1. The Venture Forum: A Coming of Age Story
by Rohit Shukla, larta CEO
In a marketplace suffering from confusion, exhaustion and a not-inconsiderable dose of cynicism, the 2001 Venture Forum was a refreshing reminder that opportunities and quality companies exist all around us.
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2. The Latest Venture
After almost two months of intensive mentor training, the Venture Forum audience saw sixteen polished pitches Tuesday morning at the Century City Hotel and Plaza.
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3. Party Favors
The Venture Forum's private VIP reception Monday night, to honor Mayor Riordan and the sixteen SCTVF presenting companies turned out to be the most robust networking scene of the whole event.
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click here for the Venture Forum 2001 photo gallery and VIP reception

Related Articles
What they did for venture capital : Local Business.com's article on the 7th Annual Southern California Technology Venture Forum's luncheon panel of Internet-era survivors who shared-- and bared--lessons from the new economy.
Click here for the full article from Local Business.com

Orange County startups among apples of VC's eyes
A company named Hybrid is making plastics out of sand. But the Fountain Valley, California-based start-up can't grow money on trees, so it picked the next best thing--venture capital.
click here for the full article on the Venture Forum from Local Business.com

Meet, Mix and Mingle:
Highlight of Featured Events
This event bulletin is provided as a service by larta on behalf of various partner organizations and about events vetted and endorsed by larta.

April 22: 2001 Global Matchmaking Reception
The U.S. Department of Commerce and the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) present the 2001 Global Matchmaking Reception this Sunday from 6:00pm - 9:00pm at the Venetian Resort Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. All registered international buyers to NAB 2001, including foreign buyer delegations led by the US Commercial Service offices abroad, have been invited to attend. Buyer delegations from over 15 countries are confirmed for NAB 2001.
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April 24: JETRO's 4th Tuesday Technology Exchange
The Japan External Trade Organization presents "Becoming a Competitive Force: A Practical Study in Brand Strategy" with guest speaker Ms. Michele Lando, Principal at Skilset Communications. Now that the boom has ended so abruptly, businesses are understandably taking a more prudent back-to-basics approach to marketing and the once hip word has earned an ambiguous, if not dubious, reputation. So does "branding" deserve a file in the past archives? Is it a waste of money or a misunderstood science? What is branding anyway?
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April 24: Biobrew in Santa Barbara
Tired of sequencing genes? Prefer Southern Comfort to Southern Blots? Doing biotech, medtech or life science business or research in Santa Barbara or points nearby? BioBrew returns to Santa Barbara on Tuesday, April 24 at BistroMed, on State Street. Free admission. Free appetizers. Cash bar.
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April 25: Layoff Lounge - Los Angeles
Are you a victim of the technology shakeout and layoffs? Come network with top area hiring managers, recruiting firms, professional organizations, investors, and more. Keynote Speaker - Author and Career Counselor Ruth Luban, will speak about the stress associated with layoffs and how to focus and prioritize your job search.
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April 26: City of Hope's Technology, Entertainment, and New Media Industry Fundraiser
Join 150 senior executives from Forbes, Variety, Universal, Disney, Fox and Sony for an evening of gaming, food and fun to support City of Hope. City of Hope will also be honoring electronics pioneer Nolan Bushnell at the Belgian Consulate. Sign up online or contact Sharon Gleason sgleason@coh.org 213-241-7228.
Click here to sign up online

April 30: Deadline for Speaker Submissions for FilmIT
Do you have ideas, insights, and experiences that are beneficial to professionals confronted by the convergence of the film and technology industries? Are you interested in presenting your expertise, vision and skills to these decision makers and leaders? Then you will want to participate in the Film Information Technology Conference & Exposition Conference Program. The FilmIT Conference Program will feature more than 20 sessions covering the latest tools, technologies and e-business practices used by the motion picture industry, and how the Internet and digital technology are impacting content creation, marketing, distribution, and asset management in the film industry.
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May 3: Town Hall's High Tech Series "Beyond the Box: The Coming Convergence of TV and PC in the Online Era"
Featuring Odie C. Donald, President DIRECTV, Inc.
"Boob tube", "idiot box": Pejoratives have plagued the passive process of TV watching from the time the first set flicked on more than 50 years ago. All of that's ending as TV moves not just "outside the box," but beyond the box into a new era of interactivity, where the passive experience of viewing gives way to a radical increase in consumer choice and control. Odie Donald will share his vision of the coming convergence of TV and PC, and its implications for entertainment, education and our society.
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May 8: Selling Up - Selling Out
A one-day seminar for senior software and IT executives geared to help you position, value, prepare, and negotiate a merger, sale or divestiture of a software, IT or Internet company. Learn how to translate years of hard work and technical genius into real personal wealth. larta newsletter recipients receive a $100 discount.
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May 10: Mnemonic Computer Solutions and Computer Associates presents: "Hackers at the Gates--Data Dilemmas" Network Security, Protection and Data Management
Heightened by the Internet explosion and data growth, small to medium sized businesses (SMB) have become incredibly vulnerable to computer attack and network data-loss. Long neglected by the computer industry in the field of network security, small to medium businesses like yours have now become the fastest growing sector of the market. Network security solutions are now affordable to businesses of any size. This timely seminar targets critical computer network security and data management issues for the needs of businesses who seek affordable solutions. For more information contact Tony Nejad at tony@nemonic.com at 800.237.9191

May 14: An Inside Look at the Tech Coast Angels
Come for the evening and network with 100 Tech Coast Angels. Enjoy a 'walk-around' dinner and networking reception. Submit your company's elevator pitch and get immediate feedback from a TCA panel; or just watch the process as other early-stage companies pitch. See a live 25-minute TCA screening, where a company does a full PowerPoint presentation, fields questions, and receives feedback from TCA members. The evening is designed to be an enjoyable and efficient way for entrepreneurs to learn how to pitch TCA, for investors who may be considering joining TCA, and for anyone who wants to experience key parts of the TCA process.
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May 14: Harvard Business School's Annual Entrepreneurs Conference
Join your business colleagues in the learning and networking experience that has had a major impact on Southern California companies for sixteen years. This all-day conference will offer new insights and thought-provoking discussions with guest speakers and panelists, who will share their experience and expertise. Learn from real-life case studies -- the hallmark of the Harvard Business School education. The Harvard Business School Association of Orange County (HBSAOC) is pleased to host this popular annual event, which has become the conference for gaining the perspectives and making the contacts needed to build and grow new business ventures.
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May 16 and 17: larta University begins with "Strategic Planning For Your Venture"
larta's entrepreneurial workshop, larta University, begins with the first class, taught in Costa Mesa on the 16th, and in Santa Monica on the 17th. This first session, "Strategic Planning For Your Venture," features leading entrepreneurs sharing their business stories--the peaks and the valleys--in an interactive panel session, to a preliminary overview of the series? topics. Each entrepreneur will discuss the challenges they faced in taking their concepts and turning them into profits. Initial funding, management recruitment, and marketing strategies will be some of the many topics covered.
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Copyright © 2001 larta. All rights reserved. Please feel free to forward this newsletter to those who may be interested. Permission to quote any proprietary part of this material is granted given proper credit. Distribution is allowed provided that no modifications are made to the original content.