Strategic Alliances

Does your customer base need to grow more quickly? Is your product portfolio missing that one important component? Do you see opportunities in new markets but can't quite reach them? Strategic alliances have meant many different things in the past, but today they play a large role in growing a company's revenue. Executives have created alliances to add distribution channels to new markets, to expand their customer base rapidly through cooperative selling with allied companies and to expand their product offering. The formula for success is not always clear and our select panel of executives will point to the elements of success and failure they have encountered in developing strategic alliances. Our presenting company, Click2learn, is using strategic alliances to refocus its efforts, and our moderator will lead a dynamic discussion among the panelists about the challenges of putting a financially successful alliance together. Specifically the panel will explore: . Strategic alliances as an integral part of the business model . Evaluating prospective partners . Sustaining the momentum after the relationship has begun . Value of alliances/partnerships today as viewed by investors, customers, or business peers The October 17th Forum assembles a talented team of seasoned executives skilled in the art of strategic alliances. They will share a dynamic discussion on how they won, lost and at times just broke even in the pursuit of creating and integrating partnerships. Moderator: . Katarina Bonde, President, CEO and Chairman of the Board, Glides, International Presenting Company: . Kevin Oakes, Chairman and CEO, Click2Learn Panelists: . Ken Myer, Executive Vice President, Active Voice Corporation . Del Clark, President, CEO and Founder, Qbeo . Don Carter, Founder, President and CEO, Consystant The MIT Enterprise Forum of the Northwest (MITEF) is a volunteer, non-profit organization chartered to foster entrepreneurial activities in the Pacific Northwest. It provides today's fast-moving start-ups and emerging growth companies with a chance to learn from the experiences of their peers and competitors, gain feedback and insight from leading industry experts, and establish relationships with potential business partners. MITEF is affiliated with the Alumni Association of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and all events are open to anyone interested in growing or enhancing a business. For more information, visit our website at www.mitwa.org or view MITEF's newsletter Forum Focus at http://web.mit.edu/entforum/www/focus_online/Issues.html.