2:15 PM - 3:30 PM
Track III:
Venture Funding and Leadership in the Entertainment & Technology Space: Games, Wireless & Broadband
The VC and Investment community has always led the way in recognizing the newest opportunities in the technology and entertainment space. There are even signs of post-bubble investment and an IPO reversal on the horizon. VC funds are always available for the right idea and in this session, we will focus on the four sectors leading the entertainment and technology space today, broadband, wireless, the DTV/SVOD content and the digital home and technology and games opportunities. Broadband has been the Holy Grail for the entertainment industry for years, but what it represents today, is the reality of locking in millions of users. Wireless represents the explosive technology of the moment, DTV/SVOD represents the next explosive area of growth in the entertainment business - bringing new content to millions of consumers and games represent the next threshold of entertainment.
Mike Buckley, Director of Strategic Investments, Intel Capital, Intel Corporation
Bob Davis, Managing General Partner, Highland Capital Partners
David O. Higley, Managing Director & Head of Digital Media Technologies, UBS Investment Bank
Michael J. Hirshland, General Partner, Polaris Venture Partners
Mark Stevens, Partner, Fenwick & West
Tim Chang, Principal, Gabriel Venture Partners
David Hutkin, 1st Vice President, ICB Entertainment Finance
Joey Tamer, President, S.O.S. Inc., Moderator
Mike Hirshland has been a partner with Polaris Venture Partners, a broadly diversified venture capital firm with over $3 billion under management, since 1999. He focuses on information technology, internet, and digital media, and blogs at www.vcmike.wordpress.com. Mike came to Polaris from Intel's Corporate Business Development Group. Before becoming a technology investor, Mike served as counsel to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, where he conceived and supervised the Senate's hearings on "Competition, Innovation and Public Policy in the Digital Age." In this capacity, Mike spent over a year working closely with a significant number of prominent hi-tech CEOs, entrepreneurs, investors, and technology visionaries. Before joining the committee, Mike practiced with the law firm Williams & Connolly, and clerked for Justice Anthony Kennedy at the U.S. Supreme Court and The Hon. J. Michael Luttig on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Prior to his legal career, Mike was a strategy consultant with Bain & Company. Mike's board seats include BlackArrow, Frictionless Commerce, Heavy.com, Q1Labs, Turbine Entertainment, and World Championship Sports Network. He formerly served as Chairman of Ucentric Systems, which was acquired by Motorola. Mike also serves on the Board of Directors of the New England Venture Capital Association. Mike received his JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. He earned his AB in history from Harvard College where he played defensive end on the Crimson's 1987 Ivy League Champion varsity football squad.
Michael J. Montgomery, President and Head of Media Banking, Montgomery
& Co., LLC: Michael Montgomery recently advised Intermix Media (owners of MySpace.com) on their sale to News Corp., and iFilm on their sale to Viacom. Prior to joining Montgomery in 1999, he was CEO of Sega GameWorks and a senior executive of DreamWorks SKG. Michael joined DreamWorks in 1995 after being EVP and CFO of EuroDisney and the VP and Treasurer of Walt Disney Company. Michael is an E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year 2005 finalist, currently presides on the Board of NYA and is a member of WPO. Michael received his M.B.A. from the Amos Tuck School, and a B.A., magna cum laude, as a Rufus Choate Scholar from Dartmouth College.Bob Davis, Managing General Partner, Highland Capital: Bob is a Managi
ng General Partner at Highland focusing on information technology investments and specializing in digital media and software start-ups. He currently represents Highland on the boards of Fastclick (Nasdaq: FSTC), Navic Networks, Performix Technologies, Quigo, Turbine and YesDirect, and plays an active role assisting Highland portfolio companies in building successful new businesses. Bob is the best-selling author of "Speed is Life." Prior to joining Highland, Bob served as the Chief Executive Officer of Terra Lycos and was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the company. Before the combination of Terra and Lycos in October 2000, Bob was President and Chief Executive Officer of Lycos, Inc., and was the company's first employee in June of 1995. In just five years, Bob led Lycos from a company with $2 million in venture capital to a multi-billion dollar business, creating one of the Web's only large, profitable Internet companies. Under his leadership, Lycos jumped from the fastest IPO in Nasdaq history, a mere nine months from inception to offering, to an esteemed member of the Nasdaq 100. Bob serves on the boards of several public and private sector entities. Mike Buckley, Director of Strategic Investments, Intel Capital, Intel C
orporation: Mr. Buckley is a Director of Strategic Investments for Intel Capital. His responsibilities include equity investing in early stage companies that are strategic to Intel’s Digital Home, consumer electronics, digital media and service related efforts. Mr. Buckley also contributes to the development of Intel’s strategies and acquisitions in these areas. Mr. Buckley has been a member of Intel Capital since 1999. Prior to his current investment focus on the digital home, Mr. Buckley also invested in communications components, systems and service companies and directed Intel Capital’s efforts related to Internet infrastructure and services. Prior to joining Intel Capital, Mr. Buckley was a Partner and Vice President at Orca Capital Corporation, a Pacific Northwest-based investment banking firm. At Orca, he led the communications and software practices. Mr. Buckley was also an Associate at Jones Lang LaSalle (formerly LaSalle Partners) where he worked as a real estate investment banker and asset manager. Mike received a B.A. in Quantitative Economics from Stanford University.Tim Chang, Principal, Gabriel Venture Partners: Tim Chang is a Princ
ipal based in the Silicon Valley office of Gabriel Venture Partners, and leads the Wireless sector team. Prior to joining Gabriel, Tim was a Product Manager and Business Planning Manager at Gateway, Inc., and also brings to Gabriel his experience as a development engineer for General Motors. Tim brings to Gabriel a background combining operational, technical, and international business experience.David Hutkin, 1st Vice President, ICB Entertainment Finance: David Hut
kin is 1st Vice President and Managing Director of ICB Entertainment Finance. He has been with the company, formerly known as The Lewis Horwitz Organization, for over 8 years. During this time he has been involved in structuring and financing over 150 films and television show with involvement in equity raising, budgeting, casting and closing. Recently Hutkin has begun working on various music and video game projects. Past film projects include "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", "Shadow of a Vampire", "Prime", and "Wonderland". Most recently Hutkin has been responsible for financing "The Upside of Anger" which was released by New Line Cinema. He also financed the Oscar winning "Monster". Future releases include "Find Me Guilty" directed by Sidney Lumet, "The Illusionist" starring Edward Norton and Paul Giamatti, "Lovewrecked" starring Amanda Bynes and "Running Scared" starring Paul Walker. Prior to The Lewis Horwitz Organization, David was Vice President at Bank of America’s corporate finance, following a term as Vice President of real estate finance at Wells Fargo. He has a BA in Business Economics and Dramatic Arts from UC Santa Barbara and an MBA from Duke University.David O. Higley, Managing Director & Head of Digital Media Technologi
es, UBS Investment Bank: David joined UBS from Prudential Volpe Technology Group where he was head of the Interactive Media and eBusiness Groups. During his career, Dave has raised over $6 billion for his clients and advised on over $2.5 billion in M&A and restructuring transactions. Prior to investment banking, Dave was a securities attorney at Thelen Reid & Priest, a national law firm based in San Francisco. During his time at Thelen, Dave was involved in numerous equity and debt offerings and M&A transactions for emerging growth companies. Dave has a bachelors degree in Business Administration from the University of Southern California (where he was part of the Business Scholars Program) and a Law Degree from the University of Virginia.Mark Stevens, Partner, Fenwick & West: Mr. Stevens represents companies (ra
nging from newly formed startup teams to mature public companies), venture capitalists and investment banks involved in the information technology industries, with particular focus on complex transactions. As a lawyer and a business principal, Mr. Stevens has lead teams handling merger, acquisition and divestiture transactions with total announced value in excess of $20 billion. He has directed over 25 initial public offerings of technology companies and hundreds of strategic alliance transactions, ranging from technology and distribution partnerships to multinational joint venture transactions. The following are among the clients Mr. Stevens has represented: Electronic Arts Inc., Excite@Home, Inc., Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Morgan Stanley, O'Reilly Associates: Education - Northestern University School of Law, J.D. cum laude, Order of the Coif; Santa Clara University, B.S. in mathematics magna cum laude.Joey Tamer, President, S.O.S., Inc.: Joey Tamer is a widely-acclaimed