After the collapse of the dot.com business sector last year, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists have been forced to regroup and come up with new ways to survive.Ìý
Survival and other business strategies will be discussed on Feb. 25 at the 2nd annual "Future of High-Tech Startups" conference, to be hosted by the University of Colorado at Boulder School of Law's Silicon Flatirons Telecommunications Program.
The conference, to be held in the law school's Lindsley Memorial Courtroom, will bring together a number of area leaders in law and business to discuss developments in venture capital financing, restructuring acquisitions and management issues for lawyers in the high-tech industry.Ìý
"Despite the crash in the dot.com sector, entrepreneurs continue to form and run start-up businesses in the technology sector," explained Dale Oesterle, director of the University of Colorado School of Law's Entrepreneurship Program. "The issues are changing, with restructuring and challenging financing questions rising to the fore, but the venture capital industry will survive the current economic downturn," he said.
Steve Wallman, former Securities and Exchange commissioner and founder and chief executive officer of Foliofn, will be the keynote speaker. Other speakers include Nancy Pierce, corporate development officer and co-founder of Carrier Access Corp. and James Linfield, managing partner at Cooley Godward's Colorado office.
This year's panels will feature top industry insiders offering their views on how to survive and flourish in the current market. In addition to venture capital financing, panelists will examine some of the more difficult issues of surviving in a tough business environment such as "Restructuring and Strategic Acquisitions" and "Ethical and Management Issues for Lawyers in the High-Tech Industry."
The conference is part of CU-Boulder's continuing effort to prepare students for work in technology start-up companies.Ìý
CU-Boulder has recognized the importance of the growing technology sector with course work in the business school's entrepreneurship program, the Interdisciplinary Telecommunications program's master's degree in telecommunications and the law school's establishment of an entrepreneurship clinic. By bringing local leaders in the field to campus, students are exposed to timely issues and are better prepared when they enter the work force.
The one-day conference will begin at 3 p.m. and concludes with a reception at 7 p.m. For program and registration information, please visit the Silicon Flatirons Web site at , or contact Adam Peters at (303) 735-5633 or send email to adam.peters@colorado.edu.
The conference fee is $50. All CU students, faculty, staff and press will be admitted free of charge. Lawyers attending the conference are eligible for continuing legal education credit.