The infraNET Project, University of Waterloo and
Communitech, CTT's Community Technology Association present ...
The infraNET Distinquished Speaker Seminar Series
The State of High-Tech Venture Capital:
A Provincial Opportunity
Dennis Bennie
Wednesday, October 28, 1998
2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Abstract
The most important force transforming our societies, culture and politics is the networked economy – where everything is connected to everything else. It is a global playing-field made level where opportunities abound for those businesses poised to take the advantage. To get into the game and ultimately succeed on a world class scale requires two essential elements each dependent on the other for survival: venture capital and venture knowledge. To act on this concept is power and to understand it, one need only look South.
The explosive growth of innovation and capitalism has fueled an unparalleled proliferation of high-tech start-ups crammed into the 50-mile corridor known as Silicon Valley. The phenomenon of the Valley has cost our country, and nations round the world, a heavy price as the best and the brightest are lured to the Valley in search of creating the next "Amazon Yahoo". But by cultivating and supporting an indigenous model of the Valley, we can stem the brain-drain south and even reverse the trend…a dream in the making? Not so. It's reality and it's happening right now, right here.
Mr. Bennie will speak on relationship between high tech venture capital and venture knowledge, the Silicon Valley model and how XDL is reversing the trend - to the north.
Dennis Bennie
Dennis Bennie founded XDL Capital Corp. to focus exclusively on investing in and working with emerging companies involved in the growth of the Internet and related technologies. Since 1979, Dennis Bennie has created or co-founded, developed and sold three successful technology related businesses: Delrina Corporation. Ingram Micro Inc. and Mission Electronics. Mr. Bennie is a director of: iCat Corporation, a provider of Internet electronic commerce solutions; MGI Software Corp., a multimedia software solutions provider for PCs and the Internet; Archer Enterprise Systems Inc., a leading developer of sales force automation software; Backweb Technologies Inc., a developer of Internet "push" software technology; and PC Data, the leading market intelligence firm for software and hardware point-of-sale data.
XDL Capital Corporation
XDL Capital Corp. is a venture finance firm providing value added capital to entrepreneurial companies directly involved in, or positioned to benefit from, the growth of the Internet.
Seminar Sponsors
This seminar is sponsored by the infraNET Project, University of Waterloo and Communitech, CTT's Community Technology Association. We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the Institute for Computer Research.
Communitech
Our Community Technology Association
For more information, contact:
Shirley Fenton
The infraNET Project
University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON
Tel: 519-888-4074 Fax: 519-746-5422
