The MIT Enterprise Forum of South Florida,
The Launch Pad
and
RefreshMiami
Celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week
with
“If You Build a Better Mousetrap, Will the World Really Beat a Path to Your Door?”
When: Thursday, November 18, 2010,
6:00 PM Networking and Reception at Rathskeller (1330 Miller Drive)
7:30 PM Presentation at Storer Auditorium (5250 University Drive)
Where: University of Miami, Storer Auditorium, School of Business Administration, 5250 University Drive, Coral Gables, FL 33146.
Registration: There is no admission charge for this event, but registration is limited and available on a first come first served basis. One courtesy drink will be provided to registered guests only.
Overview:
Each November, millions of people around the globe participate in the world’s largest celebration of innovation, entrepreneurship and creativity. This event is one of the thousands in more than 100 countries that will celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week.
The Launch Pad and the MIT Enterprise Forum of South Florida proudly sponsor “If You Build a Better Mousetrap”. On November 18, two early stage companies will present their business product(s) and strategy before a panel of three “judges” with expertise in technology related start-ups.
These companies have small technological objects that have a particular function, and feature a bit of novelty and clever design. These “objects” generally are labeled as “gadgets”, and oft times are commercially successful. The presentations will cover subjects such as picking a partner to grow your business, should I get married to a bigger player, is there a better way to build my product, and how do I sell my great idea.
Hear the perspectives of our panelists, and offer your own questions and comments in this interactive case study format. The presentations begin at 7:30 PM at Storer Auditorium at the University of Miami. But come at 6:00 PM to the campus Rathskeller for networking and registration.
Storer Auditorium is located on the University of Miami Campus at 5250 University Drive in Coral Gables. The Rathskeller is located on the Coral Gables Campus between Gusman Concert Hall and the University Center Food Court.
Note again that there is no admission charge for this event. We welcome your participation in the worldwide effort to educate and inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Presenters Include:
Jain Ankit, Founder of “the ankit”
Jain Ankit is a Partner at Ankit Earphones. Ankit has created ergonomic noise-isolating earphones with g-bass (TM) technology. The earphones feature unconventional style advance noise isolation design.
Mr. Ankit’s background includes experience as Senior Software Engineer at Motorola Networks & Enterprise, CSO, Founder at NewCo Canada, Software Engineer at Motorola Mobile Devices, Process Consultant at Flynn Transportation, and System Integration Test Engineer at Siemens ICN.
Robert Flippo, President and COO, MobileHelp™
The past 16 years Robert S. Flippo has worked in both start-up environments as well as fortune 50 companies. Mr. Flippo has experience in forming high-performance teams and has held executive roles at high-tech companies such as Motorola, Boca Research, and Emergin Incorporated.
In his most recent role as Vice President of Operations at Emergin, Mr. Flippo was responsible for all aspects of the company operations including the function of CFO and COO. Mr. Flippo joined Emergin as the Director of Engineering and Operations in 2003 and successfully scaled the company from $2.4M in revenue in 2003 to $15M+ in 2007. He also raised $4M in funding from a strategic partner in 2006 and negotiated a successful exit sale of the company in December 2007 with Philips Electronics. He joined Emergin from Motorola’s Wireless Messaging Division, where he served as Director of Product & Business Development.
Mr. Flippo holds an MBA from the University of Miami, a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of South Florida, and has completed coursework in business management at Harvard Business School. Mr. Flippo also holds 4 US patents for communications systems.
Panelists Include:
Max Borges, President, Max Borges Agency
Max Borges, President of the Max Borges Agency, has been a pioneering figure in the music and tech marketing industry for over 15 years. Having held many leadership roles for Mars Music and The GRAMMY Awards, Max’s business acumen and entrepreneurial instincts fully came to fruition in 2002, when he founded the Max Borges Agency (MBA). As the only PR and Social Media agency 100% dedicated to the consumer technology space, MBA has earned an impressive roster of over 55 clients and numerous recommendations, including awards for “Best Places to Work” by Outside Magazine and named one of Inc. Magazine’s 5,000 fastest growing companies in 2009 and 2010 with projected revenues for 2010 of $4 million. MBA is based in Miami, FL, where Max trains for triathlon year-round and spends time with his wife and three beautiful children.
Jaret L. Davis, Administrative Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Jaret Davis represents domestic and international corporate clients mergers and acquisitions matters, public and private securities offerings (both equity and debt), financings, securities law compliance, venture capital (both issuers and venture capitalists), joint ventures and various types of general contractual matters.
Jaret has a particular focus in the telecommunications and life sciences industries. He has represented several major telecommunications companies in this area, including a major application services provider, a leading Internet exchange provider operating within the United States, Latin America, Europe and Asia, and several telecommunication startups. Davis also has represented biotechnology start-ups, some of which are publicly-traded, as well as a large Nasdaq-traded manufacturer of orthopedic implants.
Prior to his practice with Greenberg Traurig, Jaret served as a law clerk for both the Enforcement Division and the Market Regulation Division of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
Mr. Davis received his J.D., magna cum laude, University of Miami School of Law in 1999. He was a member of the Executive Board, University of Miami Law Review and a Moot Court Board Member. His honors included Order of the Coif; Iron Arrow Honor Society; Winner of First Year Moot Court Competition; Soia Mentschikoff Scholarship Recipient; and Iron Arrow Honor Society, the Highest Honor Attained at the University of Miami. He earned his B.A., cum laude, Economics, Finance and Computer Information Systems at University of Miami.
Alex Furmansky, Director of Business Development and Director of Finance, OpenPeak Inc.
Alex Furmansky currently serves as Director of Business Development and Director of Finance at OpenPeak Inc., a growth company that supplies touchscreen tablet devices, software, and cloud services to telecom carriers and enterprise telephone distributors worldwide. Previously, Alex worked as an analyst at Evercore Partners, focusing on mergers and acquisitions advisory within the financial technology space. Notable projects at Evercore include advising E*TRADE on its $2.55B capital raise and the NYFIX on its sale to the New York Stock Exchange. Earlier experiences include investment banking at UBS and electrical engineering at Lockheed Martin Space Systems, as well as consulting with several technology startups along the way.
He graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.S. in Finance and Entrepreneurship from the Wharton School and a B.A.S. in Systems Science Engineering from the School of Engineering and Applied Science.
Alex currently serves as President of the Penn Gold Coast Alumni Club. His interests include sailing, tennis, soccer, and spontaneous travels, though his favored conversation topic of choice will always remain discussing new business ideas.
Wendy Lieber, President of Athena Marketing, Inc.
The Fort Lauderdale based company is a strategic marketing group that develops ideas and tactics for companies that position them to win in the marketplace and achieve financial objectives. Ms. Lieber has worked with companies in a variety of business segments throughout the United States, Latin America, Canada and Europe. They include Tasco Worldwide in consumer products, Celestron International in Manufacturing, Loren Industries and Nova Southeastern University in education services. Through these companies she has worked closely in virtually all channels of distribution with retailers such as Wal-Mart, Kmart, Natural Wonders, Cabela’s, Bass Pro, Victorinox Latin America, Canadian Tires, Dixons.
Wendy holds an undergraduate degree in Marketing from Florida State University and a M.B.A from Nova Southeastern University. She is a member of the board of directors for the Gold Coast Venture Capital Club.
Howard M. Gitten (Moderator), Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge, LLP
Howard Gitten is an attorney with Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge, an international corporate firm having a strong start up company practice.Having worked both in-house at a cutting edge photonics company, and in private practice, Howard brings a unique perspective to technology law. He brings a business perspective to technology issues and his technology background to business issues. As a registered patent attorney, Howard not only knows how best to protect a client’s unique assets, but how best to make them marketable and best use intellectual property for competitive advantage. Howard has advised his clients in raising venture capital, forming strategic partnerships, and instituting cradle-to-grave IP regimes, to licensing IP and building joint development programs around a client’s IP.
Howard came to Florida to be general counsle for venture backed company Naovation Technologies. There he negotiated joint development and strategic partner deals with Motorola, Lucent, and Nortel, as weill as with other venture backed entities.
He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Economics and a B.A.S. in Systems Science Engineering. He received his J.D. from Case Western Reserve University.
About The MIT Enterprise Forum of South Florida
The MIT Enterprise Forum of South Florida is a volunteer, not-for-profit organization whose mission is to provide educational programs and services that promote and strengthen innovation at the intersection of business and technology. The MIT Enterprise Forum of South Florida is dedicated to promote and strengthen innovation and growth of technology industry and businesses throughout the tri-county area of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach. [Read more]
About The Launch Pad
The Launch Pad opened in August 2008 as part of the Toppel Career Center and offers career guidance, resources, and advice to entrepreneurs, innovators, and inventors at the University of Miami, recognizing that starting a new venture is a legitimate career path. The Launch Pad is strengthening an entrepreneurial culture at the University of Miami and helping students and alumni from every school, college, and campus transform innovative ideas into a successful and sustainable South Florida enterprises. The Launch Pad connects ideas, people, and resources; provides advice and guidance; and builds relationships with experts in the local business community to bring new enterprises, whether for-profit or not-for-profit, to South Florida.
About Refresh Miami
Refresh is a community for all web professionals, enthusiasts, and students to connect. We host a monthly meetup where members present their work, share their research or ideas, and engage in lively conversations.
