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 As part of its annual program, Future Forward hosts several dinners at great restaurants in the Boston area. These dinners bring together a targeted group of executives to share their experiences and debate a topic with a well-known moderator. Each dinner is invitation-only and is limited to no more than 30 participants. To request an invitation, please email Alyssa Stern at astern@futureforward.com. September 24, 2008 At our fall 2008 dinner program, four founders and CEOs shared what they've learned about building teams, shipping product, raising money, and exits -- and talked about what they're up to now. Speakers included:
Thanks to our sponsor:
October 3, 2007 Our fall 2007 dinner program discussed looking forward at the tech sector, New England, and the U.S. and global economies. The discussion was led by:
Thanks to our sponsors: SEPTEMBER
2006 "When we started
Boston Scientific, [building it just to flip it] was
never the goal. The goal was to build something of
value, something of substance." "Fortunately for
us, we had many failures...I strongly believe that a
company that has never failed could become arrogant, and
eventually experience a failure that could lead to its
ultimate destruction." In New England,
"we're...really satisfied in building $100 million
or $200 million businesses and then selling them. On the
West Coast, they shoot for billion-dollar
companies." Those who joined us at this 2006 dinner participated in a free-ranging conversation about the challenges of building and sustaining billion-dollar companies in Massachusetts. The discussion focused on not just what it takes to become an industry heavyweight, but the tension between a "good enough" exit for investors and building something to last, and the environmental conditions in the Bay State that may contribute to (or detract from) long-term growth and success. Speakers included:
Thanks to our sponsors: SEPTEMBER
2005 Our last 2005 dinner was held at Harvest in Cambridge on September 20th. Speakers included: Jim Mullen, CEO of Biogen Idec; Susan Whoriskey, VP, Momenta Pharmaceuticals; Julian Adams, CSO of Infinity Pharmaceuticals; and Scott Sarazen, Convergence Forum Advisor. Our
speakers addressed issues like global pricing,
regulation, East-to-West migration, venture capital, and
achieving success in the marketplace. In a high-energy,
roundtable format, the group spoke about some of
the biggest challenges facing life sciences companies in
New England -- and what can be done to surmount them. Thanks to our sponsors:
JUNE
2005 The dinner conversation was led by successful entrepreneurs and venture capitalists: Jeffrey Beir, General Partner, North Bridge Venture Partners and founder of eRoom Technology; Woody Benson, General Partner at Prism Ventures and former CEO of MCK Communications; and Helen Greiner, Co-founder and Chairman of the Board, iRobot Corporation. The host was Gabor Garai, Partner, Foley & Lardner LLP. In a high-energy, roundtable format, we talked about some of the biggest challenges every successful entrepreneur faces. We addressed issues like raising money, hiring the right people, competing against established players, managing the board, and paying close attention to customer needs. Thanks to our sponsor:
APRIL
2005 This discussion was led by Judith Hurwitz, founder of Hurwitz & Associates, Judith is widely recognized as one of the country's top software industry analysts. Denis Goulet, Vice President of Information Technology for Progress Software Corporation (NASDAQ: PRGS) and Jo Hoppe, CIO of Pegasystems Inc. (NASDAQ: PEGA), also shared their insights and experiences in leadership roles within their respective software companies. Participants shared their perspective on the following topics: What is the best way to make the case for taking on new projects? How can we turn our departments into a source of revenue? How can we manage the risks of offshore development? What are the most concrete new ways that we can boost productivity within our organization? Thanks to our sponsor:
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