Most recently, Geoffrey has served as a communications advisor to executives of Cognizant Technology Solutions, Giant Eagle Corporation, & to Dr. Finn E. Kydland, recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. In April 2008, he co-taught a course to executives of QatarGas with Dr. Sunder Kekre in Doha Qatar.

A professional theatre director & member of the Society of Stage Directors & Choreographers, Geoffrey has directed over 160 productions in London, Off-Broadway, & Equity regional theatres. He has also taught in major acting & directing training programs including London’s Central School of Speech & Drama, The Juilliard Theatre Center, New York University, Circle In The Square Theatre Conservatory, & Carnegie Mellon Drama.

David Dunaway, President and CEO My Payment Network (MPN), www.MyPayNet.com develops and delivers electronic payment solutions for schools and small to medium-sized businesses through its self-service and easy-to-use web applications, SchoolPay© and MyPayNet®. Founded in 2005, the company has largely focused to date on the K-12 school segment with sales distribution through resellers. MPN integrates its online payment functionality into the existing solutions provided by these resellers -- technology companies serving K-12 that deem electronic payment as a value-added service. MPN has signed distribution contracts with twelve of these K-12 focused partners that comprise 50,000 schools in their customer base (about 25% of the US K-12 universe). Our strategy for rapid growth is to execute in other verticals through resellers as well. MPN is currently pilot testing the next prospective vertical in the medical payment segment.

The company recently closed on funding with Innovation Works Innovation Works - Seeding Growth in Southwestern Pa. The IW funding is part of the overall target to raise about $1M by the end of 2008. In addition to IW, MPN recently closed on funding from several individual investors. It is an exciting time to invest in MPN – the company generates revenue and has a significant and exclusive reseller network with exciting plans for the next verticals to pursue.

Michael Gualtieri, Founder and CEO of Kiddix Computing, is an expert in operating systems and security issues. Kiddix Computing is a software company based in Pittsburgh, PA that specializes in creating safe, fun, and easy-to-use environments for children on the PC. The company’s mission is embodied in its core product, the Kiddix Platform, a Linux operating system that is customized for use by children and easily installed and administered.

The company will soon launch the Kiddix PC, a $250 computer with Kiddix software preloaded. A strategy involving hardware is core to the company’s future growth, as the market is moving in a direction towards low cost computers for children. Kiddix software is being deployed in nationally recognized organizations, such as the YMCA, and has been featured in several national publications, including Wired.com and The Wall Street Journal.

Joel P. Adams, General Partner, Adams Capital Management. Joel founded Adams Capital Management in 1994 and has led its growth to $809 million capital under management. Before establishing ACM, Joel served for eight years as Vice President and General Partner of Fostin Capital Corp., a Pittsburgh-based, family-owned investment firm.

Prior to Fostin, Joel served for seven years as a nuclear test engineer for General Dynamics, where he managed chemical, electrical and mechanical engineering teams and directed nuclear power plant sea trials. Joel is a member of several charitable organizations, a former Trustee of Carnegie Mellon University and a frequently requested speaker on the topic of venture capital.

Joal has industry expertise in distribution systems, IT , medical diagnostics and web services. He recieved a M.S. in Industrial Administration from Carnegie Mellon University and a B.S. in Nuclear Engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He currently is on the boards of Additech, Inc., Precision Therapeutics, Inc., SmartOps Corporation, TimeSys Corporation and Tiversa, Inc.

Donna J. Myers is President of TowerCare Technologies, makers of DonorPro nonprofit management software. Donna has worked with clients in a number of industries to optimize technology to increase revenue and to improve operational efficiencies. Donna has twenty-five years of experience in business and market strategy, corporate and business development, and sales and marketing. Prior to TowerCare Technologies, Donna most recently was COO for Apache Medical Systems (decision support software for intensive care), then Executive Vice President of TechRx (software for retail and mail service pharmacy), and then Senior Vice President, Business Development for NDCHealth (software and related services for healthcare).

Seán Sebastian, Partner, Birchmere Ventures Seán is responsible for sourcing and evaluating venture capital opportunities primarily in the technology sector. He is actively involved in the development and growth of numerous companies, serving as a past or current director of CyOptics, FreeMarkets, Lightningcast, LogicLibrary, MediaSite, NeoLinear, ParaData, Precision Therapeutics, and Safeguard Interactive.

Seán has over 20 years of experience in technology commercialization, management consulting, systems integration, and financial services. Prior to founding Birchmere, Seán was with PNC Bank’s Corporate Finance Group. Seán was previously Founder and CEO of The Telford Group Ltd., a technology consulting firm to financial services clients. He also provided management consulting services to major banking and insurance clients at International Systems Services. While at General Electric Information Services, Seán directed artificial intelligence commercialization activities. At American Management Systems, he consulted on applied artificial intelligence systems for various public and private sector clients. Seán also served on active duty in the U.S. Air Force.

Seán serves on the Pittsburgh Technology Council’s executive committee and is past president of the Pittsburgh Venture Capital Association. He is a frequent guest lecturer on entrepreneurship and venture capital at Carnegie Mellon University. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and an M.B.A. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Holly Maurer-Klein, President, HMK Associates. Holly has been working as a consultant to the Pittsburgh corporate community since 1988. Her prior experience included directing the HR function at American Auto-Matrix, Inc., and holding the position of Managing Director for the Human Resource Management Group, a subsidiary of the Pittsburgh Technology Council. Ms. Maurer-Klein formed HMK Associates, Inc. in 1993 to provide full-spectrum human resources services to growing organizations.

Ms. Maurer-Klein has given numerous presentations on a wide variety of human resources topics to diverse audiences and has written many articles for regional business publications. She served for 10 years on the board of Beginning with Books, a non-profit organization with the mission of turning children into lifelong readers, and has also served on advisory boards for Power Link, a local non-profit organization dedicated to assisting women-owned businesses. In May 2001, Ms. Maurer-Klein was named one of Pennsylvania's Best 50 Women in Business for 2001 by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Department of Community and Economic Development, in association with the business journals of Pennsylvania. Ms. Maurer-Klein holds a Bachelors degree from Penn State University.

Eve Picker, President, no wall productions, inc. Trained as an architect and urban designer, Eve has built an entrepreneurial real estate development business, which has rocked Pittsburgh. Since 1997, she has focused on downtown and urban neighborhoods that others have ignored, transforming vacant warehouses into highly desirable loft-style residences and offices. These projects have set the stage for future residential development in downtown Pittsburgh, have forced new policy to be adopted in areas such as building codes and parking, and have created a new marketplace. Her projects have been recognized in numerous ways, as has she, including publication in Dwell Magazine, AIA honor award, Coolspace Locator Award, Pittsburgh Magazine Superior Interior Award, SBN Magazine Pacesetter, Top 50 PIttsburgh PG business leader and one of PA’s 50 Best Women in Business.

In early 2006 Eve launched an e-publication, popcitymedia.com, aimed at breaking the bad news cycle so typical of rust belt cities. Readership during her year and a half long tenure grew from 20,000 to 175,000. In 2007 she launched cityLIVE!, a free, monthly series of engagingly educational events, showcasing the creative and intellectual talent of the city, speaking to its transformation and providing a networking forum for those interested in all things Pittsburgh. And in 2008 she will launch a Leadership Salon series.

Barry Shepard, CEO QponDirect, has over 17 years experience with a proven track record of generating outstanding sales and profit growth for highly competitive consumer package goods businesses. QponDirect is a Marketing Services and Software Development Company that will provide a variety of business services to digitize and facilitate the entire end-to-end business process and fulfillment solution for couponing. Prior to joining QponDirect he was an Executive Officer and Senior Vice President, Marketing & Innovation for Del Monte Foods, a San Francisco based Food and Beverage Company. At Del Monte he was responsible for leading their New Venture Group as well as delivering Marketing Excellence across Consumer Insights, Market Research, Advertising and Promotions, and Package Design. Mr. Shepard began his career with Del Monte in 2002 as the Vice President of Pet Food Marketing following the acquisition of businesses from the H. J. Heinz Company. At Heinz, he held the positions of Director of Marketing, Ketchup & Condiments followed by Vice President of Marketing for StarKist Seafood. Prior to going to Heinz, Mr. Shepard spent eight years with Procter & Gamble’s Laundry & Cleaning Products Division in progressively responsible brand management assignments. Mr. Shepard graduated from Duke University and earned his MBA from The University of Michigan.

Raul Valdes-Perez, Chief Executive Officer, Vivisimo. Raul has led Vivísimo since co-founding it in June, 2000. During his tenure, he has been recognized as a 2007 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year (North Central Region), top ten reader favorite for Entrepreneur of the Year by Inc. magazine, twice a CEO of the year finalist by the Pittsburgh Technology Council, CEO Communicator of the Year by the Public Relations Society of America (Pittsburgh chapter), and an Outstanding Alumni Career Achievement by the University of Illinois at Chicago. Before Vivísimo, Raul was on the Carnegie Mellon University computer science department faculty, where his research on new methods and applications of knowledge discovery led to publishing nearly 50 journal articles in natural, social and computer science. He was a principal investigator on six grants from the National Science Foundation, served on its advisory committee for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences, and was an action editor of the journal Machine Learning. Raul received a Ph.D. in computer science at Carnegie Mellon in 1991, where his adviser was Herbert A. Simon (Turing Award 1975 and Nobel Laureate 1978) and B.S. and M.S. degrees in information engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Eric Koger, CEO of ModCloth. Eric co-founded ModCloth.com with Susan Gregg Koger - Creative Director- in 2002. He is the analytical business mind behind ModCloth; applying 8 years of web development and Search Engine Optimization expertise to catapult ModCloth.com into the online fashion world as the #1 website on the internet for Retro Clothing according to Google. Eric is a serial entrepreneur; incorporating his first successful internet business when he was only 16. Eric holds a B.S. and an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business with a focus on Entrepreneurship, Marketing, and Organizational Behavior.

The program is moderated by Tim Scanlon, President & CEO, Alucid Solution www.alucid.com. Tim has 24 years of business leadership in user experience design and evaluation, international marketing, vision & strategy development, and operations. His user experience teams have helped introduce new software and technology solutions for industry leaders Rockwell Automation, General Electric, Westinghouse Electric, and Structural Dynamics Research Corporation (SDRC) focusing on innovations in customer experience and usability.

Tim was responsible for designing, staffing, and leading four user-experience consulting teams at these businesses, and has helped many other CXO’s improve their customer experience while at Alucid and during his tenure as Vice President of ThoughtForm Design. A 1984 graduate of Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Industrial Design, he has studied Strategic Marketing Management at Harvard Business School and Strategic Marketing of Technology Solutions through California Institute of Technology among many other professional development courses. He attended the Rockwell Leadership Institute and graduated from Leadership Pittsburgh (LPI Class XXIII) in 2007.

Tim is an active member of several leadership, design, entrepreneurial, marketing, and technology strategy professional organizations. In addition, he is on the board of the MIT Enterprise Forum in Pittsburgh and Alucid Solution Inc.

Anne D’Appolonia, Director of Development, Propel Schools http://www.propelschools.org/ . Anne brings a strong background in media relations, strategic communications and client service.

Prior to Propel Schools she was an Account Executive with the Pittsburgh team of Euro RSCG Magnet supporting their Transitions Optical and Kaldewei accounts with writing, media relations, event planning and account support. Anne also worked extensively in the fashion industry. In the New York office of Dolce & Gabbana, U.S.A., Inc., she served as a public relations manager, where she contributed to PR campaign strategies, media relations and event planning. She also worked as a corporate communications associate at Tommy Hilfiger, U.S.A., Inc. where she was responsible for a range of writing and media relations. She was actively involved in pitching national print and electronic media outlets as well as facilitating internal company communications.

D’Appolonia is a Pittsburgh native, and received her bachelor’s degree in communications from Denison University in Granville, Ohio.

Susan Farber, President and Founder, Susan Farber Collections www.susanfarbercollections.com. Susan Farber Collections began in 2003 in two stores. Her handbags can now be found in over three hundred specialty boutiques nationwide. She has been featured twice in the accessories exhibit at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Bryant Park, most recently for fall 2007.

Susan attended the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. Her background in marketing led to extensive research in art and fashion. A longtime student of color and design, the handbags and belts in her collection combine unusual combinations of color and leather creating a signature design that is both sophisticated and unique.

A wife, mom and entrepreneur, Susan dreamed of growing a business in fashion. With the support of her husband, three sons, best friends and family her business has thrived. Without a doubt, the energy, drive and support of her co-workers, Ashley, Katie and Michelle, all University of Pittsburgh recent graduates, continues to propel the success of Susan Farber Collections.

David A. Gurwin is an attorney and Shareholder with the national law firm of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC, resident in both the Firm’s Pittsburgh and New York City offices. Mr. Gurwin is also an Adjunct Professor of Entertainment Technology at Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center. A professional jazz pianist himself, he chairs the Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney’s Entertainment and Media Law Group. He also co-chairs the Firm’s Technology Transactions Group and is a member of the Emerging Companies Group. Mr. Gurwin represents clients in a broad variety of industries, with a particular focus on Internet, computer and technology clients, as well as those involved in the entertainment industries.

In the technology arena, Mr. Gurwin represents and has represented clients in a broad variety of industries including Internet, e-commerce, software and information technology, biomedical, health care, advertising, consumer products, manufacturing, insurance and retail in connection with licensing and other business transactions involving the sale, acquisition, and commercial exploitation of software, biotech, and other technology assets. In the entertainment industries, his clients include and have included video game developers, film producers, musicians, record companies, recording artists, record producers, concert promoters, songwriters, music publishers, advertising and interactive agencies, fine artists, authors, literary publishers, television personalities, broadcasters, webcasters, playwrights, video production companies, arts organizations, professional athletes and sports organizations. He also practices extensively in the areas of copyright, trademark and intellectual property law.

Mr. Gurwin received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree, summa cum laude, from The Ohio State University in 1982. He received his Juris Doctor degree, with honors in Law, from The Ohio State University in 1985, where he served as Article Editor of The Ohio State Law Journal and was elected to The Order of the Coif.

He is a member of the Allegheny County Bar Association and The Computer Law Association. He is Immediate Past-Chair of the Allegheny County Bar Association’s Arts and Law Section. He is also a member of the Board of School Directors of the Hampton Township (Pennsylvania) School District, a member of the Board of Trustees of the MIT Enterprise Forum of Pittsburgh, a member of the Board of Advisors of Carnegie Mellon University’s Arts and Culture Observatory and a member of the Information Technology Network Advisory Board for the Pittsburgh Technology Council.

Mr. Gurwin is a co-author of Inside the Minds: The Legal Sides of Entertainment, Sports, & Media, Aspatore Books (2004). He is also the author of Information Technology Consulting and Professional Services Agreements: Line by Line, Aspatore Books (2005). He is a frequent lecturer and author on the subjects of Internet and computer law, entertainment law and intellectual property law. He can be contacted at: 412.562.1592 or david.gurwin@bipc.com

Matt Harbaugh, Chief Investment Officer, Innovation Works (IW), www.innovationworks.org , a Pittsburgh-based seed fund that has provided over $30 million in risk capital and business assistance to more than 80 seed-stage companies since 2000. Matt oversees IW’s investment fund, chairs its investment committee and helps IW find, evaluate and invest in the region’s most promising startups.

Since joining IW in early 2001, Matt has worked with hundreds of early-stage technology companies while serving on IW’s investment committee and in his prior roles of Director of External Finance and Enterprise Associate. Matt has deep expertise in capital formation, and utilizes this knowledge in advising companies on raising outside capital and working with follow-on investors. During his tenure at IW, portfolio companies have been successful in raising more than $250 million in follow-on funding from VCs, angels and strategic investors.

Matt works closely with many of the region’s technology investors and economic development organizations in collaborative efforts to improve the overall early-stage investment climate in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Matt has played a key role in the development of many of the region’s investor-focused initiatives, including the creation of the Pittsburgh Angel Fund, the Southwest Pennsylvania Angel Network and the Pittsburgh Angel Venture Fair.

Prior to Innovation Works, Matt served as Vice President of Finance for a venture-backed startup and was an investment banker at PNC Capital Markets, where he helped middle-market companies raise growth capital through private placements of debt and equity.

Matt is active in the Pittsburgh community – he is a member of the Pittsburgh Venture Capital Association and serves on the Board of Trustees of the region’s Smithsonian-affiliated history museum. Matt is a graduate of the Leadership Development Initiative, a program of Leadership Pittsburgh, and was a member of the transition team of former Allegheny County Chief Executive Jim Roddey.

Matt received his J.D. and M.B.A. degrees from George Washington University, and his B.A. from Duke University. He currently lives in Mt. Lebanon, PA with his wife and daughter.

Our moderator Mike Howard, Principal of Michael T. Howard & Associates a consulting firm he founded in 2007 which is focused on helping organizations grow, as well as achieve operational and financial improvement. Previously Mike was Senior Vice President of Corporate Services and CFO of MEDRAD Inc. During his 16 year tenure with MEDRAD the company grew from $49 million annual sales to over $500 million. In addition to Finance, Mike provided leadership for the Information Technology, Human Resources, Marketing Services, Internal Consulting and Legal Services functions. Prior to joining MEDRAD, Mike was the Controller at Teradyne Connections Systems and Vice President-Finance of the Medical Device Group of Boston Scientific Corporation. Mike serves on the boards of the Pittsburgh Public Theater and the Center for Organ Recovery and Education (CORE).

He was a co-founder, member of the Board, and a scientific advisor to Biological Detection Systems, Inc. until it was sold to Amersham Biosciences in 1996. Dr. Taylor was a Professor of Biological Sciences, Vice Dean of Molecular Sciences, and Director of the National Science Foundation, Science and Technology Center (STC) at Carnegie Mellon between 1982 and 1996. He was a pioneer in the development of instrumentation and fluorescence-based reagents to measure the functions of living cells. He continues as an Adjunct Professor at Carnegie Mellon. Dr. Taylor began his academic and research career at Harvard University.

He received his Bachelor of Arts in Economics degree from Yale University (1972) and an MBA with honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1975). Mike is a Board Member of the MIT Enterprise Forum and served as a panelist on the February 2007 MIT Enterprise Neurokinetics Forum.

Rob Conway, Senior Manager, Business Development and Licensing; Center for Technology Transfer and Enterprise Creation at Carnegie Mellon University. Rob has over 25 years of experience in engineering, business development, product management and technology transfer. Following active duty as a nuclear submarine officer, Rob led engineering and marketing organizations at Westinghouse including an in-house startup company, and managed product lines for ServiceWare and Tollgrade Communications. In the late 90s he founded a market research firm in Pittsburgh, and in 2003 he was recalled to active duty to lead venture capital operations for the U.S. Navy.

Rob joined Carnegie Mellon in 2003 and has negotiated nearly 50 commercial license agreements and helped launch 11 spin-off companies. He licenses Carnegie Mellon’s technologies from Electrical and Computer Engineering, the Robotics Institute, CYLAB, and part of the School of Computer Science.

Dr. Ganesh Mani, currently head the Global Innovation Center. Ganesh is a financial services domain expert and an accomplished entrepreneur in the area of embedding high-value IP in various business processes. His prior companies include Dynamix Technologies and Advanced Investment Technology (an asset management boutique acquired by State Street Global Advisors). He is also on the Adjunct Faculty of Carnegie Mellon University. His areas of expertise include asset management, financial services and e-commerce technologies, as well as low-cost innovation strategies. Mani has been featured on ABC’s Nightline and in a Barron’s cover story entitled "New Brains on the Block." He received an MBA in Finance and a Ph. D. in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, after graduating from IIT Bombay. He is a charter member of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), Pittsburgh chapter and was an early member of the Chicago Quantitative Alliance.

One of his prior start-ups was acquired by State Street Bank, thereby creating the nucleus of State Street Global’s Advanced Research Center, which was the knowledge-locus for managing institutional portfolios worth several tens of billions of dollars. Ganesh has contributed to several other innovative start-ups including iCAD, which is now a NASDAQ-listed public company employing pattern recognition techniques for early cancer detection. Ganesh was part of the Applied Security Analysis Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he earned an MBA in Finance and a PhD in Artificial Intelligence. He has a BTech in Computer Science from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.

Henry Thorne, Co-founder Thorley Industries, Strip District developers of innovative new products. Thorley Industries just landed a $215 M deal with global toymaking giant Hasbro to develop a new product line. Henry Thorne graduated from CMU with an ME in 1984 and went to work for General Motors Corporation where he engineered large robotic assembly lines and created the first Graphic Interface for Industrial Robots. He founded Cycle Time Corp. in 1990 creating the top selling TopHat interface and Bullseye TCP calibration system.

In 1995 Mr. Thorne founded Probotics Inc. where he created the worlds first personal robot, Cye. In 2001 he founded Aethon Inc. where he created the Tug, a health care delivery robot. In 2005 he co-founded Thorley Industries with Robert Daley where they have created the market leading Cleanwater Infant Tub and two power folding products that will revolutionize segments of the juvenile product marketplace.

David S. Smith, a corporate lawyer focusing on intellectual property transactions, venture financings and regulatory matters for life sciences companies and investors, is of counsel with Pepper Hamilton LLP, resident in the Pittsburgh office. David will moderate our discussion and provide some insight into some of the legal, ethical and regulatory issues surrounding our topic.

Peter M. DeComo, co-founder, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and a Director of Renal Solutions. Renal Solutions Inc. was acquired in November 2007 by Fresenius Medical Care, a German dialysis company, for $200 million. Following the anouncement DeComo commented "It’s a huge deal for Renal, and it’s a huge deal for the region, to have a success like this."

Previously Mr. DeComo was the Chief Operating Officer of HemoTherapies where he led the commercialization of the first FDA cleared Liver Dialysis System. He was previously Senior Vice President of the Infusion Therapy/Biotech Operating Division for Olsten Health Services, now Accredo, and a $600 million Specialty Pharmacy provider. Prior to joining Olsten, Mr. DeComo held numerous senior level positions with three prior start-ups in the health care industry, with a focus on paradigm shifts involving the provision of specialized products and services to patients in the home setting. He served as a Director on the Board of Curative Health Services (NASDAQ: CURE) and is affiliated with a number of healthcare related organizations. Mr. DeComo received his MS and BS degrees in Healthcare/Business Administration from the University of Pittsburgh.

D. Lansing Taylor, Ph.D. founder, Chairman, and CEO of Cellomics, Inc. President and CEO of Cellumen, Inc.. In 2005, Fisher Scientific International Inc. acquired Cellomics Inc. for about $49 million in cash. Also, last month Dr. Taylor was named Chairman of the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse, following co-chairs Mark Nordenberg, the Chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh and Dr. Jared Cohon, the President of Carnegie Mellon University.

He was a co-founder, member of the Board, and a scientific advisor to Biological Detection Systems, Inc. until it was sold to Amersham Biosciences in 1996. Dr. Taylor was a Professor of Biological Sciences, Vice Dean of Molecular Sciences, and Director of the National Science Foundation, Science and Technology Center (STC) at Carnegie Mellon between 1982 and 1996. He was a pioneer in the development of instrumentation and fluorescence-based reagents to measure the functions of living cells. He continues as an Adjunct Professor at Carnegie Mellon. Dr. Taylor began his academic and research career at Harvard University.

Dr. Taylor is on the Board of Directors of the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse, NetHealth Systems, Inc., PA BIO, and Celsense, Inc. He received the 1996 Computer World, Smithsonian Award in Science for the work performed by the STC on functional imaging of live cells. He was named entrepreneur of the year in Western Pennsylvania by Ernst and Young in 2001 and entrepreneur of the year in 2002 by the Carnegie Science Center and the Pittsburgh Technology Council. Dr. Taylor holds more than 12 patents.