TCVN Presents : Investor Panel with Carey Ransom, Gene Wu, & David Friedman

1530 Concordia,Irvine CA 92612

28 October, 2021

Description

TCVN Investor Panel! TCVN Investor Panel: Hear insights and perspectives from accomplished investors!Join TCVN for a live panel discussion with local early stage startup investors to understand their perspective for what makes a StartUp successful and fundable. Our host, Michael Sawitz, along with our featured investors will give you the straight talk on how (and why) they have helped build and fund successful startups! Learn the answers to these and your must-know questions directly from our panelist investors! Audience participation and questions are welcome and encouraged. START HERE: Join TCVN on October 28th, 2021 @ 6:30 pm. **Exact event location at Concordia will be emailed to registrants with detailed instructions on where the event will be held on Concordia's campus.** David FriedmanDavid Friedman is a tech-savvy marketing and business executive with more than 30 years of expertise in bringing to market new technology. He is passionate about innovation and commercializing technology to meet the needs of customers. As the President of TechCoastAngels OC, one of the larges and most successful angel investment groups in the country, David is committed to expanding membership and opportunities. During his career he has commercialized more than $1.5 billion in new products. He has helped companies build top line revenue growth and EBITDA while mentoring the next generation of business leaders. David has been CMO for Narus, a cyber company, executive vice president and Chief Marketing Officer for ATX Group (now Sirius Connected Car), and VP of Marketing and Direct Sales for Connexion by Boeing. Friedman holds an MBA (economics) from George Washington University, an MSEE degree from Columbia University, and a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering (summa cum laude) from City College of New York. Carey Ransom"Having extensive experience from startup to explosive growth to exit, and having sold a private company to a public company (while being CEO), I am a serial entrepreneur and investor. And I love to collaborate on the company-building process. As the Founder and President of Operate, my team and I look for entrepreneurs with grit who are building innovative companies. In all of our portfolio companies, we invest our own capital and our team's capabilities as senior executives to build amazing companies together. This unique approach delivers more predictable investment returns and creates more winners for our investment partners." Ransom holds an MBA (entrepreneurship & finance) from UCLA Anderson School of Management and a bachelor's degree in Economics from Indiana University. Gene WuGene Wu has been the Managing Partner for NextLevel Management for over 20 years. They invest in startups and companies that have commercialized or are on the verge of commercializing the product or service. He invests in multiple successful companies such as Apothékary, Lunar Brands, UC Innovation, Harlem Capital, & OnSite Waste Technologies! He also has a great involvement with Vermillion Ventures, the first fund to invest in only Asian Americans founders and be funded entirely by Asian Americans. Wu holds an MBA (finance) from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a bachelor's degree in Quant Econ from UC San Diego. Michael Sawitz | Fast Start StudiosMichael Sawitz is a serial entrepreneur and founder of FastStart.studio, a mixed-use business incubator in Irvine. He has held founder or C-level positions for over forty years in the apparel industry, equipment distribution and retail arenas. Mr. Sawitz has been published nationally, spoke nationally as a keynote speaker and has been interviewed on numerous occasions in print and talk radio shows. His charity work includes President of the National Alliance of Ship Centers, the board of directors Tech Coast Venture Network, the board of directors The Center for Entrepreneurship CSUF, Professional Mentors Advisors and Coaches, and Charter Member of TiE the world’s largest entrepreneurial education organization. Additionally, he was an adjunct professor teaching Lean Startup Strategies at CSUF and hosts an entrepreneurial podcast called FastStart.talk (FastStartTalk.podbean.com). His latest endeavor is as Adjunct Professor at Irvine Valley College Business School. TCVN PITCH CONTEST! If you would like to practice your 30 second pitch, be sure to register for a General Admission ticket! All registrants will have the opportunity to give their best pitch to the audience. The winner of the pitch contest will be eligible for a one hour meeting with the board member of your choice, and promotion on our social media sites! TCVN is one of Southern California’s premier technology business networks. Through a wide variety of forums, pitch sessions, workshops, and other networking events, we bring together entrepreneurs and resources from the Orange County Startup ecosystem. TCVN is one of Southern California’s premier technology business networks. Through a wide variety of forums, pitch sessions, workshops, and other networking events, we bring together entrepreneurs and resources from every facet of the technology and startup landscape.