Let's Make A Deal! Key factors that Win (or Kill) Mergers and Acquisitions (Thursday)

Let's Make A Deal!
Key factors that Win (or Kill) Mergers and Acquisitions

A Special Thanks To Our Exclusive Dinner Forum Sponsor

Mergers and acquisitions are in the news on a daily basis.  From small strategic acquisitions to blockbuster deals, they can make or break a company's future and the fortunes of entrepreneurs.

Have you ever wondered what attracts buyers and what drives them away?  What makes some companies acquisition targets while others never draw any interest?

Join us on Thursday, March 20, 2008 as the MIT Enterprise Forum of the Northwest hosts a panel of seasoned executives who will provide insight and lessons learned from both buying and selling companies.

March Dinner Program Cast

Moderator:   Mike Crill, Managing Partner, Atlas Accelerator

Panelists:

Steve Singh, CEO, Concur Technologies, Inc.

Steve McCracken, CEO, CultureMob, Green Couch Conspiracy, Inc.

Kevin Cable, Executive VP,  Cascadia Capital, LLC

Tivanka Ellawala, Managing Director, Corporate Development, Microsoft Corporation

Biographies
R. Michael Crill - Mike is with Atlas Accelerator, the region's largest accelerator for technology start-ups.  He has recently served as CFO for Fyreball, Coffee Equipment Company, Grid Networks, Adapx, Escapia and also serves as a professional outside director.  Mike is an active angel investor with over 70 deals and a member of the Band of Angels in Palo Alto.  He holds a BS, magna cum laude from Syracuse University and an MBA, summa cum laude from Duke.

Steve Singh - Mr. Singh is Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board for Concur, the world's leading provider of on-demand Employee Spend Management services. Through a combination of innovation, rapid organic growth and strategic acquisitions -- including expense management providers Captura and Gelco along with travel technology leader Outtask -- Mr. Singh has transformed Concur from a traditional licensed software provider into what is now one of the world's leading on-demand service providers. Prior to joining Concur Technologies, Mr. Singh was General Manager of the Contact Management Division at Symantec Corporation 

Steve McCracken - Steve is CEO and Co-Founder of CultureMob.com, a new startup that provides personalized listings, reviews and promotional tools for local events of all types, including music, movies, theater, sporting events and more..  Previously, Steve was CEO and Co-Founder of Serials Solutions, Inc, the global leader in electronic resources management in the library technology industry.  Under his leadership, Serials Solutions grew from a total capital investment of $8,000 to acquisition by an industry leader for $18 million. In addition to his role as CEO, Steve was directly in charge of the sale of the company, marketing, product management, and business development. Prior to Serials Solutions, Steve served as Director of Business Development for a local B2B technology startup, Blockbuy.com; as a Senior Account Executive at DDB Worldwide Communications Group; and as a private contractor to the State Department in the US Embassy in London. Steve graduated from Occidental College, where he studied Economics and Diplomacy and World Affairs.  

Kevin Cable - Kevin is the Co-Founder and Executive Vice President of Cascadia Capital, a national investment bank providing corporate finance, M&A, strategic advisory services and capital market services to emerging growth and middle market companies in IT, healthcare, communications, security & defense, and industrial & consumer markets. Over the past 24 months, the firm has closed 36 transactions totaling more than $750 million.  Prior to co-founding Cascadia Capital, Mr. Cable served more than 14 years on the executive teams of several technology companies, including Numera Software, which he co-founded and led as CEO. Mr. Cable is currently a director of the Washington State Technology Alliance and the Vancouver Enterprise Forum. He has also served as director of the Washington Software Alliance, the Alliance of Angels and several private technology companies. He holds a B.S. in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Washington.

Tivanka Ellawalla - As Managing Director of Corporate Development for Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division, one of the company's three operating divisions, Tiv Ellawala leads the acquisitions, investments and joint venture discussions for Microsoft's Mobile, Xbox, Game Studios, Zune, TV, Video, Retail and Hardware businesses.  Prior to his current role, Tiv was responsible for corporate development efforts for Microsoft's internet businesses and played a crucial role in Microsoft's  $6B acquisition of aQuantive and $45B offer for Yahoo as well as its restructuring of the MSNBC joint venture with GE and NBC Universal.  Over his 8 year career at Microsoft, Tiv has executed over 80 acquisitions, investments, restructurings and joint ventures across the globe in the business applications, internet, wireless, media and advertising, games, cable, IT services and retail sectors.  Prior to joining Microsoft, Tiv was an investment banker in the Global Mergers & Acquisitions group at Merrill Lynch first in New York and then in San Francisco.  Tiv holds bachelors and masters degrees from Stanford University and lives in Seattle with his wife and daughter.