NextNow Member Blog

We have THREE Churchill Club staff who are part of NextNow:

Amanda_Graves <agraves@churchillclub.org>, Jenny Bauman (jbauman) <jbauman@churchillclub.org>, Karen Tucker <ktucker@churchillclub.org>

They put on class-act events and sometimes give NextNow members a pass…either way…good events to attend.

From: —— —Churchill Club <info@churchillclub.org> — — CHURCHILLCLUB.ORG

Thu 12/3 The 7th Annual Gadgets Program: What′s Hot and What′s Not in Personal Technology

One of the Churchill Club′s most popular annual programs−just in time for the holidays
@Crowne Plaza,— Palo Alto

Greg Harper, President, Harpervision Associates; Walt Mossberg, Columnist, The Wall Street Journal; Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer, Facebook; Mike Schroepfer, VP Engineering, Facebook; Kara Swisher, Co-Executive Director, AllThingsDigital

6:00 PM-Registration | 7:00 PM-Program | Location: Crowne Plaza Cabana, Palo Alto

Once again, just before the holidays, the Churchill Club presents Walt Mossberg, influential personal technology columnist for the Wall Street Journal, together with Kara Swisher, co-producer and co-host with Mossberg of the popular “All Things Digital” conference, and Greg Harper, president of Harpervision Associates and co-founder of Gadgetoff, with their annual gadget show‚àíand‚àítell. This year‚Ä≤s “tech geek” special guest is Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s COO, and Mike Schroepfer, Facebook’s VP of Engineering. Whether it”s cameras, ebooks, smart phones, or the coolest gadgets you”ve never heard of‚àíWalt, Kara, Greg and Sheryl will reveal their latest and greatest favorite consumer tech products: which ones they consider worth the money and which ones are over-rated. These folks are not afraid to name names.

Pre-registration price: Members-$67 | Non-Members-$83

Fri 12/4—— — New Program!—— FCC Discusses National Broadband Plan
Free event, co-hosted by Churchill Club & TechNet— —— @TBA

Carlos Kirjner, Senior Advisor to the Chairman, FCC
Blair Levin, Executive Director, FCC Omnibus Broadband Initiative
7:30 AM-Registration | 8:00 AM-Program | Location: TBA

Co hosted by: Churchill Club and TechNet

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is creating a National Broadband Plan that will set broad communications policy for the US for the next 5 years. It will have impact on all aspects of the industry, including fixed and mobile network infrastructure, applications, and devices. Mr. Levin and Mr. Kirjner are leading the development of the Plan for the Chairman of the FCC. Please join us to hear them speak about the scope of the plan, the issues it will tackle, and how it could transform the communications and technology landscape in America.

Free Event! Seating is limited!

Pre-registration price: Members-$0 | Non-Members-$0

Tue 12/8—— — Mergers & Acquisitions: War Stories and Predictions from Industry Leaders
M&A trends and strategies from the insider‚Ä≤s view ——— @Microsoft, Mountain View

Marc Brown, Managing Director, Corporate Development, Microsoft; Charles Carmel, VP of Corporate Development, Cisco; David Lawee, VP of Corporate Development, Google; Rich Wong, Partner, Accel Partners; Moderator: Steve Smith, Senior Managing Director, Arma Partners
6:00 PM-Registration | 7:00 PM-Program | Location: Microsoft, Mountain View

Is another tsunami of tech M&A upon us? Recent large acquisitions by Cisco, Google, Adobe, HP and other tech titans indicate that the merger tide may be rising after a dismal 2+ years in 2007, 2008 and early 2009. Moderated by veteran technology M&A advisor Steve Smith of Arma Partners, this all‚àístar panel includes three high‚àílevel executives representing Cisco, Google, and Microsoft, the “gorillas” in their respective markets, all with what appears to be very different approaches to M&A opportunities. The fourth speaker is creating great returns by intelligent selling of portfolio companies.

This panel of savvy buyers and sellers will offer provocative views on such issues as:
• Is this the ideal stage in the economic and technology cycle to be an aggressive buyer?
• Despite tough competitors, how do leaders get the deals they really want?
• Which tech sectors are hot? Which ones are not? Why?
• M&A and investing in technology is now clearly global. How does this challenge the acquisition efforts of these buyers and the investing process of a top tier VC?
• Do the recent broad stock market gains and modest signs of life in the IPO market change anything for buyers and investors? How do you see equity and IPO markets in 2010 affecting your M&A programs and investors willingness to sell vs. go public?
• Are VC investors a help or hindrance to getting a great M&A outcome?

Pre-registration price: Members-$63 | Non-Members-$78

Thu 12/17—— — New Program!—— Churchill Breakfast Club: Start-up Growth Strategies for the New Order
Is it better to seek to be independent, or aim to be acquired? What are the best entrepreneurial growth strategies for the times ahead? ——— @Fenwick & West,— Mountain View

Dado Banatao, Managing Partner, Tallwood Ventures; Bill Coleman, former CEO of BEA Systems, Former CEO, Cassatt; Jon Fisher, Serial entrepreneur, adjunct faculty member, University of San Francisco School of Business; and author Strategic Entrepreneurism; Moderator: Mark Leahy, Partner, Fenwick & West, LLP
7:30 AM-Registration | 8:00 AM-Program | Location: Fenwick & West, Mountain View

The dream of nearly every entrepreneur is to create the next big-name success story like Google. Yet research shows that 70 percent of startups fail and 25 percent fall far short of the impact they envisioned.

Given the statistics as well as new economic realities, what are the best growth strategies for entrepreneurs and their advisors to consider over the next 1-2 years?

Is it better to seek to be independent, or aim to be acquired? Should that be decided up front, and if so, what should be done differently? Join this seasoned group of entrepreneurs and investors for a lively and dynamic discussion about entrepreneurial growth strategies for the times ahead.

Pre-registration price: Members-$34 | Non-Members-$54