The Vancouver Enterprise Forum is piloting a new program this year - Power Networking - in an effort to further stimulate valuable ideas, conversations and connections.  This is a one-on-one session between an entrepreneur who has already started his/her new company and our selection of expert advisors.  These sessions happen just before the main VEF event each month from 5:00pm to 5:45pm.  Each meeting is scheduled for 15-minutes, so be ready with your questions for our expert legal, finance, maketing and entrepreneur mentors!

The next VEF event is scheduled for Tuesday, May 19th featuring a Fireside Chat with Technology Legend Greg Peet, moderated by Mike Satterfield from 6:00-7:30pm. (www.vef.org)  Interested Power Networking participants need to complete the Company Profile attached and email to Catherine Crucil by Friday, May 15th.  We will use our best efforts to match entrepreneurs with mentors during upcoming Power Networking event or a future one.

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Confirmed Mentors:

A Fireside Chat with Tech Legend Greg Peet
Tuesday, May 19 @ Vancity Theatre

In the final instalment of our “Technology Legends” theme, the VEF is pleased to present a fireside chat with local legend Greg Peet. Greg is an accomplished business leader, entrepreneur, angel investor and corporate director. Until 2004, he was VP and General Manager of the McKesson Medical Imaging Group, a role he assumed following McKesson’s (NYSE:MKE) acquisition of A.L.I. Technologies in 2002 for over $500 million. As CEO, Greg spent a decade directing the growth of A.L.I., from an R&D organization into a market leader in the digital medical imaging segment with over 400 employees. Greg was recognized as the Ernst & Young’s Pacific Entrepreneur of the Year in 2002, and B.C. Technology Industry Association’s “Person of the Year” for 2007. Prior to ALI, Greg was CEO of Enterprise Technologies and Norsat. He began his career in the financial services industry. Greg currently serves on a number of company boards, and is Co-Chair of the B.C. Premier’s Technology Council.

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A Fireside Chat with Tech Legend Ken Spencer
Tuesday, April 28 @ Vancity Theatre

As part of our “Technology Legends” theme, the VEF is pleased to present a fireside chat with local legend Ken Spencer. After holding a senior executive role in many BC technology companies such as MacDonald Detwiller and Associates and Glenayre, Ken and his partner Dan Gelbart branched out on their own to found Creo Products. Over the next 20 years, they grew the company into BC’s largest technology company with 4,000 employees and revenues of nearly $1 billion, took the company public and eventually sold the company to Kodak in 2005.

Laurie Wallace, past co-founder of Datum Telegraphic and FlyOver Entertainment and current chair of Constrcutive Media and Vivity Labs will moderate the fireside chat. He and Ken will talk about Ken’s drive to co-found Creo Products, his motivation for wanting to run his “own” company, and the keys to growing Creo into BC’s largest technology company.

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A Fireside Chat with Tech Legend Michael Brown
The Importance of People in a Successful Technology Company
Tuesday, February 17 @ Vancity Theatre

Back on track with our “Technology Legends” theme, the VEF is pleased to present a fireside chat with local tech legend Michael Brown.   Mike has been successfully building technology companies in Vancouver for over  40 years.  During this time, he co-founded Ventures West, and contributed to the success of pioneering companies, such as MacDonald, Dettwiler, Ballard Power Systems and Mobile Data International (acquired by Motorola).  He is currently active with a range of emerging local technology companies such as D-Wave Systems and General Fusion.  Along the way Mike developed an interest in alternative energy which eventually led him to co-found the alternative energy venture fund Chrysalix.  Mike also is the founder of Fuel Cells Canada and is a director at Sustainable Development Technology Canada. 

Todd Farrell of Growthworks will moderate the fireside chat.  He and Mike will talk about how building world changing technology companies requires bringing a group of people with very diverse skill sets, opinions and motivations together in a cohesive way - something that is not always any easy task to accomplish.

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In a break from our Technology Legends theme, the VEF is presenting a panel discussion on using Social Networking tools for business development. The buzz around social networking technology is at an all-time high due to the popularity of consumer software and social networking services such as Facebook, MySpace, Plaxo, Jigsaw, Twitter and LinkedIn. Yet best practice social media strategies are not commonplace. How can these tools help companies? Is it good for generating leads or identifying channel partners to increase your sales? Can you transform your profile to attract highly targeted customers and/or recruit exceptional staff? Will it bring you closer to industry analysts or strategically expand your offline networking or investment opportunities?

Executives with real world experience will talk about how they have used these new tools to generate business in their companies and funds. The evening will be moderated by Geoffrey Hansen, Managing Partner at Rocket Builders.