KnowledgeWorks Summit Set in Early April

VT KnowledgeWorks will present the two-day Second Annual Entrepreneurship Summit April 7 and 8 at The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center in Blacksburg. The workshop is designed for prospective company founders, entrepreneurs launching or re-vamping a business, growing companies seeking expansion capital, and individuals interested in investing in early-stage companies.

The first day of the summit will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and includes the finals of two Business Concept Competitions, a Technology Showcase featuring the latest regional high-tech companies, and several business seminars. The Business Concept Competitions showcases students and entrepreneurs throughout Virginia and western North Carolina as they test their business concepts before a panel of faculty and local business leaders. The winning team
receives a $5,000 cash prize.

The winner of the Open Competition receives business acceleration services at VT KnowledgeWorks. Both first place teams also receive summer workspace in the VT Corporate Research Center to develop their ideas further.

The Entrepreneurship Summit extends into another full day on April 8 when five ready-to-fund companies will present before a panel of angel investors. The Open Angel Forum is a live pitch session providing a unique opportunity to undersstand how capital is raised, with real companies and investors. The five presenting companies are Actifity.com, LimbGear, Maxtena, NewCityLabs, and RRx. Also on April 8, John May, managing partner of the New Vantage Group, will lead a session on the Valuation of Early-Stage Ventures.

Over the last 20 years, May has been an advisor to, or a general partner of, five early-stage venture capital funds, including the UK-based Seraphim Capital formed in 2006, and is the co-author of Every Business Needs an Angel (Crown Business: 2001).

Some of the other speakers are Bob Flores, former CTO of the Central Intelligence Agency; Steven Rogers, serial internet entrepreneur and founder of Cryptek, Objective Communications, Cetacean Networks, Rivulet Communications and Centripetal Networks; Pat Matthews, founder of Webmail.us and General Manager of Rackspace Apps; and Mike Drzal, attorney aat LeClairRyan.

Register online here. Fees are $30 for April 7 and $50 for April 8. Call