From Greg's Head

I was recently asked, how can Houston continue to attract top tech companies and talent to the city. Interesting question. I see two things that have to happen.

First, we need to continue the branding and awareness of the Houston tech community to those outside of the Houston and Texas regions.  I know it sounds old fashioned, but folks outside of the Texas region still consider Houston a two dimensional city.  Energy and Space Exploration.  While both of those are very important to Houston, the growth in the high tech, health care research and delivery, educational research, telecommunications and manufacturing will continue to outpace our baseline industries. 

We see it every day, but those not as familiar to our community do not.  That’s one of the reasons why PKF Texas created the Fast Tech 50 Awards program and brought that to the Houston Business Journal.  We wanted to start the ball rolling on branding and awareness of the city as a source of great success in the tech sector.  We are fully committed to making this sector a success for our city.  One of the areas that the Houston Technology Center, HBJ, and our firm supports is the Rice Business Plan Competition.  Its success and the information the participants receive during the competition has reached around the world.  We had several plans from outside the U.S. this year.  The Rice event has turned out to be so successful that Fortune Small Business decided to drop their own competition and endorse the Rice event.  Also, working with the Greater Houston Partnership, Walter Ulrich, our President of the HTC was able to get Houston’s visibility changed with some national rankings recently with a national publication as well. 

Second, we have to create jobs and fight for talented tech personnel to relocate to our city.  This is no longer a fight for economic survival on a local, or regional basis.  I recently had the opportunity to review some economic strategic planning from another region and they indicated they were fighting for business from communities their size in the domestic U.S.  They couldn’t be further from the truth to be successful.  In my opinion, we are fighting to secure talent to our community locally, from the global community.  I can assure you Houston through organizations like the Greater Houston Partnership, and the HTC see things on a global basis and we want to compete globally for all kinds of business opportunities.  Given our baseline business in Energy, this gives us a leg up on the acceptance of Houston as a global city and not just a city in Texas.  Our cost of living and the baseline for salaries for tech personnel are very favorable to both companies and individuals alike.  And our existing talent pool is just outstanding, some of the success stories we have in the tech sector would rival any region in the US and beyond. 

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It’s not often you get a chance to hear one of the country’s foremost experts in information technology. Earlier this week we (myself and several colleagues at PKF Texas) were treated to one of the best, “A Conversation with Michael Dell”, founder, Chairman and CEO of Dell – and a native son of Houston.

On April 30^th, Dell was the guest speaker on a panel for the Houston Forum. Also on the panel, Walter Ulrich, CEO of the Houston Technology Center, Leonard Rejcek, President and CEO of Manhattan Construction Co., moderated the session.

Dell took questions from Walter, Leonard, and the audience. 

Some of the most interesting points I took from the presentation include:

• 1 billion people are currently on the internet
• 500,000 new users log on every day
• Use of the internet is expected to double in the next five years creating opportunities for
  • Mobile
  • Online
  • Bandwidth

He also commented on his company, Dell, giving valuable insight into one of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs:

• 10 years ago Dell’s revenues were $6 billion and they are currently at $61 billion
• In the past year (before he took over again as CEO) they experienced an annual growth rate of -11% and this year they are currently at a +21% growth rate
• Dell stresses keeping things simple for his people and customers alike
• He encourages conversation with your customers
• Dell (the company) recently launched www.dell.com/earth to address the company’s green initiatives
• Dell’s key target markets are outside the U.S. He refers to them as BRIC +10. BRIC stands for Brazil, Russia, India and China. The +10 is several other countries where the technology sector is booming or has the potential to grow exponentially in the next few years.

A few other thoughts I noted about the technology growth:

• China currently has several of the worlds most visited websites
• Due to the fact that the internet does not have borders, social networks, collaboration are pushing content all over the world.

Great stuff, and I was glad I was able to hear him speak. If you get the chance to see one of his presentations, I would highly recommend it.

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Friday morning’s panel on the Top 10 Accounting Mistakes at Envision 08 went very well. It was one of the best attended workshops this morning. Thanks to Jason Ferguson a Partner at Calvetti, Ferguson & Wagner P.C. and Lee Prillaman a Partner at Ernst & Young, it was a pleasure sitting on the panel with you.

The top ten mistakes we presented are below in no particular order:

• Valuation
• Revenue Recognition
• Infrastructure Governance
• Budgeting
• Internal Controls
• Information Management
• Development of the Plan
• Tax Structures
• Not understanding what an Angel or VC wants
• The Team

To those who attended, thanks for coming to our session. I hope you enjoyed it. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or the other panelists. We would be happy to respond.

A huge round of applause goes to Richard Scruggs and Lenae Huebner! The conference was great. Thanks for allowing myself and the others at PKF Texas to participate. We’re already looking forward to next year!

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This morning’s presentation by Stephen Covey was outstanding. He spoke about the companies and workers of today versus the “industrial” age, which he put at pre-1980.

He discussed how companies need different things to be successful than they did 30 years ago. Organizations need to be able to change and adapt to today’s information based society. He called the current workforce “information” workers as opposed to our parents and grand parents who were “industrial” workers.

Of course he referenced his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. He was able to show how the seven habits tie into today’s work force and made many excellent points throughout the presentation.

If you get the chance to see him speak, I would highly recommend it. He’s a very dynamic speaker and there’s a lot of substance to what he has to say. I’m hoping he’ll return to Envision next year. 

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It’s finally here. This week I’m heading to San Antonio for the Envision08 conference. As of right now I’m planning on updating you during the conference, sort of a modified version of my Rice Business Plan Competition live blogging. I’m not quite sure when I’ll be able to make updates, so keep checking back.

The panel that I’m on, The Top Ten Accounting Mistakes, is scheduled for Friday at 10 AM April 25, 2008.

This is going to be a great conference. I’m looking forward to the attendee interaction between the sessions and at the scheduled networking events. Also, I’m curious to hear what Guy Kawasaki has to say. I'll let you know.

A big thanks goes to Richard Scruggs, Director and Lenae Huebner, Asst. Executive Director at the CNVE for all their hard work putting this conference together. See you in San Antonio!

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I wanted to share the below video clip with you. It is conversation about social media and Envision08 between Mark Nathan of the Houston Technology Center, Richard Scruggs from the CNVE, Karen Love from PKF Texas, and Dayna Marcum from Local Reach, caught on tape during the filming of spots from Envision08. Enjoy!

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Now that it is all said and done, the Rice Business Plan Competition was a resounding success. 36 plans were selected from 234 submissions. Congratulations to all who presented! You should be proud to be selected!

The plans are getting better and better each year. The difference between numbers one and seven in the final flight is getting smaller and the difference between numbers one, two and three in each flight is very small as well. The competition is tough!

Once piece of advice from the judge’s room: be prepared to make your pitch, and have lots of background information to assist in the presentation. This was a common theme amongst the flight winners. 

One of the teams in my flight, DiagNano, wrote and asked me to post the link to their website. I am more than willing to do so, they can be found at www.nanohc.com.

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Here are 6 of the finalists...

Michigan
Wake Forest
U Illinois @ Chicago  (yes 2 entries)
Carnegie Mellon
Ohio State
UNC

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Final two of the day…..

Traycer Diagnostic Systems

Traycer Diagnostic Systems leverages a unique set of technology to become a leader in microwave and terahertz medical imaging with a strong focus on replacement of x-ray mammography.

In my opinion the best presentation of Flight 3 for the day.  Well done….good use of backup slides to supplement your point…You nailed your IP, had you background material ready to go…Good business case, good metrics…

Excellent outline of your collaboration business partners.

WOW….

Good luck.

IMMUTELL

IMMUTELL’s mission is to develop, produce, and market cell mediated immune response diagnostics to help combat diseases that are difficult to diagnose.

Great story and a very effective message…Good use of slides to emphasize your points….

Some slides seemed a bit busy and it was difficult to see what you were showing us.  A compelling business case….

Last group of the day….I was tired.  But my fellow judges had some good feedback for you…

My next post will outline who has made it to the finals.  I think 1 team from each flight will be selected to go forward…Stay tuned.

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HeartSounds

HeartSounds is a platform medical device company specializing in the emerging field of computer-aided auscultation utilizing patented sound-separation technology to provide non-invasive diagnostic devices.  The company has developed a fetal heart monitor that is more accurate and provides greater ease of use than current devices.

Good use of slides & showing use and market.  Good multi-use of the technology.

Good overview of the IP and status of its.

Good website.

The second speaker had a bit too much motion moving back and forth during the presentation….

Good luck.

GlucoFast

GlucoFast has developed a non-invasive, continuous monitoring device that can provide advance detection of hypoglycemic episodes for diabetics.

Slide transition was not clean.  Someone needs to stay there and drive the show while the others are presenting.

Great potential but not sure if you have thought through the practical application….too much concept right now….No presentation on the IP and you need to study the possible business applications…..The subscription idea was a great suggestion from Ms. Capper.

Good luck!

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Good morning GregsHead fans its Friday and I must be at the 2008 Rice Business Plan Competition. I am in Flight 3 sitting in Room 218 getting educated on all the next great bio-life science ideas. I will try and provide a few brief comments after each presentation. 

I only get 10 minutes between presentations….so I have to work fast.

DiagNano

DiagNano is an early stage technology company focusing on in vitro cancer diagnostics. They offer nanotechnology-based products for tissue biopsy analysis to provide clinicians with a patient-specific cancer fingerprint.

Good start & clarity in presenting the case for your product. Good explanation of the limitation with the current technology. Excellent presentation of what your product can do.

How did you arrive at the $30 billion market and the related slides? Why is there no reference to collaboration with MD Anderson? 

Financial forecasts don’t make sense in light of your requirements. You should have had your updated financial forecasts ready and available for the question that you received….in short you look unprepared.

A better explanation of what and how….the ROI slide should have been part of the presentation as well.

Good luck!

AutoTB

More than 1/3 of the world’s population is infected with TB, a disease that kills over 2 million people annually. Improved diagnostics are desperately needed to combat this epidemic.   AutoTB plans to create a device to automate sputum microscopy, which will decrease analysis time, increase sensitivity, and eliminate the human error present in current procedures, while integrating into the existing infrastructure and remaining inexpensive and accessible to developing countries.

Good explanation of the problem for TB. You presented an excellent overview of the AutoTB performance.   Good multi-use of the timeline slide. I like the source of and your credit as to the size of the market for your numbers. It was nice to see the discussion of the other uses of your product.

It was not clear to me what your IP really is for this product. It seems you need some additional advice. No discussion of competitors, no overview of patents….not sure of the market application going to developing country.

I didn’t see an ROI slide on the per use of the product….

Good luck

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(L to R) AMA Houston Tech SIG coordinator Rob Roberts, Michael Berry, Katie Laird and Greg Price after the blogging for business panel on April 2, 2008.

This morning I was one of three panelists at the AMA Houston Technology SIG’s event, “Blog Forward: The Rapid Evolution of Blogging as a Marketing Tool.” A big thank you to Rob Roberts and the AMA for asking me to present, it was a great crowd.

Katie Laird from Schipul and Michael Berry from Clear Channel Houston joined me on the panel. The links to their blogs are below. Katie contributes to six!

• Katie’s blog – www.happykatie.com
• Michael’s blog on the News Radio 740 site

It was interesting to get their perspectives on blogging, as their blogs have a different focus than fromgregshead.com.

To those who attended, thanks for your questions and thoughts. I enjoyed our interaction. Feel free to comment here on the blog, or email me with any questions you may have about fromgregshead.com or blogging in general.

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It’s finally here! The Rice Business Plan Competition kicks off on Thursday. Like last year I’ll be live blogging from the competition. Thirty-six teams from top MBA programs from across the country and globe have been selected to compete.

This year I’m a judge for flight 3. Below are the teams that will compete in my flight:

HeartSounds, Inc. - University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
AutoTB - University of Cambrdige, UK
DiagNano - Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA
GlucoFast  - Lancaster University, UK
IMMUTEL - University of Aarhus, Denmark
Traycer Diagnostic Sys. - Ohio State University

Good luck to all the teams and stay tuned for my thoughts and observations from inside the judging room!

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Envision08 speaker Guy Kawasaki recently interviewed Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer at the MIX08 conference. MIX is an annual event that brings together professionals in the consumer Web space - Web developers, designers, business and digital marketing professionals - to explore new ways to build next-generation Web experiences using Microsoft technologies, and create digital customer connections that drive business results.

The video of the interview and Q&A session is about an hour long, but you can read the transcript if you don’t want to watch the whole thing.

They discuss a wide variety of topics including social networking, the changes coming after Bill Gates fully transitions to working full-time at his foundation and Microsoft’s potential takeover of Yahoo!. It’s really interesting stuff, especially considering Kawasaki’s history with Apple. Ballmer definitely has set the course for moving forward. It’s going to be fun to watch what Microsoft does in the coming years.

On a related side note, I am going to be on a panel at Envision08. I’ll be one of three panelists talking about the top ten accounting mistakes that businesses make. I'm looking forward to it. 

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As you know PKF Texas is a sponsor of the Best CFO of the Year Awards, which is held in conjunction with Celebrate!Enterprise.

John Beddow, publisher of the Houston Business Journal send out the below email on Friday encouraging participation the 2^nd Annual Celebrate!Enterprise.  It is a four-day multi-event celebration designed especially for C-level executives and business leaders throughout the Houston region to come together to share ideas, gather insight from leaders across the country and celebrate capitalism and the entrepreneurial spirit.

Dear Friend of the Business Journal,

You're invited to join Houston Business Journal, presenting sponsor Sterling Bank and a cadre of some of Houston's best companies to the 2nd Annual Celebrate!Enterprise. It's a one-of-a-kind, four-day business festival with programs and events designed to inspire, educate and entertain executives throughout the Houston metropolitan area.

It all takes place at the Wortham Theater's Grand Foyer and Warehouse live in downtown Houston May 13 through May 16. For more information and registration go to http://www.celebrateenterprise.com.

This year's lineup of events include:

* The Houston Growth Summit - Sponsored by CBRE and the Greater Houston Partnership

* Battle of the Business Bands - Sponsored by The Tasting Room and Max's Wine Dive

* The Houston Idea*Ation Awards - Sponsored by Sterling Bank, Oracle, The Rice Alliance including the Jones School of Management, and The Jones Partners.

There's much more - and it can all be found at http://www.celebrateenterprise.com where you can learn more and register for any of our programs.

John Beddow
Publisher

Last year’s event was very well attended and I’m looking forward to attending again this year. I hope to see you there!

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This week Houston was named the #4 Up-And-Coming Tech City by Forbes Magazine. Here’s what Forbes had to say about Houston:

“Houston hasn't exactly earned a reputation as a city teeming with techies. But that's changing. "Fifteen years ago, we had all the assets, but we weren't really developing them," says Walter Ulrich, chief executive of the Houston Technology Center, the state's largest technology incubator. "So all the leaders of Houston got together and recognized that the city needed to diversify its economy. There's been this tremendous transition."

Houston's strategy: Smash different discoveries together. To wit: Houston's itRobotics, founded in 2002, has developed new cost-cutting robots that inspect a variety of boilers and energy pipelines for structural flaws.

Other Houston start-ups are commercializing technologies originally developed at local research institutions. Nanospectra Biosciences, a local drug delivery company, is working on a nano-scale particle (pioneered at Rice University) that destroys cancerous tumors. The particles are injected in the bloodstream and accumulate inside cancerous tumors. When the tumor is exposed to a laser, the particles absorb the near-infrared light and convert it into thermal energy, destroying the tumor.”

An interesting back story on how the article came together: the reporter, William Pentland, contacted Christina Garza, media relations manager at the Greater Houston Partnership about the story. Christina referred him to Walter Ulrich, president and CEO of the Houston Technology Center [link]. Walter provided the background for the story and as you can see was quoted. It’s great to see the collaboration between the GHP and HTC lead to such a prominent feature. 

One more local connection to note is Rice University. The two companies mentioned, itRobotics and Nanospectra Biosciences were both founded based on innovations at Rice and are licensed through the Rice Office of Technology Transfer.

Kudos to Houston for providing the environment where technology start-ups can flourish. The main reason we created the Fast Tech 50 program was to change the mindset of those outside of Houston about our advancement in tech savvy.

The 2007 Fast Tech 50 companies are responsible for creating almost 3,250 jobs and over $387 million in revenues to the local economy. Houston is about more than just oil and the space program (which are pretty good in their own right!). No one industry dominates the Houston business climate anymore. The city's businesses are as diverse as its people and cultures.

Congratulations to the GHP, HTC and Rice, it’s great to see your efforts in the tech community being recognized on a national level.

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Shortly after I was named the Chairman for the Houston Technology Center Advisory board, I was interviewed by the Houston Business Journal. The article appeared in the February 15^th issue.

During the interview I discussed my thoughts about the future of the HTC which I would also like to share with you.

The change going forward is that the maturity of the organization is coming into play. For the first few years, HTC worked on establishment, credibility and more importantly survivability.

Now we're going beyond that and want to go into the next phase of evolution and that's how to establish a more permanent funding mechanism. It's time to have a more longer term view of what the major initiatives we want to accomplish are and the funding mechanisms we want in place, whether they be donations, investments or contributions.

We're trying to create a process by which a successful client company can financially help the HTC by providing a percentage of ownership in return for the mentoring and counseling provided by the HTC. We've had some preliminary talks and some concepts have been discussed. There's nothing official, but there is general agreement that HTC should try to have some ownership level. More study and discussion is necessary, but we are moving closer.

Houston continues to have a lot of idea generation. We're on top of our game in terms of promotion of new ideas. HTC is very excited about the prospects and what the future will hold in all our fields.

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More news about the Rice Business Plan Competition. FORTUNE Small Business has just signed on as the national media sponsor! Check out the press release below. The collaboration with FORTUNE will be great for the Competition.

FORTUNE Small Business Joins Forces with the Rice Business Plan Competition

FORTUNE to build on “world’s largest” Competition

HOUSTON – March 6, 2008 – FORTUNE Small Business is joining forces with the Rice Business Plan Competition (RBPC) as national media sponsor.

FORTUNE Small Business, who for several years hosted their own business plan competition, announced they are teaming up with the RBPC in 2008 to further enhance the already prestigious $600,000 international competition hosted by the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship (Rice Alliance) and the Jones Graduate School of Management at Rice University in Houston.  The 2008 Competition will be held on April 3-5, 2008.

“Our goal is to promote small business and a big part of that is helping entrepreneurs realize their dreams. Small businesses are the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. economy and contribute the largest amount of job growth and wealth creation,” said Brian Dumaine, editorial director, FORTUNE Small Business Magazine. “We want entrepreneurs to know that there are exceptional networking and investment opportunities out there for great business ideas and those offered through the RBPC are second to none. We also want to introduce FSB readers to some of the most promising business students and ideas in the country.”

The RBPC is the largest and richest intercollegiate MBA/graduate-level business plan competition in the world. Prize money nearly doubled in 2008 to more than $600,000 and the number of teams applying to enter the competition increased from 75 to more than 230 teams vying for the thirty-six slots.

The 230 teams from around the world were pared down to 36 and invited to compete in the three-day competition, April 3-5. Teams compete for cash and prizes in the elevator pitch and business plan competition that simulates the real-world process of entrepreneurs soliciting start-up funds from early stage investors and venture capital firms. More than 160 judges consisting of successful entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders provide valuable feedback to the presenters.

“FORTUNE Small Business is one of the best known national publications for business and it is a perfect match for the Rice Business Plan Competition, which in only eight years, has grown to become the largest and richest competition in the world.  Over 65 past competitors at Rice have gone on to launch their new ventures, which is perfectly aligned with the mission of FSB,”  said Brad Burke, managing director of the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship. "This partnership with FSB will provide national exposure and opportunities for the teams that compete at Rice."

As a national media sponsor, FORTUNE Small Business will publish an article about the competition and profile top competing teams. The magazine -- a joint venture by the Fortune Group at Time Inc. and American Express Small Business Services -- is delivered to one million small-business owners, and because it appears online also, the article will generate even more national and international attention to the Rice competition. 

About the RICE ALLIANCE:

The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship (Rice Alliance) is Rice University's flagship initiative devoted to the support the creation of technology-based companies and the commercialization of new technologies.  The Rice Alliance provides entrepreneurs with a collaborative network and forum for support, education, and exchange of ideas.  It offers entrepreneurs access to the human and financial capital needed for success.

Since its inception in late-1999, the Rice Alliance has assisted in the launch of over 210 new technology companies, which have raised more than $350 million in early stage funding.  Of these, approximately twenty companies have been launched based on technology developed by Rice faculty and researchers.

The Rice Alliance was recognized as the #1 university entrepreneurship center in the United States in 2007 for “Enterprise Creation”, the creation of new businesses, by the National Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers.  Also in 2007, the Princeton Review ranked Rice University among the top 25 graduate entrepreneurship programs in the United States.

About FSB:
FORTUNE Small Business is a general interest business magazine published ten times a year as a joint venture by The FORTUNE Group at Time Inc. and American Express Small Business Services. Each issue provides hard-hitting, informative coverage of the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. economy — small business. FSB is delivered to 1 million small business owners. Time Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Warner.

About the Fortune|Money Group:
The Fortune|Money Group is the leading source for business news and information, reaching 20 million unique individuals through a world-class collection of publications including FORTUNE, Money, FSB: FORTUNE Small Business and the website CNNMoney.com.

###

For more information about the 2008 Rice Business Plan Competition and Team Sponsorship Opportunities, contact:

Mary Lynn Fernau
Marketing Director

Rice Alliance for Technology & Entrepreneurship

713-348-5374

mlfernau@rice.edu

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I received notice yesterday that the teams and schools have been chosen to compete in the 2008 Rice Business Plan Competition.  Congratulations to the 36 teams/schools!

Teams will compete in:
- Life Sciences (diagnostics, medical devices, therapeutics, biotech, drug development)
- Clean Tech / Energy
- Sustainability
- Information Technology
- Consumer Products
- Nanotechnology
- Other (RFID, coatings, sensors)

Texas Teams:
Rice University
Lab Extensions

Southern Methodist University (SMU)
LAB802

Texas A&M
AiB Pharma

University of Texas at Austin (UT)
qcue

University of Texas at Dallas (UTD)
MicroTransponder

Other U.S. Teams:
University of Arkansas
TruSource Technologies

Brigham Young (BYU)
Klymit

Carnegie Mellon
NeuroBank

University of Chicago
Etoh Pharmaceuticals

Duke
Cerene Biomedics

Univerity of Georgia
Boreas Snowboards

Georgia Tech
DiagNano

Harvard
enexra

University of Illinois at Chicago
BioRegenix

University of Illinois at Chicago
HeartSounds

University of Maryland
Callinex

University of Maryland
Remedium Technologies

University of Michigan
Potentia

MIT
Aura Biotech

MIT
Project Einstein

North Carolina (Chapel Hill)
Nolia Athletic Apparel

Northwestern
Wine with a Passion

Ohio State
Traycer Diagnostic Systems

Oklahoma
Perpetual Pharmaceuticals

UCLA
FiberView

Virginia
Husk Power Systems

Wake Forest
Filigree Nanotech

International Teams:
Aarhus (Denmark)
Immutell

BITS Pilani (India)
Vidyut Shakti

Cambridge (UK)
Auto TB

Hong Kong (HUST, China)
Zeopane Microneedles

IIT Kharagpur (India)
Diamas Coats

Lancaster University (UK)
GlucoFast

Waterloo (Canada)
Everlighting Innovation

Waterloo (Canada)
Throne Technologies

The competition will be held on April 3-5, in the Jones Graduate School of Management at Rice University, Teams will compete for more than $600,000 in awards. There are several new prizes this year including two new $100,000 cash awards from the Opportunity Houston program of the Greater Houston Partnership, plus a new $20,000 NASA Earth/Space Life Science Award. In addition, The GOOSE Society of Texas has increased their Grand Prize from $100,000 to $125,000 equity investment. The Dow Chemical Company is again offering this year a $20,000 cash prize for the “Dow Sustainability Award,”

All 36 teams are already winners and each is guaranteed to take home a cash prize.

More than 50 past competitors have gone on to successfully launch their companies, and in some cases have raised significant ($1+ million) funding as a result of participating in the competition.

The competition is open to the public. Don't forget, like in previous years I'll be live blogging from the judging room.

Schedule of Events
Thursday, April 3

8:00 – 9:00 a.m.: HTC Tech Champs (Note: Tech Champs is moving from Friday to Thursday)
5:30 – 8:30 p.m.:  Kick-off Reception, Company Showcase, Elevator Pitch Competition, & Texas Bar-B-Q

Friday, April 4

8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.: Semi-final Round Competition
4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.: Reception and Finalist Announcement

Saturday, April 5
8:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.:  Wildcard Round & Challenge Round
Noon – 4:00 p.m.:  Final Round Competition
6:00 – 10:00 p.m.:  Awards Banquet – Intercontinental Hotel

Winners of the competition will be announced at the Awards Banquet, Sat., April 5, at the Intercontinental Hotel, Houston.

More Information: rbpc@rice.edu or 713-348-3443 or Web site: www.alliance.rice.edu/rbpc

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As you may have heard, PKF Texas is a sponsor of Envision ’08, a conference for businesses with vision.  This conference will be one of the premier business events in Texas this year and is being hosted by Texas A&M University’s Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship.  It will take place in San Antonio from the evening of April 23 through April 25. 

In recognition of our sponsorship, the Center has made us a special offer that we can pass along to our clients and their employees.  For a limited time, members of our network can attend Envision ’08 for the price of $800 which is 40% off the published price.  To take advantage of this special offer, you need to register before March 15 and enter the promotion code “friends” during the online registration process.  I encourage you to register early because overall registration is limited and hotel rooms at the host hotel will fill quickly.

Envision ‘08 will provide a unique opportunity for business leaders to get first-hand insight into the issues that will affect their businesses from highly respected business leaders and visionaries. Participants will be exposed to tools and techniques for better funding, marketing, sales and recruiting to help drive company performance. Envision ‘08 will enhance the ability of entrepreneurs to realize their goals and strengthen their company’s bottom line. 

Conference attendees will hear from well-known authors and business leaders, including:

• Dr. Stephen R. Covey, author of the international bestseller, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Covey was named one of Time magazine's 25 Most Influential Americans and is a recipient of the National Entrepreneur of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award.
• Marcus Buckingham, author of First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Best Managers Do Differently. Buckingham is considered one of the world’s leading experts on employee productivity and management and leadership practices.
• Guy Kawasaki is an author and managing director of Garage Technology Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm. He is also a columnist for Entrepreneur Magazine.
• Peter Schutz, former CEO of Porsche A.G., where he nearly doubled worldwide sales in his first year. He is the author of The Driving Force, Extraordinary Results with Ordinary People.

Envision ‘08 will also include workshops geared towards financing, marketing, productivity, immigration, multi-generational team building, creating franchise businesses and international business opportunities.  In all there will be about 40 high value workshops.

Envision ‘08, is being held at the Marriott Rivercenter Hotel, located on the world famous entertainment destination, the San Antonio River Walk.

Your registration fee includes:

• Access to all general sessions
• Access to the workshops of your choice
• All meals during conference hours
• Entertainment and networking sessions
• Access to business development resources available through the Texas A&M Center for New Ventures & Entrepreneurship

For more information on this unique opportunity please visit, www.Envision08.com.

See you in San Antonio on April 23!

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Calling all Aggies! You’ve read about it, you’ve talked about it with your fellow Aggies, you’ve even thought “Hey, maybe my company could be one of the 100…” Well, now’s your chance to join an elite group of Aggie business owners. Nominations are now open for the 2008 Aggie 100.

Created by Mays Business School's Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship, the Aggie 100 identifies, recognizes and celebrates the 100 fastest growing Aggie-owned or Aggie-led businesses in the world. The Aggie 100 not only celebrates their success, it also provides a forum to pass lessons to the next generation of Aggie entrepreneurs.  

To be considered for the Aggie 100 program companies (corporations, partnerships, and sole proprietorships) must meet the following criteria:

• Company Size and Longevity – The Company must meet both of the following criteria:
  • Have been in business for 5 years or more as of June 30, 2008, and
  • Have had verifiable revenues of $100,000 or more for calendar year 2005.
• Aggie Leadership – The Company must meet one or more of the following three criteria:
  • A Texas A&M University former student or group of former students must have owned 50% or more of the company from January 1, 2005 through December 31, 2007, or
  • A Texas A&M University former student must have served as the Company’s chief executive (for example chairman, CEO, president or managing partner) from January 1, 2005 through December 31, 2007, or
  • A Texas A&M University former student must have founded the company and been active as a member of the most senior management team from January 1, 2005 through December 31, 2007.
• Company Character – The Company must operate in a manner consistent with the Aggie Code of Honor and in keeping with the values and image of Texas A&M University.

The nomination form can be found here: http://aggie100.com/nominate/

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As you know PKF Texas actively supports Houston and its business community in a variety of capacities. One way we show our support is through the sponsorship of area award programs. Two such programs are currently accepting nominations: The Best Places to Work in Houston and the Best CFOs in Houston.

PKF Texas has been a proud sponsor of the Best Places to Work award program since 2005. The fact that so many Houston companies have dedicated their time and resources to making sure they have the best and happiest employees who love what they do is phenomenal. The Best Places to Work in Houston nomination is due March 28^th. The categories are as follows:

Houston-based companies:

• 10 to 100 employees
• 101 to 500 employees
• 501 + employees

Non-Headquartered companies:

• Companies with a large presence

In its 2^nd year, the Best CFOs honors outstanding performance of Houston area chief financial officers in their roles as corporate financial stewards. The award luncheon is held in conjunction with the Houston Business Journal’s Celebrate Enterprise! event. The Best CFOs nomination is due March 20^th. The entry categories are as follows:

• Emerging Public Company CFO (2007 revenues of less than $150 million)
• Large Public Company CFO (2007 revenues of more than $150 million)
• Emerging Private Company CFO (2007 revenues of less than $75 million)
• Large Private Company CFO (2007 revenues of more than $75 million)
• Large Nonprofit CFO (2007 total gross receipts of more than $5 million)
• Small Nonprofit CFO (2007 total gross receipts of less than $5 million)
• Best Growth Manager: To a CFO who developed the most creative way to diminish debt and achieve profitable growth through both organic and acquisition means.
• Best Turnaround Specialist: To a CFO who led the best effort to transition his/her company from ailing to acceptable.
• Good Samaritan: To a CFO who makes a contribution, not only to their company, but also to the community. (Includes pro bono work)
• (NEW CATEGORY) Best Investor Relations Program:
  • *Large Public Company CFO (12.31.2007 market capitalization of more than $5 billion)
  • *Small Public Company CFO (12.31.2007 market capitalization of less than $5 billion)

Houston is a great place to live and work and with programs like the Best Places to Work and Best CFOs it can only get better. I hope you take the time to submit your company or CFO for these honors. Good luck!

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I had the opportunity to visit with Randy Woelfel, Managing Director of Energy and Maryanne Barker, Associate Director of Development both of the Houston Technology Center and I was very impressed with their report on the upcoming Energy Technology Venture Conference this coming March 6 and 7.  They have several companies presenting the ideas and opportunities that are very exciting.  If you are in the investment space for energy technologies you need to be at this conference. 

The conference will bring together 30 of the most promising emerging energy technology companies with an audience of venture capitalists, private equity, angel and corporate investors and related financial professionals. Energy companies seeking new solutions will have an opportunity to identify technologies of interest and meet the people who developed them. This exciting two-day celebration of innovation offers the best networking and learning opportunities for business, energy and financial professionals. 

John Hofmeister, President of Shell Oil Company will be the keynote speaker. Gary C. Evans, Chairman & CEO of GreenHunter Energy Inc. will present the opening address.

There is also going to be a great VC panel discussing Bringing Technology and Finance Together to Ensure Global Energy Supply. The participants are listed below

• Moderator: Lane Sloan - Director, University of Houston Strategic Energy Alliance - Special Assistant to Provost
• C. Michael Ming - President, Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America (RPSEA)
• Fred Charlton - Managing Director, Simmons Company International
• Cheryl Smith Bryan, Managing Director, Boyden Global Executive Search
• Helge Tveit - Partner and President, Houston Office, Energy Ventures
• Marianne Wu - Partner, Mohr Davidow Ventures

If you’re interested in attending this great event, you must register here by Monday, March 3 at 3:00pm. It is $450 per person to attend. If you have any questions, contact Natalie Padilla at (713) 658-1750 or NPadilla@houstontech.org. I hope to see you there!

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Did you hear Brad Burke, Managing Director of the Rice Alliance for Technology & Entrepreneurship, on the BusinessMakers Radio Show this past Saturday? 

He was talking to Russ Capper and John Beddow about this year’s Rice University Business Plan Competition. This year 36 teams are competing for $600,000 in cash and prizes. That $600,000 includes:

$225,000 Grand Prize, including
     - $125,000 Cash Investment Prize
     - $20,000 Cash
     - $80,000 In-kind Awards
$100,000 Investment in Life Science Company
     - Includes Medical Devices, Diagnostics, Drugs, Biotech, and Others
$100,000 Investment in Technology Company, includes:
     - Energy and Clean Tech/IT/Nano/Aerospace and Aviation
$20,000 Dow Sustainability Award
$20,000 NASA Earth/Space Life Science Innovation Award

There’s still time for university teams to be considered for the 2008 competition. You have until this Friday, February 22^nd to submit your online intent to compete form and your executive summary of your business plan. All of the details are on the website.

This year’s competition kicks off on Thursday, April 3^rd with the Elevator Pitch Competition, where all 36 teams will have 1 minute to present their elevator pitch. The semi-finals are on Friday and the finals are on Saturday, followed by the awards banquet.

I’ll be a judge again this year and will once again be live-blogging from Rice. Karen Love, one of my fellow Directors at PKF Texas, will be judging the Elevator Pitch Competition.

While there are other university sponsored business plan competitions, none are as large or as rich as the Rice Business Plan Competition. There will be teams competing from universities all over the world. 

Check out the website, http://www.alliance.rice.edu/alliance/RBPC.asp if you have any questions. Good luck to all those who enter, I’ll see you on April 3^rd!

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I am deeply honored and humbled to be named as the new Chairman of Houston Technology Center’s Advisory Board. 

I want to thank Walter Ulrich, HTC President, and Dr. Bernard Harris, HTC Board Chair, for this opportunity.  Our previous advisory board chairmen of, Dallas Parker, Bob Gray and Chuck Powell did an outstanding job in leading this extremely important group of advisors to the HTC. Their impact on the Advisory Board and its impact on the HTC have been nothing short of remarkable. 

The Advisory Board’s group of influential entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, angel investors, and service providers to the emerging market and high tech community are one of the attributes of success for the HTC. Walter Ulrich, Paul Frison and the entire team at the HTC have done a wonderful job of promoting innovation, business acceleration and more importantly, the City of Houston and its can do spirit in all things within the technology community. 

I am very excited about serving this outstanding organization in a new way, and working with our outstanding team of senior executives on the Advisory Board. My appointment to this position is a testimony to many of my colleagues at PKF Texas’ for their long standing commitment to this business sector.   Below is the press release that PKF Texas sent out: 

PKF Texas Director Greg Price, CPA, Named Chairman of Houston Technology Center Advisory Board

PKF Texas’ support of the HTC continues with Price’s appointment

HOUSTON – February 6, 2008 – Gregory Price, CPA, Director of Consulting Solutions for Pannell Kerr Forster of Texas, P.C. (PKF Texas), has been named Chairman of the Houston Technology Center (HTC) Advisory Board.

“Price’s vast experience, track record and deep commitment to Houston and its technology business community will be invaluable to HTC’s expansion as it helps Houston’s transformation to a global leader in technology innovation and commercialization” said Walter Ulrich, HTC President and CEO.

As chairman, Price will steer the team of 54 senior executives actively advising and supporting HTC in its efforts to assist emerging technology companies to commercialize their products and services, raising capital and creating thousands of jobs in Houston.

“I am deeply honored and humbled to be named as the new Chairman of HTC’s advisory board,” said Price. “Our previous advisory board chairmen of Dallas Parker, Bob Gray and Chuck Powell did an outstanding job in leading this extremely important group of advisors to the HTC.  Their impact on the advisory board and its impact on the HTC have been nothing short of remarkable.”

PKF Texas’ long standing support of the HTC includes joining the Service Provider Network (SPN) in 2000, as well as chairing the SPN in 2006-2007. Other PKF Texas team members have served as Technology Champions and members of the advisory board. As the founder of the FastTech 50, PKF Texas proudly recognizes the HTC as the pulsepoint of technology in Houston. 

About PKF Texas

With leaders who are forward-thinking entrepreneurs and business advisors with Big 4 backgrounds, PKF Texas is a CPA firm that serves emerging and middle market companies across many industries. Service areas include profit enhancement, internal audit, international/domestic tax, accounting, auditing, litigation services, business systems consulting and IT. Visit www.pkftexas.com.

About Houston Technology Center

Houston Technology Center, a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation, serves as the nexus of new ideas, technological innovation and entrepreneurship in the greater Houston area. HTC accelerates the commercialization of emerging technology companies within key sectors including: energy, information technology, life sciences, nanotechnology and NASA/aerospace by providing in-depth business guidance, access to capital and service providers, and entrepreneurial education. HTC promotes Houston as a leading technology city. Visit www.houstontech.org.

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Now that Super Tuesday is behind us and the election picture is a little less hazy, I want to remind everyone that the candidates are coming to Houston on February 28^th for “America’s Energy Future – Houston’s Presidential Summit.” 

The Greater Houston Partnership has put together a high-level energy symposium, summit and exhibition with presenters featuring leading energy suppliers, technologies and innovations.

Speakers include:

• Greg Boyce, President and CEO, Peabody Energy
• Clarence P. Cazalot, Jr., President and CEO, Marathon Oil Corporation
• David Crane, President and CEO, NRG Energy
• Dana Flanders, President, Chevron Technology Ventures
• Jim Hackett, CEO, Anadarko
• John Hofmeister, President, Shell Oil Company
• Robert C. Kelly, Founding Partner, DKRW Energy LLC
• Renu Khator, Ph.D, President, University of Houston
• Buddy Kleemeier, Chairman, Independent Petroleum Producers Association
• Jeff Moseley, President and CEO, Greater Houston Partnership
• Ali Moshiri, President, Chevron Africa and Latin America Exploration & Production
• James Oberwetter, Former Ambassador to Saudi Arabia
• Carl Pope, Executive Director, Sierra Club
• John Richels, President, Devon Energy
• Frank Steininger, Partner, Assurance Energy, PricewaterhouseCoopers
• Dan Watkins, Ph.D., Managing Director, DFJ Mercury
• Bill White, Mayor, City of Houston
• Dan Wolterman, President & CEO, Memorial Hermann

The evening debate with the presidential candidates from both parties will be moderated by Tim Russert and will air live on MSNBC. The candidates will discuss their energy policy platforms.

If you’re a GHP member it is $450 for the whole symposium including the live televised debate in the evening. If you’re not a member, it is $750 for the whole event 

This is a great opportunity for Houston to take center stage in this year’s election process.

How do you feel about Houston hosting the candidates debate about energy issues? Are you going to attend? Does this provide the incentive to vote in Texas’ primary on March 4^th?

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Good news for the manufacturing industry in Houston. You outpace the rest of the state and country in job growth. I recently read a report in the Houston Business Journal that details the growth of the industry in Houston.

Several large manufacturers have moved into Houston because of tax abatements, manufacturing sales tax exemptions and tax increment reinvestment zones. Houston as the center of the U.S. energy industry has certainly helped this growth. 

Last Monday, I mentioned that Houston is ranked #1 in job growth by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and given this report, it’s not hard to see why. 

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PKF Texas has been named as a Best Company to Work for in Texas. We ranked #16 in the Mid-Sized company category. We are excited to receive this honor! 

Our sponsorship of the Best Places to Work in Houston award program precludes us from entering, but since the Best Companies to Work for is a completely separate program administered by the Best Companies Group, we were able to enter. 

In all 24 Houston companies made the list. Other Houston companies included on the list are:

Administaff
Barhorst Insurance Group
FKP Architects
Patrick Henry Creative Promotions
Quest Diagnostics

Congratulations to all the Houston based companies!

Here’s a photo of our team members at the banquet last Friday.

Does your company enter Best Places/Companies to Work programs? How does your company gauge employee morale and satisfaction?

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I was at the Greater Houston Partnership’s annual meeting a couple of weeks ago and they had a lot of great information about the goals and initiatives they will focus on in the next year. 

They spoke at great length about the Opportunity Houston initiative. I’ve mentioned it before but for those who don’t know about it, Opportunity Houston is an aggressive five-year marketing program that will generate leads for economic development organizations throughout Houston's 10-county region. So far they’ve raised $31 million out of the $40 million goal. 

Opportunity Houston will help create 600,000 net regional jobs, attract $60 billion in capital investment, and generate $225 billion in foreign trade for the greater Houston area. This is a phenomenal commitment from the Houston business community. 

They also spent time talking about Houston’s recent rankings on various lists. Rankings of note:

Houston ranks # 1

Job Growth
by: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Houston ranks # 1

Lowest Cost of Living and Least-Expensive Housing Among 24 Metropolitan Areas with Populations of More Than 2 Million
by: ACCRA Cost of Living Index

Houston ranks # 2

Texas -- Best Business Climate in the Nation
by: Site Selection

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Back in August, I attended the Annual Rice Alliance Kickoff, which featured Michael Oxley, Vice Chairman the NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc. as the keynote speaker.  I just received a few pictures from the event that I wanted to share with you.

 Michael Oxley speaking at the Rice Alliance Kickoff.

 Showing his Texan side.

My laughing is saying that he looks good in cowboy hat!

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Reed Wotiz, a reader of the blog and entrepreneur, recently asked me to take a look at his website, www.HoustonTexasRealEstate.com. It has all kinds of information about the Houston real estate market.

There is an interactive Q&A section where local professionals (agents, mortgage brokers, appraisers, etc.) answer your questions. Everything from home inspections to school districts is covered.

Another section details Houston’s neighborhoods. Each description provides general information about the area, average home price and commute time. 

They also have a blog where professionals contribute on a regular basis. Topics range from 10 things you should know when buying a home to where to find a home inspections school if you want to become a home inspector. 

All in all, if you’re looking to move to or within Houston, this site is a good resource to check out when you’re doing your research. 

Thanks for alerting me to your site Reed!

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Below is a message from Byron Hebert, Director of Entrepreneurial Advisory Services for PKF Texas. 

We began the Route to Profits quarterly newsletters as a way to prompt our clients and entrepreneurial friends to take a moment to stop and think about their business as opposed to working their business.  The response was overwhelming.  What we have heard from our clients and friends is "We want more!"

We have been working with Chris Mason at Mindshop for some time and have found his facilitation techniques very accurate and on point for today's business environment.  When you talk to owner operated businesses about how often they meet you usually get one of two responses:

1) “We stopped having meetings because they were either gripe sessions or just a waste of time” or 2) “We meet all the time and have all these great ideas but when we get back to our desk and get caught up in the day to day issues, we loose the momentum.”

The Route to Profits set of tools will help you organize your managers, put a plan in place and break the plan down into small manageable steps. 

We are very excited to introduce the Route to Profits CEO Resource to our clients and friends.  This program will introduce you to all the tools that are available as well as training on how to use the tools and providing a forum for you to discuss with other business owners how these tools are working in your business. 

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This week's guest spotlight is from Walter Ulrich, President and CEO of the Houston Technology Center. 

Houston, Texas, January 7, 2008 – Mark my words, “2008 will be remembered as the inflection point for transforming the Greater Houston Region from the 20^th century leader in oil and gas to a 21^st century globally recognized high technology hub.”

How about “Happy New Year” first???  If you are in this region like me, you had better have gotten over celebrating the New Year by January 2^nd and on your way to making a difference today and every day in 2008.

What is going on here?  Houston faces a great opportunity and a great challenge!

The challenge is that Houston must generate 600,000 new jobs over the next ten years.  If we do nothing, only 450,000 jobs will be created in Houston: The Oil & Gas equivalent of Detroit!

But a lot is being done.  The Greater Houston Partnership is raising $30 million to $40 million to bring in those incremental 150,000 jobs.

So problem solved?  Not so fast!  We attack the symptoms – job counts and wage rates – but that does not solve the underlying problems.

The Opportunity è the right kinds of jobs.  While we need more oil workers, logistics businesses, retailers, manufacturers and call centers, those kinds of jobs alone will not provide long-term, sustainable economic growth.  High technology employment is the flywheel that builds robust, growing economies.  The entrepreneurial spirit, which Houston has in its very DNA, will favor those who seize the opportunity and meet the challenges head on.

This cannot be accomplished using traditional economic development methods.  And competition, nationally and globally, is fierce, so we must create high technology jobs now.  THIS YEAR!

The stakes are HIGH!  Failure is not an option.  Did I say opportunity???  Under these circumstances, this is NOT an opportunity!  It is an outright OBLIGATION to transform this community and we must do it now.  THIS YEAR!

Houston: one of the richest troves of innovation in the world – thousands of entrepreneurs, tens of thousands of researchers and scientists, great institutions, lots of intellectual property and a regional economic base that rivals some of the largest countries in the world… oil and gas capitol… mega medical centers… $4 billion IT economy…  pioneers in Nanotechnology at Rice University… and NASA’s largest R&D facility.

And yet, “we don’t get no respect.”  If you believe the pundits, Houston is seen as one or two dimensional only with the real innovation elsewhere.

So why is that?  We have not demonstrated long-term sustainable high tech results.   We have the economic capacity; we have built the infrastructure in the last ten years.  We have to deliver the goods.  Now.  THIS YEAR!

The Houston Technology Center is ready to lead.  It is the largest non-profit community-based organization in the region focused exclusively on fostering innovation and driving emerging technology success:  Emerging energy and clean energy technologies, bio/life sciences, IT and web 2.0, 3.0 and beyond, nanotechnology and NASA-related aerospace.

Our full time technology development managers work side-by-side with over 70 emerging technology companies helping them to identify gaps, find customers, raise money, grow and prosper and thrive.  We partner with over a dozen other organizations and work closely with major Universities, economic development organizations, municipalities and the State of Texas.

Our objective is simple: Houston will be a globally recognized technology hub on a par with the most highly lauded technology centers of the last decade.

AND WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Go to our website, www.houstontech.org.  Attend the free orientation if you don’t know us.  If you do know us, then join us.  The HTC could not accomplish its mission without the support of the community and we need your help.

If you are a technologist or an entrepreneur, you share with us the challenge, the opportunity and the obligation.  Get engaged, give us your support and actively participate (and financial contributions are always welcome).  Greg, his shiny head and PKF Texas get it è they are actively involved and set a great example.  Make a difference!  Get involved!  RIGHT NOW!

www.HoustonTech.org

_____

About our guest contributor – Walter Ulrich is President and CEO of the Houston Technology Center, Chairman of the Gulf Coast Regional Center of Innovation and Commercialization and active in many community organizations.  Appointed by Governor Perry, he recently completed a two year term as one of the founding members of the Texas Emerging Technology Fund Committee.  He has been CEO of several technology companies, a management consultant to major corporations, an expert witness on technology issues, and was responsible for the first commercially successful email service in the 1970’s.  A former Marine and graduate with a bachelors and master degree from Stevens Institute of Technology, he lives with his wife in Pearland.

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More news about the Envision08 conference.

There is now a friends and family discount that the readers of the blog can take advantage of. 

The regular price of the conference is $1,195, but with the discount the price will be $1,095. It’s a great deal!

When registering, use the code champion to receive the promotional price. You will then be asked who referred you, type PKF Texas. That’s all you have to do!

Click here [link http://www.envision08.com/registration.html] to register.

This discount is only good until January 31^st, so make sure you don’t wait until the last minute! To find out the latest information about the conference visit www.envision08.com.

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The dates for the Rice Alliance Business Plan Competition have been announced! As many of you know I am one of the judges for the competition and have live blogged from the event the past two years. Below is the email I received providing all the details for the 2008 competition. Note the intent to compete deadline is Friday February 1, 2008.

2008 Rice Business Plan Competition  
Thursday – Saturday, April 3-5, 2008
Rice University, McNair Hall, Jones Graduate School of Management – Houston, Texas

The Rice Business Plan Competition is one of the largest and richest intercollegiate new venture competitions in the world.  Thirty-six of the top MBA and Graduate Schools from around the world will compete for over $345,000 in prizes at Rice University in Houston.  The event is judged by over 150 venture capitalists, angel investors, entrepreneurs, and leaders from the technology entrepreneurship community.    

The competition is open to all graduate level teams from any university.  Both U.S. and international teams can apply to compete.  EVERY team that is accepted is guaranteed to win a cash prize.  All applicants will receive a copy of Business Plan Pro - Premier Edition software.

If you know of a graduate team or university that should compete, please encourage them to apply.  ALL university teams that submit an intent to compete will receive a free copy of Business Plan Pro - Premier Edition software from Palo Alto Software.  More information click here.

    - Intent to Compete Deadline:  Friday, February 1, 2008
    - Executive Summary is Friday, February 22, 2008, 5:00 PM (Houston Time)

Competition Prizes -Over $345,000 in total prizes

• $175,00 Grand Prize – including $100,000 equity investment + $20,000 cash + $55,000 in services
• Over $240,000 in total cash prizes, plus over $100,000 in services awarded
• EVERY team accepted into the Rice competition is guaranteed to win at least e cash prize

Special Cash Prize Categories include:

• $20,000 – Dow Sustainability Award – sustainability & clean technology cash award
• Life Sciences Cash Award
• Energy Cash Award
• Information Technology Cash Award
• Intellectual Property Cash Award
• Hispanic Business Plan Cash Award

Other Benefits include:

• Multiple opportunities to receive individual feedback & mentoring
• Largest, most-experienced judging panel
• Over 150 VC’s, early-stage investors, entrepreneurs and business leaders
  • More leaders from the entrepreneurship community than any other competition
• Multiple Presentation Opportunities
  • All teams are guaranteed to have at least four presentation opportunities
• Best facilities and hosting of any competition
  • World-class Jones Graduate School of Management building at Rice
  • Over 100 Rice student volunteers will act as hosts and guides
• Low-cost travel, centrally located
  • Houston is serves as hubs for Continental & Southwest Airlines with 2 major airports
  • Discounted hotel rates & all meals provided for competitors  

Who Is Eligible

• Full- or part-time graduate students: includes MBA, Masters, PhD, and MD candidates from all disciplines
• Teams with 2-5 team members  (at least 1 team member must be a graduate student)
• Ventures must be "for profit" entities seeking outside equity capital
• Teams must be university-affiliated and have endorsement of a faculty member
• Ventures must have no revenues or outside equity capital PRIOR to the start of current academic year

We received 100+ testimonials from Competitors at the 2007 RBPC, including:

“Based on our experience and that of other teams from our school at other competitions, Rice is clearly positioning itself as the premium competition.”

“We will strongly encourage our school to send teams in the future. We had an outstanding experience.”

“It is the most complete and well organized competition I have attended.”

“It was by far the best competition we had been to.”

“It was just a wonderful experience! Very well organized, the materials were professionally done,” 

“The exposure to contacts was AMAZING, the feedback was very valuable, and the facilities are beautiful.”

“One of the highest caliber competitions within the country!”

“Overall organization was superb, best I have experienced.”

“Really an amazing event at all levels. Congratulations!!”

We believe the RBPC provides an unparalleled experience for participants by providing a diverse program over three days, with significant time allotted for feedback and interaction with the judging panel. 

For information about the Competition, sponsorship opportunities, or awards banquet information, please contact Philana Diaz, the Competition Director, at: rbpc@rice.edu or 713-348-3190.
  
Online information: www.alliance.rice.edu/rbpc

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Last month I promised you more details about Envision 08. It’s shaping up to be one of the hottest conferences of the year. 

It’s being hosted by Texas A&M University’s Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship, of which I’m on the member advisory committee. This conference isn’t just for Aggies! It’s for all entrepreneurial business owners with vision.

There is a stellar line up of speakers which will continue to grow as we get closer to the event in April. Here’s who has been confirmed so far:

Marcus Buckingham helped lead research into the world’s best leaders, managers, and workplaces. He drew on this research and used it as the basis for two bestselling books: First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Best Managers Do Differently (coauthored with Curt Coffman) and Now, Discover Your Strengths (coauthored with Donald O. Clifton). His new book, The One Thing You Need to Know (The Free Press) was released in March 2005.

Guy Kawasaki is a managing director of Garage Technology Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm, and is a columnist for Entrepreneur Magazine. He is also ranked as one of the top 100 bloggers in the world. Previously, he was an Apple Fellow at Apple Computer, Inc. where he was one of the individuals responsible for the success of the Macintosh computer. Mr. Kawasaki’s eight books include The Art of the Start, Rules for Revolutionaries, How to Drive Your Competition Crazy, Selling the Dream, and The Macintosh Way.

Brian Lanahan is the President of Align, a Portland OR-based company that connects story and strategy for new brands. Prior to starting Align in 2007, Brian was Managing Director and a founding partner of Character LLC, a firm that creates story frameworks for brands at companies such as Pepsi, Frito-Lay, Procter & Gamble, General Mills, Pepperidge Farms, and Unilever. Brian has been featured in major publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Brandweek, and Fortune Small Business.

Peter W. Schutz and Sheila Harris-Schutz operat