Larta University
February - March 2003

February 18 - May 28: PwC Expert Access Series
In its seventeenth year, the program offers courses covering a variety of practical accounting and finance topics for businesses of all sizes. Choose from a list of classes or choose all for a reduced rate. Courses: Start-Up Accounting and Tax Issues; Accounting Issues for Emerging Technology Companies; Stock-Based Compensation and Equity; and Revenue Recognition.
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February 26: PwC Expert Access #1: Startup Tax and Legal Issues
Have you recently formed a new business? Along with all the other concerns of starting a new venture, you will need to consider various tax and accounting issues. This seminar will address stock-based compensation and cheap stock, start-up costs, tax loss and credit preservation, maximizing research tax credits, and other matters.
Location: Irvine
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March 6: How to Avoid Common Pitfalls And Stay in the Black
This seminar will examine how entrepreneurs can avoid trouble and stay in the black despite the unpredictable economy. You will learn effective solutions for building a successful company and avoiding financial disasters. Learn ways to monitor cash flow and assets, extend runway, and reduce cash burn. Study companies that have failed and learn from their mistakes, as well as successful companies and learn from their successes. Martin Pichinson is a principal and founding partner of Sherwood Partners, Inc. Specializing in the restructuring and dissolution of technology companies, he is relied upon by many of the major lending institutions, law firms and venture capitalist firms to make tough decisions to improve, sustain or create an orderly liquidation of companies.
Location: Downtown L.A.
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March 12 & 13: Attracting Capital
With the ever-worsening state of the VC industry, emerging companies need to know the most realistic options for financing. This workshop considers the pros and cons of different financing strategies, including government funding, loans, VC financing, and angel financing. Also discussed will be alternative strategies, such as partnering with customers, bootstrapping, and leveraging.
Locations: Irvine & West L.A.
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March 18, 26: PwC Expert Access #2: Accounting Issues for Emerging Technology Companies
Stock Compensation, Revenue Recognition, Equity Transactions, Research and Development are four areas of fundamental importance to emerging technology companies and four areas that have unique and often complex accounting issues. The goal of the course is to highlight key accounting and reporting matters and to give you a working understanding of what impact these areas have on your business and your business decisions.
Locations: West L.A. & Irvine
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~ New from Larta Research

Beyond Accession: The Globalization of China and Its Economic Impact on the U.S. and Other Trading Partners
This new white paper from Larta Research examines China's economy, which had already been robust and progressive prior to China's 2001 accession into the World Trade Organization (WTO). With data and analysis of the nation's recent economic history, this report examines how China's accession will affect the rest of the world, which industries will witness the most transformation, and what challenges and opportunities China's accession creates for the U.S. and U.S. businesses. The paper also addresses specific opportunities and obstacles for businesses and entrepreneurs interested in conducting business in China.
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download the full report >

The 2003 Technology Innovation Index
Larta's Technology Innovation Index is the only benchmarking report identifying, monitoring and assessing the health and growth of the technology-based economy in Southern California. The Tech Index compares the region's strengths, weaknesses, and trends with those of other regions on the national technology scene. This year’s Tech Index focuses on the role of technology in education, and assess its role in promoting achievement and facilitating innovation. Particular attention will be paid to educational systems and to data comparing Southern California’s counties with each other, highlighting the public policy considerations and reforms that will best support the sustained growth of the regional technology sector.
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The 2003 Federal Technology Funding Guide
Sponsored by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
Larta has published its latest edition of the most comprehensive resource on government-facilitated programs for R&D, Winning Government Money, The 2003 Federal Technology Funding Guide. The report is recognized as the nation's leading survey on technology funding by the federal government (over $90 billion per year). With interest in government funding for technology at an all time high, this publication serves a relevant need for companies seeking this kind of assistance.
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~ Other publications

Phase I Grant Final Report - Protein-Based Nanomachines for Space Applications (NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts)
The long term goal of this project is to develop novel and revolutionary biomolecular machine components that can be assembled and form multi-degree of freedom nanodevices that will be able to apply forces and manipulate objects in the nanoworld, transfer information from the nano to the macro world and also be able to travel in the nanoenvironment. These machines are expected to be highly efficient, economical in mass production, work under little supervision and be controllable. The vision is that such ultra-miniature robotic systems and nano-mechanical devices will be the biomolecular electro-mechanical hardware of future manufacturing, biomedical and planetary applications.
download the full report >
read the interview with Dinos Mavroidis >