VC Panel

"INSIDE VENTURE CAPITAL"

Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008

6:00pm-9:00pm

Description:
Venture capital is a key source of funding for early stage science and technology companies. A panel of venture capitalists will discuss what VCs are looking for, the best way to pitch an idea, and what a career as a VC is like. Speakers include:

Ellen Baron, PhD is a Partner at Oxford Bioscience Partners (OBP), a VC firm that invests in emerging biotechnology companies. Prior to joining Oxford, she was Senior VP of Business Development at Human Genome Sciences, Inc., and spent 20 years at Schering-Plough Corporation in both R&D and Business Development. She received her Ph.D. in Microbiology from Georgetown University School of Medicine.
Maria Cirino is a co-founder and Managing Director of .406 Ventures, a VC firm that invests in early-stage information technology companies. She is actively involved as an investor and board member in Bit9, Kaltura, Memento and Veracode. Prior to this she was Senior VP of VeriSign as well as co-founder and CEO of Guardent. Her industry awards include “Massachusetts CEO of the Year 2004” and Ernst & Young “Entrepreneur of the Year 2003”.
Amita Shukla, is a Principal at New Enterprise Associates (NEA). Prior to this she was VP of Business Development at AmiKa Corp., and worked in the Healthcare Investment Banking Group at Merrill Lynch. She has been a freelance writer for a spectrum of industry and news publications and holds nine issued and two pending patents. She received her MBA from the Stanford, where she led a team that won first place at the Stanford Business Plan Competition for a novel, patent pending cardiovascular device.
Lisa Granick, is a Vice President in the Healthcare consulting practice at Fletcher Spaght and a member of the investment committee at Fletcher Spaght Ventures. Her previous work experience includes Process Development Engineering at Motorola, and consulting at the Boston Consulting Group. She serves as an observer on the Board of Directors of Intranasal Therapeutics. She has an MBA from Wharton, and a masters in International Studies from the Lauder Institute.
Janice Bourque, (Moderator) is Senior Vice President and Group Head-Life Sciences for Comerica Bank. Prior to this she was President/CEO of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council (MBC), CFO/controller of Cambridge Medical Technology Corporation, and senior public accountant for Coopers & Lybrand Emerging and Middle Market Group. She is currently on the Boards of the MIT Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, the Boston History and Innovation Collaborative, and WEST. Her numerous awards include being a Boston Magazine 100 most influential woman. She received her MBA degree from the University of New Hampshire.