Every fall for eight consecutive years, intrepid angel investors and venture fund managers have flocked to the Reno/Tahoe area to review the most promising early stage growth companies from the western United States at Golden Capital Network's Silver and Gold Venture Capital Conference series, presented jointly by Golden Capital Venture Events and Nevada's Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology.
The conference features a full day of innovation showcase sessions, as entrepreneurs pitch their business plans to sector-specific panels of active investors who will evaluate their presentations. Forty active angel investors and venture capitalists have already confirmed their participation. In a new twist, presenting companies will be allotted more time during their presentations to focus on their product innovations. The top presenters on each panel will go on to a finalist showcase judged by a panel of investors moderated by Gayle Crowell of Warburg Pincus.
"Golden Capital Network's venture capital conferences offer the best, most promising dealflow across multiple sectors," says Rebecca Lynn, of Morgenthaler Ventures. "The 8th Annual Silver and Gold event is a justly renowned regional showcase." Entrepreneurs wishing to present at the conference should apply now. The cut-off date for acceptance of executive summaries is Monday, September 22, 2008. After screening by a selection committee to ensure quality, qualified entrepreneurs will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis. There is a $695 presenting company fee, which includes complimentary conference registration, a 10-minute presentation to a panel of qualified investors, and one-page summary in the conference binder. A maximum of 40 companies will be selected, so it is important to complete your application as early as possible.
Active angel and venture investors interested in participating as panelists should contact Golden Capital Network CEO Jon Gregory by calling 530-893-8828.
Other Conference Highlights
The conference will also feature the Best of the West Early Stage Expo, which brings together all critical components of the early-stage value chain - entrepreneurs, angel investors, business and technology executives, venture capitalists and a complete range of professional services providers - in a high-energy, high-impact networking setting during the conference reception. During this one-of-a-kind event, exhibitors and attendees will make a year's worth of important contacts in one two-hour setting. Other conference highlights include the opening "Ballroom Blitz" in which all of the presenting companies make one-minute "Power Pitches" to introduce their business to the conference investor panelists, sponsors and attendees. In this fast-paced segment, attendees get a sense of the wide array of sector, geographic and technology plays that will be showcased throughout the day. Finally, the Silver and Gold Conference will be used to launch the inaugural Northern Nevada Technology Awards Program, which will honor companies through the Tech Company of the Year, Tech Start Up of the Year, and the "Green" Company of the Year, and individuals through the Tech Entrepreneur of the Year, CIO/CTO of the Year, and Tech Educator of the Year. The awards program is hosted by NCET and Northern Nevada Business Weekly.
A colleague from my former story arc in Silicon Valley posted a very interesting essay today about the uneasy relationship between product management and risk management, and how it showed up in the Google Chrome launch. Some excellent insights for anyone developing software products from Jeffrey McManus.