MANCHESTER, NH—The New Hampshire High Tech Council has selected six industry experts who will comprise the two panels to advise business leaders at the first Entrepreneur Forum of 2015 at FIRST headquarters at 200 Bedford Street from 5:20 to 8:30 p.m. on February 11.
Blair Heavey of Heavey Advisors (formerly Moontoast), Mike Morin of Stanley Innovation, Michael Barrett of Tech Resources, John Gargasz of 10X Venture Partners, and Jason Syversen of Siege Tech will provide feedback, advice and guidance to the event’s presenting companies SalesGoose and AMI Research & Development (AMI R&D). The cost for the event is $15 for Council members, $30 for non-members, and $10 for students. Individuals can register at nhhtc.org.
The panelists were selected specifically because their background and expertise aligns with the questions and business challenges the presenting companies bring to the event. Each of the presenting companies will receive 15 minutes to present its business plan and receive feedback from the panel of experts and the audience. The panel will act as venture advisors for the evening and provide potential solutions based on their own professional experiences and expertise.
- Michael Barrett is the Director of Advance Programs at Tech Resources. He is active in the renewable energy sector and has started three high tech firms ranging from development and patent work on business jets, commercial airlines and military aircraft with experience working with international shareholders in North and South America, Europe, Asia, India and Australia. He has 30 years of experience in past roles at AeroStat Corporation and Sanders Associates, and drafted the initial crowdfunding bill that is currently under consideration in the New Hampshire legislature. Barrett earned a Bachelor of Science in aeronautical engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and attended continuing education and graduate work at Boston University, Harvard University, and Babson College.
- John Gargasz is a tech investor and real estate professional with more than 25 years’ experience executing business strategies and maximizing ROI for high-tech businesses. As manager/member at 10X Venture Partners, Gargasz actively sources and manages private equity angel investments in the technology sector, including wireless technology, nanotechnology, internet security, and software. His specialties include technology, CRM, government selling, marketing, planning and budgeting, financial systems integration and intellectual property strategies. His experience includes serving as principal at Elkridge Real Estate Investors, working in business development at StoneSys, director and investor at Innovative Wireless Technologies and vice president of development and strategic planning at DRS Codem Systems Inc. Gargasz earned a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder and attended the executive program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management.
- Blair Heavey has 20 years of experience building and leading innovative, high-growth technology companies in the social, mobile, online marketing, online advertising and data protection spaces. He advises venture-backed startup companies, and is an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Babson College, where he works with entrepreneurs in MBA and venture programs. Heavey also has extensive experience in helping to raise venture capital, growing and re-inventing go-to-market sales, marketing and business development strategies. As an executive at two companies, he was successful bringing OpenMarket ($2B), an electronic commerce company and Be Free ($3B), an affiliate marketing company to IPO . He completed his undergraduate degree at Boston College and received his MBA from Babson College. He is passionate about challenging and helping young entrepreneurs think through their new ventures, analyze market pain and need and establish compelling go-to-market plans.
- Mike Morin is a successful senior executive with more than 25 years of sales, sales management and operational experience in the software, technology and consulting services spaces. As Vice President of Sales and Business Development at Stanley Innovation, he plays a key role in setting company strategy with early stage start-ups, managing relationships with clients and growing revenues. He holds a Bachelor of Science in industrial technology from Lowell Technological Institute and an MBA from the University of Massachusetts Lowell. His past experience also includes serving as the senior vice president of sales at CXO systems, executive vice president of worldwide sales and marketing at Demantra, vice president of worldwide sales at Dirig Software and vice president of sales at iCube/Razorfish.
- Jason Syversen is an entrepreneur with experience in technology innovation, program development and execution gathered in industry and government roles. His specialties include computer/network security, communications, cryptology, software development, and research and development. He is the CEO of Siege Technologies, a computer security R&D firm with offices in Manchester, Virginia and Rome, New York. Past roles include Program Manager in the Strategic Technology Office at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), where he started three new projects, five programs and successfully transitioned core programs to six unique government partners. He completed his undergraduate work in computer engineering at the University of Maine and earned a Masters in electrical engineering from Worchester Polytechnic Institute while employed full-time at BAE Systems as part of the company’s Engineering Leadership Development Program.
Each panel will hear presentations made by either Dr. John Apostolos and Bob Lynas of AMI R&D or Rick Ouellette of SalesGoose.
AMI R&D pursues opportunities in applied research and advanced technology to develop, innovate, and mature disruptive technologies and transition intellectual property (IP) into new or existing products for manufacturing. The company will present its Explosive Detection Technology, which was developed to improve airline travel passenger screening using low-frequency technique that is not based on imaging. SalesGoose is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) company that is revolutionizing how decision-makers defend their time against unsolicited calls and emails without missing opportunities to make or save their companies money. Through its use of proprietary algorithms, the social-enabled SalesGoose platform optimizes how buyers and sellers engage by automating the time-consuming human interactions in the earliest stages of the sales/buying processes.
About the NH High Tech Council
The NH High Tech Council engages, connects, and supports member companies throughout New Hampshire. As the largest member-driven technology association in the state, the Council supports research, innovation, and economic and workforce development efforts that have helped New Hampshire become a national leader in entrepreneurship and business. For more information, visit NHHTC.org.
About Entrepreneur Forum
The Council holds three Entrepreneur Forums a year where attendees discover how to present a plan to potential investors or gain valuable feedback on specific topics. These events are designed to attract entrepreneurs who are developing a business idea or have an interest in the subject matter of the presenters, members of the financial and investment community, and students. Sponsors for the Entrepreneur Forum are: Autodesk; Baker Newman Noyes; and Cook, Little, Rosenblatt & Manson. New Hampshire Business Review is the media sponsor.
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