Featured Events
FLC/TPWG National Meeting
From Innovation to Enterprise
Minneapolis, MN
May 1 - 4, 2006
AUTM Annual Conference
Orlando, FL
March 2 - 4, 2006
IRI Spring Meeting
Colorado Springs, CO
May 21 - 24, 2006
LES Winter Meeting
Pasadena, CA
February 22 - 24, 2006
NASVF Annual Conference
Rochester, NY
September 20 - 22, 2006
SBIR/STTR National Conference
Louisville, KY
May 15 - 18, 2006
SSTI Annual Conference
Atlanta, GA
October 19 - 21, 2005
|
NASVF Swing for the Fences - Seed Investing for Entrepreneurs Workshop
1:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Networking Reception
6:00 pm to 7:30 pm
Champions Ballroom I & II
Wyndham Arlington
Coaches:
Investors
Rick Gibson, Clear Blue Ventures; Laurence D. Briggs, The InvestIN Group; Paul Thurk, Arch Venture Partners
Entrepreneurs
Mike Hessong, Heeling Sports, Ltd; Janee Harrell
Attorneys
Jason Maxwell, Locke Liddle & Sapp; Daniel Chalker, Chalker Flores; Jason Villalba, Haynes & Boone; Ben Nelson, Hughes & Luce
Accountants
Bob Knight, Lane Gorman Trubitt, LLP; Jason Belew, Ernst & Young
Swing for the Fences – Seed Investing for Entrepreneurs is designed to expand the entrepreneur’s understanding of early stage business investing, help them meet and collaborate with other entrepreneurs in their region, and provide them new tools to improve their chances of raising seed or venture capital.
This energetic workshop is presented by the nation's leading seed investors, specialists, and seasoned professionals who give an insiders view of how true seed investors think, work, and make their decisions.
As these workshops/seminars are held they will catalyze significant new investment in emerging high growth companies, dramatically expand the number of successful entrepreneurs throughout the country, and enhance the ability of local communities to share in the growth of the world’s knowledge-based economy.
What to Expect from the Workshop:
- De-mystify the seed investment process.
- Help you think like a private seed investor.
- Supply you with the tools to negotiate successfully with investors.
- Provide you an opportunity to meet other entrepreneurs and investors in your region.
- Introduce you to professionals and technical advisors who can help you succeed.
- Provide you with a manual of key due diligence questions, which investors use to review business plans
- Leave you with an annotated bibliography, glossary of key investment terms, and a list of available resources.
Who Should Attend
- Entrepreneurs wanting to get an "inside look" at how seed and early stage investors think and operate
- Entrepreneurs planning to raise capital for their young company
- First-time seed investors
- Advisors to start-up and growth stage companies
- Active seed investors who want to broaden their investment scope
- Business and economic development professionals
- NASVF members seeking ways to expand entrepreneurship in their regions
Curriculum:
- Crossing the Chasm - from idea to IPO and back again
- Seed Investing – the complete process
- Due Diligence – how smart investors analyze founders and their young companies
- Valuing the Enterprise – how professional investors estimate a young company's market value
- Pricing the Deal – how to find the right percentage of the company to offer to investors
- The Term Sheet – what investors expect in board seats, liquidity, registration rights, non-compete agreements, and more
- Negotiating the Deal – the do's and don'ts; forging a win-win strategy
- Closing, Mentoring and Cashing Out – how investors and entrepreneurs work as a team to win
- Networking Reception
Coaches:
Rick Gibson has had a 31-year career building businesses. He founded and co-founded several successful technology companies and consulted to over 45 others. Since 2000, Rick has served as Managing Director of HOTventures, a "mentor capital fund" for the Southwest U.S., which invests in and advises early-stage companies, specializing in Information Technology, Biotech/Life Science, and Media companies.
Rick is a limited partner in Solstice Capital II – one of the largest venture capital funds in Arizona – on the Executive Board of the Desert Angels, and on the Screening Panel for the World’s Best Technology Showcase. Rick is an Adjunct Instructor for the University of Arizona’s Eller School Entrepreneurship Program and serves on the UA MBA Advisory Council. He serves as guest lecturer at U of A and Thunderbird University, and is on the Board of Advisors of Arizona State University’s Technopolis. Rick is a member of Banner Health’s Alzheimer’s Disease Institute Development Council.
Rick was an early shareholder in Bill Gross' Idealab and founded one of their first companies. Rick originally joined with Bill Gross in 1984 to form GNP Development Corp. They sold GNP to Lotus Development Corp in 1986 for $10 million. 1991, Rick co-founded Knowledge Adventure Inc. In 1996, Knowledge Adventure sold to Cendant for $100 million.
1986 through 1991, Rick consulted to several software companies and directed a division of Ashton-Tate. Earlier, Rick directed national sales and marketing and helped start or re-start: Fisher Corp, KLH, Ultralinear and Androbot, Inc. Rick began his career as one of the first store managers for The GAP.
 | Bob Knight
Lane Gorman Trubitt, LLP
214-461-1426
bknight@lgt-cpa.com |
Areas of Focus - Assurance Services; SEC Reporting and Filings; Mergers and Acquisitions
Bob joined LGT in 1976. His responsibilities include overseeing the activities of the firm’s team members performing audit, tax and management consulting services. Bob serves as audit partner for a variety of publicly-traded and privately-held corporations, limited partnerships in oil & gas, real estate, banking, and manufacturing engagements. Bob received his BBA in Accounting from University of Texas, Austin. Bob is professionally affiliated as a member with the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA); Texas Society of CPAs (TSCPA); Dallas Chapter of TSCPA; Association of Certified Fraud Examiners; University of North Texas Accounting Advisory Board; and as Finance Chairman for Porsche Club of America Bob is licensed to practice in Texas, California, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.
Laurence Briggs is a co-founder of the InvestIN Group and has been the CEO since 1995. His industry knowledge includes: financial services, robotics, anti-terrorist devices, metal transformation, medical devices, oil & gas, and staffing services. Mr. Briggs has negotiated 28 acquisitions and raised capital many times. He has founded several companies in Egypt, France and the US.
Mr. Briggs has advised, among others, Mobil Oil, Colgate-Palmolive Co., and a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. on overseas transactions.
Since 1992 Mr. Briggs is a permanent resident of the US making his home in Dallas, Texas.
Mr. Briggs qualified as a professional accountant at the London School of Accountancy (London University) in the '70s and he is a Fellow of the Sloan Fellowship program - London Business School (London University) 1982/3.
Laurence is the Chapter President of the Dallas/Fort Worth chapter of the Keiretsu Forum. He is an avid supporter and member of the Dallas chapter of The Association for Corporate Growth, the Dallas chapter of TexChange, the Executive Committee of the Dallas chapter of the Dallas Business Forum of Houlihan Lokey, and the Board of Directors of the Matrix Society.
Mr. Briggs speaks English and French fluently.
Mr. Briggs holds the NASD series 7, 63 and 24 securities licenses.
 | Jason Maxwell
Locke, Liddell, & Sapp, LLP
214-740-8577
jmaxwell@lockeliddell.com |
Areas of practice include - Partner practicing in corporate and securities laws.
Mr. Maxwell regularly represents both private and public companies, as well as venture capital firms and financial institutions, in the issuance of debt and equity securities (in both public and private offerings, including IPOs). He regularly provides advice to start-up ventures regarding formation of capital and general business matters.
Mr. Maxwell has also advised a number of private and public companies in merger and acquisition transactions of all size and variety, including public tender offers and financial restructuring transactions. He also has significant experience in advising companies regarding SEC disclosure and corporate governance issues.
Mr. Maxwell received his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 1998 and his B.B.A. degree in Finance, magna cum laude, general honors, at the University of Miami in 1995.
Mr. Maxwell's professional history includes being a Partner with Locke Liddell & Sapp, LLP, licensed to practice in Texas since 1998, and clerked with the Securities and Exchange Commission in 1997.
Mr. Maxwell's professional affiliations include Secretary - Securities Law Section - Dallas Bar Association and District Export Council for North Texas – Appointed by U.S. Secretary of Commerce.
 | Jason Belew
Ernst and Young
214-969-8623
jason.belew@ey.com |
Mr. Belew is a senior manager in our audit practice and has more than twelve years of experience with Ernst & Young, serving both public and privately-held ventured backed companies. During his career, Mr. Belew has assisted clients with mergers and acquisitions, initial and secondary public offerings, and complex SEC accounting and reporting issues as well as recurring audits. He has significant experience serving clients in the technology industry, including the semiconductor, internet, and electronics segments. Mr. Belew’s current and past clients include: Texas Instruments, Microtune, AMX Corporation, Zix Corporation, Eagle Materials, SensorLogic, RealPage, WiQuest, Stream, MedSynergies, InnerWireless, Dallas Cowboys Football Club, and The State Fair of Texas.
 | Paul Thurk
Arch Venture Partners
512-795-5830
pthurk@archventure.com |
Mr. Thurk is an Associate of ARCH Venture Partners, which he joined in 2000 as a Kauffman Fellow.
Mr. Thurk was co-founder and CEO of InnovaLight - a venture-backed solid-state lighting company. Prior to that he was a Director of Operations for NABS, Inc. - an industrial supplier of electronic components - establishing operations in the US, Mexico, and Asia Pacific, and launching several innovative supply chain management programs. Mr. Thurk holds a BS in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA from the McCombs School of the University of Texas.
 | Mike W. Hessong
Heeling Sports, Ltd.
214-390-1831
mikeh@hs-ltd.com |
Michael W. Hessong, CPA, is the Chief Financial Officer for Heeling Sports, Ltd., the owners and distributors of Heelys, a branded skateshoe for children and young adults. He has been with the company since it’s formation in 2000, and manages the finance, accounting, distribution, IT, and human resource departments.
Mr. Hessong’s background includes 4 years of Big Four public accounting and over 14 years of private accounting, primarily in the manufacturing and distribution industries in the DFW area.
 | Jason Villalba
Haynes & Boone
972-739-6944
jason.villalba@haynesboone.com |
Mr. Villalba concentrates his practice in the areas of public and private securities law, mergers and acquisitions and general corporate law. He has experience in a wide array of securities matters including: public offerings of securities pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, public company compliance filings required by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and Section 16 compliance filings. He has represented both investors, and the companies in which they invest, in a variety of venture capital transactions and corporate formation matters. Mr. Villalba received his J.D. from University of Texas School of Law in 1996 and his B.B.A. from Baylor University in 1992. Mr. Villalba was admitted to practice in Texas, 1996.
Mr. Villalba’s corporate experience includes the following:
- Representation of start up companies in forming their corporate entity, drafting and implementing their business plans and securing their initial and subsequent rounds of venture financing.
- Representation of several venture capital companies in their investment in early-stage emerging growth technology companies.
- Representation of two publicly held restaurants in their acquisition by a privately held company.
- Representation of several public companies in their issuance of common stock.
- Representation of several public companies in connection with their issuance of private notes pursuant to Rule 144 A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the subsequent exchange of such private notes for publicly traded notes.
Recent Publications - “Dissent and Appraisal Rights in Texas: a Discussion of the Delaware Block Method and The Weinberger Approach as Techniques to Appraise Dissenting Minority Shareholders’ Stock in Merger Transactions,” Texas Journal of Business Law, Spring 1996.
Memberships – American Bar Association; State Bar of Texas; Dallas Bar Association; Dallas Association of Young Lawyers.
Areas of Experience – Corporate Securities, Venture Capital Transactions, Mergers & Acquisitions, Emerging Growth Companies.
 | Daniel Chalker
Chalker Flores, LLP
214-866-0001
dchalker@chalkerflores.com |
Mr. Daniel Chalker is a Partner with the law firm of Chalker Flores, LLP, a Dallas based law firm providing intellectual property legal services involving the protection, licensing, transfer and enforcement of copyrights, patents, trademarks and trade secrets. Chalker Flores, LLP represents companies of all sizes, major national universities and individual inventors.
Mr. Chalker has written and/or prosecuted patents involving bioinformatics, business methods, communications (Internet, landline, optical, RFID and wireless), computer hardware and software, electrical and electromechanical devices, electronics, image processing, integrated circuits, mechanical devices, nanotechnology, payment processing, and semiconductor design, processing and packaging.
Mr. Chalker is both an experienced lawyer and engineer. Prior to forming Chalker Flores, LLP in 2002, he was an attorney in the intellectual property groups of Gardere Wynne Sewell, LLP (1998-2002), Warren & Perez (1997-98, acquired by Gardere Wynne Sewell, LLP in 1998) and Thompson & Knight, PC (1995-97). Mr. Chalker has had extensive experience in patent prosecution (US and abroad), opinions (patentability, invalidity and non-infringement), trademark prosecution (US and abroad), intellectual property transactions (technology agreements, licenses, multimillion dollar intellectual property mergers and acquisitions), portfolio analysis (audits, due diligence, setting up intellectual property programs, training), domain name and Internet related disputes, copyrights, and intellectual property litigation and enforcement actions. Prior to obtaining his law degree, he was an electrical engineer with various companies in the electrical utility industry (1984-92).
Mr. Chalker received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 1984 and his Juris Doctorate Degree, cum laude, from St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio in 1995. He is licensed to practice law in Texas and is a registered patent attorney with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Mr. Chalker was a registered professional engineer in Texas from 1993-1999. In addition to NTGTS, he is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the ABA, AIPLA, Dallas Bar Association, IEEE, LES, NSPE, and State Bar of Texas.
|