Strategic Alliances and Channel Strategy

For today's entrepreneur - who faces high hurdles to funding, ever increasing competition, thin barriers to entry, and shortened cycles from invention - strategic alliances, partnerships, licensing, and channel strategies have become key to enable startups to grow, gain market share, and compete. For the startup company, your strategic partner can be your first source of outside funding, the beta tester of your product or service, source of credibility for your first angel or venture capital investment round, and your first marketing channel. Meet the entrepreneurs who have each formed successful strategic partnerships multiple times and are willing to show you how it's done.

Panel:

ViziApps is disrupting mobile app creation with a robust cloud-based enterprise-grade solution that includes a free-form graphical designer for the app user experience, access/control of native device features, and management of backend data, all with no coding. ViziApps has partnered with Intuit, Salesforce.com, Fortune 1000 enterprises, and IT Solution Providers as a key element of its go-to-market strategy, funding, and growth. He brings over 25 years of successful executive experience creating and growing mobile, enterprise, and security software businesses. Before ViziApps, he was CEO of SSH Communications Security Inc., building it from a startup to an industry leader and $400M IPO. Before that, he was VP of Marketing, Products, and Business Development, for Phoenix Technologies Ltd., helping create and expand the PC, laptop, and mobile device industries. Earlier, he launched and built key new industry-leading businesses at Sun Microsystems, Intel, Analog Devices, and Motorola. George has served on the Boards of several early stage IT companies and is a Board Member for SAMI (saminnovator.com). He earned BSEE and MBA degrees.

Christine Carberry is a biopharmaceutical executive with extensive experience in all phases of drug development. She joined FORUM Pharmaceuticals (previously known as EnVivo Pharmaceuticals) in 2012 to establish the program and alliance management function. She also leads FORUM’s technical operations covering process chemistry, formulation development, analytical development, and supply chain. FORUM is a biotechnology company singularly focused on the development and delivery of innovative medicines to treat challenging brain diseases. Prior to FORUM, Christine was the vice president of program and alliance management at Biogen Idec, advancing the company from a biotechnology pioneer to a Fortune 500 company with more than $4 billion in revenue. Her role spanned global co-development/co-commercialization alliances, strategic planning, R&D operations and program management. Christine previously held many positions in technical operations, including the start-up of Biogen’s first European manufacturing facility. Christine is a Certified Strategic Alliance Professional (CSAP). She holds an M.S. in innovation and technology management from Boston University, Certificates in Management and Biotechnology Strategy from Harvard University, and a B.S. in biochemistry from University of New Hampshire.

Dr. Sanders is an expert in gene expression and protein biochemistry. He has a MS and Ph.D. from WPI with advance expertise gene expression and cell biology with postdoctoral work at the Whitehead Institute/MIT in protein biochemistry and microbial pathogenesis. Dr. Sanders is currently founder and CEO of ECI Biotech a peptide diagnostics company located in Worcester MA that is commercializing two blockbuster infection diagnostic products in 2014. He is also CEO and Cofounder of Lobstagen LLC in Groton CT, a company dedicated to replenishing Long Island Sound with temperature and disease resistant lobsters. He serves on several entrepreneurial boards and privately invests time and capital in local startups.

Moderator:

Mike has founded and built companies, set up manufacturing operations, formed strategic partnerships, set up global joint ventures, raised over $40M for startups which he co-founded, both in the US and China, and commercialized technologies. Mike advises startups in high tech, clean tech, biotech, software, and manufacturing. The Chinese government has invested in Mike’s companies. One of his startups provided mobile banking services in China and was acquired by a European company. BioHermes, a biotech which he cofounded in China, was sold in 2010. Tonbu which developed web-based collaborative environments for the electronics industry grew to 142 employees. Mike spent 16 years with IBM designing robots and automation, marketing and selling IBM products to manufacturing companies, setting up global operations and supply chains, and founding an IBM consulting organization for manufacturing clients that he grew into a $20M business. Mike also lived in China from 1986-1987 while consulting to companies owned by the Machine Building Ministry and taught graduate courses at Hunan University.

Mike earned his BS in Electrical Engineering and MS in Computer Engineering from Syracuse University and his MBA from Union College. He is past Chair of the IEEE Boston Entrepreneurs’ Network, has served on the board of APICS Boston, and was a member of the planning committee of the MIT Enterprise Forum for over 10 years. Mike is a frequent speaker at conferences on Global Entrepreneurship, Supply Chains, Manufacturing, and China business. Mike and his sons have competed on the TV show Robot Wars with their robotic rabbit, “Bunny Attack”.