Catapult Conference - London 2007 Agenda

Day 1

Registration and Continental Breakfast

Welcome and introductions

Keynote - Crossing the Atlantic Chasm

Speaker: Sir Geoffrey Owen, Author of "WHERE ARE THE BIG GORILLAS?"), Senior Fellow, Inter-Disciplinary Institute of Management, London School of Economics

Why are there so few European high-tech companies that are genuine world players in their field, and why have so few of them cracked the US market? It is not because of lack of effort or ambition - in the early days of personal computers, for example, there were several British companies trying hard to compete in the US, but none of them made it. The answer has to be found in a range of institutional, managerial and perhaps cultural factors which make it difficult for promising start-ups to turn themselves into substantial international enterprises. Yet there are signs of improvement, not least in the area of financial markets and access to capital, and there are a few fast-growing firms which appear to be breaking the mould. How to create more world leaders in knowledge-based industries is one of the biggest challenges facing Europe in the next decade. Geoffrey Owen provides insights into why so few venture backed European companies have crossed the "Atlantic Chasm" and gone on to become global players and what today's start-ups should do to overcome these challenges.

Success Stories

"War stories from the front lines." Hear directly from the CEOs of European VC backed companies - mistakes made, lessons learned from CEOs who have made it through and successfully launched their companies in the US.

Meet the Money

Four CEOs from attending companies will have opportunity to showcase their businesses and receive invaluable feedback. Each company CEO will pitch their companies to a panel of top US and European VCs and have the opporutnity to receive first hand feedback. The selected companies will have the opportunity to show off their product(s) to Investors, service providers and their peers during the networking breaks. To learn more about how to be selected check "Meet the Money"

Global Industry Outlook - TMT

How can start up organizations in the TMT (Technology, Media,Telecommunications) Sector determine where disruptions in the marketplace are likely to affect their businesses and those of their customers? What are the market drivers and key factors driving the marketplace and how can the R&D process be accelerated to create new innovations in the marketplace to meet customer demand?

US Venture capital outlook

The pace of venture capital investing in the United States is heating up again. This panel brings together senior executives from top venture capital firms to discuss technologies that are being funded and issues in a conversational, moderated roundtable environment. The panel will focus on the overall outlook for venture capital investing in the United States, current deal terms, technology trends, valuation issues and predictions.

Meet the Money

Four CEOs from attending companies will have opportunity to showcase their businesses and receive invaluable feedback. Each company CEO will pitch their companies to a panel of top US and European VCs and have the opporutnity to receive first hand feedback. The selected companies will have the opportunity to show off their product(s) to Investors, service providers and their peers during the networking breaks. To learn more about how to be selected check Meet the Money

Networking Reception and MTM Exhibit/ Meet the Sponsors

Day 2

Continental Breakfast

Welcome to second day

CleanTech - "What's Hot, What's Not"

There is a lot of buzz surrounding the term "Clean Tech". Is it just another bubble or does it have staying power? What technologies make sense and are sustainable? Learn what technologies are being invested in, in the US - the criteria, trends, barriers and risks.

Launching into the US Market

What are the 4 key steps you need to take to successfully launch your company into the US Market? We have brought together a panel of leading service providers that can directly help companies "Cross the Atlantic Chasm". This panel will discuss the methodology you should use in evaluating the market for your product or services, getting a better understanding of its weaknesses and strengths and short-term and long-term opportunities, putting together an action plan and strategy, and implementation.

Break

M&A Outlook

This panel will review key topics including; an overview of the current liquidity market in the US as well as a look at who's shopping for companies; A must-follow checklist when picking bankers to manage the sale of your companies; optimal revenue/profit figures that are certain to get the sharks circling; how to start the process; best tactics for negotiating the best sale price without turning off possible buyers; insights into the misconceptions executives and investors may have about today's M&A

Lunch - optional