Strategy Series:

January 2009 (Bay Area): In the Trenches: Cutting Costs in a Tight Economy

March 2009 (Los Angeles): Revenue: The Internet Wants to Be Free, but You Need to Get Paid

March 2009 (Bay Area): Mobile App Tug of War: Who Get's the Biggest Piece of the Revenue Pie?

April 2009 (Los Angeles): When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Change Their Business Model

May 2009 (Los Angeles): Dual Citizenship: Startup Passport to LA and Silicon Valley

July 2009 (Bay Area): Partnering with the Big Dogs: Walk Softly and Carry a Big Stick (view blog and event summary)

July 2009 (Los Angeles): Content Monetization: 3 Models that Work (view blog and video)

August 2009 (Bay Area): Twitter, Mobile Apps & More: Is Social Media Creating New Channels for Customer Acquisition? (view blog and event summary)

August 2009 (Los Angeles) Return of the Angels: How angel investing is changing, and what it means for entrepreneurs (view blog and event summary)

September 2009 (Bay Area) Return of the Angels: How angel investing is changing, and what it means for entrepreneurs (view blog and event summary)

September 2009 (Los Angeles): Exits in 2010 - What No One Tells You About Cashing In Your Chips (view blog and event summary)


Startonomics (1-Day Conference):

February 6, 2009 (Los Angeles) View


Under the Radar (1-Day Conference):
April 24, 2009 (Mountain View, CA) View

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In the Trenches: Cutting Costs in a Tight Economy

January 21, 2009 | 6:30 - 8:30PM

Battery Ventures

2884 Sand Hill Rd. Suite 101
Menlo Park, CA 94025 (Directions)



SOLD OUT! We'll be testing a new video streaming service tonight - so to view this Strategy Series LIVE go here.


Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Saving cash in ‘09 isn’t just about cutting costs – its about reducing them.

While some expenditures may be obvious flagrancies, others could be essential to maintain your competitive edge – and customers – in a tough economy. The trick that scrappy entrepreneurs need to be savvy about in the new year is how to find free (or dirt cheap) alternatives without compromising significant quality.


Moderator:
Mark Sherman, General Partner, Battery Ventures

Speakers:
Seth Sternberg, CEO, Meebo
Auren Hoffman, CEO, Rapleaf
Eric Ries, KPCB and former CTO, IMVU

Munjal Shah, CEO, Like.com
Jason Lemkin, Founder and CEO, Echosign


We’ve declared 2009 the year of no B.S. In this Strategy Series, we’ll arm you with a wide range of services, products and tactics that will help get you through the storm. You’ll hear from some of the smartest, scrappiest startup CEO’s on real world strategies and hard-knock lessons that matter most, whether you’re a startup exec, an investor, or an aspiring entrepreneur.




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March 5, 2009 | Strategy Series 6:00PM - 7:30PM

MIXER = 7:30PM - 9:00PM

Rustic Canyon Partners - 2425 Olympic Boulevard
Suite 6050 West, Santa Monica, CA 90404 (Map)

Monetization strategies for web companies, from the startups to the tycoons, has proven to be hard...really freakin' hard. Let's face it – it’s put up or shut up time when it comes to turning eyeballs into dollars.

Don't be fooled - attracting users doesn't mean immediate revenue. How do you bring home the dough?

In this Strategy Series, we'll discuss:

* The Money Makers: Overview of common business models & what's working today
* Building Ad Models Through the Downturn: Methods for surviving the economy
* Is Freemium the Savior? How to drive conversion and manage attrition
* Beyond the Ad: Alternative and additional strategies for monetizing traffic

Moderator:
Nate Redmond, Partner, Rustic Canyon Partners

Speakers:
Keith Richman, CEO, Break.com
Vince Thompson, Founder and Managing Partner, MiddleShift
Jeff Tinsley, CEO, MyLife.com (Reunion.com)
Jay Budzik, CTO, Perfect Market


Mobile App Tug-O-War: Who Will Get the Biggest Piece of Pie?

March 26, 2009 | 6:30PM - 8:30PM
Nokia - 955 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, CA 94304

Mobile App stores have been around for years, but they're finally starting to pay off.  No longer is the model doubtful - it promises a new revenue stream for operators, handset OEMs and app developers.

In this Strategy Series, we’ll debate who stands to get the biggest piece of the pie:

For startups: Could this actually be a promising, substantial revenue stream, or is it just another carrier in sheep's clothing?
For carriers: Will their limited control of things like distribution and development across handsets cripple their goals for domination?
For handset OEM's: What ingredients are in the recipe for a blockbuster app store?

Moderator:
Scott Ellison, VP Mobile & Wireless, IDC

Speakers:
Peter Buhl, General Partner, BlueRun Ventures
Jeff Smith, CEO, Smule
Rick Witham, Head of Channels and VC Relations, Nokia
Tom Conrad, CTO, Pandora

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LA Strategy Series & Mixer

April 7, 2009 | Strategy Series 6:00PM - 7:30PM (Mixer to follow)

Clearstone Venture Partners - 1351 4th Street, 4th floor
Santa Monica, CA 90401 (MAP)

Gone are the days when a startup with hopes of long-term survival could etch a business model in stone and follow it indefinitely. In today's market, even the most prolific companies have to iterate and adapt, or die.

But the decision isn't always clear cut.
On one hand, there's a desire to stick to the founding vision, regardless of criticism and doubts. On the other hand, entrepreneurs have to recognize the importance of allowing the evolution of their initial idea as research, experience, and understanding validates and/or proves them wrong.

So how do you know when to stay the course, and when to switch gears?

In this Strategy Series, we'll discuss:

* Timing is Everything: Dissecting the risks and trigger points for staying the course vs. switching business models.
* Change is Good: The entrepreneur's playbook for switching strategy without losing your customers...and your focus.
* Talking to the People: Communicating the change to your peeps - from press to investors and board members to customers.

Modertor: William Quigley, Managing Director, Clearstone Venture Partners

Speakers:
Piers Lingle , Business Unit Head, Consumer Applications, Core Objects & Co-founder, Stamps.com
Ian Swanson, Founder & CEO,  Sometrics
Alec Andronikov, Chief Mobilizer/CEO, Movoxx
James Kim, Senior VP of Corporate Dev. and Strategy, Co-Founder, Opinmind
 



LA Strategy Series & Mixer: Tuesday, May 12, 2009 - 6:15PM - 9:30PM

Dual Citizenship: Leveraging the Advantages between Silicon Valley & LA
You can't avoid it... Northern and Southern California are totally different places, complete with distinct business cultures and values.  Though the L.A. tech scene is thriving, entrepreneurs have to ask themselves: does Silicon Valley have the upper hand, and if so - how can SoCal startups leverage those differences?

Moderator:
Richard Wolpert, Managing Director, The Mailroom Fund

Speakers:
Jason Oberfest, SVP Business Development, MySpace
Joey Carson, President & CEO, Hollywood Interactive Group
Mike Jones, COO, MySpace
Mark Suster, Partner, GRP Partners