Valuation in Funding and Exit

Valuations may be critical to your strategy for outside investment. How can early stage entrepreneurs decide what is reasonable? Our panel will offer insight into the importance of valuations to entrepreneurs; methods of valuing startups/early stage technology companies; accounting for mergers and acquisitions; tax code section 409A considerations; value dilutions; and related issues.

A fireside chat format will be employed, providing context that can help you relate the information gained to your own startup. You will learn how the process works, what you should be aware of, and what the pitfalls are. The discussion will include questions and answers with the panelists.

Panelists

Ralph Earle, Partner, Clean Energy Venture Group (Angel Group)

Ralph is one of the founders of Clean Energy Venture Group, and an expert in environmental policy, strategy and investing. He is also Managing Director of the Assabet Group where he works with market leading organizations to catalyze superior environmental and financial performance.

Ralph currently serves on the board of Skystream Markets and as a board observer on the Purpose Energy board. Previously, he was a board member of eQuilibrium Solutions.

Ralph holds an MBA from the Yale School of Management and a BA, cum laude, from Harvard College.

Prat Moghe, President, TiE Boston; former SVP, IBM Netezza

Prat is a successful serial entrepreneur. Most recently, he was SVP at IBM Netezza, where he led Strategy, Products and Marketing for Netezza and big data appliances. Netezza was a leader in big data analytics, acquired by IBM for $1.7B in 2010. Previously, Prat was the Founder & CEO of two startups – Tizor in the data security industry (acquired by Netezza) and StreamCenter in the content distribution industry.

Prat is currently an active angel investor and president of TiE Boston (boston.tie.org), a non-profit organization focused on accelerating entrepreneurship. In this role, he represents 150+ TiE Charter Members, many of whom are successful entrepreneurs who have taken companies public or to multi-billion dollar exits. Based in Cambridge Massachusetts, TiE Boston runs several programs including:

• TiE Challenge, an accelerator for new startups and their entrepreneurs;
• TiE Angels, an angel investment group; and
• TiECON East, the largest startup conference on the east coast.

Prat began his career at Bell Labs. He has several patents, and received PhD in Electrical Engineering from UCLA.
He is always available to mentor entrepreneurs.

Paul Pedevillano, principal, VE Advisors, part-time CFO

Paul has over 25 years of high tech experience and is the founder of VE Advisors. Previously, he has held the positions of CEO, COO, CFO and VP-level roles in technology and manufacturing companies. His experience includes two successful IPOs during the late 90s, equipment and receivables financings and various private placements and venture financings, including recapitalizations.

Additional panelist to be announced.

Moderator Satish Mantripragada, marketing and demand creation consultant, SecurK Consulting

Satish works with technology startups in the Boston area, including the technology services provider Happiest Minds. He helps these clients develop more effective business and marketing strategies. He is a manager experienced in both national and international business, currently focused in the areas of Internet-based marketing and development of technology-based solutions and products..

Satish started his career at Digital Equipment Corporation (acquired by HP), where he developed a patented technology for real-time “stock quote” broadcast networks based on multicast reverse path forwarding (RPF).

Satish co-founded Secure Konnect in 2003, an enterprise security tools company for the small- and medium-sized enterprise marketplace. The company developed products from ideation to deployment and worked with parners to launch them in the US and in APAC. Satish helped create the brand and early marketing strategy for this company, and led the company through its most rapid growth phase, achieving major milestones that led to acquisition by a strategic investor in 2005.

Satish holds an MS in engineering from India; an MBA from Rivier University, Nashua, NH, and has attended the executive program at the Harvard Business School (HBS).