Mind the Bridge
Public Forum
Mind the Bridge CrESIT Boot Camp
Opening Workshop and Public Forum
Register at
www.mtb2010bootcamp.eventbrite.com
The success of an entrepreneur depend on his ability to translate and communicate his business idea into a viable plan, worthy of financial support. Both a decision-making tool and a promotional prospectus, at its best the business plan attempts to articulate a viable business model for delivering an indispensable solution, that can be actualized for societal benefit. Although not unique to Italy, in order to realize their vision Italian entrepreneurs face difficult hurdles that are rooted in cultural, as well as infrastructural challenges — the most serious of which is the lack of a well-established venture capital community. Thus, the commercialization of Italian ingenuity often depends on the entrepreneur’s ability to raise capital from outside the country’s borders.
Funded by The Cariplo Foundation and the Center for Innovation and Life Science Management (CrESIT), the Mind The Bridge Boot Camp kicks off with a workshop and public forum designed to address the challenges and opportunities of Italian entrepreneurship. As part of the MTB Business Plan Competitions, the mission of the MTB Boot Camp is to help participants clarify, create and communicate their entrepreneurial vision into a fundable business plan, and provid¬ing them with direct exposure to potential investors from the most experienced, entrepreneurial ecosystem in the world — the Silicon Valley.
The format of the public forum will be intimate and informal. Introduced and moderated by Charles Versaggi, Ph.D., MTB Boot Camp Director, a panel of seasoned Italian entrepreneurs and mentors will provide their perspectives and experiences, followed by an audience Q&A. Some of the key topics that will be explored:
• What are the key elements of a successful business plan?
• Developing breakthrough technology in Italy — the strengths and challenges of the Italian infrastructure for entrepreneurial development
• What defines the best of Italian science and technology — its strengths and weaknesses?
• What are the key elements required to drive innovation from the Italian university to industry? What are the major impediments, and how can we accelerate innovation?
• What is the role of venture capital in this process, especially in view of today’s post-bubble global economy?
The Program
- 3.30pm Registration
- 4.00pm Introduction
- 4.15pm Startups and Spin-offs in Italy: Facts and Trends
Alberto Onetti, Chairman, Mind the Bridge Foundation - 4.30pm Turning Your Idea into a Business Plan
Charles Versaggi, Ph.D., MTB Boot Camp Director - 5.00pm Entrepreneurial Stories
Elizabeth Robinson, Co-founder, NicOX
Marco Asquini, Co-owner, General Manager, SUPER//FLUO
Maurizio Liverani, Ph.D., Chairman, Baryon Capital Corporation
Francesco Baschieri, Founder, Spreaker - 5.45pm Closing
- 6.00pm Networking Cocktail Reception
Guest Speakers
Charles Versaggi, Ph.D., MTB Boot Camp Director, Program Moderator
President, Versaggi Biocommunications® (San Francisco Bay Area), a consultancy serving the corporate marketing and communications needs of life science companies.
Alberto Onetti, Ph.D., Chairman, Mind the Bridge Foundation
Professor of Business Administration and Innovation, Department of Economics, Insubria State University, Varese, Lombardia; Director CrESIT Research Center and Visiting Professor at San Francisco State University
Marco Asquini, Co-Founder, Italian Angels for Growth
Co-owner, General Manager, SUPER//FLUO, a Pordenone-based company specialized in the design and creation of Friulian TVs, plasmas and LCDs.
Maurizio Liverani, Ph.D., Chairman, Baryon Capital Corporation
Dr. Liverani also serves as Managing Partner of ClassFinance, a Milan-based financial advisory firm, and is Regional Nework Officer of World President Organization (WPO) Europe.
Elizabeth Robinson, Ph.D., Co-founder, President, NicOX Research Institute Srl
NicOX is a pharmaceutical company focused on the research, development and commercialization of drugs for the treatment of inflammatory, cardiometabolic and ophthalmological diseases.
Francesco Baschieri, Co-Founder and CEO of Spreaker
Spreaker is an Italian startup which allows anyone to host his own live radio show on the Internet. Before founding Spreaker, Francesco was also the Co-founder and CEO of Waymedia, a company focused on building mobile and proximity marketing solutions. Prior to that, he held the positions of operations director and project manager for various companies. Francesco holds a degree in computing engineering from the University of Bologna.
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