A group of 11 University of Oregon M.B.A., and doctoral students attended the 2006 Silicon Forest Forum (SFF), an annual advanced technology management conference held at Intel's Jones Farm Conference Center. This year’s event was organized by Intel Capital and White & Lee, LLP. The UO Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship (LCE) provided underwriting which covered the majority of the cost for students and faculty.
The theme for this year’s conference was "From Innovation to Opportunity, Take your Company to New Heights.” The day-long conference began with three panel discussions: Alternative Liquidity Paths in Light of a High IPO Bar, Consumer Branding – Getting the Right Message to the Right People, and Open Source – Beyond Software. The luncheon speaker, Stuart Cohen – CEO, Open Source Development Lab – continued the discussion about open source software opportunities. Afternoon sessions were broken into two parallel tracks: Financing, and Operations. The financing track offered panel discussions on corporate spin-outs and venture financing while the operations track discussed offshore software development and intellectual property portfolio management.
Some highlights of the conference include:
New rules for technology management – discussed guidelines for managing people in a technology venture.
General Investment banking trends – discussed the state of the M&A, IPO, Alternative Investment, and private equity markets.
Brand strategy – discussed the importance of brand strategy including a case study of Gluekos, a new sports energy drink.
Venture investing in the current environment – discussed VC trends indicating where the money is going and whether it is a good time to be an entrepreneur (it is).
Offshoring and outsourcing – representatives from Vietnam, Mexico, and Ukraine discussed software offshoring opportunities in their respective countries.
The SFF's excellent formal presentations were supplemented by opportunities to network with Northwest-based venture capitalists, angel investors, technology transfer professionals, technology executives, business development specialists, and serial entrepreneurs. The conference wrapped up with a networking event at McMenamins Cornelius Pass Roadhouse. These networking opportunities gave students the chance to gain insight on the venture capital world and meet a number of individuals in key positions of local firms.
A group of 10 LCB faculty, MBAs, and doctoral students attended the 5th
Annual Silicon Forest Forum (SFF), held at Intel's Jones Farm Conference Center,
organized by Intel and White & Lee, LLP, with sponsorship by Blueprint Ventures,
Cascadia Partners, D.A. Davidson, KPMG, and Stoel Rives LLP.
The theme of the 2005 SFF was "Survival of the Fittest -- Winning Strategies for
Winning Companies. The day-long conference began with plenary presentations
focusing on Open Source Businesss Models, Consumer Branding for New Ventures,
and University Technology Transfer. The luncheon speaker, Nancy Floyd, delivered
an incisive analysis of prospects for building an "Energy-Technology Cluster" in
Oregon. Afternoon sessions were broken into two parallel tracks: Financing, and
Operations.
The SFF's excellent formal presentations were supplemented by opportunities to
network with Northwest-based venture capitalists, angel investors, technology
transfer professionals, technology executives, business development specialists,
and serial entrepreneurs. The conference wrapped up with a networking event at
McMenamins Cornelius Pass Roadhouse.
The UO Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship provided underwriting which covered
the majority of the cost for students and faculty.
November 12, 2004
On November 12, 2004, a mix of 25 Lundquist College of Business faculty, MBA
and Undergraduate students attended the Silicon Forest Forum (SFF) held at Intel's Jones
Farm campus . SFF is billed as one of the most significant conference programs
for individuals who impact the success of emerging growth companies.
Intel Capital and White & Lee were key sponsors of the fourth annual conference.
The SFF featured a wide array of speakers from the Pacific Northwest and Silicon
Valley, and the attendees enjoy a dynamic exchange of ideas among the nation's
best executives.
This year’s day long conference focused on effective and productive
ventures in the 2004 global economy. Attendees were able to
split into Operations or Financing tracks to listen to experts from around
the world discuss IP protection, venture capital generation,
HR issues, global competition and more. The day ended with a networking gathering
at McMenamins Cornelius Pass Roadhouse where students and faculty alike were
able to interact with conference attendees and presenters.
The UO Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship provided underwriting which covered
the majority of the cost for students and faculty.
