We’re tapping into a hot issue at our next big Xconomy Forum, called “VC Crossfire” on October 28 at Amazon’s brand new South Lake Union headquarters. We’ve assembled a stellar cast of venture capitalists and entrepreneurs (Bob Nelsen, Tom Alberg, Martin Tobias, Chris Henney) to talk about something that affects everybody in the Northwest innovation community: how truly innovative startups will get financed here in an era of scarce venture capital.
We only have about an hour for the panel discussion, so Greg and I got to thinking about how we could get a few more voices involved in the conversation, without letting this drag on until midnight. So we came up with an idea we’re calling “The Soapbox,” in which a few angel investors and entrepreneurs will get the microphone for a few minutes each to describe one clear idea for financing innovative startups that just might work in this post-2008 era of austerity.
Two great speakers have boldly agreed to step up on the soapbox (no, we’re not literally going to have them stand on a box). The speakers are Bill Harding, the founder and CEO of Seattle-based Bonanza (formerly Bonanzle), and either Andy Sack or Randall Lucas from RevenueLoan, the Seattle-based investment company seeking to generate returns by capturing a royalty stream from tech companies’ sales. We might (just might) be able to squeeze one more speaker into the soapbox section of the evening, so if you have a compelling idea to offer, please send me and Greg a note at [email protected].
It’s hard to believe it’s October already, which means this event is approaching fast. There are still some tickets remaining, although it’s unlikely any will be left at the door. So if you haven’t already, go ahead and point your browser to the registration page and grab a ticket. See you there on October 28.
