MADISON – The co-founder of Garage Technology Ventures is returning by popular demand to the Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium, to be held Nov. 10-11 at Madison’s Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center. Bill Joos will kick off the conference Nov. 10 with a discussion on the “The power of an advisory board.”
Joos, who founded Garage Technology Ventures along with Guy Kawasaki and once headed up the sales effort at Apple Computer’s software division, will speak 9 a.m. Nov. 10 and then conduct a seminar on how entrepreneurs can polish and refine their fundraising and customer presentations.
Joos will also conduct four 45-minute limited-seating small group sessions for entrepreneurs from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 10. In these small group sessions, Joos will spend 15 minutes with each entrepreneur personally coaching them on their pitch and presentation.
Tickets for the small group sessions are limited and will be sold to conference attendees only on a first-come basis. You may register for a small group sessions on the conference registration page: http://www.wisconsintechnologycouncil.com/events/earlystage/
More than 20,000 entrepreneurs worldwide have attended conferences where Joos, now the principal of Go To Market Consulting of Palo Alto, Calif., has spoken or coached on market strategies, revenue and pricing, business alliances, business development, partnerships and more.
“We’re excited that Bill Joos is returning to kick off the Early Stage Symposium and then build upon his remarks by leading a workshop for entrepreneurs,” said Tom Still, president of the Wisconsin Technology Council, which is producing the conference. “Joos has worked with literally hundreds of early to mid-stage, high startups, as well as venture capital firms and their clients. He’s a ‘pitch doctor’ and a whole lot more.”
The annual conference, which has existed under different names for more than 20 years, will feature the sixth annual “Elevator Pitch Olympics” for companies in a seed financing stage and the third annual Wisconsin Angel Network Early Stage presentation track for companies seeking angel investments beginning in the $500,000 range.
Twenty-two companies were selected for the WAN track (Wednesday, Nov. 10) and 18 for the Elevator Pitch Olympics (Thursday, Nov. 11). Companies in the WAN track feature technologies in major sectors: information technology and Internet services, biotechnology, medical devices, advanced manufacturing and “cleantech.” These companies are located in communities across Wisconsin as well as other Midwestern states.
The Early Stage Symposium will also feature nationally known speakers and panelists, the “First Look Forum” for pre-commercial, campus-based discoveries and a luncheon honoring Wisconsin’s winners of SBIR and STTR grants. Participants in the angel and “Elevator Pitch” tracks will also be eligible to take part in presentation training seminars.
New this year: Three panel discussions on Nov. 11 dealing with emerging opportunities involving food, technology and entrepreneurship.
The conference is produced by the Wisconsin Technology Council and its partners and sponsors. Visit www.wisconsintechnologycouncil.com/events/earlystage to register, review sponsorship opportunities or to learn more.
News media representatives may contact Joos through Liz Schrum at 608-442-7557 or lschrum@wisconsintechnologycouncil.com
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