Events

2013 Top 100 North America: Agenda

Tuesday, May 21

7:15 – 9:00     Evening Welcome Cocktail & Registration

Wednesday, May 22

7:15 – 8:00            Breakfast & Registration

8:00 – 8:30            Opening Comments, Alex Vieux

8:30 – 9:00            Fireside Chat

  • Greylock Partners, Asheem Chandna, Partner

9:00 – 9:30            Keynote Roundtable: Great Expectations

A pristine group of venture capitalists discuss opportunities in 2013. What sectors are hot? What geographies show the most promise? Where are they looking to invest now and where do they see their dollars going over the next 18 months?

  • Canaan Partners, Wende Hutton, General Partner
  • Interwest Partners, Keval Desai, Partner
  • Meritech Capital Partners, Paul Madera, Managing Director
  • Redpoint Ventures, Allen Beasley, Partner
  • Trinity Ventures, Larry Orr, Managing Partner

9:30 – 10:00         Fireside Chat – Managing Growth

Inflexion points happen at different times and lead start-ups to reconsider how to adapt their execution plans. Companies cross invisible lines with visible effects. How can companies pivot and adapt? Is there a secret sauce or just good old elbow grease?

  • Glam Media, Samir Arora, Founder & CEO

10:00 – 10:30      Coffee Break

10:30 – 11:00      Keynote Session: Corporate Venturing

Being funded by a corporate venture group provides unique advantages. It validates your technology and business model. It provides deep pockets and “patient” capital.  It can provide customers and channels. It can even be your ticket to an exit.  However, not all corporate funds are created equal. Learn how they operate, what they look at, and how you can be the next deal on their plate.

  • GE Ventures, Ricardo Angel, Senior Director
  • Google Capital, Scott Tierney, General Partner
  • Intel Capital, Carey Lai, Investment Director
  • QUALCOMM Ventures, Albert Wang, Sr. Investment Manager

11:00 – 11:30      Keynote Roundtable: Know Your Sources

It is very simple. At every funding stage you will be at a crossroad.  You will need to make the right decision and dance with the right partner. It’s not just about the money. It’s about the right money.  How do you best vet your capital?

  • Bain Capital, Deepak Sindwani, Partner
  • DCM, Peter Moran, Partner
  • SAP Ventures, Gaurav Tewari, Executive Director
  • Scale Venture Partners, Eric Tilenius, Partner

11:30 – 12:00      Fireside Chat

  • Benchmark Capital, Bill Gurley, General Partner

12:00 – 12:30      Fireside Chat: Lessons Learned

1:30 – 3:30            Presentations: Red Herring North America Finalists

3:30 – 4:00            Coffee Break

4:00 – 6:15            Presentations: Red Herring North America Finalists

6:15 – 6:45            Roundtables

  • Big Data
  • Going Global: Finding the Right Partner

Thursday, May 23

7:15 – 8:00            Breakfast & Registration

8:00 – 8:30            Opening Comments, Alex Vieux

8:30 – 9:30            Keynote Presentations: State of the Union

  • Evercore Partners, Paul Deninger, Senior Managing Director
  • SAP Ventures, Nino Marakovic, CEO & Managing Director

9:30 – 10:00       Keynote Session: Is There a Secret to Getting Funded?

VC money is flowing to companies in Silicon Valley and beyond.  However, you still need to have a great tech play that can scale. You need to meet the right people and say the right things.  And of course, there is an entire ecosystem outside Silicon Valley.  Where should you look?

  • Austin Ventures, Chris Pacitti, General Partner
  • Geneva Venture Partners, Igor Sill, Founder & Managing Partner
  • Iris Capital, Denis Barrier, Managing Director
  • Rho Ventures, Paul Bartlett, Partner

10:00 – 10:30      Coffee Break

10:30 – 11:00      Keynote Roundtable: Exits Strategies

Tech IPOs are rare – only 24 for all of 2012. On the other hand, hundreds of M&A deals are done in the tech sector each year.  What are some key M&A trends and metrics in terms of technologies, geographies and deal size? What are some of the best practices to follow if you are looking towards a trade sale?

  • Arma Partners, James Schroder, Managing Director
  • GCA Savvian Advisors, Steven Fletcher, Managing Director
  • JP Morgan, Noah Wintraunb, Managing Director
  • KPMG, Mihir Jobalia, Group Head of US Technology Corporate Finance

11:00 – 11:45      Keynote Roundtable: Opening the Door to the Corporates

There is a point when every entrepreneur must step out of the nest and navigate unchartered waters.  One of the most daunting hurdles many will face is doing a deal with a large corporate. It is a different culture, a different speed and certainly a different set of priorities. How does a private company reach out to the giants? What is their vetting process?  How can they make sure to make a good first impression?

  • AT&T, Aaron McDaniel, Sr. Director- Global Strategy & Business Development
  • CA Technologies, David Rolf, Vice President, Corporate Development
  • Cisco Systems, Philip Kirk, Acquisitions, Investments, and Strategy; Corporate Development
  • Google, Dave Sobota, Director of Corporate Development
  • Sony Corporation, Joseph Tou, Executive Director, Corporate Development

11:45 – 12:30      Fireside Chat: Lessons Learned

  • Virtual Instruments, John Thompson, Chief Executive Officer
  • Virtustream, Kevin Reid, Chief Executive Officer

12:30 -1:30          Lunch

1:30 – 3:30            Presentations: Red Herring North America Finalists

3:30 – 4:00            Coffee Break

4:00 – 6:15            Presentations: Red Herring North America Finalists

6:15 – 6:45           Roundtables

7:15 – 10:0           Red Herring 100 North America Award Ceremony & Dinner