Angel Groups in Action:
Funding Early Stage Innovation

Wednesday, June 1, 2005
MIT's Kresge Auditorium

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Click here for a copy of the slide presentation from Jeff Sohl of the Center for Venture Research

Presented in association with

You're an entrepreneur at a crucial junction in the early stage of your company. Your choices are to pull your bootstraps so tight they cut off circulation, ask the bank to further extend your loan, and deliver your elevator pitch at the next family function.

Or you can talk to an Angel.

The MIT Enterprise Forum, Inc. presents a rare insider's look into the ever increasing role of Angel Investing in early stage technologies. "Angel Groups in Action" will feature an interactive round-table discussion from a panel of experts that will help close the knowledge gap entrepreneurs and the tech community have of the practices and principles of angel investing.

Produced in association with the Angel Capital Association, program attendees and viewers will learn:

• the truth behind common myths about angel investors;
• common mistakes entrepreneurs make when approaching angels;
• the evolution of angel investing and how groups can and do organize effectively today; and
• the future trends of angel investments.

Featured panelists include Ed Roberts '57, MIT Sloan School of Management Professor and Founder of the MIT Entrepreneurship Center; James Geshwiler GM '00, Chairman of the Angel Capital Association and Managing Director of CommonAngels; Dan Roach (moderator), of Brown & Brown LLP; Jeffrey Sohl, Director of the Center for Venture Research and Professor of Entrepreneurship and Decision Sciences at the University of New Hampshire; and Jerry Schaufeld, a member of numerous angel investor groups.

Speaker Biographies

Edward B. Roberts '57 is the David Sarnoff Professor of Management of Technology at MIT's Sloan School . He is considered by many to be the ultimate expert on entrepreneurial endeavors as he has literally written the book on high-tech business impresarios. His Entrepreneurs in High Technology won the Association of American Publishers Award for Outstanding Book in Business and Management. Additionally, Professor Roberts is Founder and Chair of the MIT Entrepreneurship Center, and his research includes major aspects of entrepreneurial approaches by existing companies. Professor Roberts is actively involved as a co-founder, board member, and angel investor in many high-tech startups. He has four degrees from MIT, a bachelor's and masters in electrical engineering, a master's in management, and a Ph.D. in economics.

James Geshwiler GM '00 is co-founder and chairman of the Angel Capital Association, fostering best practices and forming new angel groups across the country. He is also Managing Director of CommonAngels, and has participated in funding 18 companies through over 55 rounds of financing totaling over $100 million since 1999. Geshwiler is a contributing author to Cutting-Edge Practices in American Angel Investing, and has published papers through the Kauffman Foundation. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Texas at Austin, received a master's in political science from UCLA, and his MBA from the MIT Sloan School.

Daniel Roach (moderator) is currently with the CPA firm Brown & Brown L.L.P., where he works with a portfolio of technology and services clients.  Before joining Brown & Brown, Roach gained a strong operating background by working with several early stage technology companies where he assisted in establishing the finance function and raising capital.  Prior to his financial advisory work, he was a Managing Director for Garage Technology Venture, a Palo Alto, CA based early stage venture fund and investment bank where he was responsible for generating deal flow as well as performing due diligence on potential investments.   Roach received his bachelor's from the University of Rochester and his MBA from Northeastern University.

Jeffrey Sohl is Director of the Center for Venture Research at the Whittemore School of Business and Economics at the University of New Hampshire, and a Professor of Entrepreneurship and Decision Sciences. Prior to UNH, he was a consultant to the Department of Energy on public policy analysis. He has presented his angel research around the globe and has written for numerous academic and business journals. Sohl also sits on the New Hampshire Governor's Advisory Committee on Capital Formation, and is on the advisory and editorial boards for numerous organizations and publications.

Jerry Schaufeld has a wealth of experience in entrepreneurship, management, and funding of technology-based companies. Schaufeld recently completed a term as director of the Slater Fund, a venture development firm. He was co-founder of Phoenix Controls, a member of the Navigator Technology Ventures Board and Launchpad Angels, and co-founder of Cherrystone Angels. In addition, Schaufeld was a founder and the first Chairman of the MIT Enterprise Forum.