Run It By The Pros
Thursday | May 22, 2014 Register

Run It By The Pros Workshop

Watch and Learn!

 The Atlanta entrepreneur community is invited to this behind-the-scenes look at the advisor-investor-entrepreneur relationship hosted by the MIT Enterprise Forum. Our panel of experts and the audience will examine and discuss real-life business plans presented by their entrepreneurial founders at this workshop. Listen in and participate as teams talk with the panel about their ventures and receive actionable feedback and mentoring. Each of the presenting companies will have six minutes to give their business pitch a test drive and then receive 10 minutes of feedback from our pro panel and four minutes of questions from the audience. 

Our “Run It By The Pros” workshop will be held on Thursday, May 22, 2014 from 3:30 – 6:30 p.m. at the law offices of Alston and Bird.  Come be a part of the audience and benefit from the advice given to our presenting companies!   

Pro Panel

The startup pros in our panel promise to pass on loads of hard-earned advice and expertise! Plus, our networking reception before and after the presentations will give you plenty of time to make the contacts you need to take your startup to the next level!  (bios below)

Allen Nance, Co-Founder, TechSquare Lab (moderator)

Sarah Ernst, Partner, Alston and Bird, LLP

Chip Brown, Managing Director, Willamette Management Associates

Chris Hackney, Founder, Wheedu; VP, Oracle

Presenting Companies  

  • GradSchoolMatch
  • Predikto
  • Softwear
  • Vehware 

Plan To Attend

Be part of the audience as teams talk with the panel about their ventures. Registration and information.

Location: Alston and Bird, 1201 West Peachtree Street, Atlanta, Georgia, 30309

Open to All!

Registration and information 

Agenda:

  • 3:30 p.m. Networking
  • 4:10-6:00 p.m. Program
  • 6:00 - 6:30 p.m. Networking

Featured Panelists

Allen Nance

Co-Founder, TechSquare Labs

Allen Nance

Allen is a son, brother, husband, dad, entrepreneur, boxer, golfer, author, mentor and technology fanatic. From his rented house in 2000 he founded a company that a decade later would become WhatCounts. Through a series of innovative growth strategies that included seven acquisitions the company has grown into one of the largest email marketing firms in the world delivering billions of targeted messages on four continents in over 35 languages.  He is an active investor, advisor, and technology company builder through TechSquare Labs.  

Allen has had opportunities that don't matter, such as the being mentioned the prerequisite amount of times in the paper, or listed in the most this, or the youngest that. He has also had opportunities that do matter, like having amazing mentors and working with crazy smart team members. 

Sarah Ernst

Partner, Alston and Bird, LLP

Sarah Ernst

Sarah Ernst concentrates her practice on public and private company securities offerings, mergers and acquisitions, private equity financings and joint ventures, with an emphasis in the health care sector.

Ms. Ernst represents public and private companies and underwriters in debt and equity offerings, including initial public offerings, resale and follow-on offerings, shelf registrations, 144A convertible debt offerings and private equity offerings. She also has significant experience representing public and private companies and private equity firms in mergers and asset acquisitions and dispositions. She also regularly advises clients regarding SEC compliance and reporting obligations and corporate governance matters.

Ms. Ernst received her J.D. from the University of Oklahoma College of Law, where she was managing editor of theOklahoma Law Review and a member of the Order of the Coif. Ms. Ernst received her B.S.F.S., cum laude, from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. She also attended the U.S. Naval Academy from 1997 until 1999.

Chip Brown

Managing Director, Willamette Managing Associates

Chip Brown

F.A. “Chip” Brown, CFA, CPA/ABV/CFF – Chip is a managing director of Willamette Management Associates, a prominent business valuation and financial advisory firm. He is also the director of the firm’s Atlanta office. He provides valuation and transaction advisor (opinion) services to closely held businesses and public companies in various industries. He typically works with (and through) the tax advisors, legal advisors, and other advisors (e.g., private equity firms, venture capital firms, investment banks) for these businesses.

Chip provides valuation and transaction advisor services for purposes such as ownership transition, income tax compliance, fund reporting, intergenerational wealth transfer, designing and structuring transactions, dividend recapitalizations, purchase price allocations, gifting and charitable contributions, share based compensation compliance (409A, “cheap stock” pre-IPO issues), gift and estate tax compliance, fairness opinions, and solvency opinions. In addition, he has served as an expert witness on valuation and transaction issues in various litigation matters.

Chip holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and is a certified public accountant (CPA). He is also accredited in business valuation (ABV) and certified in financial forensics (CFF) by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). He holds a bachelor of science in management from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a master of science in accounting from the University of Virginia.

Chris Hackney

Founder, Wheedu; VP, Oracle

Chris Hackney

Chris currently runs Oracle’s Customer Success teams for Social, CRM and CPQ business lines.   These teams are tasked with helping clients maintaining high value attainment and satisfaction with their Oracle platforms and overall relationship with Oracle.  Over 15 years of experience that also includes leading positions in social at Vitrue (acquired by Oracle), digital media as a strategy leader at WebMD, brand marketing manager at Coca-Cola and investment banking at Bank of America.

 

Our Sponsors

Velossent CBRE TransPerfect Acuity Complete TriNet Sutherland Silicon Valley Bank Alston+Bird Miller & Martin Cherry Bekaert Baker Donelson Arketi Group