs who seek funding in a "down" market should expect and how the venture-capital process has changed for both the entrepreneur and the financier in the past two years; and "The Impact of Private Equity: A Leadership Role in the Down Market "discusses how public equity firms participate in the new venture market as providers of pre-IPO funding, leaders in the merger and acquisitions of start-up firms, and drivers of leveraged buyouts.

Panel discussants include: Ted Araujo and Chris Michaels (Brown & Michaels, PC); Mike Bergelson (Audium); Mark Brandt (Notiva); Richard Gessner, Jr. (GS Capital, L.P.); Ben Geiger (Freeman Spogli & Co.); Sol Graham (Quality Biological); Colin Hill (GNS); Adam Karr (Palladium); Venetia Kontogouris (Trident Capital); Jason Redlus (Capital Key Advisors); Zach Shulman (Spike Broadband); and Josh Wolfe (Lux Capital).

The event offers opportunities to network informally as well as informational tables by some sponsoring organizations. Corporate and community sponsors include: Cordova Ventures; Harris Beach LLP; and Sciarabba Walker & Co. LLP. Cornell sponsors include: Alumni Affairs and Development; Entrepreneur Network; Entrepreneurship and Personal Enterprise Program; and Graduate and Professional Student Assembly Finance Commission. For questions, contact Brian Silver at bss29@cornell.edu.