Posted by: Jen Gunner

If you had five minutes on stage, what would you say to Baltimore? What if you only got 20 slides and they rotated automatically after 15 seconds?

Last Thursday Steve Kozak did just that and spoke to a crowd of 240 plus Greater Baltimore supporters at Ignite Baltimore #3.  It was a great event (as they always are) and well worth attending or if your up for it - speaking your mind. 

If you’d like to listen to Steve’s talk on Sharing Your Crayons, click here and to check out the other speakers visit the Ignite Baltimore website - they were great!  Either way be sure to mark your calendars for 10/22/09 - that’s when Ignite Baltimore #4 will happen at the Walters Art Gallery.

I bet you are wondering what this saying has to do with being an entrepreneur?  Well, according to Scott Ferber, founder of Advertising.com, a lot.  Scott was the featured guest at last night’s sold out Face2Face dinner.  He spent a few hours with a dozen GBTC member tech executives sharing his story - Ad.com, what happened after the sale, teaching at UVA  and his current venture, TidalTV.

Key take aways from the evening besides Bears, Bulls are Hogs were:
1. Surround yourself with the right people - limp along without an employee rather than hire the wrong one.

2. Always be a mensch

3. Persistence - 1,000 no’s before you get a yes

4. If you need $1.5 million ask for $10 million and you’ll get $1.5.

It was a great night.  Thanks to Scott’s candidness and humor it was one of the best Face2Face’s yet!  See what others had to say: http://search.twitter.com/search?q=gbtc

Posted by: Steve Kozak

I attended our Voices of Bio - “Strategic Partnerships” program today and learned a LOT, a whole lot, from our experts.  Speaking of which, they were awesome - Ken Carter, Founder & Former CEO, Avalon Pharmaceuticals (Note:  Clinical Data finalized its acquisition of Avalon in May 2009), Rob Gllison, VP Corp Development, Martek and Michael Tardugno, CEO, Celsion - far too many words of wisdom to share here.  The keys in developing strategic partnerships:

1) Focus - do your homework, look for companies that share an interest in your science, research and/or technology.  Do NOT cast the wide net. Focus.

2) Find your Champion…within that company.  And for bio & life science companies, it’s typically a scientist - someone who will understand and appreciate the science/technology and can help bring it to upper management. 

3) Attend conferences - attending conferences, events, and other industry gatherings are a great way to network, meet face-to-face and begin the process of developing a relationship, a relationship that leads to a partnership.

4) Be patient - strategic partnerships take time, you need to understand what they (your partner) are looking for, their intentions…and this takes time.  At least, the best deals do.

I hope the leaders who attended today learned a thing or two, a nugget that they can take back and apply to their own businesses.  And, who knows what partnerships will develop among those who attended today’s session.  That, to me, is the cool part.

Post by: Steve Kozak

I attended the Maryland Incubator Company of the Year (ICOY) Awards Reception last night – what a great night.  I love the ICOY awards – love them.  The gist is…each of the State’s incubators, and we have more than 20, submit their top companies for consideration.  A Selection Committee, which I have the honor to be on, a true honor I will admit, then interviews, vets and selects the best of the best, the top 18.  Then, from those 18, the six (6) winners.

So congrats to all the finalists – it’s no small accomplishment to be selected as one of the top 18 from among the hundreds of companies in our incubators.  And special congrats to the six winners…

Envisionier Medical Technologies (Rockville Innovation Center)
Oculis Labs (NeoTech)
Lurn, Inc. (Technology Advancement Program)
Encore Path (Emerging Technology Center)
WGS Systems, Inc. (Frederick Innovation Technology Center)
Gliknik, Inc. (UMB BioPark BioInnovation Center)

The track record of the past winners is incredible…they are the companies who garner the millions in venture capital, who have the big exits, who go public.  Trust me, you’ll be hearing more about these companies down the road.

Congratulations also to A&G Pharmaceutical, Inc., who won the Best Graduate Company and Ann Lansinger, President of the Emerging Technology Center, who won the prestigious Robert A. Spar Hall of Fame Award. 

All in all…if you’re looking to be inspired, to feel proud about our future as a State, there is no better display of that future than the ICOY awards.

The GBTC kicked off it’s first event in a series of executive education summits at the BWI Marriott on 5/27/09.  There were over 30 executive level attendees who learned about the power of full engagement and PIES: physical, intellectual, emotional and spirtual energies from our moderator Greg Conderacci.

Additionally they heard from leaders in the technology, sport and healthcare industries about their philosphy and experience in leading their organizations, teams and themselves through energy management.

The feedback from attendees was great:
1. What was the ONE primary reason you made the decision to register and attend yesterday’s CXO retreat?
- Relevant, good timing for current role, energy topic - unique as compared to time management

2. What was your key take-away from yesterday’s program, the one “thing” you, personally, are going to implement - either for yourself or your company?
- Passion, purpose, focusing on high energy times of day, avoid negative energy, focus on the customer more

3. Rate your overall experience (1-10; 1 poor - 10 great)
- 9 average rating for the day

4. If not a 10, what’s ONE thing we could do more of (or less of) to improve your overall experience and/or the value you received from attending/participating.
- More time on Greg Conderacci’s session 

5. Would you recommend this program to a friend or business colleague?
- Yes

Check out the full day here: http://www.gbtechcouncil.org/Programs/Strength-Strategies-for-Leadership-Results-5-27-09.aspx