Join us on February 21 for "Japan Meets the Nano Republic of California", a focused half-day event that brings leading business and research leaders from Japan and the Nano Republic for a practical discussion on current research and potential future business opportunities in nanotechnology. Two high-powered discussion panels will feature key figures and companies building the future of nanotechnology both here and abroad. Featured Keynote: Dr. Eiji Osawa, President of NanoCarbon Research Institute.

Confirmed Speakers:

> Dr. Eiji Osawa, President of NanoCarbon Research Institute, Ltd.
>Martha Krebs, Director of the CA NanoSystems Institute and Associate Vice Chancellor of UCLA for Research
> Dr. Ari Requicha, Dir. of USC Molecular Robotics Laboratory
> Dr. Joe Lichtenhan, CEO of Hybrid Plastics Corp.
> Scott Broadley, VP of Broadley James Corp.
> Susumu Katagiri, President & CEO, Fullerene Int’l Corp.
> Dr. Brian Pierce, Manager, Advanced RF Technologies, Raytheon Corp.
> Dr. Motoo Yumura, Principal Research Scientist of AIST
> Dr. Yoshiteru Sato, Director of Materials Processes Technology Development Dept. of NEDO
> Brent Viers, Project Leader, POSS/Polymer Working Group, Air Force Research Laboratory, Propulsion Materials

February 21, 2002, 12:45 - 6:30 pm. Torrance Marriott.

Registration: Pre-registration is $60, at the door registration is $75.
click here for more information

Larta University February Session: Pitching Your Company
Feb. 13 in Irvine (8-noon) and Feb. 14 in Santa Monica (8:30-12:30 PM)

Investors, customers, and strategic partners often hear pitches with too much of the wrong information (or just too much information) and not enough of the essentials. This workshop focuses on how to translate complex, broad technology business concepts and plans into succinct messages that intrigue and interest for each type of business audiences from venture capitalists to corporate partners. The session will also address how to do an elevator pitch, refine the business plan, and more.

Speakers Include: Todd Jerry and Greg Bonfiglio (Anthem Venture Partners), Stephen D. O’Connor (Nanostream Inc.)
click here for more information

Hollywood Unstrung 2 at The Robert Zemeckis Center For Digital Arts this Thursday
Online registration is now closed, but we encourage those interested in attending to be placed on the wait list. Please email Lisa Charnes.
Larta will premiere and discuss Hollywood Unstrung 2 at a very special launch event at The Robert Zemeckis Center for Digital Arts, USC. Attended by leaders of the technology and entertainment industry, this evening event will feature a panel session, Digital Cinema: Hollywood's Emerging Challenge, opened by Dean Elizabeth Daley of the USC School of Cinema and Television.
Other speakers include: Ken Williams, (President, Technicolor Digital Cinema), Bob Dowling (Publisher of The Hollywood Reporter), Robert Mayson (General Mgr. of Kodak Digital Entertainment), Mark Kapczynski (Principal Consultant of Microsoft Entertainment and Media), Chris Cookson (Chief Technology Officer at Warner Brothers), and Alan Silvers (Technical Director, at Cinesite). The program will be moderated by Russ Ferstandig, founder and president of Mobius Research, founder and head of Miramax's Digital Cinema Initiatives, and founder of the Electronic Cinema Initiative.
click here to be placed on the waiting list

Backing Into Digital Cinema
by Michael Karagosian, panelist at Hollywood Unstrung 2 launch event
Despite the attention it gets in the press, digital movies are not the killer application for electronic cinema. Several factors dictate this: the high cost of projectors and servers, the lack of a new compelling audience experience, and the increase in production/distribution costs in the early years of the technology. For digital movies to become the standard for exhibition, these three basic issues must be addressed, none of which will be solved overnight. While the industry waits for digital movies to make better economic sense, the infrastructure for digital cinema will be built, but not in the order that one might expect.
click here for the full article

Larta in the News

Technicolor Funds Limited Rollout of Digital Cinema
In the biggest push yet to bring digital cinema to the movie-going masses, a partnership of Technicolor Inc. and Qualcomm Inc. is footing the bill to outfit more than 100 theaters nationwide with its digital exhibition systems this year, at a cost of about $150,000 per theater. Rohit Shukla, president and chief executive of Larta, said there is value in Technicolor Digital being first out of the gate. The group will release a report on digital entertainment this week. “It upends the current posture of everyone,” Shukla said of Technicolor’s willingness to pay for the dissemination of its system. “Everyone is so paralyzed by the idea of someone else getting ahead that it will push things forward.”
click here for the full article from The Los Angeles Business Journal

SCTVF 2002 Applications Now Open
Larta is accepting applications for the 2002 Southern California Technology Venture Forum (SCTVF) through February 1, 2002. SCTVF, now in its 8th year, is the longest running and most prominent Forum of its kind in California, having jumpstarted over $400 million in investment financing for companies. If you are selected to present, you will be assigned a seasoned mentor team to meet with weekly in order to refine your presentation and business plan and prepare you for your presentation at SCTVF 2002 on April 18.
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SCTVF 2001 company eNow Raises $9.45 Million
eNow, which provides technology and infrastructure for next-generation real-time communications, announced last week that it raised $9.45 million in its Series C from Broadband Partners, Cap Ventures, Entertainment Media Ventures, Hudson Ventures, and Phoenix Partners. The company will use the money for product development, sales and marketing, and additional staff. New investor Hudson Ventures led the round. Other new investors include Broadband Partners and Phoenix Partners. The company began the round in May with a target close of $6 million to $10 million. eNow, which employs 25, has raised $18.5 million to date. Two new members have been added to the six-member board: Jay Goldberg, senior managing partner at Hudson Ventures, and David Johnson, general partner at Phoenix Partners.

Caltech Executive Education: Project Management Certificate Program
Project management requires special management techniques and tools for better control and use of time and scarce resources. Caltech's Project Management Certificate Program is designed to help you and your staff develop the insight and skills necessary for effective project management. The Project Management Certificate Program is a progressive sequence of five, two-day courses offered on alternate Saturdays at the Caltech Industrial Relations Center in Pasadena, California. The skills developed in this program apply to large or small projects, product design and development efforts, construction projects, software development, and every kind of effort with firm performance, time, and funding targets. Classes begin January 2002.
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Marina Del Rey Commercial Property Available
This offering consists of three buildings, each unique, which may be leased separately, or combined in several ways to accommodate a wide variety of uses. The entire exterior of this campus has just been completely renovated. The property is located 2 miles west of the 405 Freeway and 1 mile from the Marina Freeway, and is within minutes of LAX and blocks of the Pacific Ocean.
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Positions open at Larta

Freelance Copy Editor
Larta is seeking a freelance copy editor to proofread and edit Larta's written materials, including the LA VOX newsletter, research reports, and marketing information. 1-2 years staff or regular freelance proofreading/copy editing experience required. Please send resume with reference information and salary history to jjohnson@old.larta.org.

Research Economist/Policy Associate
As our Research Economist / Policy Associate, you will:
* Possess a current and strong knowledge of the technology economy, and a working knowledge of the overall economy, and associated and relevant public policy issues,
* Maintain the collection of data, and develop relevant analysis;
* Oversee, plan, research, and prepare Larta’s reports on the technology economy, including updates of past reports
* Communicate information and knowledge to key influencers (media, investors/sponsors, public officials) and a lay audience
click here for more information on this job opportunity

Other Job Openings:

Riviera Partners is seeking a Part-Time/Intern Intelligence Operative
Riviera Partners, a leader in building senior management teams for emerging growth technology companies, is currently searching for an Intelligence Operative to join our growing team. In this exciting role, you will provide the principals with comprehensive research on the industry sectors that we are targeting. You will create and maintain a digital map of the top companies in targeted industry sectors. You will act as a talent scout employing our proprietary information systems and Internet search tools. You will leverage our extensive network of industry contacts and the telephone to identify the top management talent for our ongoing search assignments.
Submit your resume to jim@rivierapartners.net