Speakers

Breakfast Keynote: Mitchell Sanders

Dr. Mitchell Sanders CTO/EVP of ECI Biotech is an expert in the field of protein engineering, purification, and assay development. Before founding ECI Biotech in 1998, he worked as a Senior Scientist II at Genome Therapeutics in the Pathogen Genetics Program. He holds a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and completed postdoctoral training at the Whitehead Institute at MIT in protein biochemistry and host pathogen interactions. As the founder of ECI Biotech, Dr. Sanders has successfully raised $5.5 million in seed funding and signed collaborative partnerships ($6.5M) with Fortune 500 companies and secured Small Business Innovative Research Funding (SBIR, $198,000 1999 & 2004) . In 2001 Dr. Sanders received the TechCitizenship award in 2004 from MassHigh Tech and in 2005 the prestigious innovation award from SBANE.

Luncheon Keynote: Mitchell Tyson

Mitchell G. Tyson, Chief Executive Officer & Director

Mitch Tyson joined Advanced Electron Beams as CEO and Director in September, 2005, when the company completed its "Series A" round of venture funding. Prior to joining AEB, Mitch was a corporate consultant and lecturer, serving on multiple industry, government, and corporate Boards of Directors, and advising start-up organizations and venture capital firms.

Mitch was the CEO of PRI Automation, a publicly traded corporation, which supplied automation systems including hardware, software and services for the semiconductor industry. From 1987 to 2002, he held positions of increasing management responsibility, and helped transform PRI Automation from a small robotics manufacturer to the world's leading supplier of semiconductor fab automation systems. Mr. Tyson managed the growth of the company from $4 million to over $300 million in revenue, and he guided the company through its IPO.

Prior to joining PRI he worked at GCA Corporation and served as science advisor and legislative assistant to U.S. Senator Paul Tsongas.

Mitch currently serves as Chairman of AmberWave Systems, a supplier of strained silicon technology to the semiconductor industry, and as a Board Member of both Photronics, Inc., a manufacturer of photomasks for the flat panel and semiconductor industries, and Rubicon Technology, supplier of sapphire substrates used in LED manufacturing.

Mitch also serves on the executive and governing boards of John Adams Innovation Institute, a quasi-public state agency focused on promoting high tech economic development in Massachusetts, the Mass High Technology Council Board, UMASS High Tech Executive Council, Massport Security Advisory Council, North American Advisory Board of SEMI, and the New England Regional Board of the Anti-Defamation League.

He has a Bachelors of Science in Physics, a Masters of Science in Nuclear Engineering, and a second Masters of Science in Political Science, all from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Norman T. Brust, President of NTB Associates

Norman Brust has over thirty years of successful management, marketing, engineering and manufacturing experience with such technology based companies as General Dynamics, RCA, EG&G, Racal-Dana, Datel-Intersil and Amistar. In 1988, Mr. Brust founded NTB Associates, a sales and marketing management consulting firm, to help manufacturing and technology based businesses increase profitable sales.

Mr. Brust has held a variety of successful sales and marketing management positions with manufacturers in such diverse technologies as electronic test and measurement equipment, precision machined metal parts, automated production equipment and analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog data acquisition systems. Before expanding his technical expertise to include sales and marketing, Mr. Brust had a decade of experience in design engineering, engineering management and large system program management. In addition to his consulting practice, Mr. Brust has taught Management Science courses at Wentworth Institute of Technology as an Adjunct Instructor.

Mr. Brust is a recognized authority on consultative, business-to-business sales and marketing and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from Brown University and a Master of Science degree in Electronic Engineering from Northeastern University.

Jim Fee

Jim Fee is a principal in JFF Associates, a consulting practice that focuses on helping companies quickly transform technological breakthroughs into profitable products by drawing on expertise in the entire product cycle of strategy, market & competitive analysis, business plan development, pricing, distribution, product launch and support for products with ASPs ranging from $100 - $100K in market segments $10M to $100M.

Jim has been a founder/CEO or (and) key team member in a number of venture-funded startups. He is graduate of WPI and a co-founder of the WPI Venture Forum.

Andrew Goloboy

Andrew Goloboy, CPA is managing partner of the firm Goloboy CPA LLC and has been a CPA for 15 years. He is uniquely qualified to discuss accounting in the context of real-life business situations as he has experience both as a practicing CPA and a private company CFO. His firm, Goloboy CPA's, specialties lie in assisting technology ventures and their entrepreneurial founders with taxes, accounting, and strategic planning. Its clients include angel and venture-funded start-ups, an early-stage venture fund, and technology company founders and investors.

Andrew graduated with an MBA, cum laude, from Babson College in 1997 and with an BA in Economics from Amherst College in 1989. Andrew received his CPA while working as a financial consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers and Ernst & Young. Andrew serves on the Program Committee of the WPI Venture Forum, which he has sponsored since 2003, and recently moderated the January 2006 meeting. He lives in Sharon with his two children, Jake and Kate, and wife Joan, where they are often found shuttling among numerous sports and music activities. Andrew can be reached at (781) 793-5891 or andrew.goloboy@g-cpa.com.

Jennifer LaCroix

Jennifer E. Lacroix is a partner at McAndrews, Held & Malloy, Ltd. in Chicago, Illinois. She is a registered patent attorney who has extensive experience in patent and trademark procurement, patent litigation and many other aspects of obtaining and protecting intellectual property rights. Jennifer is on the Editorial Board for "The Patent Lawyer," a publication by the Association of Patent Law Firms. Jennifer is also a member of the Intellectual Property Owners Association and the American Intellectual Property Law Association. Additionally, Jennifer has completed mediation training through Chicago's Center for Conflict resolution. Jennifer obtained her B.S. in Civil Engineering and Society, Technology & Policy from WPI, with High Distinction, in 1997, and her J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law, cum laude, in 2000.

Jennifer can be reached at McAndrews, Held & Malloy, Ltd. by phone at (312) 775-8000, or by e-mail at jlacroix@mhmlaw.com.

Jeremy Hitchcock

CEO & CFO - Jeremy Hitchcock

Jeremy has served as CFO of DynDNS since 2002 and CEO since 2005. In addition to guiding the strategic direction of DynDNS, Jeremy manages the financial, legal, and human resources issues of the company. Prior to DynDNS, Jeremy attended Worcester Polytechnic Institute, earning a B.S. in Management Information Systems in 2004. While at WPI, Jeremy laid the academic foundation for his entrepreneurial career by working with the WPI Venture Forum and the Collaborative for Entrepreneurship & Innovation (CEI). Jeremy is an active member of the community and sits on the Boards of the Amoskeag Business Incubator and the West High Endowment Fund.

Elizabeth Hitchcock

Elizabeth Hitchcock is the owner and founder of Hitchcock Creations, a web development firm that specializes in creating standards compliant web experiences. Liz is the creative and technical mastermind behind all of Hitchcock Creations' output. She is also a partner in Vermont Nanny Connection, the largest Nanny Agency in Vermont. Liz received her BS in Computer Science from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. She is a member of the Manchester Young Professionals Network Business Committee, and Webmaster for Amoskeag Rowing Club.

Christine Drew

Christine Drew, M.L.S., Instruction Coordinator, at WPI's Gordon Library has worked with business professionals and students for 7+ years performing research on various industries and markets. Prior to starting at WPI, Christine assisted Babson students, faculty and entrepreneurs with comprehensive research for business plans.

Tom Fox

Tom Fox is Chief Information Officer and Co-founder of SourceAid, LLC as well as President of SourceAid Publishing, companies dedicated to educational research products to schools and professionals worldwide since 2003. Tom oversees and develops industry leading software and responsible for major publications. Tom recently published Cite It Right, The SourceAid Guide to Writing, Research and Avoiding Plagiarism. Tom holds ten technical certifications titles, is fluent in fifteen computer languages, and has a working knowledge of eight operating systems. He was recognized in Microsoft Imagine Cup for leading one of the top development teams in the US and serves as an editor for both LookSmart and Open Directory Project. Tom graduated high school in 3-years and spent what would have been his senior year as a systems engineer automating computer systems and designing high-end network infrastructures for over 200 companies prior to entering college. While in high school, Tom developed software solutions and computer networks for large organizations. Tom expects to graduate from WPI in 2006 with a BS degree in MIS and work on his graduate studies while continuing to build SourceAid and encouraging other students to become entrepreneurs.

Michael Refolo

Attorney Michael A. Refolo is a Partner in the law firm of Bowditch & Dewey, LLP in Worcester, Massachusetts. He represents companies in all stages, from emerging and developing companies to publicly-held companies, both as general counsel and in specialized transactions. For emerging companies, Mr. Refolo forms corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships and business trusts, and prepares documents necessary for the emerging business, including stockholder agreements, operating agreements, buy-sell agreements, stock restriction agreements, and non-disclosure agreements. He also advises on various management and corporate governance issues. For emerging companies, Mr. Refolo provides day to day advice to clients regarding all legal aspects of their business. He drafts and negotiates agreements, including distribution and supply agreements, consulting and employment agreements, licensing and franchise agreements, and joint ventures. He also prepares stock based compensation arrangements, including incentive and nonqualified stock option plans, and advises on SEC registration of stock based plans. He also regularly assists businesses with obtaining traditional bank financing.

Mr. Refolo also concentrates in securities law, from capital based financings by the sale of common stock, preferred stock, convertible notes, and warrants to individual and private equity investors, to public offerings through registered filings with the SEC, including secondary offerings, trust preferred offerings, and dividend reinvestment plans. He works closely with public companies with respect to their SEC disclosure obligations, including SEC periodic filings, proxy statements and annual reports. He provides advice regarding resales of restricted stock under Rule 144, and issues related to stock held in street name through DTC.

Mr. Refolo has very broad transactional experience, and regularly serves as lead counsel for companies with respect to mergers, acquisitions, and asset sales on both the buyer and seller side. His experience involves transactions of all sizes, from asset sales by small businesses to mergers and acquisitions of large highly-regulated public corporations, including bank holding companies. He also represents businesses with divestitures of subsidiaries and divisions, and with company liquidations and dissolutions.

Mr. Refolo represents a broad spectrum of businesses, including software, manufacturing, international wholesale distribution, banking, insurance, and other industries. With respect to software companies, Mr. Refolo has a strong background in software licensing issues, and drafts license agreements, OEM and remarketing agreements, and software development agreements. With respect to banking institutions, Mr. Refolo has strong experience assisting financial institutions and bank holding companies with regulatory questions and contract review, particularly questions related to corporate structure, issuance of bank or bank holding company stock, joint ventures, and the ability to enter into less traditional banking activities, including the sale of insurance and securities. He is involved with insurance agency licensing issues, and acquisitions of insurance agencies.

Education:

University of Virginia (B.A., 1988); Columbus School of Law, Catholic University of America (J.D., 1992)

Moshe Cohen

Moshe Cohen is President of The Negotiating Table, a firm that provides mediation services to people in conflict, as well as negotiation and conflict management training. Since founding the firm in 1995, Mr. Cohen has mediated several hundred disputes in a variety of court-based and non-court settings and in a multitude of topic areas. These have included business and employment disputes, evictions and landlord-tenant, divorce, family and interpersonal disputes, torts and personal injury.

Mr. Cohen teaches the Negotiations course in the MBA program at Boston University, and previously taught at Bentley College in Waltham, MA. Mr. Cohen is a frequent guest speaker at business functions, conferences, and universities. He has also published numerous articles on negotiation, mediation, and conflict management. Moshe Cohen holds a Bachelor degree from Cornell in Physics, a Master in Electrical Engineering from McGill University, and a Master in Business Administration from the Boston University Graduate School of Management. Mr. Cohen's career includes over twelve years of engineering and project management experience prior to founding The Negotiating Table.

Shari Worthington

Shari Worthington is President of Telesian Technology Inc. After a decade in increasingly senior product management roles, Worthington established Telesian in 1987. The firm provides industrial marketing and Web development services to the manufacturing industries, working with such clients as Raytheon Co., Apple Computer, and Dresser Instruments. A scientist turned engineer turned marketeer, Worthington's specialty is real-time computing in laboratory and manufacturing applications. She holds a BS in biology and psychology from St. Lawrence University, an MA in psychology from Framingham State College, and an MBA in marketing from Babson College.

Telesian Technology, creator of The Communications Value Chain, provides marketing, Web development, and e-business services for the high technology markets. Since 1987, the company has focused on developing innovative marketing programs that support the sales effort, both online and off, by generating qualified leads, increasing brand awareness, and developing long-term customer relationships through high-impact promotions programs.

Richard O'Brien

Richard "Dick" O'Brien is founder of Nagog Hill Partners, a business development consulting company. His marketing experience includes working with - and for - Fortune 100 companies and founding three start-up companies. He is an active member of the WPI Venture Forum Board and is vice Chairman, Program Committee. He serves on the Board of Advisors of two emerging companies.

Darlene Flaig

Darleen Flaig has been directing the development and manufacture of consumer products for major corporations since 1982. Ms. Flaig founded Product Solutions International, Inc., in 1995. Corporate projects include a wide variety of consumer products including: A personal care line (skin creams, cosmetics, toiletries) for Japan (first year sales exceeded $60 million); A world wide educational toy line (first year sales of $20 million); A world wide costume jewelry line (annual sales of $25 million); as well as, Various glass, ceramic, wooden and metal gift and household products. Ms. Flaig earned a Master's Degree in Communication from Western Michigan University, and was an adjunct faculty member at Newbury College where she taught various courses, including International Business, Small Business Management, and Logic + Critical Thinking.

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Last modified: May 30, 2007 13:07:43