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Keynote Speakers
Panelists - Morning Session
Presenters - Afternoon Lunch & Learn Session


Keynote Speakers
Kevin O'Connor, Co-founder and former CEO & Chairman, DoubleClick, Inc.; O'Connor Ventures
DoubleClick is the leading provider of marketing technology and services. Beginning with two people (Dwight Merriman and Kevin O'Connor) in a basement, DoubleClick is now an organization of 1400 people with offices around the world. Kevin was CEO for DoubleClick from 1996 to 2001 and Chairman through 2005. DoubleClick was sold in July of 2005 to the private equity firm Helman & Friedman for $1.1 billion. Kevin's lowest paying job, though perhaps the most exciting, was as a wrestling coach with Jeff Gaier at Cincinnati Moeller from 1988-1992. Moeller didn't have much of a wrestling team back then, but is now consistently one of the top wrestling programs in the country.

Kevin helped launch other software entities including ICC and Internet Security Systems (nasdaq: ISSX). He started ICC with Bill Miller and Michael Schier back in 1983 in Cincinnati, Ohio. At Icc he was ICC VP of Research but was really a hardcore coder and developed many of their products which tied PCs into Burroughs and Sperry mainframes. He also created one of the first products to allow PCs to tie into local area networks, again very common place today but radical back in 1989. The company was acquired in 1992 by DCA where he continued as Vice President of Research. DCA merged with Attachmate in 1995 where he stayed for about a week and then left. In 1995 he stumbled on a brilliant kid named Chris Klaus and helped Chris and Tom Noonan build Internet Security Systems into a large, successful software business that was sold to IBM in 2006 for $1.3 billion. Also in 1995, Dwight and Kevin started an Internet Advertising Network which would subsequently become DoubleClick.

Kevin sits on a number of private company boards that he has invested in, including 9 Star, Travidia, FoundValue and Procore. Today he is mainly focused on his venture capital business, O'Connor Ventures, providing seed capital to startups that he hopes will become massive companies rather than a tax write-off. He is also the author of the book, "Map of Innovation: Creating Something from Nothing." He earned his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan with honors in 1983. In the spring of 2000, he had the privilege to give the College's keynote address at graduation. He was a member of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science's National Advisory Board. He is also a co-chair of Progress & Promise: the 150th Anniversary Campaign. Today he is on the Board of Trustees at Crane Country Day School where he also chairs the Annual Fund. But most importantly, he is happily married with three great kids.

Samuel Zell, Chairman, Equity Group Investments
A native Chicagoan, Samuel Zell began his career in real estate by managing apartment buildings throughout Southeast Michigan while an undergraduate at the University of Michigan . He continued his real estate interests with the founding of Equity Group Investments, LLC (formerly known as Equity Financial and Management Company), an entrepreneurial real estate investment firm based in Chicago , which he currently serves as Chairman of the Board.

Mr. Zell maintains substantial interests in and serves as Chairman of the Board of various corporations which include Anixter International (AXE), a value-added provider of integrated networking and cabling solutions that support business information and network infrastructure requirements; Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc. (ELS), a self-administered and self-managed equity real estate investment trust which owns and operates manufactured home communities in 26 states; Equity Residential (EQR), the largest apartment real estate investment trust in the United States; Equity Office Properties Trust (EOP) the largest office portfolio of any publicly traded, full-service office company in the United States; Capital Trust (CT), a specialized real estate finance company; and Rewards Network Inc. (IRN), a leading provider of dining rewards programs. All of these are publicly traded companies.

Mr. Zell recently completed a two-year term as Chairman of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT). He serves on the JPMorgan National Advisory Board, the EuroHYPO International Advisory Board, the President’s Advisory Board at the University of Michigan, the Visitor’s Committee at the University of Michigan Law School, and with the combined efforts of the University of Michigan Business School, established the Zell/Lurie Entrepreneurial Center. Mr. Zell’s continual assistance to Michigan’s MBA program has also enhanced the Business School’s Polish Studies Program. He was appointed a DeRoy Visiting Professor in Honors at the College of Literature, Science and the Arts at the University of Michigan. He is a long standing supporter of the University of Pennsylvania Wharton Real Estate Center and has endowed the Samuel Zell/Robert Lurie Real Estate Center at Wharton. Mr. Zell has also endowed the Northwestern University Center for Risk Management.

Mr. Zell is an avid skier, racquetball player, and enjoys riding motorcycles. He is a frequent contributor of articles to various publications and is often heard as keynote speaker throughout the United States and Europe. Samuel Zell is a graduate of the University of Michigan and the University of Michigan Law School.

Panelists

Intrapreneurship & Innovation Across Industries
David Goulait, Leader for Disruptive Market Innovation, Proctor & Gamble Company
David joined the P&G’s Chief Technology Office in 2004 to lead “Innovation Productivity” within R&D and is currently the Leader of the Corporate Disruptive Market Innovation Program. Over the past three years, David has worked closely with P&G corporate and business unit leaders to create New Business Capability by using “Disruptive Market Innovation Principles and Tools” for insuring sustainable corporate growth for P&G. Prior to this current role, David has led New Product Development, “White Space Expansion”, Technology Development, Material Development and Process Development organizations. During this period, he received more than 50 patents. In this previous role, he led the development of new products for a now $7+ B brand that included low cost, mid, and premium tiers as well as new market expansion designs. David has BSIE and MSIE degrees from Purdue University (1972, 1973). After serving four years in the Army, David joined P&G in 1977. He received his MBA from Xavier University in 1987.

Patia McGrath, Global Director of Innovation and Strategic Connections, GE
Patia reports to Dan Henson, GE’s Chief Marketing Officer, as part of his Corporate Marketing team. The objective of this group is to accelerate the establishment of a more market-focused culture in GE and to drive growth across the company. With GE since 2004, Patia’s focus has been on innovation and strategic marketing. She has worked on a number of key company-wide projects, including the organic growth targeted Imagination Breakthroughs and the GE strategy framework CECOR. She has also worked on a variety of business-specific initiatives, such as the assessment of market opportunities in Africa for GE’s Rail business and the design of a strategic plan for GE’s Global Research Center. Patia is a frequent invited speaker at GE’s Crotonville education facility.

Patia joined GE Corporate from Harvard Business School, where she was a Research Associate for Professor Michael Porter. In this role, she spearheaded Porter’s “New CEO Workshop” initiative, which brought together newly-appointed CEOs of major public companies to address issues ranging from strategy execution to investor communication. Prior to a stint as an investment banker with CSFB’s Technology Group, Patia helped lead sales and marketing at WhiteLight Systems, a business intelligence software startup headquartered in Palo Alto. Patia also spent several years working for J.P. Morgan’s Private Client Group. During her years in engineering research, Patia worked for Ford Motor Company, the Sloan Automotive Lab at MIT, and the Gas Turbine Lab at MIT. Patia holds a MBA from Harvard Business School, a MS in Aeronautics & Astronautics from MIT, an Engineer's Degree in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Columbia.

David Patchen, Managing Director Emerging Business Accelerator, Cargill
David Patchen is managing director of Cargill’s Emerging Business Accelerator (EBA). The EBA’s primary responsibility is to assist Cargill in building new businesses that will generate revenues and profits within three to five years. The EBA invests in new business opportunities in the agro-food supply chain that can have a significant impact on Cargill’s growth and innovation objectives.

Patchen joined Cargill in 1989 as treasurer for Spain and Portugal, based in Barcelona. He then joined Cargill Brazil’s senior management team in Sao Paulo and was a member of Cargill’s Latin American restructuring initiative steering committee. Patchen also served as senior vice president of Cargill’s Financial Markets businesses in Mercosur, responsible for growing the company’s financial trading, trade and structured finance and value investment businesses in South America and providing treasury and insurance services to Cargill’s non-financial businesses. Most recently, Patchen served as managing director of Cargill Ventures, a wholly-owned venture investment group of Cargill, that invests in emerging technology companies that help Cargill be a global leader in providing goods and services for life, health and growth. Patchen is on the board of directors of Ecovation, Redpoint Bio Corporation, and Nutrijoy, all of which are portfolio companies of Cargill Ventures.

Prior to joining Cargill, Patchen worked for Bank of America in Spain and New York managing corporate account relationships and developing new products and services. Patchen graduated from Brown University in 1975 with a B.A. in political science and completed his M.B.A. in International Finance at New York University in 1983. He is fluent in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Catalan.

Moderator: Ari Sznajder (MBA/MPP '08), Ross School of Business

Build, Fund & Grow Winning Start-ups
Jennifer Baird, President & CEO, Accuri Cytometers, Inc.
Ms. Baird received her MBA from Kellogg Graduate School of Management, where she shared Top-of-Class honors. She has led teams of technology developers, process improvement and sales/marketing groups generating significant cost savings, new products and sales for her clients and employers. Before co-founding Accuri Cytometers, she served as a Vice President at Keane Consulting Group where she helped build the company as it quintupled in size to over 150 staff and managed over $10M in projects. At ISSYS Sensing Systems, Inc (MI), Ms. Baird led fundraising, marketing/sales, business development, grant proposal writing, public relations, regulatory affairs, human resources, and product development.

Michael Callas (MBA '02), Founder & CEO, Outdoor DIVAS
Michael Callas is the founder and CEO of Outdoor DIVAS, a Boulder, Colorado based specialty retailer of outdoor sporting goods equipment. The company caters exclusively to active woman and was one of the first women specific outdoor stores in the market place. The original business plan for outdoor DIVAS was drafted by a team of 4 MBAs in a 2001 ES 517 Business Plan Class at the University of Michigan. Michael launched the company’s first store in Boulder, shortly after graduation in the fall of 2002, and opened the second location in Denver in the fall of 2006. Since its inception, Outdoor DIVAS has become a category leader in both the outdoor and ski industries – paving the way for subsequent women specific stores.

Prior to attending the U of M, Michael spent ten years directing retail operations for several retail firms in Vail, CO. He holds a BA in Organizational Psychology from the College of Wooster and an MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. While at Michigan, Michael was active with the EVC and participated in E-MAP. Michael’s mountaineering endeavors have brought him to the summit of more than half of Colorado’s fifty-four 14,000 foot peaks. He is an expert skier, and avid rock climber, mountain biker and kayaker.

David Hartmann, Founder & President, Arbor Blue
David Hartmann, a 25-year veteran entrepreneur, is the founder and president of Arbor Blue, an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based engineering and business consulting firm. Arbor Blue provides technology-business and product-development services for clients, ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. In 1999, Mr. Hartmann founded and served as president and chief executive of Avail Networks, a venture-backed, broadband-equipment company. Four years later, Avail was sold to Easter Research Inc., which in turn was acquired in 2006 by Sycamore Networks, a Massachusetts-based firm specializing in intelligent-networking products, where Mr. Hartmann worked as vice president for corporate development. In 1990, he co-founded Network Express, a broadband pioneer, taking the company from start-up through IPO and a successful merger with Cabletron Systems, a provider of networking computer equipment . Mr. Hartmann worked as senior vice president of New Hampshire-based Cabletron, where he managed world-wide operations of its Internet-access product line. Earlier, he held positions at Bell Northern Research and Ann Arbor-based Sycor.

Richard Sheridan, President & CEO, Menlo Innovations LLC
As President of Menlo Innovations, Rich Sheridan, along with his company cofounders, formed a company around the passions of building great software and great software teams. He has sponsored dramatic changes to existing teams using techniques from many sources, including Extreme Programming. He has focused on improving the culture, productivity and results of teams with which he works. His experiences as the Vice President of R&D at Interface Systems were captured in the book "Creativity at Work" by Jeff DeGraff and Katherine Lawrence of the University of Michigan Business School. It came at a time when Interface Systems was named the #1 public company in Michigan. Rich is a graduate of the University of Michigan where he received a BS in Computer Science and a Master's Degree in Computer Engineering.

Rich has focused his attention and energy on the power of open and collaborative work spaces as originally practiced by Thomas Edison. Edison's lab in Menlo Park, New Jersey was the inspiration for the company name. The dramatic success of Menlo, during one of the hardest times for the information technology industry, captured the attention of Forbes magazine, where Rich appeared on the cover in May, 2003. He was recently named one of the top 100 emerging business leaders of the Metro-Detroit region by the Detroiter magazine. An excellent speaker and presenter, Rich readily shares his knowledge and successes from real-world experience.

Moderator: Punit Chiniwalla (MBA '08), Ross School of Business

Venture Capital Investing & Careers
Jim Adox (MBA '95), Managing Director, Venture Investors
Jim joined Venture Investors in 2007 as a Managing Director of Venture Investors LLC, and heads up the firm’s Ann Arbor, Michigan office. He focuses on the firm’s Information Technology practice, works with the Venture Investors Health Care Managing Directors on medical device investments, and is the primary contact for all deals in Michigan for the firm.

Prior to Venture Investors, Jim formed RidgeLine Ventures, where he helped co-found university spin-outs and advised early stage companies, including Tissue Regeneration Systems and RhinoLight (Allux Medical). Prior to RidgeLine, Jim was a Partner at EDF Ventures. During his tenure at EDF, he led the spin-out, sourcing, financing, syndication and exit of many EDF portfolio companies. Jim served on the Board of Directors of Avail Networks and HandyLab and was responsible for additional portfolio companies, serving as a board observer for Alfalight, Ardesta, TherOx, and Xtera Communications.

Jim has over nine years experience in various operating and strategic roles. His technical experience includes six years of design and development engineering, product development, project management, testing and manufacturing for leading U.S. corporations. He spent two years in international sales, marketing and business development, where he had P & L responsibility for product launches in Brazil, Mexico and Argentina. He also co-led the successful $50MM acquisition and integration of a competitor in Argentina.

Jim currently serves on the boards of Incept BioSystems and the Frankel Commercialization Fund, a pre-seed investment fund at the University of Michigan. He has worked for the National Science Foundation as a panelist for SBIR grants. Jim is a frequent lecturer for the University of Michigan Engineering and Business Schools, and serves as a judge for the school's business plan competitions. Jim earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering, and a Master of Business Administration with High Distinction – all from the University of Michigan.

Mahendra Ramsinghani, Senior Vice President, Plymouth Venture Partners
At Plymouth Venture Partners, Mahendra is involved in due diligence of transactions and all other aspects of investing. Mahendra Ramsinghani has been instrumental in the growth of the venture capital industry in Michigan, including, most recently as director of venture capital initiatives at the Michigan Economic Development Corp. While at MEDC, Ramsinghani participated in the design of two fund-of-funds programs, managed four limited partnership investments and supported thedevelopment of angel networks in Michigan. Mahendra also served as a board member of the Michigan Venture Capital Association. Prior to MEDC, Mahendra was Product Manager for ISoftel in Singapore where he led its business growth in the Pacific Rim and wrote its first business plan. Prior to ISoftel, Mahendra led Business Development for ALCOA Closure Systems International in India. Mahendra received a Bachelor's degree in Electronic Engineering and an MBA from Pune University in India.

Mina Sooch, Founder & General Partner, Apjohn Ventures
Mina Sooch brings with her over fifteen years of pharmaceutical and healthcare experiences as an entrepreneur, strategy & finance advisor, and venture capitalist.  As a founder and general partner at Apjohn, she had been active in sourcing, screening, due diligence, and closing of fund’s seven investments. Mina currently serves on the board of Asterand and ProNai and board observer at Zystor and Kereos. She also serves as board member of the Midwest Healthcare Investment Network and Michigan Venture Capital Association.

Since 2001, Mina has been fully engaged in the early stage life sciences space through synergistic roles as founding principal of Apjohn Group (life sciences business accelerator) and entrepreneur in residence at North Coast Technology Investors ($100 million early stage venture capital firm in Ann Arbor). Through those roles, she has served as founding CFO and Board observer at Afmedica and founding CEO of SenseGene Therapeutics (now ProNAi) and led the investments in RenaMed by NorthCoast and Apjohn affiliates.

Prior to 2001, Mina spent eight years as a global account manager at Monitor Group, a top tier global strategy consulting firm based in Boston, with her client base consisting of mid-cap and large-cap healthcare companies and multi-billion dollar private equity companies. With a focus on M&A, she has worked on over 30 deals including $7B Pharmacia & Upjohn merger in 1995 and $1B merger of PharMerica in 1997. Mina was also a founding leader of Monitor's Corporate Finance practice in 1998 with Tom Copeland. Mina began her career spending several years in research and product development at Ford Motor Company, Dow Chemical Company, and Proctor and Gamble. Mina received a MBA from Harvard Business School in 1993. She graduated summa cum laude and commencement speaker from Wayne State University in 1989 with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering.

Tom Wasserman (BBA '97), Managing Director, Constellation Ventures
Tom Wasserman is a Managing Director at Constellation Ventures.  Mr. Wasserman focuses on Constellation Ventures’ investments in communications, IT and media, with particular emphasis on: hosting & network services, media transport technologies, and traditional media. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of MTM Technologies, Inc., Broadband National Inc., Origin Digital and United Devices as well as serving as an observer on the Board of Directors of Vivid Logic and Net Insight, AB.  In addition, Tom was previously on the board of the Gospel Music Channel, an investment Constellation Ventures has since exited.

Tom was formerly Senior Manager of Corporate Development at 360Networks, a global telecommunications service provider funded by Providence Equity, Madison Dearborn, the Sprout Group and other private equity funds. At 360Networks, Tom was responsible for strategic relationships with hardware vendors, other service providers and strategic customers. In addition, Tom also worked on minority investments, mergers and acquisitions and public and private financings. Prior to 360Networks, Tom was an associate at Charterhouse Group International, a $1 billion middle market private equity fund. While at Charterhouse, Tom focused on telecommunications and technology investments. Prior to Charterhouse, Tom worked in investment banking with Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette.

Tom has received a Bachelor in Business Administration from the University of Michigan, graduating with distinction.

Moderator: Mike Lung (MBA '08), Ross School of Business

Launching a Business on the Cheap
Jonn Behrman (BBA '96), Serial Entrepreneur
Jonn Behrman is a serial entrepreneur and angel investor. Currently Jonn is in the process of launching an Ann Arbor-based, internet start up, focused on business to consumer networking. In addition to his primary focus of launching this new company, Mr. Behrman owns a popular Ann Arbor night club, the Necto and runs an apartment rental company with his wife. Mr. Behrman was one of the pioneers of the interactive advertising space. He founded Beyond Interactive in 1995 without any external financing. Beyond Interactive has since become a global interactive marketing leader with offices in Ann Arbor, San Francisco, New York, China, and Mexico.

Beyond Interactive started as an idea he devised in an entrepreneurial management class he completed while at the University of Michigan. Mr. Behrman put the business plan he developed for that class into action. The company grew rapidly and morphed into a world class interactive marketing leader. Billings grew by at least 600% each of the first 5 years the company was in business. In addition the company had virtually no employee turnover during that 5 year hyper growth period. In 1999, Beyond Interactive was sold to Grey Advertising, one of the world’s largest advertising companies.

After leaving Beyond in 2005, Mr. Behrman helped launch another Ann Arbor start up, Spirit Shop Inc, an ecommerce company focused on selling custom printed apparel to the educational market. During his 2 year tenure at Spirit Shop, Mr. Behrman served as the company’s President & COO, helping to take the company from concept to a fully functional business. As an interactive advertising industry leader and experienced entrepreneur, Mr. Behrman has appeared and been quoted in a variety of publications including the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Ad Age and Ad Week. He resides in Ann Arbor, Michigan. A Venezuelan native, he graduated from the University of Michigan Business School with a Computer Information Systems and Marketing degree in 1996.

Neal Clinthorne, Co-founder & Vice President, Xoran Technologies Inc.
Neal Clinthorne , a Research Professor of Radiology at the University of Michigan, co-founded Xoran Technologies with Pedja Sukovic in 2001 where he is now Chairman and Vice-President. For close to three decades, his research has focused on creating better instrumentation for 3D medical imaging. He has been involved with technology commercialization for nearly as long with Xoran being the most successful example so far. He is a proponent of the university-spinoff for technology commercialization and has extensively used federal grant programs in order to build value before outside investment.  Neal Clinthorne was runner-up in the 2005 Governor’s University Award for Commercialization Excellence.

Barrett Davie, CEO, InStadium
Mr. Davie is the CEO of InStadium, Inc., The Game Day Marketing Company. InStadium is creating a national platform of indoor advertising placements in America’s premier professional and collegiate sports properties. As this advertising network expands, InStadium is leveraging its relationships within the industry to create a unique experiential marketing agency business, representing many national and local brands in the creation and execution of marketing and sponsorship programs. Barrett is responsible for overseeing InStadium's growth, organization, capitalization, and communication of the company strategy and vision. Under his direction, InStadium is successfully building a network of premium sports stadiums, has developed a growing organization of sales, marketing and creative professionals, raised significant institutional venture capital, and constructed an impressive group to form both the company’s Board of Directors and Board of Advisors. Prior to taking over as the CEO at InStadium, Barrett founded and operated TheD3Group, LLC, which specialized in assisting Chicago based start-up companies with business planning, financial modeling and early stage capital raises. Barrett also practiced law with Robins, Kaplan, Miller and Ciresi prior to InStadium. Barrett received his B.A. in History at Tulane University where he played football for the Tulane Green Wave, and his Juris Doctor from The Chicago-Kent College of Law where he was elected President of the Student Bar Association. He served on the investigative staff for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform's 1996 presidential election campaign finance investigation. He is a member of the Administrative Committee of the Illinois Medical District Guest House Foundation and serves on the Junior Board of Mercy Home for Boys & Girls.

Parijat Gandhi (MBA '06), Vice President Marketing, Veodia
Par comes to Veodia with strong experiences from Joost, Disney, and ipsh! At Joost, an IPTV firm, Par negotiated content distribution partnerships with the likes of Reuters, the NHL, and Rainbow Media (Fuse, WE, IFC). Earlier in his career, Par co-founded the award winning mobile marketing agency, ipsh!, which was subsequently acquired by the Omnicom Group. While at The Walt Disney Company, he managed loyalty marketing programs and was responsible for the online launch of the wildly successful Disney Visa. Par began his career at Beyond Interactive, where he managed marketing campaigns for Oracle Corporation and led a mobile advertising R&D team that was accredited for producing the first animated WAP-based ads. Par holds an MBA from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

Brad Keywell (BBA '91, JD '93), Principal, Echo Logistics LLC
Brad Keywell is a Principal in Echo Global Logistics LLC, an enterprise transportation management firm headquartered in Chicago with nine offices across the United States, which provides transportation procurement, management, and optimization services across all modes. He is also a Principal in MediaBank LLC, a market-making and technology firm in the media buying space, and in ThePoint LLC, a social networking company using the web to help people solve problems they otherwise could not solve alone.

Mr. Keywell is the Managing Partner of Bristol Ventures LLC, an investment and advisory firm. Among Bristol’s holdings are IRIS WorldGroup, a Chicago-based information services and analytics firm with delivery centers in India; Cambrian Partners LLC, an advisory firm which assists U.S. firms in their diversity/minority procurement initiatives and offshore outsourcing strategies; and Archer Corporate Services LLC, a marketing fulfillment services firm.

Mr. Keywell was previously with Equity Group Investments, LLC, Sam Zell's investment vehicle. He is the former President of HA-LO Industries a NYSE-traded company that was the world’s leading provider of promotional products, having joined HA-LO after the company acquired Starbelly. He founded Starbelly in May, 1999 and was its Chief Executive Officer, overseeing its growth to over 200 employees in seven months and its sale to HA-LO announced in January 2000.

Mr. Keywell is a frequent speaker at technology and marketing industry events, as well as a guest lecturer at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, and the Medill School of Journalism. He is a judge for the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business New Venture Challenge. Mr. Keywell is an appointee to The Wall Street Project of the Council of Logistics Management. He has served as an Executive Partner to the William Blair New World Ventures venture capital fund in Chicago, and has served on the Advisory Committee of the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business Directors’ College. He founded the Digital Leadership Exchange, in partnership with Spencer Stuart, which is now a global CEO-level networking organization. He is the author of Biz Dev 3.0: Changing Business as We Know It, published by ALM Publishing.

Mr. Keywell was named one of the nation’s Top Ten Collegiate Entrepreneurs in 1991 by the Association of Collegiate Entrepreneurs, and received the 2000 Conrad Hilton Distinguished Entrepreneur Award from Loyola Marymount University. He was named one of the “Internet 100” by Crain’s Chicago Business, a listing of influential individuals in internet-related business. He was keynote speaker at the 2004 National Conference of the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization.

Mr. Keywell is on the Board of Trustees of Columbia College, the nation’s largest secondary education institution dedicated to the fine arts, and a member of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges. He is on the Board of Directors of Warrior Productions, a documentary filmmaker whose principal produced Hoop Dreams. He is a Trustee of the University of Michigan Hillel Foundation, and a member of the Chicago chapter of the Young Presidents’ Organization. Mr. Keywell received his JD, cum laude, from the University of Michigan School of Law (1993) and his BBA with honors from the University of Michigan Business School (1991). He is a member of the State Bar of Illinois and Michigan Bar Association.

Moderator: Jason Dishlip (MBA '08), Ross School of Business

Presenters

Lunch & Learn Roundtable Discussions: Launching While Earning Your Degree
Josh Botkin (MBA '06), Co-founder & CEO, Space Weather Forecasting Technologies (SWFT)
Josh Botkin founded Space Weather Forecasting Technologies (SWFT) with three doctoral students while earning his MBA at the University of Michigan. Josh wrote the business plan as an independent study project in 2006, using what he had learned through courses in corporate strategy, opportunity assessment and new venture creation. He also credits his experiences with an entrepreneurial MAP team at Precisia and as a Marcel Gani summer intern at Inovo Technologies for his understanding of cross-functional teamwork and technology startup creations.

The SWFT team entered several business competitions, including the 2006 Michigan Business Challenge, winning more than $15,000 in prize money. Josh was also honored as the 2006 MBA Entrepreneur of the Year. Before starting SWFT, Josh served as Manager of Market Planning & Implementation at Borders Group in Ann Arbor. Previously, he founded Botkin Editorial Services, a freelance writing and editing business. He received a BA in Political Science and Religion from Columbia University in 1992.

Michael Edison (MBA/MS '08), Well-House Home & Building Supply
Mike graduated from the University of Michigan in 2000 with a BS in Chemical Engineering. He spent five years as an environmental consultant in Chicago, IL and Columbus, OH. He returned to Michigan as part of the Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise. Mike has spent the past two years focused on renewable energy development and green building, with a primary interest in entrepreneurship. He is currently launching a residential green building material supply company with two fellow Ross MBAs.

Merrill Guerra (MBA '07), Founder & CEO, RealKidz, Inc.
Merrill Guerra is the CEO and Founder of RealKidz Inc. and is an evening student at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. RealKidz Clothing will be a fashion forward line of clothing for plus-size girls age 5-12 and will provide a social network for parents of overweight children. The RealKidz business plan developed and refined during Merrill’s time at Ross has resulted in $24,400 in awards through various business plan and grant competitions including being Runner Up for the Pryor Hale Best Business Award at the Michigan Business Challenge and Runner Up in the New Business Idea category at the Great Lakes Entrepreneur’s Quest. Merrill has received $75,000 in pre-seed funding from friends and family which has enabled RealKidz to launch the website in July, 2007 and to develop and produce the clothing line which will begin selling in October, 2007.

Robert Mazur (MBA '03), Co-founder & President, B.A. Maze, Inc. (PurrFect Opener)
Robert Mazur is the inventor of the PurrFect Opener®, co-founder of B.A. Maze, Inc. (established 2002), and 2003 MBA graduate from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. The PurrFect Opener® is a handheld tool used to open prescription and over-the-counter medication. The patented design has national exposure thanks to articles in Fortune Small Business, Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek Online, Good Housekeeping, Arthritis Today, and through television on the QVC Home Shopping Network. An award-winning business plan written while at the Ross School of Business resulted in awards totaling $56,000. Since graduation, the company launched the DogGone Opener™ and is currently developing future innovative products for an aging population. Prior to his MBA, Robert received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, Michigan and had seven years of automotive engineering experience.

Todd Sullivan (MBA '05), Founder & CEO, Spirit Shop, Inc.
Todd Sullivan is a seasoned entrepreneur with ten years of startup experience. Having launched three consumer product companies in that time-frame, he has raised angel funding, received one patent with two pending, licensed technology, set up offshore manufacturing and distribution facilities, and achieved one successful exit. Mr. Sullivan graduated from Yale University as Berkeley College’s Athlete of the Year and went on to play professional ice hockey. He earned his MBA from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and was selected as the Ross school’s 2005 MBA Entrepreneur of the Year. Today, Mr. Sullivan is the Founder and CEO of Spirit Shop Inc., the first company to allow students, parents and alumni in K-12 U.S. educational markets to fully customize and purchase their own school-branded apparel and merchandise online with no minimum orders. This latest company was developed with his classmates, professors and the Zell Lurie Institute staff dur ing his MBA program.

Michael Tarasev (MBA '08), Founder, Blaze Medical Devices
Prior to coming to Ross School of Business, Michael Tarasev had no entrepreneurial experience and did not envision himself one day starting a company. Nevertheless, upon exposure to other people who either already started a new business, or were thinking about starting one, his attitude towards entrepreneurship did change. And so, he started Blaze, a company based on one of his ideas about a novel way for analysis of Red Blood Cells. The concept went through a series of changes and refinements, and is presently focused on pre-transfusion control of blood quality for Urgent Care trauma patients. Blaze participated in ZLI’s Dare to Dream competition and Michigan Business Challenge, as well as in GLEQ Competition, where this year it got the first prize in a New Business Idea Category. In addition to working on his MBA, Michael Tarasev holds BS/MS in physics from St. Petersburg University and a Ph.D. in optics/biophysics from Vavilov State Optical Institute, Russia.

Chair: Shara Senior (MBA '08), Ross School of Business

Entrepreneurial Career Fair
Presenting Companies to be Announced