EWMBA eZine - Week of March 19, 2009

EVENTS

Berkeley Entrepreneurs Forum: Surviving and Thriving During the Downturn

Date: Thursday, March 19Time: 6:30PM-8:30PMLocation: Andersen Auditorium; Bank of America Forum
Cost: Student Admission to the Forum is Free!
The economic downturn has entrepreneurs focused on survival, not just company growth. They are shifting emphasis from new customer acquisition to customer retention, from employee recruiting to employment optimization and from fundraising to capital preservation. This new setting may involve salary cuts, terminations, out sourcing, and other strategies for “getting the job done.”
The upcoming Berkeley Entrepreneurs Forum will tackle these topics through a discussion with some of the best entrepreneurs and venture capitalists around the Bay Area. We will address topics such as:
· What strategies are best to remain viable?
· How should a company position and prepare for opportunities as they arrive?
· What is the role of venture capitalists and board members in this environment?
· How the entrepreneur/CEO manage the VC community and the obligations to investors in these circumstances?
These are all challenges that will be discussed at the upcoming Berkeley Entrepreneurs Forum – we hope you can join us!
Student pre-registrations must be received by Tuesday, March 17th at 5pm by following the instructions below. All registrations after that time must be completed on site on the day of the event.
To pre-register, please go to http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=cGVJZkJCcDJ1dlBkdTFFdWxJZkJuTXc6MA.
All pre-registrants will receive one FREE drink! (Beer or wine for students over 21 only). Additional drinks are $5 each.
For further Information visit http://entrepreneurship.berkeley.edu/bef/mar09forum.html


Haas Alumni and Students Charles Chocolates Factory Tour

Date: Saturday, March 21 Time: 1:30 - 3:30 pm
Location:
Charles Chocolates 6529 Hollis Street Emeryville, CA 94608

Haas alumni and students are cordially invited by the East Bay Chapter of the Haas Alumni Network for a tour and tasting at Charles Chocolates in Emeryville, California.
The event will offer an opportunity to enjoy a fine March afternoon with fellow Haas alumni and current Haas students, while taking a tour of Charles Chocolates, named one of the Top 10 chocolates by Food & Wine Magazine. Attendees will share in some pre-tour hors d'oeuvres, get a tour of the chocolate making process and facilities and partake in a guided tasting of five hand-made confections.

Charles Chocolates is the story of one man's dedication to the art of chocolate, his pursuit of perfection and a complete and total passion for producing only the finest confections. With Charles Chocolates, Chuck Siegel has set out to redefine the world of fine chocolate confections. He uses only the finest ingredients, including some of the world's best chocolates, organic herbs, fruits and nuts as well as the freshest organic Straus cream and butter.


Everything is made by hand in very small batches using traditional techniques. This dedication to perfection is evident in each piece of chocolate. Every one is both bold and delicate - the perfect combination of flavor and texture.

The tour can accommodate 40 people, so please register early.
$25 per person (plus a nominal Acteva fee)
Registration: http://acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaID=179168

Questions? Email David Tjen: davetjen@gmail.com

Don’t miss out on any upcoming events from the Lester Center! Sign up for our mailing list at http://entrepreneurship.berkeley.edu/main/contact.html.


Sales Club Event: Transitioning into Sales Post-MBA

Date: Tuesday, March 31
Time: 5:30-6:00 PM/6:00-6:30 PM
Location: C135

In this third event organized by the Haas Sales Club, Ben Sommers, an 05’ Haas alum and current VP Sales & Marketing, will speak to the Sales Club in a session focused on practical advice for making the transition to sales post-MBA.

To accommodate students with class conflicts, there will be two identical, 30 minute back-to-back sessions. They will be held on Tuesday, March 31 from 5:30-6PM and 6-6:30PM in C135.

Please register for the event here: http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=cFMzeE11OFBJdnpwZTdFUEI1Ni14ZGc6MA

The session is primarily going to be Q&A to obtain practical, actionable career advice to help you in your searches.

Ben will also speak to the following topics:

- Transitioning into sales with no prior experience
- The differences between sales at a large company such as IBM, compared to sales at a start-up
- Practical advice for aspiring sales professionals at Haas
- Specific companies/programs that would most value an MBA
- Ideal company type (small, large, tech, etc)

Ben Sommers has a proven track record of building successful technology businesses. Most recently at IBM, Ben managed a Western U.S. territory, working across all of IBM’s solution areas and focusing on software & Internet-based business clients. He led an extended team of IBM technical and service specialists, along with a valuable ecosystem of business partners. Previous to IBM, Ben has held key finance and investment positions at Windspeed Ventures, a venture capital firm, and at Robertson Stephens, a technology-focused investment bank. In addition, Ben worked in business development at an early stage enterprise software company, THINQ Learning Solutions (acquired by Saba Software, Nasdaq: SABA). Ben has a BA in Economics from Harvard University and an MBA from the University of California Berkeley, Haas School of Business.


Financial Turmoil Series- Haas Faculty Panel: Managing Through Turbulent Times

Date: Tuesday, March 31st
Time: 7:30 PM
Location: Wells Fargo Room

David Levine, who holds the Eugene E. and Catherine M. Trefethen Chair in Business Administration, will moderate the panel, titled "The Challenges of Managing in Turbulent Times." The other participants will include Jenny Chatman, the Paul J. Cortese Distinguished Professor of Management, and Laura Kray, the Harold Furst Associate Professor of Management Philosophy and Values and chair of the Haas Organizational Behavior and Industrial Relations Group.

The event is part of the Dean's Speaker Series on the financial turmoil. While past events in the series have focused on the causes of and policy responses to the financial crisis, this panel discussion will explore the effects of the crisis on the businesses and the people working in them. It will include a look at the macroeconomic data, such as unemployment and layoff rates, as well as a discussion of the difficult choices faced by managers within organizations and how they can respond.

Further Information: Meg Fellner. 510-642-3442 meg_fellner@haas.berkeley.edu


Entrepreneurial Best Practices Series: Incorporation and Compensation

Date: Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Location: Wells Fargo Room, Haas School of Business
Time: 6:30-8:30pm

Avoiding the incorporation and formation pitfalls and landmines waiting for founders looking to grow the next Cisco, Genentech or Apple. What simple paragraph in your consulting agreements can substantially reduce the risk that all of your intellectual property will "walk out the door"? How to avoid significant tax surprises with your vested stock. Why deferring salaries on your financial statements while building sweat equity is frequently a very bad idea. How many stock options should I issue to my CTO? What will angel investors and VCs expect from my initial incorporation structure?

These start-up incorporation/formation topics and many more to be reviewed and discussed at the next Entrepreneurial Best Practices Series session.

The Entrepreneurial Best Practices Series brings to UC Berkeley and the Haas School of Business the best practitioners from the Berkeley and Silicon Valley community to speak about the practical aspects of entrepreneurial activity. The program will start with food and networking at 6:30. The presentation will open at 7:00pm. There is no pre-registration for this event.

For more information about the Entrepreneurial Best Practices Series, call 510-642-4255 or email lester@haas.berkeley.edu.


Social Committee Kickoff Happy Hour

Date: April 3, 2009
Time: 5:30 - 8 PM
Location: San Francisco Area, TBD

The Social Committee is hosting the kickoff event for the upcoming year! This event is open to all part time MBA students and we are including the new admission students for Fall 2009. The first hour of the social event will be open bar. Please join us!


End of the Year Vegas Trip

Date: May 22 through May 24, 2009
Location: Las Vegas

After a full year of classes, exams and group projects, it would be nice to sit back and relax, IN Las Vegas! Come and join a few of us who are already planning to spend the weekend with your fellow part time MBAers and your choice of vice in Las Vegas to celebrate the start of summer.

If you're interested, please contact Carmen Chan: carmen_chan@haas.berkeley.edu