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Our Sponsors
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A Message From the CEO
We all know the adage: In good times you need good people; in tough times you need great people.
At Astia we are well positioned to weather these tough times with great people in abundance. To highlight this allow me to reflect on the many of you who contributed to this year's program and conference for the benefit of the 28 companies who have just launched their fundraising efforts at it:
- 49 sponsors, who contributed their resources, expertise, facilities, as well as financial support
- 110 Astia Advisors who worked with the companies throughout the program
- 18 venture capital firms and one Limited Partner who sponsored and helped plan it as members of it's Investor Advisory Council
- 99 speakers at the Astia Doing it Right program for entrepreneurs
- 108 investors and serial entrepreneurs who conducted in-person as well as on-line screening and selected the presenting companies
- 109 organizations and individuals who referred start-ups to Astia
- 64 planning committee members who contributed to the program, company recruitment and selection, and investor outreach
For the very many of you - we thank you. You truly are Astia.
Sincerely,
Sharon Vosmek
Chief Executive Officer
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2008 Awards highlights
At the 4th Annual Astia Awards Dinner on November 20th, Astia honored exceptional women innovators and recognize the investors and mentors who championed their success. Below we have highlighted two exceptional award winners who have not been previously mentioned in the newsletter.
Allan Will, Managing Director of Split Rock Partners, was pre sented with the Deloitte Leadership in Mentoring Award. Mr. Will was nominated by 5 women he mentored as an industry executive and investor. "As a CEO and now as a venture investor, Allan consistently prioritizes
time spent developing leadership potential," said K. Angela Macfarlane,
President & CEO of ForSight Labs. "I nominated him for his
great ability to identify the skills of an individual. This combined
with his understanding of what is required of early stage leaders
allows him to help these first time executives to realize their full
potential."
 This year, we were especially pleased to present Cori Gorman, PhD, MBA with the 2008 Astia Inspiration Award, an Annual Award that recognizes an Astia community member for significant contributions to advancing the organization. Dr. Gorman served on the Astia Board of Trustees from 2002 to 2008, including as Chairman of the Board from 2006 to 2008. She is the Founder of the life science program at Astia and served as Chair of the Life Science Committee for over 6 years. Cori continues to be a valued Advisory Board and Life Science Committee member. On behalf of the entire Astia community, we thank Cori for her tireless work on behalf of Astia and our clients.
The founder and principal of DNA Bridges, Dr. Gorman has over
twenty-five years experience in all aspects of the biotechnology
industry, including raising capital, strategic planning and developing
infrastructure. She has helped early stage biotechnology companies
raise over $ 80 million (federal funds and VCs) and has closed over 25
partnerships in a corporate development capacity.
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Community Acknowledgments
Astia would like to offer our most sincere thanks to all those that helped make this conference possible. In particular, we would like to thank the 2008 Astia Ambassadors and Coaches, who worked tirelessly over the last two months to guide the entrepreneurs as they prepared for fundraising. Click here to learn about who our 2008 coaches are. As one entrepreneur stated, "The advice and guidance my coaches provided proved to be invaluable to my preparation. I am so grateful for their support!"
We would also like to thank our wonderful conference volunteers and our hard-working interns, without whom the conference would not have run as smoothly as it did. For a full list of conference acknowledgments, please visit: http://www.astia.org/content/view/1339/1130/
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Sponsor Acknowledgments
Astia's sponsors provide much more than just financial support to our organization: they
are actively engaged with Astia's clients and programs. Throughout the year, our sponsors have acted
as coaches, referral sources, event hosts, panelists, planning committee
members, advisory board members, and as ambassadors for Astia. We would like to recognize all of our sponsors, and thank them for their continued involvement and support.
Fenwick & West - Microsoft - Mintz Levin - Deloitte - DLA Piper - Pillsbury - SVB Financial - Moss Adams - Morrison & Foerster - Nixon Peabody - Osborne Clarke - Square 1 Bank - Althea Foundation - Iron Creative - Reed Smith - Wells Fargo - CitiGroup Private Bank - Cisco - Dan Sapp & Associates - Allegis Capital - Alloy Ventures - Apex Venture Partners - Applied Ventures - Asset Management - Garage Technology Ventures - Hamilton Lane - Hummer Winblad Venture Partners - Illuminate Ventures - Intel Capital - Levensohn Venture Partners - Milk Street Ventures - Opus Capital - Palomar Ventures - Prolog Ventures - Voyager Capital
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2008 Conference company spotlight
Adiri's vision is to be the "Apple" of the baby care category -- redefining both fashion and function to deliver superior products.
Arbor Vita has exploited PDZ interactions, fundamental to cell biology, for the systematic development of unique, high value drugs & diagnostics.
Arcxis Biotechnologies is transforming molecular diagnostics through disruptive technologies in sample preparation, assay development and a hands-off integrated system.
Avaxia Biologics is developing oral antibody products for mucositis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and celiac disease.
BettyConfidential offers an intimate place for you to gather with other women and find entertainment, news, information and opinions.
Blissport's patent-pending travel search tools bring the eHarmony match to online travel to enhance trip selection and enjoyment.
CCO Solutions provides portfolio management and operations technology and services to the hedge fund industry.
Crimson Hexagon provides brand monitoring that takes analytics far beyond counting mentions or positive / negative / neutral ratings to focus on finding and understanding relevant opinion.
Compass will aggregate the $2.4B professional coaching industry; becoming the on-line destination for women seeking advice and coaches seeking clients.
Emmet Labs is a visual Wikipedia of connections between all people across all time.
FairSoftware is an online service that implements a legally sound "virtual mini-corporation." It includes incorporation, hiring, virtual share allocation, EULAs, IP protection, decision-making and revenue distribution.
harQen combines telephony, web and social networking to provide smart, easy-to-use business applications.
iDC offers on-demand financial ERP Fund Accounting software just for governments and non-profit agencies.
Jimmyjane is a privately held consumer products company that develops and manufactures premium accessories and consumables which integrate design and sexuality.
LearnVest will be the trusted liaison between young women and the world of personal finance, beginning with the basics.
MyLawsuit.com efficiently connects individuals with lawyers who will take their cases on a contingency fee thus empowering the consumer.
Orange Door develops evolved, modern solutions for professional accountants and their clients.
PeaceKeeper Cause-Metics features mineral-based colors without FD & C or lake colors, parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde, toluene, or other harmful ingredients - and, no animal testing.
Pocket Journey turns your mobile phone into a personal tour guide by connecting you to location-specific multimedia created by a worldwide community.
ReferQuest's online hub brokers rewards to those who successfully refer their contacts for jobs, rentals and purchases, similar to an "ebay" of referrals.
Sim Ops Studios is developing www.Wild Pockets.com™ to enable anyone to create fully interactive 3D worlds that run in a web-browser.
Simbiosys Biowares provides high quality products and laboratory services in global pharmaceutical and diagnostic markets, leveraging proven offshore model.
SmartNow
s a comprehensive information, referral and community site
focused on the needs of women over 30.
Sustainable Minds' mission is to be at the forefront of bringing sustainable product design into the mainstream in an accessible, empowering and credible way.
Usable Security Systems solves the password problem for websites & consumers, with the simplicity of a single word & the security of multi-factor authentication.
WonderFun creates innovative digital media that helps young children develop the same thinking skills used by the Einsteins and DaVincis of the world.
Zazengo turns awareness into impact by adding the ability to inspire, manage and demonstrate the impact of grassroots action to any site.
Zweaveprovides on demand design automation software solutions to consumer products organizations managing complex design and sourcing activities.
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Join US For Astia's Holiday Party
Ring in the Holiday Season with Astia at our offices on Wednesday December 17th from 4:30pm - 6:30pm. Stop by for drinks and light snacks, and to celebrate a great 2008 and all the hard work you have done for us this year!
To RSVP, please email Andrew at andrew@astia.org
Location: 833 Market Street Suite 605
we are located between 4th & 5th Streets, next to the Westfield Shopping Center
Parking Recommendations: Fifth & Mission Parking Garage
Public Transportation:
Powell Street Bart Station
Muni Schedules (nearby buses include the 45 bus and the 30 bus which both go to and from the Transbay terminal)
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January Leadership program in london
Save the Dates! On the 28th and 29th of January, Astia will host a Leadership Program in London for start-up CEOs as a precursor to the Doing it Right Program, taking place in May. Linda Bernardi, a senior executive and entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience, will be leading the sessions.
Be sure to check out the Astia London Program on our website for more details on the program, or contact Evie Mulberry, Director of UK Programs at evie@astia.org.
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partner events
FWE&E Holiday Party
 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM December 2, 2008
900 Concar Dr - San Mateo, CA 94402
FWE&E Invites you to ring in the holiday season at their Annual Holiday Party, celebrating the Art of Connection.
Members: $50 Non-Members: $75
Click here for more details and to register.
A Case Study of Learning Lessons for Entrepreneurs
7:30am - 9:00am December 17, 2008 SDForum, in collaboration with Nixon Peabody and Frank Rimerman are delighted to announce the launch of a unique and innovative breakfast series: Building a Tech Business in Silicon Valley: A Case Study. The Series is NOT a "talking heads" panel program. Instead, the important lessons learned are communicated through discussions centering around detailed case descriptions. Audience members put themselves in the shoes of the company's principals as they suffer and succeed through the rollercoaster life of a startup. The Series will take place across five sessions from Fall '08 to Spring '09 and will trace the lifecycle of a fictitious Silicon Valley technology company. Click for details. The Business of New Media: Gaming, The New FrontierDecember 5th, 8:15am - 5:15pm
Microsoft Campus, Mountain ViewJoin SDForum
as we continue to track what's happened since then and what it means
for consumers and the face of "media" as we know it. This year's theme
is gaming, the new frontier. The videogame business has been dominated
by big developers, large budgets and blockbuster titles. New media is
enabling small developers to successfully compete in bringing
innovative web-and iPhone-based games to the market. Online casual
gaming is attracting a new demographic, women, as opposed to first
person shooter games that primarily attract men. Massively multi-player
games enable millions to participate, creating a new social gaming
environment and market. For registration and complete details, please
go to www.sdforum.org/gaming08.
A Passage to Innovation in the Life Sciences
 Sunday, January 11th, 2009Cabana Hotel, Palo AltoThe theme of this conference is Innovation in the Life Sciences and will feature prominent speakers from India as well as the US. A diverse group of speakers will span the breadth of innovation, focusing not only on new technologies, but also showcasing novel business models, processes and design. Speakers will include entrepreneurs, CEO's, scientists and investors. Visit www.eppicglobal.org for more information.
In Search of New Talent, Experience, & Perspectives: Women in Investment
Tuesday, February 10 2009, 8:00am - 5:00pm
In today's volatile financial market environment,
CalPERS and CalSTRS continue to look for sound investment strategies
and premier investment managers to help protect and grow the retirement
assets of public employees. More than ever, we seek to incorporate the
expertise of emerging managers - including women and minority-owned
firms - to enhance investment returns through the broadest possible
investment talent, experience, and perspectives. To maintain our
competitive edge, especially given changing demographics throughout the
country, the role of these managers has become increasingly important.
Please join us for this one-day investment conference
that will explore opportunities that CalPERS and CalSTRS offer to
women-owned investment firms and other emerging investment managers. As
part of the conference, you will have access to the investment staff
and board members of two of the nation's largest public pension
funds. You will also have opportunities to network with CalPERS and
CalSTRS key investment staff and other like-minded emerging managers.
Register by January 9, 2009 to be part of this search for new talent, experience, and perspectives.
ITechLaw 5th International Asian ConferenceFebruary 19th & 20thThe Leela
Kempinski, Gurgaon, Delhi NCR - the capital of India
This two-day Conference will showcase recent developments in technology
law and will feature presentations from leading legal practitioners and
industry experts from around the world. This Conference will also offer
unparalleled international networking opportunities aimed at
professionals who constantly face the legal issues that arise in IT
sales and distribution, ecommerce, Telecom, and protection of
intellectual property. Click here for more details and to register.
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Astia is on Linked-In and Facebook. Be sure to join our groups!
Want to join the Astia community? Register for the community portal and fill out your member profile!
Brynna Deaver
Communications & Community Engagement
Astia
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