ANZA's November 2011 Newsletter

FROM THE CEO

Grow Globally with ANZA's Expanded Service Offerings

As we close out our Gateway season for 2011 there are two things that never cease to amaze me about the work I do - the consistently world-class innovation that emerges from Australia and New Zealand and the personal transformation of entrepreneurs when they spend their first week or two in a massively big market.

Converting this transformational experience into business growth for young companies remains a huge challenge, but nevertheless it is one that many of ANZA's Gateway companies are taking up.

In 2012 ANZA will be offering an expanded set of services for Australian and New Zealand companies looking to expand into the US or China. Based on our analysis of common points of failure, customer feedback and customer demand, ANZA is offering a suite of services designed to:

Rapidly research and validate your market opportunity in the US or China
Connect you with key customers and partners in-market
Accelerate your business execution and customer acquisition

Please visit our website or contact me directly for more information on how ANZA can work with you to make 2012 your year for global expansion.

Viki

Viki Forrest, CEO ANZA Technology Network

Have you joined the ANZA Technology Network group on LinkedIn? Join us there and contribute news and ideas about global commercialization efforts from Australia, New Zealand, Asia and America.

ANZA mentor Jon Baer

MENTOR SPOTLIGHT: JONATHAN BAER

ANZA's mentors are entrepreneurs who have built globally competitive businesses - from startup to successful exit. They have taken products to market, raised capital, built high-performing teams; they have been on both sides of the board table and the investment table and they have M&A and IPO experience. This month, meet Jonathan Baer, who has worked with a number of ANZA clients over the past 5 years.

Jon is a senior executive who brings a unique perspective to the world of startups. He has been a venture capitalist as well as the Founder and CEO of two venture-backed companies, eBoomerang, an enterprise software company and Artificial Muscle, Inc., a spinout of Stanford Research Institute (SRI).

As a principal and founder of Threshold Ventures, Jon works with companies around the world, serving as an advisor/mentor, working on specific projects such as creating venture-backed companies from emerging new technologies and helping international companies develop and execute plans for entering the US market.

Some current projects include working with a pipe design and simulation software company to identify potential resellers, helping an unstructured data search software company identify potential markets and customers, and assisting a company with intelligent water management hardware and software strengthen a relationship with a potential distributor. The CEOs of all of these companies are from outside the US and are advancing their global businesses by working with a trusted mentor like Jon who has a breadth of commercialization experience and deep in-market connections.
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When you engage ANZA in market research, business matching or Fast Track services, we pair you with a mentor with critical skills and expertise in your market sector. Click here to read more about ANZA mentors.

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UPCOMING EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES

- December 6, 2011, San Francisco: Solar Energy: Competition from China and the Solyndra Aftermath. SVForum Clean Tech Breakfast Series discussion on the future of solar energy. ANZA TechNet members receive 5% discount when registering with code: CLEAN05. Details and registration at this link.

- Victorian Companies: Victorian companies looking to do business in the US or China are eligible for the Victorian government's Department of Business and Innovation's Fast Track program provided by ANZA. Click here for more details.

- Market Research: ANZA takes a very practical approach to market research beginning with a thorough understanding of your company's needs and objectives. We then combine our own market research resources (developed over the past 10 years) with our team of in-market mentors to deliver detailed market research to you. Find out more with a complimentary 30-minute consultation.

- Business Matching: ANZA leverages our proprietary database of over 5,000 members to provide a superior business matching service across all technology industries in the US and China. These introductions are based on the trusted and personal networks of ANZA's mentors. Before you embark on a business trip to the US or China, ANZA will work with you to understand the purpose of your trip, identify key objectives and desired outcomes and organize a series of business meetings aligned with your travel schedule. Click here for a complimentary 30-minute consultation.

- Fast Tracking: Your business accelerator into the US or China market. Time to market is a top-priority for all CEOs. ANZA has developed Fast Track with this in mind. With the right connections and a laser-sharp focus, Fast Track reduces the costs and risks associated with expanding your business into the US or China. Whether it is raising capital, finding distributors or securing new customers, ANZA has the network of experts to work with you to accelerate your success. Contact ANZA CEO Viki Forrest for more information.

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Do you have an upcoming event of interest to share with more than 5,000+ ANZA TechNet members? Would your organization like to partner or form an affiliate relationship with ANZA to more rapidly realize sustainable global commercialization goals? Send your event listing to marketing@anzatechnet.com. For partnership and affiliate information, contact ANZA CEO Viki Forrest at viki@anzatechnet.com.

US AND AUSTRALIA ALLIANCE ANOTHER STEP TO STRENGTHEN TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP

The big story this week was all about President Barack Obama's trip to Australia, and in particular, his announcement to put US military in Darwin to flex power near the trading corridors in the South China Sea. Recently, there has been talk about a Trans-Pacific Partnership that would, in effect, be a free-trade agreement between the US and most of the countries in this region, except for China.

China was not happy about these talks and is even more concerned about the US-Australia military alliance. We've been watching this story, as reported in the New York Times. The US and China are the world's two largest economies - and all countries in this region, both established and emerging - will have a role to play going forward.

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ANZA. Innovation Rewarded.

See our Calendar for upcoming events near you. Many are free or include discount codes for ANZA TechNet members.

Join the ANZA Technology Network on LinkedIn and Facebook.

Follow us on Twitter at @anzatechnet.

And - as always - keep up with relevant industry news, announcements and opinions as they relate to Australia, New Zealand, the US and China doing business together in Silicon Valley and beyond on the ANZA Technology Network blog.

Do you have an upcoming event of interest to entrepreneurs, investors, tech execs and service providers working with companies in the US, Australia, New Zealand or Asia?

Send details to us at marketing@anzatechnet.com and we will add it to the ANZA TechNet calendar on our website. ANZA now has 5,500+ members worldwide.