Agenda
9:00 – 9:45 AM
Registration Opens
10:00 – 11:00 AM
What Investors Like to See
Scott Button is a Managing Director and heads the firm’s technology practice. He focuses on investments in engineering and physical sciences, software, energy technology and medical devices. Scott has over twelve years of venture capital experience and six years of operating experience. He created the Venture Igniter program, an entrepreneur-in-residence strategy designed to create technology start-ups out of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Scott serves on the Boards of Directors for Soft Switching Technologies, NeuWave Medical and Silatronix and is an observer for Virent Energy Systems, Pattern Insight and Alfalight. He previously served on the Board of Directors for Virent Energy Systems and was an observer for Intersymbol Technologies (acquired by FNSR), NewMonics (acquired by Aonix) and Corona Optical Systems (acquired by EMKR).
Before entering the venture capital industry, Scott worked for McDonald’s Corporation as an operations manager and for Rockwell Automation as a field sales engineer in the automotive industry.
Scott serves on the advisory boards for the Madison Development Corporation and the UW-Madison Advanced Materials Industrial Consortium. He is an occasional guest lecturer for the UW-Madison Engineering and Business Schools and is a frequent judge for the school’s Technology Business Plan Competition and Schoofs Prize for Engineering Creativity.
Scott is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison (BS–Mechanical Engineering), The University of Chicago (MBA) and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.
11:15 – 12:15 PM
Technology Partnerships in the Fast Lane
Scott Resnick & Jon Hardin
Jon Hardin is the founder and president of Hardin Design & Development. Before graduating from UW-Madison with degrees in Computer Science and Mathematics in 2008, Jon had already created interactive websites and applications for the Rolling Stone, CNN, Disney and Lifetime. The company now specializes in niche mobile marketing for Toyota, Mercedes, Coleman Campers and Crock-Pot.
Scott Resnick is Vice President of Hardin Design & Development and handles daily operations of the company: finances, sales, human resources, forecasting and legal disputes. He is a graduate of UW-Madison with degrees in Political Science and Legal Studies.
12:15 – 1:15 PM
Lunch – Socializing
1:30 – 2:30 PM
Creativity & Passion – Don’t Start Your Business Without Them
James Schneider – is a business trainer and motivational speaker with over 25 years experience in the field of community economic and business development. James will share techniques you can use to differentiate your business in a competitive market by ‘five sensing’ your ideas as you develop the Four Factors of Success. He’ll combine that with practical tips on how you can develop and maintain the most essential ingredient of entrepreneurship, your personal passion for success.
Mr. Schneider attended Whitewater State University a century or so ago and has a BA in Political Science which has allowed him to make some sense of newspaper articles and Sunday morning political talk shows. He is co-creator of “First Impressions: A program for Community Improvement” which has been used by nearly 1000 communities throughout the United States, Canada and New Zealand.
2:45 – 3:45 PM
What it Really Takes to be an Entrepreneur
Greg Meier, Executive Vice President, PhysioGenix and CEO of Lansare Corp, Milwaukee. Lansare Corp is an on-demand reporting and analytics solution for annuity, life insurance and bank-owned life insurance. Meier also currently serves on the steering committee for BizStarts Milwaukee, which focuses on helping entrepreneurs launch their businesses. Meier was a partner with the law firm of Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, where he was a founding member of the firm’s Venture Best Practice Group, which focuses on early-stage technology companies. A co-founder of Track-cost.com, Meier is a former president of the Wisconsin Innovation Network.
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Start to Finish: The Legendary Toppers Pizza
Scott Gittrich – Owner of Toppers Pizza
5:00 – 5:15 PM
Closing Remarks
6:30 PM – ?
Social
