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Software
companies must create “hard IP” technologies with
lasting value - driven by economics of scarcity - or they
will crash and burn, says luminary John Landry Landry
to moderate energetic discussion at Future Forward 2004
featuring top execs from General Catalyst; iPhrase;
Pegasystems; Reebok International and TruExchange PORTSMOUTH,
N.H., Oct. 13, 2004 ¾
John
Landry, one of the tech industry’s most accomplished
leaders for nearly three decades, will tell Future Forward
’04 attendees what it takes to attract money and build
great companies. A
recognized software industry visionary, Landry has been
described by one industry pundit as “johnlandry.com, a
one-man keiretsu.” He has an impeccable track record of
building great software products and companies. The
software companies he helped lead – including Lotus
Development, Dun & Bradstreet, Cullinet Software and
McCormack & Dodge – were all acquired in major deals
near the peak of their value. IBM CEO Lou Gerstner
appointed Landry to lead its Internet Strategy Task Force
in 1995 after IBM acquired Lotus. Landry’s
presentation at Future Forward is entitled “Money
Secrets of the Pros: How Growth Companies Attract
Investment and How IT Execs Attract Project Funding.”
His panel participants are:
“The
software industry has become a commodity business,”
Landry said. “Competitive leads disappear instantly
because ideas are easily copied. Software companies can
get out of this dilemma by creating “hard IP”
(intellectual property) that can’t be easily duplicated.
Stay away from over-funded areas or you’ll get killed.
Focus on the edge applications people haven’t paid
attention to. This is pure economics … scarcity yields
competitive advantage. Build companies the old-fashioned
way to create lasting value.” Landry
is currently founder of Lead Dog Ventures in Wayland,
Mass., which gives early-stage tech companies the
intellectual, relationship and financial capital to become
tomorrow’s “lead dogs.” He is a “serial CTO,”
having invented “next big thing” software seven times
in the last 20 years. Landry also currently serves as
Chairman and CTO of Adesso Systems, one of Lead Dog’s
investments. Future
Forward is a prestigious annual conference held in
Portsmouth, N.H., that brings together New England's
technology visionaries, CEOs, CIOs, entrepreneurs,
inventors and investors. It provides attendees with a
first look at important new technologies being developed
around New England, and explores the way large
organizations deploy new technologies to create
competitive advantage. To
learn more about Future Forward, go to
www.futureforward.com. #
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