The infraNET Project, University of Waterloo

presents ...

A Smart Community Seminar

"Startup Companies: Factors for Success"

A Panel Discussion By:

Andrew Abouchar
Thomas Åstebro
Mark Schisler
Shirley Speakman

Tuesday, February 20, 2001
2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Davis Centre, Room 1304
University of Waterloo

About the Seminar

This seminar features a panel discussion about the factors involved in successful startup companies. The panel members are:

• Andrew Abouchar, Fund Manager, Waterloo Ventures
• Thomas Åstebro, Professor, Management Sciences, University of Waterloo
• Mark Schisler, Patent Agent, Bereskin & Parr
• Shirley Speakman, Corporate Finance Consultant, Royal Bank Ventures Inc.

This panel will address:

• what factors can be used to forecast the success of start-up firms
• what makes a startup company compelling for a venture investor
• what role does an incubator play in commercializing early stage technology
• what type of investment opportunity makes sense for an incubator
• how can intellectual property be protected
• why do venture capitalists like patents

About the Panel

Andrew Abouchar, founder of Stone Road Investment Management Inc., has experience in both high-tech and advanced manufacturing investments.

Thomas Åstebro, Assoc. Chair in Management of Technological Change, does research in institutional economics, organizational theory and behavioral decision-making and its applications to technology adoption and diffusion, entrepreneurship and decision-making in banks.

Mark Schisler, a UW graduate, specializes in intellectual property related to computer-based inventions. He manages the patent portfolio for PixStream, and has many other high-tech clients including IBM and Algorithmics.

Shirley Speakman, a UW graduate, is a corporate finance consultant for RB Ventures, an early stage investor assisting on transaction structuring and negotiation.

For more information

Shirley Fenton
The infraNET Project
Computer Systems Group, University of Waterloo
(519) 888-4074

Seminar Sponsorship

This seminar is sponsored by The infraNET Project, University of Waterloo.

The infraNET Project, initiated by the University of Waterloo in 1996, is a partnership to advance Web and Internet technologies. Its founding partners are: LivePage (now part of Janna Systems), MKS, Open Text, RIM, Sybase (Waterloo) and Waterloo Maple.

We also gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the Institute for Computer Research, University of Waterloo.