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Angel Groups in Action: Funding Early Stage Innovation

Wed, 06/01/2005 - 5:30pm
See map: Google Maps

You're an entrepreneur at a crucial junction in the early stage of your company. Your choices are to pull your bootstraps so tight they cut off circulation, ask the bank to further extend your loan, and deliver your elevator pitch at the next family function. Or you can talk to an Angel!<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /?>

 

Join the MIT Enterprise Forum and a panel of experts from <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /?>
Cambridge and Seattle as they take a rare insider's look into the ever-increasing role of Angel Investing in early stage technologies. Produced in association with the Angel Capital Association, program attendees will learn:

 

  • the truth behind common myths about angel investors;
  • common mistakes entrepreneurs make when approaching angels;
  • the evolution of angel investing and how groups can and do organize effectively today; and
  • the future trends of angel investments.

Panelists from Cambridge include Ed Roberts '57, MIT Sloan School of Management Professor and Founder of the MIT Entrepreneurship Center; James Geshwiler GM '00, Chairman of the Angel Capital Association and Managing Director of CommonAngels; and Dan Roach (moderator), of Brown & Brown LLP.

 

Our Seattle panel will consist of:
Moderator John Castle, Lecturer on Entrepreneurship at University of Washington
Nate Silverman, Manager WTC Angel Network
Carol Gullstad, Member Seraph Capital

 

BIOs

John Castle teaches Entrepreneurship at the University of Washington Business School. He also provides tactical guidance to CEO's of early-stage technology and information companies. He is co-founder and a director of Cantametrix, where he was CEO through the first formative years. He has been a principal and advisor to several early-stage technology companies delivering and managing information via the Internet. These include Sharebuilder, Inc. and TotalAdvisor in the financial and investment industry and HealthRadius and InfoMedx in the medical IT field. He previously was a partner in Washington Biotechnology Funding, a seed venture capital business; CEO of Seecolor, a printing software company; president and CEO of Hamilton-Thorn, a medical electronics company; executive vice president and co-founder of Seragen, Inc., a biotechnology company; and vice president and general manager of the Bioproducts Division of FMC Corporation, a diversified Fortune 500 company. He serves on the Board of the MIT Enterprise Forum of the Northwest and the Northwest Entrepreneur Network.  Dr. Castle is a graduate of MIT and the Harvard Graduate School of Business.

Nate Silverman joined the WTC in 2003 as the manager of the organization's Angel Network. Mr. Silverman is responsible for facilitating the creation of local angel investor groups in communities across Washington and establishing a statewide network for investors and entrepreneurs seeking seed capital. Mr. Silverman's comprehensive professional background combines investment, business development, and public relations, and he is well-versed in the arenas of early-stage investment strategies for both investors and companies. Mr. Silverman holds an M.B.A. from the University of Washington and a bachelor of arts in economics from the University of California, San Diego. 

Carol Gullstad is a business strategist concentrating on CEO advisory services and sustainable investment activities in food and agriculture, and consumer goods and services.  She has operational expertise in new business development, marketing and sales. Carol was a senior executive at General Mills Inc. and held positions in brand management, sales and mergers and acquisitions. She is a member of Seraph Capital, Angels with Attitude and an active angel investor. She is an equity investor and major shareholder with her husband in a recycled specialty tissue manufacturer, CityForest Corp. located in Ladysmith, WI. She is a board observer of TeachFirst Inc. and an Advisory Board member of Studio 904. Carol received a B.S. in Political Economy of Natural Resources from UC Berkeley and an MBA from the John Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA.

 

.         The June 1st program starts at 5:30 pm at Fisher Plaza, 140 4th Avenue, Seattle

.         Networking Session - 5:30 to 6:15, Broadcast - 6:15-7:15, Local Q&A 7:15 - 8:00 pm.

.         Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door

.         Street parking available or in the building for a fee

.         Register online at www.mitwa.org. For more information call 206-283-9595.

 

About MIT Enterprise Forum of the Northwest
The MIT Enterprise Forum of the Northwest is a volunteer, non-profit organization that gives emerging technology-based companies the opportunity to present their strategies to panels of experts during a series of public forums. The Seattle chapter of the MIT Enterprise Forum is one of 24 worldwide chapters of the MIT Enterprise Forum, Inc. affiliated with the Alumni Association of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. All Events are open to anyone interested in growing or enhancing a business.

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