Slated for Sept 23-25, at Villa Toeplitz, Varese (some 30 miles northwest of Milan near the Lake Como and the Italian Lakes region), MtB Boot Camp is an intensive, hands-on, workshop that provides participants with the opportunity to gain entrepreneurial guidance and inspiration from prominent Silicon Valley mentors.

This year’s MtB Boot Camp is organized and directed by Charles Versaggi, Ph.D., President of Versaggi Biocommunications, and Alberto Onetti, Chairman of Mind the Bridge Foundation.

Following the road shows to promote the program, recruit participants and the primary selection of hundreds Business Plans and Call for Ideas, MtB Selection Committee had chosen 33 semifinalists to participate to MtB Boot Camp.

On the afternoon of Sept 23rd, MtB Boot Camp will be kicked off with a Public Forum. Organized with guest speakers and a panel discussion by boot camp instructors and entrepreneurial mentors, the forum will address key issues facing Italian entrepreneurship, business creation and financing — especially in view of today’s post-bubble global economy.

On Sept 24th-25th — MtB Boot Camp will be held for the Call for Ideas and Business Plan Competition semifinalists. The Program is run by top notch instructors and includes the following topics:

• Technology globalization — global overview of high-technology markets
• Developing breakthrough technology in Italy — the strengths and challenges of the Italian infrastructure for entrepreneurial development
• Business models and strategy — understanding the value chain
• Project, product or company? How to assess and qualify technologies as a basis for starting a company
• Legal considerations in forming a company
• Strategic positioning, competitive analysis, market assessment and strategy, communicating the vision, the investor slide presentation and elevator pitch
• Strategic alliances, licensing and partnering strategy
• Financing: the capitalization process and financing strategies