CONNECTpreneur BETHESDA Forum - March 14 (New Date)

The Big Idea CONNECTpreneur Bethesda Forum - March 14, 2019 (NEW date)

"The Best Networking Event in the MidAtlantic."

This will be our 37th consecutive SOLD OUT event over the last 8 years!

Over 70% of previous attendees surveyed say that CONNECTpreneur is the "Number One" tech and investor event in the Mid-Atlantic region!

DCInno calls CONNECTpreneur "The Best Networking Event in DC" and a "NETWORKING JACKPOT" of the Region's TOP Entrepreneurs, Business Leaders, CXOs, Angels, and VCs.

This UNIQUE EVENT is like NONE OTHER in our region, because of the high quality of our attendees, speakers and presenters.

And YES, the networking is unprecedented!

Program Highlights:

- FIRESIDE CHAT with ROCKSTAR CEO Rick Weidinger, Chairman and CEO, Robotic Vision Technologies; IRL IndyCar and A1 Grand Prix Team USA team owner; former CEO, Pontio Communications (exited to El Paso Corp.)

- VIP Panel: "How to Drive Innovation Across the Greater Washington Region"

- We expect 400 business leaders, including 150+ CEOs & Founders, as well as 80+ angels & VCs

- SHOWCASE of 7 Emerging tech companies

- Heavy NETWORKING before, during, and after the event

Buffet breakfast and unlimited coffee/tea will be provided.

CONNECTpreneur is a bi-monthly networking mashup, which has been attended by over 8000 business leaders over the past 8 years.

Space is very limited at this venue.

We expect another SOLD OUT crowd, so there will be no on-site registration.

All attendees MUST BE pre-registered.

Please "Like" us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Connectpreneur

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @connectpreneur

And visit our Website at connectpreneur.org

DATE: THURSDAY, MARCH 14,  2019

AGENDA

7:00-8:20 am - REGISTRATION / NETWORKING

8:20 - 8:25 am - WELCOME REMARKS

S. TIEN WONG, Chairman of Tech 2000 and Lore Systems

8:25 - 9:10 am - FIRESIDE CHAT WITH ROCKSTAR CEO

RICK WEIDINGER, Chairman & CEO, Robotic Vision Technologies; former CEO, Pontio Communications (exited to El Paso Corp.); IRL IndyCar team owner and A1 Grand Prix Team USA owner

9:10 - 10:10 am - COMPANY SHOWCASE / ROCKET PITCH

Canduit - Greg Lewin

Goefer - Michael Herod

Incidr - Henry Hunter

Nanobiofab - Xiaonao Liu

PramRides - Glenn Giles

Sun City SmartTech - Charles Schwab

Valaurum - Adam Trexler

Companies will be introduced by:

MIKE LABRIOLA, Partner, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati

ANTHONY MILLIN, Partner, Shulman Rogers and NEXTLegal

10:10 - 11:10 am - PANEL: "How to Drive Innovation Across the Greater Washington Region"

Moderator: JONATHAN ABERMAN, Managing Partner, Amplifier Venture Partners; Founder, Tandem Innovation Alliance

BOB BUCHANAN, Chairman, Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation; President and Co-Founder, 2030 Group; Founding Principal, Buchanan Partners

ESTHER LEE, CEO, Refraction; former Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade; Founding Director, Office of Innovation & Entrepreneurship, U.S. Department of Commerce

BRIAN PARK, Managing Partner, SparkLabs Cyber + Blockchain; Former COO, StartupGrind

11:10 am - NETWORKING

PREVIOUS INVESTOR PARTICIPANTS (partial list):

Revolution Ventures, Carlyle Group, Kinetic Ventures, Sterling Partners, Core Capital, Grotech, UPDATA, Novak Biddle, New Atlantic Ventures, Edison Ventures, SWaN & Legend Venture Partners, Venturehouse, Boulder Ventures, TDF Funds, Ballast Point Ventures, Multiplier Capital, Saratoga Investment Corp., Maryland Venture Fund, New Markets Venture Partners, True Ventures, 500 Startups, Amplifier Venture Partners, DFW Capital Partners, Farragut Capital, NextGen Angels, CIT GAP Funds, TEDCO, BluVenture Investors, Leeds Novamark, 1776, Private Access Network, CAV Angels, K Street Capital, Select Venture Partners, RLMcCall Capital, ID Private Equity, Cranbrook Capital, Baltimore Angels, Pennington Partners, Acceleprise, Blue Marlin Partners, US Boston Capital, VentureCross Partners, Berman Enterprises, Dingman Angels, Neuberger & Co. Ventures, McLean Capital, Angel Venture Forum, Brilliant Keypoint Investments, Paras Ventures, NextSteps Capital, Noblestar Capital, Hercules Technology Growth Capital, Grindstone Partners, Exhilirator, New Vantage Group, New Dominion Angels, National Capital Companies, Enhanced Capital, MTECH Ventures, Mosaic Capital, Opus8, Blue Heron Capital, Duncaster Investments, Private Capital Network, Next-Stage Development Group, Lancaster Angel Network, Decisive Investment Group, Harrell Partners, Ruxton Ventures, MD Center for Entrepreneurship, Fortify Ventures, Conscious Venture Labs, and Keiretsu Forum.

EVENT PARTNERS:

Tech2000

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Shulman Rogers Gandal Pordy & Ecker

Womble Bond Dickinson

RSM

Association for Enterprise Growth

Montgomery County Economic Development Corp.

NFP

CBRE

SunTrust Bank

Entoro Capital

Georgetown Entrepreneurship Initiative

Institute for Excellence in Sales

Wharton DC Innovation Summit

Maryland Tech Council Venture Mentoring Services

Ryan & Wetmore

Hafezi Capital

National Association of Business Owners & Entrepreneurs

TESTIMONIALS and MEDIA

PRESS: http://connectpreneur.org/press

"No B.S. that was the best biz networking event I have ever been to."

Darren Womer

CEO, National Capital Companies

Chairman, Clear Government Solutions

"CONNECTpreneur is the region's leading event for bringing together people who will drive our economy forward."

Lyles Carr

Senior Vice President, The McCormick Group

"Not every investor and startup meeting in town is worthwhile. I would run through walls to get to yours though."

Joe Kessler

CEO, Next Stage Development Group

"You pulled off a great conference. I really enjoyed it. Thanks for inviting me!!"

John Backus

Managing Partner, New Atlantic Ventures

"Thank you again for the invitation to CONNECTpreneur. It is so incredible to watch the Forum become THE entrepreneurship/investor forum in the Washington, DC metro area, and maybe the entire Mid-atlantic region."

Dennis Defensor

Senior VP, Worldwide Sales, OROCK Technologies

"What a great conference...There was a distinct energy and enthusiasm at your meeting, unlike the usual droll meetings like this. So well done."

John Holaday,

CEO, QRx Pharma

"One of the best events I have ever sponsored!"

Mark Ellenbogen

Partner, BDO

"Great event this week! Great speakers, atmosphere and people! Reminded me of the good ole days!"

Tom Kohn

Professor, American University

Founder, Transactis

"It was amazing. Best event I have ever attended!"

Jill Chodorov, Angel Investor

"I thought you put on a terrific event. I was really impressed with the caliber of people and the format of the event."

Jim Van Eperen, Angel Investor

Director, Raffa Insurance Services

"That was one of the best VC conferences I can remember attending. It had all the positive energy of the boom years, without the unbridled reckless exuberance."

Jim Long

Founder, VentureCross Partners

"Bravo! Great program."

Tony Cord

Partner and Managing Director, Newport Board Group

"It was first class....well done!"

Chad MacDonald

CEO, Connected Services

"Amazing how many high-level people you had..."

Wade Tetsuka,

CEO, US Transactions Corp.

"It was very successful! A good combination of networking time, information, and presentation of deal opportunities. The interview approach worked well I thought, and the room was certainly full."

George Harrop

Managing Director, CapitalSource

"It was a really good crowd of operators and investors…rare for these so-called 'forums.'"

David Giannini

Chairman and CEO, CirrusWorks

"Event was great. Quality attendees, good energy – contacts – content."

Bud Morrissette

CEO, Interstate Group Holdings

"it was an outstanding event! Thank you for having us be part of CONNECTpreneur...I feel like I've experienced the best of breed in networking and relationship groups. Nicely done."

Jack Quarles

Co-Author, Same Side Selling

"I thought the event yesterday at Marymount University was absolutely outstanding! The attendance was fantastic and the content was extraordinary. Thank you for curating such a great event. The Vice Chair of the Arlington County Board was extraordinarily impressed. Thank you so much for allowing us to be part of it and we look forward to the event."

Victor Hoskins

Director, Arlington County (VA) Economic Development

FAQs

What are my transportation/parking options for getting to and from the event?

We recommend taking NETRO, as the Hyatt Regency Bethesda sits atop the Bethesda Metro station. Parking is available at the hotel as well as in several municipal parking garages around the venue. 

How can I contact the organizer with any questions?

You can e-mail the organizers at twong@opus8.com.

What's the refund policy?

All sales are final and there are no refunds. Any cancellations received before February 6 may be credited towards a future CONNECTpreneur Forum.

Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event?

No. Once you register on Eventbrite, you are good to go! We will send you a couple of confirmation email s in the days leading up to the event.

Can I update my registration information?

Yes

Is my registration fee or ticket transferrable?

The “Service Provider” ticket is fully transferable. The Investor/Entrepreneur/CEO ticket is transferable only to another investor, founder or CEO. It is not transferrable to a service provider.

How can I apply to present?

If you have a promising early stage company that is raising capital or wanting to make a product announcement, please contact Regan Nelson at rnelson@opus8.com. We have a Committee review process for prospective presenting companies.