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NVTCNovember/December 2006
the voice of technology
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inside:An Update from
The EntrepreneurCenter
northern virginia technology council magazine
Entrepreneurship
November/December 2006 Page 3The Voice of Technology
Defining Entrepreneurs p. 8A cross section of the region’s entrepreneurs
Entrepreneurial Reading List: p. 9What innovators are reading
Events for the Entrepreneurial-Minded p. 12
Update from The Entrepreneur Center @NVTC p. 13
Events @nvtc p. 22Highlights of recent events
Equal Footing Foundation p. 26
An Interview with Raul Fernandez p. 29
Koelemay’s Kosmos p. 30
The Last Word p. 31by Mark Bisnow
November/DecemberVol. 16 No. 5
features
council business
Message from the Board p. 5
Bits-n-Bytes p. 6
NVTC November/December Events p. 10
New Members p. 28
NVTC Business Partners
November/December 2006 Page 5The Voice of Technology
have been involved in entrepreneurial pursuits my entireadult life. I had my first taste of entrepreneurialism while inJunior Achievement (JA) in high school and hatched theidea for my company, Panacea Consulting,when I was just a teen. From my personal expe-
rience, I can attest that it is an exhilarating time to be anentrepreneur today.
Opportunities abound in the technology industry … andare steadily growing. Over the past several decades,Washington has evolved from a company town depend-ent on the federal government to a booming and maturetechnology marketplace. Our horizons have expandedway beyond the Beltway. Today, five years after the “dot-bomb,” thousands of technology companies are head-quartered or have major offices in Northern Virginia,particularly along the Dulles Toll Road. We are seeing sig-nificant growth on Route 7 into Loudoun County with, for example,the recent opening of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute JaneliaFarm Research Campus. This facility is tremendous news as NorthernVirginia will join other top areas of the country in biotech R&D.
What else is down the road? Among the many new areas receivingincreased interest and activity among entrepreneurs are opportuni-ties in technology transfer from federal labs and universities, mobilewireless technologies, leading-edge new media, social networkingand Internet technologies, and the development of renewable energyand energy efficient technologies.
In August, Forbes magazine ranked Virginia as the best state to dobusiness. The most recent edition of PriceWaterhouseCooper’sMoneyTree Report noted that venture capital investing remains abovethe $6 billion mark for the third consecutive quarter. Venture capital-ists remain interested in channeling funding to start-ups and othercompanies in our region: $600 million in 2005 alone, according to theGreater Washington 2006 Regional Report. While some overall eco-nomic indicators may show some economic cooling off in the periodahead it is still a great time to be of the entrepreneurial spirit in ourregion today.
However, the need for support to entrepreneurs in our region andacross the nation has never been greater. I am proud to serve as Co-Chair of The Entrepreneur Center @NVTC, which serves as a resourcehub for technology focused start-ups and entrepreneurs. I alsoremain deeply involved in JA’s effort to mentor entrepreneurialyouth—to give back the guidance and support that made a hugeimpact on my life. I view my involvement as a social responsibilityand so should other successful entrepreneurs. We need to get involved
and provide our insights to the next generation of innovators toensure our nation’s continued competitiveness.
To remain competitive, the United States and the regionalso must invest more in science and math education toensure a bright, qualified, and motivated future work-force for our companies. In addition, and of equalimportance, is the need for increased funding for smarttech R&D to ensure greater efficiency for technologytransfer to the marketplace. If we fail to make theseinvestments, our stance as a world technology leaderwill become precarious. As underscored in the NationalSummit on Competitiveness’ findings: if trends in U.S.research and education continue, our nation will squan-der its economic leadership and the end result will be alower standard of living for the American people.
Integral to the entrepreneurial spirit are the qualities of hard work,courage and perseverance. Successful entrepreneurs must work toachieve self-mastery—maintaining awareness of their strengths andweaknesses, building teams, and using networks of advisors and sup-port that offset those weaknesses. Even with the array of opportuni-ties available to entrepreneurs in our region, you have to be tough andfocused to succeed. Efforts like those of The EntrepreneurCenter@NVTC, which offers programs to build and support individ-ual entrepreneurial efforts while serving as a voice for the broadentrepreneurial community, are essential to fueling our regionaleconomy.
I encourage you to read this issue of The Voice of Technology on entre-preneurialism from cover to cover. Share this issue with your col-leagues—particularly the special section on The Entrepreneur Center@NVTC. After reading the feature story which profiles a variety ofentrepreneurs at all stages of their careers, you may be inspired to“take the plunge” yourself into starting your own business or perhapsbe motivated to lend your expertise to an entrepreneur mentorshipprogram like those offered by The Entrepreneur Center, JA, and arange of other groups. You could join other tech leaders who are help-ing to get innovative start-ups on their feet, educating youth on theimportance of entrepreneurship, or investing in nonprofits and socialentrepreneurial efforts that are making positive social impacts in newways. And, through this involvement, you can help build a brighterfuture for us all.
Gary Pan
Gary PanNVTC Board Member President & CEO Panacea Consulting, Inc.
IMESSAGE FROM THE BOARD
Apogen Technologies, a provider oftechnology solutions to governmententities, received the OutstandingLeadership in Technology Awardfrom the Louisiana TechnologyCouncil (LTC) and Greater NewOrleans, Inc. (GNO, Inc.), Apogen wasrecognized for its efforts in assistingemployees with a Gulf Coast ReliefFund, its swift continuity of opera-tions post-Hurricane Katrina toenable continued personnel andpayment transactions for both mili-tary and civilian personnel world-wide, and its efforts in preventingthe closure of the Naval SupportActivity site. Paul Leslie, Presidentand CEO of Apogen Technologies,serves on the NVTC Board ofDirectors. www.apogen.com. �BeckITSystems, Inc., a professionalservices and business consultingfirm, announced it has attained GoldCertified status in the MicrosoftPartner Program. Microsoft GoldCertified Partners receive access tohigh-level Microsoft resources, train-ing, and support. BeckITSystems metthe competency requirements forInformation Worker Productivity andfor Network Infrastructure solutions.www.BeckITSystems.com.�ENSCOInc., a diversified research, develop-ment, and information technologycompany, announced it has beenawarded a contract from NASA todevelop and field test atmosphericprobes. ENSCO’s Global Environ-mental Micro Sensors feature anensemble of miniature balloonsfilled with helium to make themneutrally buoyant so they float atpre-determined altitudes. Eachprobe contains electronics and sen-sors that measure temperature, rela-tive humidity, and barometric pres-sure. The probes will report theirpositions and velocities from anonboard micro global positioningsystem and use one-way radio fre-quency communication with low-earth orbiting satellites to relay datato ground stations. www.ensco.com.�GTSI Corp., a leading governmentinformation technology solutionsprovider, announced that it wonthree blanket purchase agreementsworth a potential total of $12.7 mil-lion from the Department ofDefense Dependents Schools–Europe (DoDDS-Europe). Underthese agreements, GTSI may deliverand install more than 8,000 laptops,tablets, and desktops over the nextfive years to more than 98 differentDoDDS-Europe schools locatedthroughout Europe and the MiddleEast. In addition to the hardware andsoftware, GTSI will also provide a
OFFICERSChairmanJohn C. Lee, IV, Lee [email protected]
Vice ChairmanDonna Morea, [email protected]
Vice ChairmanJim Duffey, [email protected]
President & CEOBobbie Kilberg, Northern Virginia Technology [email protected]
SecretaryJohn Love, AH&T [email protected]
TreasurerJohn Mendonca, KPMG [email protected]
General CounselScott Hommer, Venable [email protected]
Public Relations AdvisorDoug Poretz, Qorvis [email protected]
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Anne Altman, IBM, [email protected]
Panos Anastassiadis, [email protected]
Brad Antle, SI International, [email protected]
Janet Barnard, Cox [email protected]
Greg Baroni, [email protected]
John Becker, [email protected]
Peter Black, M&T [email protected]
John Burton, Updata [email protected]
Craig ChasonPillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman [email protected]
Bob Dinkel, [email protected]
Renny DiPentima, SRA [email protected]
Mark Frantz, RedShift [email protected]
Dan Gonzalez, Scheer [email protected]
Stan Gutkowski, [email protected]
Peter Harrison, [email protected]
Deepak Hathiramani, Vistronix, [email protected]
Bob Johnson, Sprint [email protected]
Hooks Johnston, Valhalla [email protected]
Jim LeBlanc, American-Kuwaiti [email protected]
Paul Leslie, Apogen [email protected]
Jim Leto, [email protected]
Jack London, CACI [email protected]
Lisa Martin, LeapFrog Solutions, [email protected]
TiTi McNeill, TranTech, [email protected]
Alan Merten, George Mason [email protected]
Jay Morse, The Washington Post [email protected]
Kent Murphy, Luna [email protected]
David Nadler, Dickstein [email protected]
Balan Nair, AOL, [email protected]
Gary Nakamoto, Base Technologies, Inc. [email protected]
Jim O’Neill, Northrop GrummanCorporation Information [email protected]
Gary Pan, Panacea [email protected]
Kevin Parker, Deltek, [email protected]
Gerald Rubin, Janelia Farm ResearchCampus of the Howard Hughes MedicalInstitute, [email protected]
Jonathan Shames, Ernst & [email protected]
Terrie Spiro, First Horizon [email protected]
Cory Starr, [email protected]
David Steinberg, [email protected]
Lydia Thomas, Mitretek [email protected]
Steve Winings, Christian & [email protected]
Russell Wright, Dimensions [email protected]
Chairman Emeritus
John Backus, Draper [email protected]
Dan Bannister, M International, [email protected]
Ed H. Bersoff, Greenwich [email protected]
Kathy Clark, [email protected]
Mike A. Daniels, SAIC; Mobile 365 [email protected]
David C. [email protected]
Sudhakar Shenoy, [email protected]
Honorary Members
Gerald GordonFairfax County Economic DevelopmentAuthority, [email protected]
Peter Jobse, Virginia’s Center for InnovativeTechnology, [email protected]
Gary Shapiro, Consumer ElectronicsAssociation, [email protected]
Senior Advisory
Mark Bisnow, Bisnow on [email protected]
James Bundschuh, Marymount [email protected]
Tom Hicks, Tom Hicks Business Accelerations, [email protected]
Bob KahnCorporation for National Research [email protected]
Donald LehmanThe George Washington [email protected]
Paul Lombardi, INpower [email protected]
Mario Morino, Morino [email protected]
George Newstrom, Lee [email protected]
Len Pomata, [email protected]
Knox Singleton, Inova Health [email protected]
Esther T. Smith, Qorvis [email protected]
Bob G. TemplinNorthern Virginia Community [email protected]
Earle Williams, [email protected]
Bob Wright, Dimensions [email protected]
Dendy Young, [email protected]
Page 6 November/December 2006The Voice of Technology
November/December 2006 Page 7The Voice of Technology
wide-range of service offerings stateside to Department of Defense EducationalActivity including asset tagging and imaging. Jim Leto,CEO of GTSI, serves on theNVTC Board of Directors. www.gtsi.com �PR Newswire, an online distributor ofcompany news and press releases, announced its acquisition of DC-based U.S.Newswire, a press release distribution service focused on governmental agenciesand policy organizations, from parent company Medialink Worldwide for $19 mil-lion. The value of the deal could grow by as much as $4 million.www.prnewswire.com.�SRA International, Inc., a leading provider of technologyand strategic consulting services and solutions to federal government organiza-tions, announced that it has been awarded a contract by the Pension BenefitGuaranty Corporation (PBGC) to develop a new online, real-time, transaction-based system to process premium payments for the pension plans it insures. Thecontract has an estimated value of $12.3 million over six years if all options areexercised. SRA services will include program management; systems design, devel-opment, and integration; testing; integration of commercial off-the-shelf products;and training. SRA President & CEO Renny diPentima serves on the NVTC Board ofDirectors. www.sra.com.�The University of Virginia’s School of Engineeringand Applied Science, one of six institutions that comprise the newly formedVirginia Partnership for Nanotechnology Education and Workforce Development,recently won a Partnerships for Innovation grant from the National ScienceFoundation. The award, which totals $600,000 over two years, will enable the part-nership to offer distance-learning graduate courses and certificate programs tostudents across Virginia. The Virginia Partnership is a collaboration of the scienceand engineering programs at George Mason University, the College of William& Mary, Old Dominion University, the University of Virginia, VirginiaCommonwealth University and Virginia Tech. The partnership will begin sharinggraduate-level engineering classes in the spring of 2007. Distance-learning cours-es will be organized around five educational tracks. The partnership will also offeropportunities for working engineers to study a specific aspect of nanotechnologythat interests them. In related news, Small Times magazine has listed theUniversity of Virginia among the top 10 universities in the country for thestrength of its micro- and nanotechnology programs in its second annual surveyof research universities. www.seas.virginia.edu. �Nitin Goel, a graduate of theCollege of Engineering at Virginia Tech, along with a team of researchers, has dis-covered a new way to make optical fibers with compound glass cores. Called "core-suction," the method is ideal for producing the non-linear fibers required for fiberlasers, Raman amplifiers, and continuum generation. The core-suction technique isattractive to optical fiber producers because it is simple and cost-effective. It alsoeliminates multiple processing steps which can lead to contamination. The VirginiaTech Intellectual Properties Inc. (VTIP) division applied for a patent on the core suc-tion process in May of 2005. www.vteh.edu. �
Bobbie KilbergPresident & CEO, NVTC
Christine KallivokasChief Operating Officer
Josh LeviVice President for Policy
Randy CislerController
Human Resources [email protected]
Colleen HahnPresident/Executive Director
Equal Footing Foundation(formerly NVTC Foundation)
Kristin SeitzSpecial Assistantto the President
Public Policy [email protected]
Steve BoydDirector
The Entrepreneur Center @NVTC
John F. CisselDirector
Membership Sales [email protected]
Pamela CovingtonDirector
Committee [email protected]
Tia GibbsDirector
Production and [email protected]
Tarin HeilmanDirector
Programs and [email protected]
Robin RandallDirector
Member [email protected]
Michelle SnyderDirector
Communications andPublic Relations
Nicole H. BonoEvent Manager
Sandra HendersonIT Manager
and Web [email protected]
Elizabeth ChristyDatabase and Research
Coordinator
Barbara JohnsonReceptionist
Administrative [email protected]
Tracy MacDonaldMembership Coordinator
Alison SaltysRegistration Coordinator
Michelle SenglaubTechtopia Marketing
and ProjectManagement
Rita SidhuStaff [email protected]
Shelley SpencerGraphic Designer
Ila TalwarProject Coordinator
The EntrepreneurCenter @NVTC
Northern Virginia Technology Council2214 Rock Hill Road, Suite 300, Herndon, VA 20170
(703) 904-7878 / fax: (703) 904-8008www.nvtc.org
Mission
The Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) is the membership and trade associa-tion for the technology community in Northern Virginia and is the largest technologycouncil in the nation. NVTC has about 1,100 member companies representing morethan 188,000 employees. Its membership includes companies from all sectors of thetechnology industry and the service providers that support those companies as well asuniversities, foreign embassies, non-profit organizations and governmental agencies.NVTC is recognized as the nation's leader in providing its technology community withnetworking and educational events, specialized services and benefits, public policyadvocacy, branding of its region as a major global technology center, initiatives in tar-geted business sectors and in the international, entrepreneurship, workforce and educa-tion arenas, the Equal Footing Foundation that focuses on venture philanthropy andpublic/private partnerships and The Entrepreneur Center @NVTC to mentor new tech-nology entrepreneurs.
The Voice of Technology is published six times per year by the Northern VirginiaTechnology Council. It is the official magazine of NVTC. ©Copyright 2006 by NVTC. Allrights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in part or whole withoutthe express written consent of NVTC. For reprint information, contact The Voice ofTechnology, 2214 Rock Hill Road, Suite 300, Herndon, VA 20170 fax: (703) 904-8008. TheVoice of Technology publishes articles authored by industry professionals. The opinionsand/or positions expressed in these articles are not necessarily those of NVTC. NVTCencourages its members to submit story ideas and comments to: [email protected].
Our Professionals
Share Your News WithYour Peers!
Send Your Press Releasesto [email protected]
For Tony Fung, entrepre-neurial drive is an inherit-ed trait. He grew up watch-ing his father launch andrun his own business. Animmigrant from HongKong, Fung’s father arrivedwith few resources. Heworked hard to earn a col-lege degree and start abusiness—a restaurant.The lessons of hard work
and vision were indelible. Fung’s father died whenhe was 13, but the legacy of his father’s enterprisingspirit was that his family was supported eventhough he was gone. His mother was able to remaina full-time parent to their son and daughter andboth children were able to attend college withoutfinancial worries.
Fung defines an entrepreneur as “a person who ismultifaceted, has an enduring desire and the per-sistence to get his or her idea for a business fromconcept to reality.” At the personal level, Fung seeshimself as a resourceful entrepreneur. “Most chal-lenges that arise in a business often don’t have asimple answer. In many instances you have to beresourceful in addressing challenges by coming upwith creative options that require thinking outsidethe box.”
In 2001, he launched Catapult Consultants with twopartners with the mission of providing informationtechnology and financial management services tohelp organizations in the federal and non-profitsectors become more influential, efficient, and suc-cessful.
With a degree in information science from theUniversity of Pittsburgh, certification as a ProjectManagement Professional (PMP), and broad expe-rience in implementing and managing enterprise-level IT projects, Fung, as well as his partners, arewell equipped to provide consulting services—thechallenge in building Catapult was developing aclient base. “The partners who started the firm hadthe technical knowledge and expertise to providethe services offered, but did not have much experi-ence with sales and marketing. We quickly learnedwe had to channel a lot of our efforts into market-ing and sales. It took a lot of time and resources toget our sales and marketing infrastructure togeth-er,” says Fung.
Catapult was launched as a bootstrap enterprisewith little consideration given to seeking venturecapital. “Generally with angel investors or otherworking capital options there are strings attachedsuch as giving up equity or control. We wanted tokeep the decision making under the control of thepartners. We felt our best option was to use our ownpersonal capital in the beginning. As we continue togrow we are utilizing lending options through bankinstitutions to support our growth,” says Fung.
Working with a broad cross-section of organiza-tions —from the American Red Cross to theDepartment of Defense to the Texas StateSociety—Fung measures the company’s success“partly through the achievement of our financialgrowth, but just as importantly, I measure our suc-cess through the growth of our people, the strengthof our company infrastructure, and the success wehave in helping our clients resolve their challenges.”
Looking to the future, Fung seeks to grow the busi-ness while keeping it a great place to work. “Theculture of the company is a very important aspectthat I would like to keep intact as we continue toexpand. The vision of both my partners and I forthe firm is to have both successful clients andemployees: and a good corporate culture plays ahuge factor in achieving both.”
Social entrepreneurship is also an important partof the corporate culture at Catapult. “When a busi-ness gives back to the community it is investing inimproving the lives of others, including the futureworkforce that the company will depend on,” saidFung. “We provide our employees with a volunteerday when they get a paid day off to volunteer at thecharity of their choice. We are looking for other cre-ative ways to encourage donation of time andmoney toward the community. Strong businessesand strong communities go hand in hand.”
Page 8 November/December 2006The Voice of Technology
Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines an entrepreneur as “one whoorganizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enter-prise.” Although the word can be found in the dictionary, there is no standarddefinition of “entrepreneur.” It is used in a variety of ways, and even those whoemploy the title often define it differently.
First introduced in the early 18th century, “entrepreneur” has been used in boththe business and non-profit sectors to describe a person who launches a newor innovative venture. The National Capital Region is well stocked with a broadarray of innovative risk-takers, including high-tech entrepreneurs, serial entre-preneurs, innovator-entrepreneurs, social entrepreneurs, seasoned entrepre-neurs, bootstrap entrepreneurs, eco-entrepreneurs, and emerging entrepre-neurs, to name just a few.
Seeking to better define “entrepreneur,” profiled below is a cross section of avariety of entrepreneurs from across the region. Detailing the range and scopeof entrepreneurs at every life stage demonstrates why the term “entrepreneur”has many interpretations.
“When a business gives back to thecommunity it is investing in improv-ing the lives of others, including thefuture workforce that the companywill depend on.”
Information Technology Entrepreneur–Tony Fung
DEFININGENTREPRENEURS
By Halle Czechowski
Business Software Entrepreneur–Julian Waits
Julian Waits is not your typical businessman.
He doesn’t have an MBA. In college, he studiedmusic. And when PriceWaterhouseCoopersdecided to spin off its advanced softwareframework to help businesses manage infor-mation for audit and regulatory compliancethey didn’t turn to an internal candidate, theysold their systems to Waits.
It was a bold move, but when Waits recognizeda great opportunity he seized it, first taking the offer to his currentemployer and when they passed, launching his own company,Brabeion, in 2005. The high cost of purchasing the software frameworkrequired Waits to go the venture capital route in financing his business.
As with its President & CEO, Brabeion is not your typical business. It’sa new tech start-up that draws on a deep history of technological andcompliance excellence. Brabeion maintains an alliance withPriceWaterhouseCoopers as a key services partner.
As Brabeion enhances and expands its technology platform, Waits hasthree benchmarks for success: “value for investors, stay on point withthe product, and focus on the people in the company.”
On the personal level, he points to two characteristics that have helpedhim to find success as an entrepreneur, “I am a people person and Iknow that I don’t know everything.”
Growing up in Louisiana, Waits played the saxophone and in highschool studied under the renowned Ellis Marsalis. He believes that hismusical studies prepared him for a career in business by teaching himdiscipline.
Today, Waits resides in Washington, D.C. He is active in communityaffairs and has a deep concern with the education system and the lackof opportunities to keep talented youth in the region. He takes a hands-on approach to social entrepreneurship and offers an internship pro-gram to college students to give them the practical experience theyneed be successful in the technology industry. He’s consideringexpanding the program to high school students.
As he looks ahead, Waits sees lots of opportunity. When he launchedBrabeion some thought that the market for compliance was declining,but Waits notes that the world is becoming more complex—not less—and regulatory compliance is going to continue to be a big issue forcorporate America.
Waits proves that being an uncommon businessman may be a com-mon trait for successful entrepreneurs.
Entrepreneurial Reading ListIf a good idea can be found anywhere, then looking at the books currentlybeing read or recommended by business leaders is a good place to see whereinspiration is sparked. Here’s a look at what some entrepreneurs are readingto expand their horizons and their businesses.
Avery Lipman, President, Republic Records, and Senior Vice President,Universal Music
“Right now I’m reading Next Man Up by John Feinstein. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to run a professional football team. There areconstant decisions that have to be made in any business, but when it involvesa team sport, especially football, where players are not unlike soldiers in abattlefield, the bonds are incredibly strong. It adds a whole new dynamic torunning an organization.”
Katherine Kennedy, President & Founder, Peruse
“Carly Fiorina’s Tough Choices is what I’m readingright now because I think that she is a very strongwoman leader and she paved the way to breakthrough the glass ceiling. She has done a lot andwhatever a person’s personal opinions on theHP merger, I think that she was very strong anddemonstrated that leadership is trying to actin the best interests of the company.”
Tom Patterson, CEO, Command Information.
“A book that I go back to again and again and love to give as a gift is AuthenticLeadership by Bill George. The premise is that you can be good ethical personand make a buck—that those two principles are not at odds with each other.”
Tong Fung, Partner, Catapult Consultants
“The E-myth by Michael Gerber. The book provides a good perspective onwhy some small businesses don’t succeed and how to avoid some of the pit-falls business owners run into. I like to read about other business owners’experiences so I can take some of that knowledge into my organization toenhance it.”
Julian Waits, President & CEO, Brabeion
“I’m re-reading Getting Things Done by David Allen, which focuses on the Ato the Z on setting strategy and sticking to it.”
Don Britton, CEO, Network Alliance
“The World is Flat by Tom Friedman is a phenomenal book that should be amust-read for people right now. Another great book I really like is Blink byMalcolm Gladwell. It’s a great primer on people and how we think.”
Raul Fernandez, Chairman & CEO, ObjectVideo
“State of Denial by Bob Woodward. I read all of his books and have since Iplayed golf with him and tried to get him to tell me who Deep Throat was.”
“Waits has three benchmarks for success: ‘value forinvestors, stay on point with the product, and focuson the people in the company’.”
Continued on page 24
November/December 2006 Page 9The Voice of Technology
Page 10 November/December 2006The Voice of Technology
NVTC EVENTS: November – DecemberNorthern Virginia’s Premier Events for the Technology Community
NOVEMBER 2006
November 1: Executive Forum CXO Dinner Hosted by Stan GutkowskiManaging Director, Metro Washington, D.C., Accenture; Board Member,Northern Virginia Technology Council6:00 pm Registration and Networking; 6:45 – 8:00 pm DinnerAccenture, 11951 Freedom Drive, Reston, VA$100 - Members OnlyPlatinum Sponsors: AH&T Insurance; Beers & Cutler PLLC; CEOProject LLC; DC Rainmakers, LLC; McGuire Woods LLPPresented by the NVTC Executive Forum Committee
November 2: Meet the Capital Players EventThe Great New Consumer Internet Companies7:30 am Registration and Networking; 8:00 – 9:30 am ProgramPricewaterhouseCoopers1800 Tysons Blvd., 9th Floor, McLean, VANo Charge for Members / $35 Non-MembersPlatinum Sponsors: Chessiecap, Inc.; Comerica Bank; DLA Piper USLLP; PricewaterhouseCoopers; Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati,P.C. Location Sponsor: PricewaterhouseCoopersPresented by the NVTC Capital Formation Committee
November 9: New Media Technologies EventNew Media Technologies - Monetizing Media To Assets7:30 am Registration; 8:00 – 9:30 am ProgramBooz Allen Hamilton - John C. Newman Auditorium8283 Greensboro Drive, McLean, VA$35 Members / $70 Non-MembersSilver Sponsors: Hoppmann Audio Visual; LeapFrog Solutions, Inc.;Travelers Insurance; Wiley Rein & Fielding, LLPPresented by the NVTC New Media Technologies Committee
November 16: Tech Celebration - A Night at the ForumSpecial Guest Speaker: Carly Fiorina, Author, Tough Choices:A Memoir, former CEO, HP5:00 - 6:30 pm Registration & Networking Reception6:30 - 9:15 pm Dinner & ProgramHilton McLean, 7920 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, VA$225 Members / $325 Non-Members$2200 Member Table of 10 / $3200 Non-Member Table of 10Platinum Sponsor: Qorvis Communications. Reception Sponsor:Cybertrust. Gold Sponsors: CGI; GTSI Corp.; Northrop Grumman; SIInternational; SRA International; United Bank. Silver Sponsors: CACIInternational Inc.; Deltek; Mitretek Systems Inc.; Strelmark, LLC. BronzeSponsors: AH&T Insurance; Alion Science and Technology; Cherry, Bekaert& Holland, LLP; Cloakware; Principal Financial Group; RaytheonCompany; TranTech, Inc.; The Washington Post Company. Media Sponsor:Washington SmartCEO Magazine
November 21: Emerging Business & Entrepreneur Event7:30 am Registration; 8:00 – 9:30 am Program2070 Chain Bridge Road, Conference Center Lower Level, Vienna, VANo Charge for Members / $70 Non-MembersSilver Sponsors: Access National Bank; Aronson & Company; GrantThornton LLP. Location Sponsor: Rainfield GroupPresented by the NVTC Emerging Business & Entrepreneur Committee
November 29: Security Event7:30 am Registration; 8:00 – 9:30 am ProgramimmixGroup, 8444 Westpark Drive, Suite 200, McLean, VA$35 Members / $70 Non-MembersSilver Sponsors: AH&T Insurance; Predicate Logic, Inc; Secure IT.Location Sponsor: immixGroup, Inc.Presented by the NVTC Security Committee
DECEMBER 2006
December 1: Business to Government (B2G) Event7:30 am Registration; 8:00 – 9:30 am ProgramHilton McLean, 7920 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, VA$35 Members / $70 Non-MembersPlatinum Sponsor: LeapFrog Solutions, Inc. Gold Sponsors: AH&TInsurance; Government Insights; Synchris. Silver Sponsors:Goodman & Company; Panacea Consulting, Inc.; Scheer Partners,Inc.; Unanet Technologies; Vistronix, Inc.Presented by the NVTC Business to Government (B2G) Committee
December 6: CFO SeriesFeaturing Keynote Speaker: Christopher Cox, Chairman, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission7:15 am Registration; 8:00 – 9:30 am ProgramThe Ritz-Carlton, 1700 Tysons Blvd., McLean, VA$35 Members / $70 Non-MembersPlatinum Sponsors: Ernst & Young LLP; Pillsbury Winthrop ShawPittman LLP. Gold Sponsors: Commerce Bank; Marsh Inc. SilverSponsors: Equis; Jones Lang LaSalle. Bronze Sponsors: Bowne of DCFinancial Printing; Spherion Professional Services Presented by the NVTC CFO Series Committee and Financial ExecutivesInternational
December 7: Meet the Capital Players Event7:30 am Registration; 8:00 - 9:30 am ProgramPricewaterhouseCoopers, 1800 Tysons Blvd, 9th Floor, McLean, VANo Charge for Members / $70 Non-MembersPlatinum Sponsors: Chessiecap, Inc.; Comerica Bank; DLA Piper;PricewaterhouseCoopers; Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, P.C.Location Sponsor: PricewaterhouseCoopers Presented by the NVTC Capital Formation Committee
December 8: Business Development, Marketing & SalesEvent7:30 am Registration; 8:00 – 9:30 am Program 2070 Chain Bridge Road, Conference Center, Lower Level, Vienna, VA $35 Members / $70 Non-MembersPlatinum Sponsors: DC Rainmakers, LLC; Government Insights;Learning Tree International; Oracle; Rainfield Group. SilverSponsor: LeapFrog Solutions, Inc. Location Sponsor: RainfieldGroupPresented by the NVTC Business Development, Marketing and SalesCommittee
December 13: Titans BreakfastFeaturing Keynote Speaker Justice Antonin Scalia, AssociateJustice, U.S. Supreme Court7:00 am Registration; 8:00 – 9:15 am ProgramHilton McLean, 7920 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, VA$50 Members / $80 Non-Members$450 Member Table of 10 / $800 Non-Member Table of 10Titans Series Sponsors: Platinum Sponsors: Cox Communications;George Mason University School of Management; Heidrick &Struggles. Gold Sponsors: Accenture; Approva; IBM PartnerWorldIndustry Networks; Jefferson Wells; STG, Inc. Silver Sponsors:Panacea Consulting Inc.; Travelers Insurance; United BankGeneral Counsel Committee Sponsors: Platinum Sponsors: AH&TInsurance; Corporation Service Company. Gold Sponsors: Albo &Oblon, L.L.P.; Baker & McKenzie; Hogan & Hartson; McGuireWoods LLP; Morrison & Foerster LLP; Pillsbury Winthrop ShawPittman; Venable LLP. Silver Sponsors: Bowne of DC; Wiley Rein &Fielding LLP; Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC An NVTC Signature Event with the NVTC General Counsel Committee
December 19: Emerging Business Network7:30 am Registration; 8:00 – 9:30 am Program2070 Chain Bridge Road, Conference Center Lower Level, Vienna, VANo Charge for Members / $70 Non-MembersSilver Sponsor: Access National Bank; Aronson & Company; GrantThornton LLP Location Sponsor: Rainfield GroupPresented by the NVTC Emerging Business Network Committee
November/December 2006 Page 11The Voice of Technology
NVTC EVENTS: November – DecemberNorthern Virginia’s Premier Events for the Technology Community
NVTC Media Partners
NOVEMBER
November 8: Washington Board of Trade
The 3rd Annual Small Business Network Dinner 6:30 – 9:30 pm;Washington, DCwww.bot.org
November 14: The American Small Business Coalition
The ASBC DC Network Happy Hour5:30 – 7:30 pm; Washington, DChttp://www.theasbc.org/index.php
November 15: The American Small Business Coalition
ABD Breakfast7:30 – 9:30 am; McLean, VAhttp://www.theasbc.org/index.php
November 15: CIT: Breakfast with Experts
Breakfast with Experts – Pricing Strategy7:30 – 9:30 am; McLean, VAwww.cit.org
November 16: Business Alliance of George Mason University
Business Alliance SmartTalk Breakfast7:45 – 9:30 am; McLean, VAhttp://www.businessalliance.org/events.html
November 20: Business Alliance of George Mason University Business Alliance
SmartConnect Networking Mixers 5:15 – 7:15 pm; McLean, VAhttp://www.businessalliance.org/events.html
November 28: MIT Enterprise Forum of Washington – Baltimore
StartupLab Hookmobile and SquareLoop6:30 – 9:00 pm; Arlington, VAwww.mitef.org
November 28: Tech Council of Maryland
Federal Marketplace Series: Informatics Maryland: The State of Informatics7:30 – 3:30 pm; Linthicum Heights, MDhttp://www.mdhitech.org
November 28: Junior Achievement, Greater Washington Board of Trade andWashingtonian
19th Annual Washington Business HALL of FAME Reception and Dinner5:30 –9:30 pm; Washington, DC http://www.myja.org/special_events_washington.html
November 30: SCORE D.C.
Writing a Winning Business Plan9:00 - 4:00 pm; Washington, D.Cwww.scoredc.org
DECEMBER
December 1: TiE-DC and SECAF
An In-Depth look at the 8(a) program8:00 -10:30 am; Vienna, VA
December 1: The Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship
Dingman Day Lunch12:00 – 2:00 pm; College Park, MDhttp://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/dingman/about.html
December 1: SCORE DC
Business Development in the Federal Sector9:00 am – 12:00 pm; Washington, DCwww.scoredc.org
December 4 and 5: Center for Innovative Technology (CIT):
Virginia’s 12th Annual SBIR Conference: Innovative Transitions 2006December 4: 8:30 am – 6:30 pm; Herndon, VADecember 5: 8:30 am – 4:45 pm; Herndon, VAwww.cit.org/SBIRconference
December 6: The Entrepreneur Center @NVTC
The Entrepreneur Center @NVTC Night at the Washington Capitals Game 5:00 pm Registration and Reception; 7:00 pm Game; Washington, DC http://tec.nvtc.org
December 7: Business Alliance of George Mason University
Business Alliance SmartTalk Breakfast7:45 – 9:30 am; McLean, VAwww.businessalliance.org/events.html
December 12: Women's Business Center of Northern Virginia (WBCNOVA)
ABCs of Starting a Business9:00 – 12:00 pm; Springfield, VAwww.wbcnova.org
December 13: Greater Washington Board of Trade
Haworth @Six Networking Reception6:00 – 8:00 pm; Washington, DCwww.bot.org
December 15: SCORE DC
Preparing a Winning Proposal9:00 am - 12:00 pm; Washington, DCwww.scoredc.org
THE ENTREPRENEUR CENTER @NVTCRegional Events for the Entrepreneur
Page 12 November/December 2006The Voice of Technology
For other events for entrepreneurs, visithttp://tec.nvtc.org
THE ENTREPRENEUR CENTER@NVTC
Business in Northern Virginia and the GreaterWashington Region is booming. Our region is,indeed, a sought-after place to do business and an
enviable location to be headquartered. Consider thesefacts:
� The Greater Washington Region boasted a $342-bil-lion gross regional product in 2005—a 28.5 percentincrease since 2000. (Greater Washington 2006Regional Report)
� The region houses the highest concentration of com-puter and mathematics workforce of any major U.S.metropolitan area. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2004)
� The Commonwealth of Virginia is the “Best State forBusiness,” (Forbes magazine, August 2006)
� Fifty of the Inc. “500 Fastest Growing Companies”(2005) are located in Greater Washington—thehighest number for any major U.S. metropolitanarea.
What is one key factor that is driving the region’s tremen-dous growth and future promise of our region? In a word:entrepreneurship.
The quality and quantity of innovation originating fromour region is extraordinary. And investors are takingnotice: “Early stage venture capital investment is flour-ishing in the Washington, D.C. region. Washington nowaccounts for 9.6 percent of the total amount invested inthe U.S. in seed and start-ups, up just 3.6 percent adecade ago.” (The Wall Street Journal, March 2006)
The overall economic success of our region in both boomtimes and challenging ones has been attributable to thecontributions of the hundreds—if not thousands—ofambitious, talented individuals representing a wide vari-ety of age groups, income levels, and cultures who havedeveloped, or will be developing, the next innovations inbusinesses, products and services. The extent to whichentrepreneurs based in our area have already seized thenumerous opportunities in technology and relatedindustries is remarkable. There will certainly be ups anddowns in the regional and national economy in the timesahead, but our region can continue to become strongerand more resilient by working harder to cultivate newgenerations of entrepreneurs. The support systems andenvironment for entrepreneurs has been improving,though we still have more to do. During the past decadeor so, organizations in both the public and private sectorshave realized the value of cultivating and nurturing inno-vation—and keeping it local. We believe that key groupsin the region can enhance their collaboration in order to
develop a stronger environment for and resources to sup-port the needs of entrepreneurs.
The Entrepreneur Center @NVTC is a leading advocate ofand important element in the National Capital Region’ssupport system for entrepreneurs. We are glad to co-chairthis organization which provides valuable resources andhands-on assistance to a wide range of entrepreneurs. Asyou will read in this special section of this issue of TheVoice of Technology, the Center has developed and contin-ues to grow a solid set of programs, services, and part-nerships to assist entrepreneurs from the conceptualstage and beyond. The Center collaborates with otherorganizations to provide these services, manages a Website—a virtual clearinghouse of entrepreneurialresources—and provides funding for special programsto ignite the minds of the next generation of entrepre-neurs.
The Center is supported by a grant provided by the U.S.Small Business Administration. On behalf of TheEntrepreneur Center and the numerous entrepreneursand young people it continues to help, we would againlike to thank U.S. Representative Frank Wolf for sponsor-ing the grant and spearheading its passage.
We also would like to acknowledge the efforts of the teamworking on the activities of the Center: our fellow mem-bers of The Entrepreneur Center Advisory Board, the vol-unteers and advisors involved with the Center’s pro-grams, the Center’s staff, Steve Boyd, Director, and IlaTalwar, Project Coordinator, and the members of theNVTC staff who provide support as well.
The Advisory Board members and The Center welcomeyour input and involvement. We ask that you read thisspecial section on the work of The Entrepreneur Centerto learn more, and share this knowledge with your col-leagues. Help spread the word about the Center and per-haps even get involved in its mentoring programs. Add tothe array of work in the region that is ensuring that thespirit of entrepreneurship continues to flourish.
John F. Burton and Gary Pan are Co-Chairs of TheEntrepreneur Center @NVTC Advisory Board and mem-bers of the NVTC Board of Directors. Burton is ManagingDirector, Updata Capital, Inc., and General Partner,Updata Venture Partners. Pan is Founder, President & CEOof Panacea Consulting.
1
Message from Advisory Board Co-Chairs John Burton and Gary Pan
The Entrepreneur Center Advisory Board
2
BILL BUCKLEYPresident & COO CGS Solutions
CHRIS CANTARELLAPrincipal of the Private Equity PracticeHeidrick and Struggles
JOHN MAY Managing Partner
New Vantage Group, LLC
JOHN SULLIVANPartner
Kennedy & Baris, L.L.P.
KATHY CLARKChairman EmeritusNVTC Board of Directors
MICHAEL DEVINE CFOSecure Software
GUILLERMO SöHNLEIN Founder
Fortivo Consulting
DOUG PORETZFounding PartnerQorvis Communications;Public Affairs AdvisorNVTC Board of Directors
BOB TEMPLINPresident
Northern Virginia Community College
Senior AdvisorNVTC Board of Directors
JOHN BURTONManaging DirectorUpdata Capital, Inc., andGeneral PartnerUpdata Venture PartnersMemberNVTC Board of Directors
GARY PANFounder, President & CEOPanacea Consulting, Inc.MemberNVTC Board of Directors
JOHN HURLEYManaging DirectorDLA Piper’s VenturePipeline Group,DLA Piper US, LLP
MISSION STATEMENT
The Entrepreneur Center@NVTC is a
resource hub for technology focused start-
ups and entrepreneurs at every stage of
the business life cycle—from fostering
entrepreneurship in students to coaching
the first-time entrepreneur, advising the
experienced entrepreneur, and engaging
seasoned business leaders in supporting
social entrepreneurship. The Center works
to foster innovation, collaboration, and
entrepreneurial energies across the
National Capital Region.
HONORARY MEMBERS
CO-CHAIRS
BOA
RD MEM
BERSBOA
RD M
EMBE
RS
To fulfill its mission to foster innovation, collaboration, and entrepre-neurial energies across Northern Virginia and the National CapitalRegion, The Entrepreneur Center @NVTC (E-Center) delivers a rangeof programs and activities to support entrepreneurs at every stage oftheir life cycle. The current key activity areas include:
Entrepreneur Solutions–E-Solutions draws from a network of sea-soned business leaders and experts to provide practical guidance toentrepreneurs. The program offers mentoring, coaching, and advisorysessions customized to the needs of each entrepreneur or start-upteam. Entrepreneurs in the program are also connected to regionalresources and advising groups in our network that are best suited totheir venture. As of October 2006, we have a growing pool of partici-pants, with 18 entrepreneurs currently involved in the program atvarying levels of development.
Online Guidance–The Entrepreneur Center Web site provides alibrary of resource links and expert articles covering a broad array ofinformation on developing, launching, and building an enterprise.Entrepreneurs can also submit questions confidentially and receive e-mail responses from business experts.
Support for Youth and Social Entrepreneurship–Youth educationin entrepreneurship is important to building a strong and vibranttechnology sector. Support of nonprofits and social entrepreneurs bysuccessful business entrepreneurs and leaders is essential to thestrength of our communities and future workforce. The E-Center con-nects business entrepreneurs with social entrepreneurs and includesinnovative social entrepreneurs in its E-Solutions advising program.Through the “Future Entrepreneurs” section of our Web site, we pro-vide educational resources for students and teachers. The E-Centerworks with a variety of groups to connect entrepreneurs to speakingand volunteer opportunities—including Junior Achievement, YouthVenture, and the Equal Footing Foundation and its ComputerClubhouses. Among the activities planned for 2007 is the YouthEntrepreneur Academy, an event in conjunction with George MasonUniversity that will bring together high school and undergraduatestudents for an intensive entrepreneurship workshop.
Technology Transfer Initiatives–Improving the efficiency and net-work for technology transfer is an issue of crucial importance to theGreater Washington Region—home to a tremendous concentration offederal labs and universities. Bringing together investors, entrepre-neurs, and innovators to advance technology transfer and commer-cialization, is a top priority. To kick off these efforts, The E-Centerpartnered with The George Washington University’s (GWU) School ofEngineering and Applied Science and the National Council ofEntrepreneurial Tech Transfer to co-host a national conference inOctober 2006. “University Start-Ups” brought together more than 300experts, innovators, and investors from across the nation. Building onthis event, The E-Center is working with GWU and a growing group ofinstitutions to develop a regional Innovation Network. The technologytransfer initiative also includes an enhanced course series for entre-
preneurs, the Lab2IPO series, other special workshops, and a monthlyTech Transfer Forum series co-organized by the Tech Transfer Society,Washington Chapter, GWU-Council of Entrepreneurial Tech Transfer& Commercialization, and TEDCO.
Special Events–The E-Center organizes and partners with groups onevents to support and connect entrepreneurs. One example is theannual NBC4 Connected Expo, where we assembled 17 innovativeentrepreneurs to showcase their products and services to area mediaand a crowd of more than 30,000 at the Washington ConventionCenter (see next page). Many of the highlighted entrepreneurs havetechnologies with a “green business” angle, currently a hot area inentrepreneurship and a focus of the E-Center. Periodic networkingevents for entrepreneurs are held as well, such as the reception withtechnology entrepreneurs Ted Leonsis and Raul Fernandez at theWashington Capitals game on December 6, 2006, with proceeds sup-porting the Equal Footing Foundation and a Youth GamingInnovation Challenge in the Community Clubhouses.
Developmental Programs and Partnerships–The E-Center collab-orates with the NVTC Emerging Business & Entrepreneur Committeeto support its panel discussions and events. We are working with TiE-DC, a strong regional network with national and international reach,to hold a series of joint activities. These include quarterly VC ElevatorPitch Dinners, where early-stage entrepreneurs get a chance to pitchto a panel of VCs for frank feedback, and co-hosting of key events inthe “First Mile” series of panels and workshops, designed to helpnewly established entrepreneurs get their companies to the $1-2 mil-lion stage. The E-Center has also engaged with another organizationwith a national network, MIT Enterprise Forum of Washington-Baltimore, to promote and support enhancements to their alreadystrong monthly workshop series and other activities for entrepre-neurs. The Center is continuing to link groups to catalyze new syner-gies and resources for entrepreneurs.
Regional Collaboration–Strengthening ties and cross-pollinationacross the increasingly interlinked National Capital Region, The E-Center collaborates with a range of other leading groups to promoteevents, workshops, and programs of value to entrepreneurs and theentrepreneurial eco-system. Among the groups that the Center workswith are CIT (Center for Innovative Technology), Venture Genesis,MITRE, the Business Alliance of George Mason University, The MasonEnterprise Center, Venture Mentors, MAVA (Mid-Atlantic VentureAssociation), Greater Washington Board of Trade–Small BusinessNetwork, TEDCO, The Dingman Center, MTECH (MarylandTechnology Enterprise Institute), DC Tech Council, Tech Council ofMaryland, Women In Technology, and Women In Bio, as well asregional universities and other groups.
The Entrepreneur Center Team
Steve Boyd, Director - [email protected] Talwar, Project Coordinator - [email protected]
3
Outreach and Activities of The Entrepreneur Center @NVTC
he Entrepreneur Center hosted a pavilion at the NBC4 ConnectedExpo in mid-September at the Washington Convention Center.For one weekend, the pavilion was home to 17 start-up companieswith a consumer focus and based in the Greater Washington area.
These entrepreneurs were able to demo their products to thousands offascinated convention attendees, adults, and children of all ages, and tellpart of the story of the breadth and depth of innovation emanating fromour region.
The start-ups that exhibited in The Entrepreneur Center Pavilion—manyof which produce products that are environmentally and socially respon-sible and all of which are in the early stages of business development—were able to gain visibility among a huge audience, which they might nothave been able to reach otherwise. Two of the exhibitors—Games4Change and Games4Health—took advantage of this opportunityto officially launch their products into the marketplace. The entrepre-neurs that participated in The Entrepreneur Center Pavilion were:
• AIRTIME-Manager – Provides automated time-capturing solutionsfor today’s mobile professionals.
• American Family Protection – Brings the very best training andinformation used by the government and military to civilian familiesacross America to help them learn, plan for, and react to terroristattacks.
• AT Kids Products – Markets and distributes children’s products thatemerge from the research and development initiatives ofAnthroTronix, Inc.
• Bionics – Develops cochlear implant technology and bionic devicesfor a variety of neurological conditions including chronic pain andhearing loss.
• Clever Sys Inc. – Provides products for automating behavioral analy-sis of animals, humans, and inanimate object, using next-generationtechnologies.
• Games4Change – Develops video games that have positive socialmessages and content.
• Games4Health – Develops video games that have positive healthmessages and content.
• Goozex – Provides an innovative, online trading system for usedvideo games.
• GridPoint – Manufactures products to ensure clean, reliable power,increase energy efficiency, and integrate renewable energy.
• LocalNeighbors – Offers an online, interactive business directory forparents.
• MAXSA Innovations – Creates innovative products for automotivesafety, energy efficiency, home safety, and security. The product lineincludes a wide array of solar lighting, rechargeable candles, garageparking solutions, and automotive safety devices.
• PC Recycler – Provides computer and electronic product recyclingservices.
• Silverthorn Biofuels & Biodiesel University – Uses waste vegetableoil and soybean feedstocks to create clean-burning, renewable fuels(Silverthorn Biofuels) and operates a mobile, renewable energy labthat helps educate the public on environmental stewardship andnational energy security (Biodiesel University).
• K-Bar Visual Information Systems – Provides online advertisingand appraisal visual displays for the real estate and mortgage indus-tries.
• Lightglove – Manufactures a watch-like device that can be used as anergonomic, multifunctional remote control or computer mouse.
• Storepointer—Provides item location solutions to help customers inretail stores, shopping malls and libraries.
• Valador, Inc. – By taking the “engine” from a video game and comb-ing it with company modeling and simulation, users can immersethemselves in three-dimensional representations of their businessesfor training and collaboration with other workers remotely via theInternet.
The Entrepreneur Center Pavilion was a tremendous success, and wehope to continue our strong relationship with NBC4, an NVTC MediaPartner, for many years to come.
For more information on these companies, please visithttp://tec.nvtc.org.
4
The Entrepreneur Center Hosts Pavilion atNBC4 Connected Expo
Seventeen Start-ups Marketed and Provided Education to Thousands of Consumers
T
One of the littlest attendees ofthe Connected Expo has fun inone of the booths in TheEntrepreneur Center @NVTCPavilion.
A highlight of the Connected Expo was a prime time live interviewwith NBC4 technology reporter IJ Hudson (left) and Steve Boyd,Director of The Entrepreneur Center, pictured here in front of theEntrepreneur Pavilion.
Ila Talwar, E-Center ProjectCoordinator, and NicoleBono, NVTC EventManager, take a breakfrom helping entrepreneursat the Pavilion to pose for apicture.
5
A goal of The Entrepreneur Center @NVTC is to pro-vide a variety of resources to entrepreneurs in theNational Capital Region to help them develop suc-cessful ventures. Here are excerpts from some of thearticles that are featured on our Web site written byexperts in various aspects of establishing and manag-ing a new venture. Designed to serve as a business"toolbox,” these articles are a reference to consultwhen starting or growing an early-stage business andwill be updated periodically. To view the full text ofthe articles, visit The Entrepreneur Center's Web site(http://tec.nvtc.org).
Getting Started – Technology Start-upSuccess Guidelines
Jeff Mitchell & Mike DrzalLeClair Ryan, A Professional [email protected],[email protected]
Congratulations! The decision to launch a newtechnology-based venture places you among agrowing group of business entrepreneurs redefin-ing the business landscape across the GreaterWashington area. Success in your venture requiresa strong management team, well-protected tech-nologies, solid business planning, and prudentprofessional guidance.
Get Organized Using the Right Entity–Start bycarefully considering the type of entity you form.The ease of completing Internet-based applica-tions for corporate entity formation results inmany incomplete or unsuitable organizations.Entrepreneurs eager to initiate business log on toform their new entity, believing that submittingbasic information and providing a credit card pay-ment are all the entity needs to be successful.Unfortunately, many soon discover that the cost ofan incomplete or unsuitable organization increas-es not only due to unnecessary taxes, but perhapsthe loss of the single most important reason theyformed the entity—limited liability—through thelegal concept of allowing creditors to “pierce thecorporate veil.”
Document the Relationship among theFounders–Business partners are inherently fairerto each other at the beginning of their enterprisethan when dissent and disagreement arise. Theeuphoric period of time when the founders arelaunching their venture remains the best time tonegotiate how members of the group will be treat-ed if one member of the group loses interest,moves to another city, or simply becomes unable towork with the other founders.
Recognize the Importance of the SecuritiesLaws with Initial Capital Raises–Federal andstate securities laws generally prohibit two actionsoften taken by start-up enterprises: selling securi-ties without prior registration (absent an applica-ble exemption) and offering and selling securitieswithout disclosing to investors all of the materialfacts. In the excitement of formation, manyfounders solicit investment funds from friends,family, friends of family, and business partners offriends of family, often failing to adequately focuson the type of investor, the state of residence of theinvestor, the information provided to the investor,and the documentation of the investment.
The Right Information for a GreatBusiness Plan
John L. Sullivan, IIIKennedy & Baris, [email protected]
What is wrong with most business plans [for thoseentrepreneurs seeking funding]? Often, our E-Solutions advisors at The Entrepreneur Center seeplans that waste too much space on technologydescriptions and numbers and provide too little ofthe information that matters to savvy angel andventure investors. The focus needs to be on the keydrivers of the business’s future success or failure. Asimple, truthful story about what the businessdoes is powerful. Here is a “what investors want”checklist that can be applied to most first-draftbusiness plans:
Management–Smart investors read the teamresumes first. Without the right team, the rest of theplan does not matter.
Business–Describe the compelling, large problemthat the business will solve with its product or serv-ice. Give a brief description of the technology orservice and identify any barriers to entry.
The Market–Describe the total market for the ven-ture’s product or service. How fast is it growing?
Marketing Strategy–Outline how the businesswill build and launch its product or service. Identifythe new venture’s customers, describe how theymake buying decisions, and why your product orservice would be a compelling purchase.
Customer Acquisition–Delineate the cost (in timeand resources) to acquire a customer.
Business Model–Describe how the product orservice will be priced. Address the costs of produc-ing and marketing your product.
Competition–Do not say that there is none. Findanalogous products or services. What are competi-tors’ strengths and weaknesses?
Financial Projections–Estimate how muchmoney the business will need to accomplish itsobjectives and the timing of financing projections.Clearly state your assumptions in notes at the end.Be reasonable.
Endgame–Describe how the investor will get areturn and demonstrate a wide range of exitoptions.
Doing IP Right – What Start-ups Need toKnow
James [email protected]
For many companies, no matter what stage or size,intellectual property (IP) is their most importantand valuable asset. Companies often determine thatemploying an IP policy is a practice that occurs laterin the game. In addition, too many companiesbelieve that protecting IP merely involves filing apatent application or two for the company’s technol-ogy and submitting a trademark application for theproduct name. While these may be some of theessential steps that should be taken, alone they arenot sufficient.
Doing IP right involves at least the following steps:
• Establishing and enforcing company-wide IPpolicies and procedures;
• Instilling a sense of importance of IP from thetop down;
• Ensuring ownership (and documentation ofownership) of the company’s IP;
• Conducting periodic IP audits;• Developing (and periodically updating) a com-
prehensive patent strategy consistent with thecompany’s business plan;
• Preventing over-reliance on provisional patentapplications;
• Understanding your options (e.g., petition toexpedite, preventing publication); and,
• Using your IP as a business tool.
Entrepreneurial ToolboxAdvice for Entrepreneurs in the Early Stages of Business Formation
6
The significance and value of IP mandates thatcompanies strategically approach its protection.Despite the business significance of IP, many exec-utives do not treat it as a business tool. Companiesthat do emphasize and strategically protect IP cre-ate significant value.
Successful Early Stage Funding:The “Secret Sauce” for Obtaining theHighly Sought After, Yet Elusive, FirstInstitutional Investment
John HurleyVenture Pipeline Group, DLA Piper US [email protected]
The Greater DC region has many funding sourcesfor early-stage companies. And, on the surface, thecurrent funding market looks spectacular for in-region, early stage companies. In Q1 2006, 50 per-cent of in-region, new funding deals were first-time financings of $91 million. In Q2 2006, 26 per-cent of the deals were first-time financings of $118million. Many entrepreneurs see that $200 millionand suddenly believe they too should get funded.The answer is … maybe—if the company canconquer the first meetings, withstand intense lev-els of due diligence, has a great management team,and can negotiate acceptable financial terms.
The “secret sauce” of early stage funding containsmany ingredients:
People, People, People–Every early stage compa-ny has a great team that should include a CEO whocan manage and evangelize to the market, one ormore senior technologists who can build excellentproducts, and one or more sales executives whocan successfully put products in the hands of cus-tomers who can paid for it.
A large overall market (with a clear initial mar-ket)–Large markets drive investor meetings,because large markets mean rapid revenue growth,lots of analyst coverage, broad customer adoption,and successful liquidity events.
Products that provide the trifecta–Create unfairadvantage, serve as pain killers for customerissues, and can scale rapidly.
Early customer traction–Investors want to seecustomer validation before a $2-plus-millionround goes into a company.
Lastly, investors want to put their funds into com-panies that feel real and have a low risk profile.Real and low risk means that investors can imag-ine certain tangible events will occur over time.Management will be able to grow and morph thecompany into a market leader.
Financial Reporting and the TechnologyStart-Up
Steve BalistreriArgy, Wiltse & Robinson, [email protected]
Entrepreneurs beginning new technology compa-nies have many matters with which to concernthemselves, including developing their productand bringing it to market, raising capital, andgrowing their company. In such companies,accounting and financial reporting matters oftendo not make the list of priorities because bothfinancial and time resources are scarce.Furthermore, entrepreneurs generally have notcultivated a sophisticated understanding ofaccounting rules and financial reporting tech-niques. Here are some recommendations for youngtechnology companies:
Develop a culture emphasizing the importanceof financial reporting–Set the proper tone so allemployees know the importance placed on accu-rate financial reporting.
Start from the beginning–Do not assume thataccounting records can be “rebuilt” at a later time.
Know the difference between cash flow, thepipeline, financial reporting rules, and taxabil-ity–If birthing a new technology and growing acompany around it are not hard enough, entrepre-neurs are faced with tracking and reporting notjust the flow of cash in and out of their company,but other important financial metrics.
Do not let accounting considerations stand inthe way of great business opportunities–Accounting records and financial statements are ascorecard, a historical representation of the activi-ties of a company. Therefore, financial reportingramifications should never interfere with the exe-cution of a great business plan.
Find a good accountant–An accountant whounderstands young technology companies is anessential part of an entrepreneur’s team. Fromassistance in managing cash flow and income taxcompliance during the early stages to navigatingthe myriad GAAP revenue and expense recogni-tion rules as your company matures, a goodaccountant will be a trusted advisor who can man-age the current needs of your company while plan-ning for future accounting and financial reportingneeds.
The Successful Emerging GrowthTechnology Company EstablishesProcedures to Comply With WorkerClassification Laws
John ScaliaGreenberg Traurig [email protected]
Amidst the excitement and demands of creating abusiness to bring a new concept to market manyemerging growth technology companies rush intohiring a workforce without adequately under-standing federal (and state) worker classificationlaws. Failure to implement effective worker classi-fication compliance guidelines at the outset risksputting the company out of business before it canmature into a profitable enterprise.
Worker classification requirements fall into tworelated categories. First, companies must properlyclassify their workforce as between independentcontractors (consultants) and employees. Second,employers must properly classify their employeesas between those who are exempt from minimumwage and overtime wage and those who are not.
Independent Contractor vs Employee–Emerging growth companies often use independ-ent contractors as a flexible, cost-effective way ofperforming work, which is legally permissible aslong as certain requirements are met. All too often,however, emerging growth companies fail to meetthose requirements. Misclassifying an employee asan independent contractor creates legal risks.
Exempt vs Non-Exempt Employee–Companiesmust properly classify their employees as eitherexempt or non-exempt from the FLSA’s minimumwage and overtime pay requirements. Theserequirements do not apply to those employeeswhom the company can prove qualify for certainstatutorily allowed exemptions (e.g., “executive,”“administrative,” “professional,” and “outside sales”exemptions). The exemptions generally requirethe employer to show that the employee is per-forming certain specific functions as his primaryduty. These exemptions are best determined bylegal counsel.
Bottom-Line: It’s Not Worth the Risk–While asmall, emerging company may consider itself anunlikely target of regulatory audits or employeelawsuits, these risks grow along with the company.Once mature and profitable, a company may beheld liable for non-compliance that occurred yearsbefore. The successful emerging growth companyavoids these risks by implementing worker classi-fication compliance guidelines at the very outset.
THE ENTREPRENEUR CENTER@NVTC
2214 Rock Hill Road, Suite 300Herndon, VA 20170
703-904-7878
http://tec.nvtc.org
COLLABORATION
EDUCATION
NETWORKING
INNOVATION
COACHING
A Sampling of Other NotableOrganizations Serving EntrepreneursNATIONALAngel Capital Education Foundation (ACEF)www.angelcapitaleducation.org
Association for Enterprise Opportunityhttp://www.microenterpriseworks.org
Edward Lowe Foundationhttp://edwardlowe.org/index.peer?page=ENTpeerlearning
Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO)www.eonetwork.org
MAVA (Mid Atlantic Venture Association)www.mava.org
The American Small Business Coalition (The ASBC)http://www.theasbc.org/index.php
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundationhttp://www.kauffman.org/
The Lemelson Foundationhttp://www.lemelson.org/home/index.php
The National Dialogue on Entrepreneurshiphttp://www.publicforuminstitute.org/nde/index.htm
National Women’s Business Centerhttp://www.wbiznet.biz/Small_business_entrepreneur.htm
US Small Business Administration - Office of EntrepreneurialDevelopmenthttp://www.sba.gov/ed/
US Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurshipwww.usasbe.org
REGIONALCenter for Innovative Technologywww.cit.org
Greater Washington Board of Tradewww.bot.org
Mason Enterprise Centerwww.masonenterprisecenter.org
MIT Enterprise Forum of Washington – Baltimorewww.mitef.org/Home
Maryland TEDCO (Technology Development Corporation)www.marylandtedco.org/index.cfm
Tech Council Marylandwww.mdhitech.org
TiE-DCwww.tiedc.org
The Business Alliance of George Mason Universitywww.businessalliance.org/test/index.html
The Dingman Center for Entrepreneurshipwww.rhsmith.umd.edu/dingman/events.html
Washington DC Technology Councilwww.dctechcouncil.org
YOUTH
Junior Achievementwww.ja.org
NFTEwww.nfte.com
Youth Venturewww.youthventure.org
This past summer, TheEntrepreneur Center @NVTCprovided scholarships to theEqual Footing Foundation tosend 12 children with aninterest in astronomy, math,and science to the VirginiaSpace Flight Academy, locatedin Wallops Island on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. The SpaceFlight Adventure Camp is a week-long residential summercamp sponsored by the Virginia Space Flight Academy inconjunction with the U.S. Navy and NASA for studentsinterested in learning about the science and engineering ofrockets, robotics, and space flight.
The NVTC Emerging Business & EntrepreneurCommittee
The Emerging Business & Entrepreneur Committeesupports and promotes emerging technologybusinesses. From start-ups, to new types of businesses,to new technology areas within established firms, weeducate, promote strategic alliances, and addressthe concerns of these firms and their owners.
To joining the committee, send an e-mail [email protected] or contact the committeeleadership listed below.
Chair: Dan Weitzel, Enterprise Business Law Group(703) 584-3258, [email protected]
Vice Chair: Sandy Scearce, Grant Thornton(703) 637-4039, [email protected]
Board Liaison: Peter Harrison, GlobalLogic(703) 847-5900, [email protected]
Board Liaison: Steve Winings, Christian & Timbers(202) 730-7919, [email protected]
As part of the EqualFooting Foundation -Computer ClubhouseSpeaker Series,entrepreneurs MichelleWalker and JasonWilliams (E-Solutionsparticipants), and Steve
Boyd (Director of the Entrepreneur Center @NVTC) spokewith students in October. Pictured (l-r) are Marcus Wade,high school student entrepreneur; Michelle Walker; JasonWilliams; Steve Boyd; and students Michael and KaleabBelete.
November/December 2006 Page 21The Voice of Technology
The Higher Education institutions ofthe National Capital Region have awide range of resources for entrepre-neurs:visitwww.greaterwashington.org/high-ered/index.html and www.consor-tium.org for more information
U.S. Senator John McCain Headlines September Titans Breakfast
U.S. Senator John McCain was warmly welcomed by an audience of more than 560 NVTC members asour September 20 Titans Breakfast speaker at the Capital Hilton in Washington. The Senator wasintroduced by Randy Jayne, Co-Managing Partner of Heidrick & Struggles—platinum sponsor of
the event.
Senator McCain discussed Network Neutrality and the need for passage of a new telecommunications bill;permanent research and development tax credits; expansion of H1-B visas; and improved science, math, andtechnology education. He also spoke about two “hot-button” issues: the situation in Iraq and military tri-bunals.
The Senator concluded his remarks by lauding the technology community for the "important work" it is doing for the United States, and saidit is crucial that the "government encourage—not hinder—innovation." After a lively question-and-answer session with attendees, SenatorMcCain departed to a standing ovation. �
GSA Administrator Doan Addresses GSA Reform at NVTC Titans Breakfast
Lurita Doan, Administrator, U.S. General Services Administration, discussed her goals to eliminate wasteful spendingand make the government procurement process faster and more efficient before an audience of more than 300 tech-nology executives at the NVTC Titans Breakfast held October 19 at the Hyatt Regency Reston. Administrator Doan
requested that NVTC assist her in developing solutions to expedite the GSA procurement process and in identifying bettermethods to bring new, cutting-edge technology innovation to the government from the private sector.
Since Administrator Doan took office in May 2006, she has strived to implement new programs, revitalize existing pro-grams and cut non-performing programs—$120 million in budget reductions to date—to end wasteful spending. Doan isintegrating three core values to the Agency: transparency, integrity and accountability. She told the audience that she wantsto "run the government agency like it is a well-run business," and to do so, the first need is to return discipline to the GSA'sbudget so it doesn't continue to "run in the red."
To much applause from the audience, Administrator Doan said that another of her top goals during her tenure is to remove the hurdles andreduce the costs of doing business with the government to "add innovation to the GSA Schedules."
The Administrator concluded her remarks by thanking Northern Virginia technology companies for contributing products and services tothe government for the betterment of the nation and promised that the GSA will do more to recognize the business community as a "realpartner" to the Agency.�
John Ashcroft and NVTC CXOs Dine, Discuss Top Issues of the Day at Chairman’s Dinner
John Lee, NVTC Chairman and President & CEO of Lee Technologies, hosted the thirdNVTC Chairman's Dinner with a special guest, former U.S. Attorney General JohnAshcroft, on September 13 at the Ritz Carlton in Tysons Corner. The dinner was sponsored
by First Horizon Bank.
Twenty-five C-level executives from NVTC member companies attended this invitation-onlyevent. The former Attorney General and the executives discussed a wide array of topics,including homeland security and terrorism, the Patriot Act, evolving foreign and domesticpolicies, and how technology pertains to these issues. The discussion was facilitated by DougPoretz, founding partner of Qorvis Communications and Public Relations Advisor to NVTC.
The NVTC Chairman's Dinners provide an opportunity for C-level executives to interact withtheir peers and high-profile guests for an evening filled with intellectual discussion in a relaxed and informal setting. Our past specialguests have been Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn, the developers of the Internet and recipients of the 2005 Presidential Medal of Freedom,and His Royal Highness Prince Turki Al-Faisal, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. �
Page 22 November/December 2006The Voice of Technology
(l-r) John Lee, NVTC Chairman and President &CEO of Lee Technologies; the Honorable JohnAshcroft; and CACI Chairman, President and CEOJack London.
Human Genome Party/Mid-Atlantic Bio Reception:A Memorable Evening at HHMI Janelia Farm
More than 200 NVTC mem-bers and participants of theMid-Atlantic Bio
Conference attended the sold-outNVTC Human Genome Party/Mid-Atlantic Bio Reception at the HowardHughes Medical Institute JaneliaFarm Research Campus in Ashburnon October to tour the state-of-the artfacility, network with embassies anduniversities to learn about ground-
breaking developments in the life sci-ences industry and technology trans-
fer, and sample wine and beer from around the world. Specialguests included Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine; VirginiaSecretary of Technology Aneesh Chopra; Dr. Gerald M. Rubin,NVTC Board Member, Vice President of HHMI and Director ofHHMI’s Janelia Farm Research Campus; and ambassadors from awide variety of nations.
During their keynote remarks, both the Governor and SecretaryChopra noted NVTC’s strong advocacy and leadership efforts toensure that Virginia remains a competitive and preferred locationfor technology and biotechnology companies. The Governor alsocommented that the opening of Janelia Farm is a particularlyexciting time for Loudoun County as this amazing new facilityheralds the beginning of a new era of biotech leadership for theCommonwealth.
NVTC thanks the BioMedTech Committee Sponsors CooleyGodward LLP, Grubb & Ellis Co., Travelers Insurance, IMC;and Supporting Organizations BIO IT Coalition, MdBio, MAVA,and VaBIO for their support in making this year’s HumanGenome Party/Mid-Atlantic Bio Reception a truly memorableevent. NVTC also would like to thank Reston Limousine for pro-viding on-site transportation services. �
Virginia Governor Tim Kaine (center) and NVTC President & CEOBobbie Kilberg (right) meet with ambassadors at the start of theHuman Genome Party/Mid-Atlantic Bio Reception.
November/December 2006 Page 23The Voice of Technology
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Virginia Governor TimKaine delivers keynotespeech.
Page 24 November/December 2006The Voice of Technology
Internet/Visionary/Entrepreneur–Tom PattersonTom Patterson is building a better Internet. Literally.
As the head of Command Information, the nation’slargest pure-play IPv6 solutions company, he advisesmajor corporations and government agencies on howto utilize the new Internet protocols and serves as thechief advocate of the benefits and innovations that thenext-generation Internet will bring.
Operating with a big mission and a looming dead-line—the federal government has been mandated totransition their network backbones to IPv6 by June
2008—Patterson launched Command Information last year with the major ven-ture capital support—$20 million—from two of the most respected names in thebusiness, The Carlyle Group and Novak Biddle Venture Partners. Patterson chosethe venture capital route because he felt it was the only way to launch such a large-scale enterprise.
The route to establishing Command Information may have been clear, but thatdoesn’t mean it was not without serious challenges. Patterson formed CommandInformation a year before the marketplace even existed for the services andstrategies he was offering. Selling Command Information required not only pro-moting his ideas, but also promoting the market. To accomplish this he pulledtogether an “A-Team” of partners, investors, and bankers, who shared his vision.
The vision of collaborative teamwork and surrounding yourself with the best peo-ple possible continues as a company policy as Command Information grows at anextraordinary pace, hiring a new employee a day.
An idea-driven businessman, Patterson defines an entrepreneur as “someonewith enough passion, vision, and drive to take an idea to the marketplace beforeanyone else catches on.”
With an extensive and varied career in business—he has served as partner incharge of security operations for Deloitte in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa;managing director of KPMG/BearingPoint’s global managed services business;and IBM's chief strategist for electronic commerce, among others—Pattersonfeels that his business experiences paved the way and prepared him to successful-ly launch his own enterprise.
Having worked on both coasts and around the world, Patterson finds that the bigdifference between Silicon Valley and Greater Washington is the way technologycompany failures are viewed. “In Silicon Valley you are celebrated for surviving atech failure, in Northern Virginia and the East Coast you are ostracized,” saidPatterson. He believes that there are lessons to be learned from every experienceand “having survived a dot.com bust makes a much stronger, much smarter, anda much better businessperson.”
Proving to be a strong business leader with vision, when most people thoughtIPv6 was just about expanding the real estate for Internet addresses, Pattersonsaw a genuine opportunity to transform the Internet. As IPv6 rolls out, he prom-ises that he has a few more big ideas up his sleeve for the next-generationInternet.
And as if launching the next big thing in the Internet wasn’t enough, in his sparetime, Patterson also wrote the highly regarded book, Mapping Security.
At 21 and on the verge of launching her firstenterprise, Katherine Kennedy has alreadyweathered the challenges of a seasonedentrepreneur. She first conceived of the ideafor Peruse as a project for a class inGeorgetown University’s Communications,Culture, and Technology program. Inspiredby the statistic that more than 50 percent ofteenage girls shop online while using theircell phones, Peruse was created as a vehiclefor merging the social aspects of shoppingwith the online shopping experience.
Described as “MySpace meets Amazon.com,” Peruse is, in technicalterms, a universal wish list application with an integrated social net-work. The project received an “A” and a recommendation from theprofessor that with a small financial investment Peruse had realbusiness potential. Initially working with two partners, after theylost interest, Kennedy persevered and currently operates Peruse as aone-woman show.
Raised in an entrepreneurial home, Kennedy’s father was a SiliconValley executive and she grew up surrounded by “people with inno-vative ideas who valued functionality over aesthetics, who saw aproblem not within the box.” She defines an entrepreneur as a per-son who “feels passion for their solution and are truly engaged inthat solution and in executing it properly.”
Leveraging a network of advisors and mentors on both coasts,Kennedy has sought out advice and contacts on all aspects oflaunching and running a business. The one major difference of per-spective between Silicon Valley and Greater Washington came on theissue of funding. In Silicon Valley she was strongly encouraged tosecure venture capital, hire an experienced CEO, and become theface of Peruse. Back East, the venture capital route was viewed skep-tically; she was told, “You can do this.” She was advised to pulltogether private funding and hire a COO or CMO. Ultimately, shechose the bootstrap route as it allowed more control and greater per-sonal satisfaction.
Kennedy will launch Peruse in mid-November and has set her firstsuccess benchmark at 100,000 users, which she hopes to reach in sixmonths. Achieving that mark will establish Peruse in the market-place and provide the profile to leverage partnerships with well-known service providers such as Skype and Kodak that are seekinga similar customer base, as well as advertising from retail business-es. Phase II operations also include the rollout of a market researchcomponent that will track shopping trends.
In May, Kennedy will graduate from Georgetown University with amaster’s degree, about the same time that Peruse will be hitting itsfirst success marker.
“MySpace meets Amazon.com”
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9
Emerging/Bootstrap/Entrepreneur–Katherine Kennedy
When business intersects with innovation research theresult is Mineral Sciences. The company began in theresearch labs at George Mason University. Spurred bythe events of 9/11, Dr. Mark Krekeler, an assistant pro-fessor, used a portion of his university research grantfor the development of products that would addresssome of the most serious terrorist threats: dirty bombsand biological attacks. Working with two of his stu-dents, Stephen Elmore and Cynthia Tselepis, theydeveloped an innovative liquid that soaks up highlytoxic materials in a terrorist attack, natural disaster, orindustrial clean up.
Looking to move their ideas out of the laboratory andinto the marketplace, Mineral Sciences was launchedas a nanotechnology start-up in February with a$50,000 grant from the University’s F Fund, which isfunded by the cell phone tax. From the start, Krekelerrecognized that a good product was not enough toguarantee success, “I spent my academic career as astudent surrounded by great ideas. But the fact of thematter is you can have a great idea but without a mech-anism to invoke it then it’s only an idea.”
Through networking at the George Mason EnterpriseCenter, Krekeler was introduced to Timm Johnson, aseasoned business executive, who helped formulate abusiness plan. Johnson is an active member of VentureMentors and by tapping that network was able to
recruit two additional businessmen, Philip Short andBrad Zell for the project. All three are now members ofthe management team with Short serving as CEO,Johnson as CFO, and Zell as Vice President of Sales.
Krekeler serves as the Founder and Chief TechnologyOfficer. Both students are founding partners in thestart-up with Elmore named as Vice President ofTechnology and Tselepis as Vice President of Research.
So far the arrangement has worked well because eachmember of the management team brings his or herown unique expertise to the company and yet eachshares the commitment to developing effectiveresponses to terrorist acts and disasters that threatenhuman life and the environment.
Johnson has extensive experience in business workingfor companies both large and small. Short had a careerin the Marines, where he worked with radiologicalmaterials, and later worked for the State of Louisianaand in the private sector. Zell, who is a graduate of theU.S. Naval Academy, also worked with radiologicalmaterials before departing military service for a
diverse experience in the business world starting outwith a large corporation and working for ever smallerenterprises until he landed with Mineral Sciences.
Krekeler overseas the science and research and with abackground in industrial mineralogy, he focuses onmeeting large-scale needs by producing cost effectivesolutions that “exploit nature to get it to do jumps foryou.” Krekeler notes that Mineral Sciences was not builtaround a single great idea, but launched with a pipelineof ideas to take to the marketplace.
Even with great ideas and a strong business plan thereare challenges to a tech transfer start-up. Johnson notes“there is an underdeveloped asset in this region thatthere is an awful lot of really good intellectual propertybut not necessarily the wherewithal in terms of eitherthe financial capital or the human capital to really pullit out and make it available to the marketplace.”
Despite the challenges, Mineral Sciences is working itsbusiness plan. For now the company is taking the boot-strap route; once revenue potential can be determined,its senior executives will begin making pitches to theventure capital community.
Don Britton launched his firstbusiness at age nine. A pet carebusiness that targeted travelingneighbors as customers. Thatsmall taste success and therewards of working for himselfconvinced Britton that he want-ed to be an entrepreneur.
He got into the technology mar-ket early as well, establishing a
business in high school that set up televisions forcable TV for “tech-challenged” friends and neighbors.
It is no surprise that today Don Britton is a high-techentrepreneur who delivers innovative utility comput-ing solutions to small business through his company,Network Alliance.
In college, he interned for Mario Marino, learningmore about entrepreneurialism than could ever betaught in a textbook. After earning a degree inaccounting, he went to work for Cutler & Beers. Twoyears later, Marino offered him a position on his staffas Controller & Director of Operations.
Britton had already begun to form Network Allianceand those efforts continued on a part-time basis. Thecompany was incorporated in 1997 and eventually the
situation shifted with Network Alliance being a full-time project and Marino being part-time work.
Launched as a bootstrap effort that tapped a networkof friends and family, which included Marino, Brittonis quick to point out “it really wasn’t the money thatmade the difference, it was more Mario’s faith in methat made the difference. His confidence that I wouldbe able to make something happen really gave me theconfidence to know that I could take the chance.”
Venture capital for tech start-ups was booming whenNetwork Alliance launched. Britton made a number ofpitches but never secured outside funding. In part, heattributes this to the conservatism that an accountingbackground fosters. The rule of thumb is that a techstart-up CEO should spend 90 percent of his time onfunding and 10 percent building the business. Brittonflipped that devoting only 10 percent of is time tosecuring funding.
Looking back, Britton thinks the lack of venture capi-tal has made Network Alliance a stronger company.“VC would have pushed us a lot further and fasterthan what the market was ready for. Part of the chal-lenge was that the market needed to be ready to buyour products. They wanted them but they weren’tready to buy them.”
Britton measures the success of his company by asimple standard, “Did we change the world of IT?”Change doesn’t have to come at the level of impact ofa company like Microsoft, but knowing that he left amark is his definition of success. At the general level,Britton believes that the benchmark of success for asmall business is “are they [owners and employees]having fun?” He notes that “a lot of people fail becausethey start their businesses for the wrong reason,which is money. But if they look at it as they reallyenjoy doing the work, the money will follow.”
Britton is an enthusiastic advocate for entrepreneuri-alism and social entrepreneurship. Network Allianceincludes a section on community involvement on itsWeb site. He advises “you have to think holistically, ifyour community is doing well, your business will dowell.” Network Alliance offers its technology servicesand products at cost to nonprofits. He is an active sup-porter of Netpreneur and sits on the board of directorof Great DC Cares.
Change the World Entrepreneur–Don Britton
Tech Transfer/Entrepreneurial Team
Halle Czechowski is a freelance writer based in Washington, D.C. She can be reached at [email protected].
November/December 2006 Page 25The Voice of Technology
“you can have a great idea butwithout a mechanism to invoke itthen it’s only an idea”
Page 26 November/December 2006The Voice of Technology
On October 12, the Equal Footing Foundation Computer Clubhouses participated in the national “Lightson Afterschool” rally, a project of the After School Alliance—a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensur-ing that all children have access to quality, affordable afterschool programs. Through an event-driven,
national campaign, Lights on Afterschool helps local youth create marketing campaigns targeted to communityleaders, educators, local businesses, and parents that call attention to the importance of afterschool programsfor America’s children, families, and communities.
To help promote the event, the Clubhouses hosted unique activities that showcased the educational and artisticachievements created through their programs. The Willston Clubhouse, located in the Willston MulticulturalCenter, was the central hub of our Lights on Afterschool program, coordinating the event activities. Roboticsprograms, film, art, and music recorded in our music studios were just some of the creative endeavors thathelped demonstrate the importance of how afterschool programs keep kids safe, help working families, andinspire learning.
Lights on Afterschool was launched in October 2000 with celebrations in more than 1,200 communities nation-wide. This October, more than 1 million Americans participated in local celebratory events.
In America today, one in four youth, or 14.3 million children, are alone and unsupervised after school.Afterschool programs help young people develop into successful adults. The Computer Clubhouse program,which is the main focus of the Equal Footing Foundation, provides such opportunities by providing youth accessto technology and mentors.
The Equal Footing Foundation and Washington Capitals launched a season-long ticket promotion andyouth Computer Gaming Challenge during a pre-game reception with NVTC members and invited guestson October 18 in the Dewar’s Club at the Verizon Center.
A portion of all game tickets purchased by following a link on the Caps Web site (www.capstickets.com/nvtc.html) willbe donated to the Foundation to help support its positive youth educational and technology initiatives.
In addition, to celebrate the start of the Capitals ticket promotion, the reception was the launch pad of theComputer Clubhouse Gaming Challenge. The challenge, through the generous support of the EntrepreneurCenter @NVTC, will give youth the opportunity to become game designers and creators—not just passiveusers—by taking a product from conception to market. Throughout the hockey season, local organizations andcompanies, such as the Entertainment Software Association, will visit the Clubhouses to help mentor the designand programming processes.
Challenge winners will be announced at the Capitals’ game on March 27, 2007, with the winning game availablefor download on the Washington Capital Kids Web site.
Computer Clubhouses Participate in “Lights on Afterschool”National Program Inspires Learning and Keeps Kids Safe
Equal Footing Foundation and Washington Capitals Launch Ticket Promotion and Computer Gaming ChallengeTicket Donations to Support Foundation Education and Youth Development Initiatives
November/December 2006 Page 27The Voice of Technology
To spark interest in creating a business, and to help promote businesseducation, Gary Pan, President & CEO of Panacea Consulting, Inc.; Co-chairman of the Entrepreneur Center @NVTC; and member of the NVTCBoard of Directors, last year contacted Margaret Plenty, manager of theComputer Clubhouse at the Gum Springs Community Center, to promoteinterest in the Junior Achievement 8100 program. JA 8100 is a six-weekentrepreneur educational initiative that teaches youth how to create,launch, and run a small business. Local business leaders play an activerole in the program by mentoring the students on a range of subjects,from how to develop a business plan to how to create and sell a product.
Plenty was thrilled to hear about the program and thought it a good fitand learning experience for Clubhouse youth. Thus, the Gum SpringsComputer Clubhouse became part of the JA 8100 network. Three localbusiness leaders, John Carney of Carney Interactive, and Jody Manor andTheresa Jenkyins of Bittersweet Café/Catering, served as mentors, helpingthe team identify an industry of interest, develop a business plan, createthe product for a target market, develop sales and marketing plans and aproduct roll-out schedule, determine finance strategy, and develop sys-tems to collect money and set banking operations.
Following is the story of the JA 8100 experience as told by Plenty and theGum Springs team themselves:
How do you get a group of teenagers to participate in the first youth-owned business in their community, labor long hours, and agree on aproduct they can stand behind? Well, you pay them! Last year at this time,20 youth who participate in the Computer Clubhouse at Gum SpringsCommunity Center got the chance to do just that. With the help of JohnCarney, Jody Manor and Theresa Jenkyins, the kids created a custom t-shirt business, gaining valuable knowledge as they meandered through amaze of deciding on their product, designing a logo, setting up a bankaccount, and collaborating with the t-shirt printing company, Wicks.
A company is only as good as its product, and with the help of JohnHamilton, Wicks Vice President of Sales, JA 8100 could do no wrong. Theteens decided that their product would be a t-shirt for West Potomac HighSchool seniors and past and future graduates. One of their mentors,Manor, was so impressed with their business plan and drive that he askedthe youth to create a custom t-shirt for his company.
The JA 8100 team is grateful to Carney, Manor, and Jenkyins for their sup-port of the project from start to finish. We appreciate their commit-ment—despite hectic schedules and frustrations—to ensure the project
was completed on time. Without their dedication, the products would nothave been created or the business successful.
The “faithful few” remaining teens who still participate in the ComputerClubhouse and were part of the JA 8100 team had this to say about theirexperiences:
Team President: George Hamlett–“Mr. Carney and Mr. Manor played animportant role in our business. They helped guide us through every step.Even though we had a slow business, they were patient with every one ofus. Running a company is stressful. Make sure if you run one, the peopleyou run it with are dedicated to their work.”
Team Vice President: Jerrod Armstrong–“Mr. Carney and Mr. Manorplayed a major and important role in the JA business. I learned a lot fromthose men who I think became role models in my life. I want to thank yougentlemen for the opportunity to express my thoughts and brighten myhorizons.”
Financial Team: Lashonda Day–“This program helped us learn how itwill feel to have our own business. Also it was stressful and helped uslearn how to work together.” Nyjah Day – “This program helped me real-ize that business is important because I want to become a lawyer when Iget older and it will help me with it. Fatimah Abdul-Malik – “This pro-gram was very enlightening for me. I learned how to manage an accountand my money. I think if I ever decided to become an entrepreneur, Iwould be very successful thanks to Junior Achievement.”
Design Team: John Cherry–“I feel participating in the JuniorAchievement Program at Gum Springs Community Center has most def-initely helped me in many ways, such as marketing skills and getting abetter glimpse at what the real world has to offer, as far as jobs that I hadno idea were even available.”
Marketing Team: Antonio Fitzgerald–“I feel that JA will help me in thefuture and I thank the JA program because I am thinking about takingbusiness as my major in college and running my own business.”
To learn more about JA 8100, visit www.ja.org.
Equal Footing Foundation and Entrepreneur Center @NVTC: Fostering Youth Entrepreneurship and Education
TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES
Arrowhead Global Solutionswww.arrowhead.com
ASC Consulting, Inc.www.ascconsultinginc.com
Avaron, Inc.www.avaroninc.com
BizTek Consultants, Inc.www.biztekconsultants.com
Catcher, Inc.www.catcherinc.com
Chorus Systems, Inc.www.chorussystems.com
Cloakwarewww.cloakware.com
Comsat International Inc.www.comsatint.com
CyberVillage Networkers, Inc.www.cybernetworkers.com
Data and Analytic Solutions, Inc.www.dasconsultants.com
DeepMile Networks, LLCwww.deepmile.com
Everest Technology Solutionswww.everest.nu
Fiberlight, LLCwww.fiberlight.net
Global Secure Corp.www.globalsecurecorp.com
Judge Groupwww.judge.com
Local Neighbors, Inc.www.localneighbors.com
MobileAccess Networkswww.mobileaccess.com
NETCOM Groupwww.netcomgroup.biz
NetMotion Wirelesswww.netmotionwireless.com
NexTone Communications, Incwww.nextone.com
ODIN technologieswww.ODINtechnologies.com
Parabon Computation, Inc.www.parabon.com
Patni Telecom Solutions, Inc.www.patni.com
Pioneer Technologies Inc.www.pioneertech.com
Qubic Solution LLCwww.QubicSolution.com
Standard Communications, Inc.www.stdcomm.com
Technology Finance Specialists, Inc.
USM Business Systems, Incwww.usmsystems.com
VICOR Business Services, Inc.www.vicorinc.com
VMD Systems Integrators, Inc.www.vmdsys.com
YFonGlobalwww.yfonglobal.com
Zemeter Technologieswww.zemeter.com
ASSOCIATE COMPANIES
aBear Solutions, LLCwww.aBearLLC.com
Advantage Tech, Inc.www.advantagetech.net
Cherry, Bekaert & Holland L.L.P.www.cbh.com
Leach Travellwww.leachtravell.com
Leclat Group LLChttp://www.leclatgroup.com
MRC Group Inc.www.mrcgroup.net
O2 Collaborative Incwww.o2lab.com
Porro Associates LLCwww.porrollc.com
Red Fox Globalwww.redfoxglobal.com
RedShift Ventureswww.redshiftventures.com
Rose Financial Serviceswww.rosefinancial.com
TATE, Incorporatedwww.tate-inc.com
The Ashcroft Group, LLCwww.ashcroftgroupllc.com
Van Scoyoc Kelly PLLCwww.vsklaw.com
Widelity, Inc.www.widelity.com
AFFILIATE COMPANIES
American Society of Civil Engineers Foundation www.asce.org
CESSI-Software & IT Services- Chamber of Commerce Argentina
www.cessi.org.ar
Philippine Trade and Investment Center,Embassy of the Philippines
RENEWING MEMBERS
3-DO Telecommunications, LLCAdvanced Information Services, Inc.AH&T InsuranceAlarm.ComAlion Science and TechnologyAmerican-Kuwaiti AllianceAPT Impact, Inc.Arete Enterprises, IncAT&T Government SolutionsAthena Technologies, Inc.Base Technologies, Inc.Cabot ConsultantsCACI International IncCentennial Computer CorporationCinea, Inc.COLMAR CorporationCox Business ServicesCybertrustEnterprise Business Law Group LLCEquisGeorgetown UniversityGrant Thornton, L.L.P.Greater Washington Board of TradeHay Group, TheHoward Hughes Medical InstituteIDirect TechnologiesINDUS CorporationINPUTIntelligent DecisionsIntersouth PartnersJefferson Wells InternationalKen Leiner Associates Inc.Korea Business Development CenterLeros Technologies, Inc.Marshall Communications CorpMonticello CapitalNational Datacast, Inc.Next Tier Concepts, Inc.Northern Virginia Community CollegeNorthrop GrummanPillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLPRetrieval Systems CorporationRussell Reynolds AssociatesSC&H GroupScheer PartnersSilicon Valley BankSynchris, Inc.Telart TechnologiesTRAINING SOLUTIONS, INC.Travelers InsuranceVision Point Systems, Inc.Zarca Interactive
Page 28 November/December 2006The Voice of Technology
Q
Q: How do you define entrepreneur?
RF: Risk taker.
Q: What business experiences have you learned the most from?
RF: Understanding why we’ve won, and even more importantly, understandingwhy we lost, not just dissecting the ingredients of success but dissecting the ingre-dients of failure.
Q: What advice would you give to a person thinking about starting theirown business?
RF: Understand the completeness of the commitment and the pleasure and thepain associated with success and failure. Understand your own personal strengthsand weaknesses and know how to fill out a team around you to fill the gaps.
Q: In talking about the team around you, what role has teamwork and col-laboration played in building your business?
RF: My management style is very inclusive and collaborative in regard to decisionmaking. Decisions are made as the result of a collaborative set of discussions withmy management team. I don’t have all the answers to our challenges, but I canfacilitate and add value in terms of thinking of things to consider during the driveto a resolution. However, the end result is a team effort. Many of my team atObjectVideo were part of my team at Proxycom. When you have a good team youtry to keep them together one company after another.
Q: What are your benchmarks for success? How do you judge how you aredoing?
RF: Obviously, sales, revenue, profit, and positioning in the marketplace—beingranked or thought of as a market leader—and being looked at as an innovator.Ultimately, you are judged by shareholder return. Risk takers need risk capital,and that risk capital needs to be rewarded in terms of above average returns. Asthe owner-operator you are aligned in terms of the dollars that you have in thebusiness, the equity, and the sweat equity.
Q: You are involved in a lot of philanthropic and charitable efforts. Someof them are helping young entrepreneurs. Why did you get involved withthat and why do you think it is important?
RF: Young entrepreneurs are tomorrow’s business leaders. I think the U.S. cultureis great because it obviously celebrates success. The United States is very open tofailure, but doesn’t punish it culturally, and encourages “second acts” or additionalattempts to make it. But that ecosystem needs to be fueled by fresh young mindsthat are energetic and have the passion and the drive to do that. Sharing experi-ences, your vision, successes, and failures with young entrepreneurs is a way oftaking the gift that we’ve gotten as business leaders and giving some of that back.Some of this is selfish because I want the United States to remain competitively atthe top in multiple categories and we are relying on the next generation to keep usthere.
Q: Do you think that businesses have a responsibility to give back to thecommunity at large? And what do businesses get out of it in return?
RF: Absolutely. Companies are made up of people who live, work, and play in thecommunity. It is critical that individuals lead by example in terms of philanthro-py. Engage in the community and be part of the community. For me, it’s throughphilanthropy; for others it may be through volunteering. Yes, I think it is a criticalpart of any company’s DNA.
Q: What do you think is your most meaningful accomplishment?
RF: Our two beautiful children.
Q: What do you think can be done to improve the environment in theGreater Washington region to better support entrepreneurs?
RF: First of all, re-write Sarbanes-Oxley. If you were to have hatched an evil plotto cripple the ability of young companies to grow up and enter the public marketand undermine the United States, you would have written Sarbanes-Oxley. It’struly, evil, evil regulation.
Q: Why do you think that happened? Was it because entrepreneurs didn’thave a seat at the policy table?
RF: No. I think it had to do with the reactive, knee-jerk reaction, unfortunately, bypoliticians who weren’t thinking things through. It’s funny … I talk with politi-cians on both sides of the aisle and everybody agrees Sarbanes-Oxley is horribleand it is killing liquidity in the system—especially for small companies. And yet,nobody is willing to step up and take the lead in changing the law. We’re doing thisto ourselves. If we do become a second- or third-rate economic power, we’ve doneit to ourselves. We’ve done it over time and we’ve done it with a lot of shareholderwarning.
Q: What would you like to see at the local level to improve long-term com-petitiveness for the country?
RF: At the most basic level, we have to fix K-12 education. We have a system in ournation’s capital where we have a tremendous number of kids in underperformingschools. We have a school system that does not produce—for the most part—lit-erate levels of reading, science, and math, as compared to other parts of the world.If I don’t have employees with that solid foundation, I can’t do it.
Q: What are your goals for your current company, ObjectVideo?
RF: Grow it and sell it.
Q: What are your personal long-term goals?
RF: It’s a journey. I just wake up every day enjoying what I’m doing, but not nec-essarily knowing what’s going to happen next. It’s been fun to run this companyas a follow-on to what I did before, but I really am not sure what happens afterthis. I’m just going to figure it out as I need to.
November/December 2006 Page 29The Voice of Technology
Raul Fernandez, President & CEO, ObjectVideo, and Social Entrepreneur Answers Questions Posed by the Entrepreneur Center @NVTC
Q & A:
Thomas F. Farrell, II, President & Chief ExecutiveOfficer of Dominion, has added some straight talkon energy policy to the current round of very frank
public policy discussions. Farrell concluded a little-reported speech in mid-September to the World AffairsCouncil in Richmond with some upbeat thoughts. “Wehave the technology, the resources, and the talent to meetour energy challenges. The key question is, ‘Do we havethe will?’”
But Farrell started his speech with the more disturbingobservation that Americans are in the dark about energy.Most struggle to get past three big myths—that cheapand abundant energy is an American birthright, multi-national oil companies control the flow of oil, andAmerica can and should achieve total independence. Thefacts are different. Energy production and oil prices, henoted, fluctuate according to global supply and demand.Almost 80 percent of oil reserves actually are controlledby national oil companies, not private companies, hepointed out, and interdependence, not independence, isthe only realistic policy goal for the United States.
Unfortunately, Farrell suggested, cursory media storiesperpetuate the myths, “some politicians reinforce them,the public frequently buys them, and the energy industryhas not done an adequate job of refuting them—largelybecause of poor credibility with the public.” The result isa disjointed, confused, and polarized public debate onenergy policy that never quite gets to needed changes.
What were Farrell’s views on recent initiatives, such as theEnergy Policy Act passed by Congress last year? “(A) stepin the right direction, but it was only one step.” Whatabout the action of the Virginia General Assembly in2006? The legislature “passed a comprehensive energy billthat contains forward-looking provisions about offshoregas exploration, clean-coal technology, energy efficiency,and the creation of a statewide energy plan.”
But what do we really need? “In sum,” the Dominion exec-utive concluded, “we need an effective national policy thatsupercedes the existing patchwork of different state lawsand regulations, one that allows us to tap all of our energysupply options, promotes greater reliance on conservationand efficiency, and fosters a business environment con-ducive to market competition and timely investment innew energy infrastructure.”
But in truth, the energy policy of an average Virginia fam-ily at the moment might include three small questions:Where is the cheapest gasoline? Who do I call to get power
restored after a storm? Should I get my gas furnacechecked before winter every year? The answers amount toa very limited understanding, indeed, about energy. Howelse can one explain the reactions in Loudoun Countyright now, for example, where the demand for electricity isbooming, but there is no appetite for either new generat-ing capacity or additional high-voltage transmissionlines?
Such limited understanding in the end, warned Farrell,could end up costing the United States jobs, tax revenues,income growth, energy reliability, national security, andglobal competitiveness. So the Dominion executive sug-gested four specific energy challenges to act as focalpoints for a more informed and conclusive energy policydebate.
First, Farrell noted, there is a serious and growing imbal-ance between energy supplies and consumer demand.Only exploration and efficiencies together can keep thegap from growing. Second, the energy transportation net-work is congested and inadequate. America’s pipeline net-work needs ungrading, Farrell concludes, “(b)ut thenation’s overtaxed network of high-voltage electric lines isin even worse condition.” The answer is a reengineeredsmart grid designed to move power across regional mar-kets, not relatively short distances.
Third, environmental costs associated with regulatingcarbon dioxide and mitigating climate change will beenormous. And fourth, the fleet of electric generating sta-tions in the United States is aging. Investors will need“higher rates of return on invested capital, accelerateddepreciation, shorter recovery periods, and other innova-tive pricing schemes” to make resources available on thescale— hundreds of billions of dollars—needed.
In recognition of his leadership in Virginia, Farrell alsoserves as Rector of the University of Virginia, a positionfirst held by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.Stepping out now to show how energy is a part of “life, lib-erty, and the pursuit of happiness” might help pullAmericans a little further out of the dark and into action.
Douglas Koelemay is a Senior Advisor to NVTC andManaging Director at Qorvis Communications, LLC
Out of the Dark on Energy
Page 30 November/December 2006The Voice of Technology
TheLast Word
by Mark Bisnow
2. As he listens to Lee Technologies President & Chief OperatingOfficer George Newstrom (left) express his enthusiastic reactionto GSA Administrator Lurita Doan's presentation at the NVTCTitans Breakfast on October 19, GTSI Chairman Dendy Youngwonders whether it might be unduly alarmist to warn Newstromthat an eight-legged creature from outer space may be about tocrawl up his back.
4. Posing at a recent NVTC Board meeting with U.S. Senator GeorgeAllen (third from left), George Washington University's EVP for AcademicAffairs Don Lehman, Mitretek Systems CEO Lydia Thomas, and NVTCPresident Bobbie Kilberg look in one direction, while NVTC ChairmanJohn Lee and Dickstein Shapiro Partner Dave Nadler look another. Withso many flash bulbs going off at once to take a picture of this fabulousgroup, one didn’t know where to look!!
1. At the NVTC Chairman's Dinner last month, former U.S.Attorney General John Ashcroft, right, instinctively acts to pro-tect his starched white collar in case a demonstrative ChairmanJohn Lee inadvertently has salad dressing on his fingers.
3.Flanked by Janelia Farm Research Campus COO CherylMoore and HHMI Vice President and Director of the JaneliaFarm Research Campus Gerry Rubin, Virginia Governor TimKaine takes center stage at NVTC Human Genome Party October11 to announce discovery of Mark Warner's gene sequence thatpromises to make Kaine as successful and popular as his prede-cessor, although researchers were quick to point out that theyhave not yet figured out which DNA pairings determine toothygrin.
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November/December 2006 Page 31The Voice of Technology
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