February 3, 2012
Contact: Jonathan York
805-756-5188; jlyork@calpoly.edu
Feb. 13 Entrepreneurship Forum at Cal Poly to Address
‘Breaking the Mold – The New Startup Paradigm’
SAN LUIS OBISPO – “Breaking the Mold – The New Start-up Paradigm” is the title of an Entrepreneurship Forum Event from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 13, in the Pavilion at the Performing Arts Center at Cal Poly.
It no longer takes millions of dollars and many years to grow a technology company, nor is business planning carried out in a linear fashion, according to Orfalea College of Business Professor Jonathan York. “This forum is designed to highlight how disruptive business models and new technologies -- combined with the lean startup model, have made this a great time to be an entrepreneur,” York said.
The program will kick off with Pitches, Exhibits and Networking (PEN), including a presentation from participants of Startup Weekend SLO, a recent event that brought together community members and Cal Poly students to create entrepreneurial ideas in 54 hours.
A panel discussion following the presentation will include Amy Kardel, chief operating officer of business development at Clever Ducks; Cal Poly alumni Paul Pluschkell, CEO and founder of Spigit; Brad Roldan, director of research and development at Bandwidth’s inetwork division; and Scott Stanfield, CEO of Vertigo Software Inc.
“Technology has changed since I started my business 15 years ago, but the tools and techniques I learned as an undergrad at Cal Poly still apply today,” Stanfield said. “The approach to producing software is different; no longer are we delivering big up-front designs. We now look at developing software incrementally, and we need to demonstrate progress every day. Software is never finished and is created at many points all over the globe. We should be a part of that collaborative and dynamic process. This forum is a great place to explore the execution of ideas.”
The February Entrepreneurship Forum Event is part of a series of events hosted by the Cal Poly Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE) in partnership with local organizations. The forums provide an opportunity to meet student entrepreneurs and learn about their projects, network with local and national innovators and industry leaders, and learn more about CIE’s activities. The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.
The February forum is made possible by the sponsorship of local law firm Sinsheimer, Juhnke, McIvor and Stroh, LLP. For more information and to register, go online to cie.calpoly.edu. Additional entrepreneurship forums are planned in March, April and May.
About the Cal Poly Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE):
CIE opens the world of entrepreneurial opportunity to Cal Poly students and faculty members and promotes entrepreneurial activity, scholarship and dialogue across the university and throughout greater San Luis Obispo County.
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