FastTrac® TechVenture™ Coaches and Guest Speakers
A brief backgrounder on each coach an guest speaker is at the bottom of this page.
Module 1: Exploring Entrepreneurship
Friday, March 19
Guest speaker: Michael Wright, CEO, Well Partner
Topic: Their entrepreneurial journey and challenges of starting their.
Start time: 3pm
Length: 45 minutes
Coaches: Dennis Powers, Sudhir Bhagwan, Shelley Gunton, Steve Morris
Module 2: Defining the Target Market
Monday, March 29
Guest speaker: Diane Fraiman, Voyager Capital
Topic: The entrepreneurial challenges of researching and profiling target markets
Start time: 2:50pm
Length: 45 minutes
Coaches: Dennis Powers, Sudhir Bhagwan, Steve Morris
Module 3: Conducting Market Research
Monday, April 5
Guest Speaker: Paul Abel, Blue Research
Topic: Market research
Start time: 2:50pm
Length: 45 minutes
Coaches: Dennis Powers, Sudhir Bhagwan, Shelley Gunton, Steve Morris
Module 4: Testing Your Business Concept
Monday, April 19
Guest Speaker: Eric Winquist, CEO of Jama Software
Topic: Their entrepreneurial experience with feasibility testing of their product or service, market, and financials.
Start time: 2:40pm
Length: 45 minutes
Coaches: Dennis Powers, Sudhir Bhagwan, Shelley Gunton, Steve Morris
Module 5: Entering and Capturing a Market
Monday, April 26
Guest Speaker: Andrew Rowe, CEO, Allmed Healthcare Management
Topic: Market penetration, product adoption curve, sales channels strategies, effective communications vehicles, and managing and supporting sales efforts through marketing.
Start time: 2:55pm
Length: 45 minutes
Coaches: Dennis Powers, Sudhir Bhagwan, Shelley Gunton, Steve Morris
Module 6: Planning for Financial Success
Monday, May 3
Guest speakers: Chris O'Leary, CFO, Phoseon Technology
Topic: The preparation and use of financial forecasts, statements, and ratios
- Projecting the financial condition of a business
- Using rations to determine the relative financial status of a business
- Preparing & using financial statements, forecasts, and ratios
Start time: 2:15pm
Length: 75 minutes
Coaches: Dennis Powers, Shelley Gunton, Steve Morris and Sócrates Jiménez
Module 7: Building and Compensating Your Organizational Team
Monday, May 10
Guest Speaker: Paul Gulick
Topic: How to recruit the top management employees you need and how to package an equity compensation plan to retain them.
Start time: 2:40pm
Length: 45 minutes
Coaches: Steve Morris and Sócrates Jiménez
Module 8: Protecting the Business and Your Intellectual Property
Monday, May 17
Guest Speaker: Julie Reed, Marger Johnson & McCollom
Topics: IP issues related to start-up companies
Start time: 2:30pm
Length: 45 minutes
Coaches: Steve Morris, Shelley Gunton, and Sócrates Jiménez
Finance coaches: Elia Freedman, Bob Sternberg
Module 9: Identifying Funding and Working with Investors
Monday, June 7
Guest speaker: Dennis Powers and TBD
Topics: VC and angel fund raising
Start time: 2:20pm
Length: 75 minutes
Coaches: Dennis Powers, Steve Morris, Shelley Gunton, and Sócrates Jiménez
Module 10: Managing Cash and Operating Your Business
June 14
Guest Speaker: Larry Wasserman
Topics: Managing cash, controlling burn rate, and establishing operations and control systems.
Start time: 2:35pm
Length: 45 minutes
Coaches: Dennis Powers, Steve Morris and Sócrates Jiménez
Brief Biographies
Andrew Rowe, CEO, Allmed Healthcare Management, LinkedIn
Andrew Rowe is CEO of AllMed Healthcare Management, a technology-based healthcare services firm. He is a serial entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience building and leading successful ventures in the technology, manufacturing, healthcare and business service sectors. Experience includes a VC-backed start-up through IPO, a leveraged buy-out and turnaround of a large industrial company, bootstrapping two professional services firms, investment and/or leadership roles in several start-ups. His career includes 15+ years of international management experience, with overseas assignments in Europe, Latin America and Asia, and extensive travel to over 70 countries. He is bilingual in Spanish, fluent in French and Portuguese, and speaks some Italian.
Chris O'Leary, CFO, Phoseon Technology , LinkedIn
Mr. O'Leary is a co-founder of the company and has 20 years of experience in finance and supply chain management at Intel, Mentor Graphics, Credence Systems and ITXC. He has been instrumental in establishing financial and operational controls in high growth organizations, including assignments in Japan and Europe. He holds a BS in Management from Northeastern University, and an MBA from the University of Portland. Chris enjoys being active and has completed multiple marathons and triathlons.
Dennis Powers, Principal at Cornerstone Management Resources, LinkedIn
Dennis is an experienced manager and entrepreneur as well as an active angel investor. He is the Chair of the Portland Angel Network. Dennis assists OTBC residents with coaching and advice on their business plan and strategy, and helps companies prepare to pursue angel funding.
Diane Fraiman, Venture Partner, Voyager Capital, LinkedIn
Diane serves as a Venture Partner with Voyager and focuses on software and digital media investments in the Pacific Northwest, particularly Oregon. With over 30 years of technology company experience in leading marketing, strategy and business development, Diane works with startups in the enterprise software, Internet/Web 2.0, and security software industries throughout the West Coast.
Eric Winquist, CEO, Jama Software, LinkedIn
In March 2006, Eric founded Jama Software with the vision of providing customers a more collaborative way to develop new products and eliminate the common frustrations with traditional approaches to requirements management. Eric is an accomplished entrepreneur and project manager with over 15 years experience working with a wide range of enterprise organizations, teams and technologies. In 2001, Eric founded Redside Solutions, a software development consulting firm. As CEO, Eric grew Redside to a multi-million dollar business with 100% annual growth rates. At Redside, Eric saw first-hand the need companies had for collaborative requirements management which led to the creation of Jama Software and the development of Jama Contour. Eric is a graduate of Oregon State University. He lives with his wife and two kids in Portland.
You can reach Eric on
Julie Reed, Director, Marger Johnson & McCollom, LinkedIn
With more than 15 years of intellectual property experience, Julie brings a wealth of experience to her clients. Before joining Marger Johnson & McCollom, she served as the first in-house patent counsel at Sharp Labs of America. Prior to Sharp Labs, she worked at Texas Instruments -- first as a digital systems design engineer, then as a patent engineer, patent agent and patent attorney for the Digital Imaging division protecting TI's DLP® technology. Her practice areas include Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS), wireless networking, user-computer interfaces, internetworking, ubiquitous computing, semiconductor processing including thin film processes, digital circuits, processor design, and interconnectivity.
Larry Wasserman, President, Wasserman & Associates, LinkedIn
Wasserman & Associates solves business problems related to profitability, forecasting, investing, cash flow and resource utilization that improve the financial management of the business for the long term. We also provide training using a business approach to Accounting & Finance for non financial managers. Formerly Mr. Wasserman was CFO at Qsent, and COO at Gentle Dental.
Michael Wright, CEO, WellPartner, LinkedIn
Prior to co-founding Wellpartner, Mr. Wright established two other companies, Gene Therapeutics and MicroHeart. Both of these companies focused on providing site-specific drug delivery systems of genetic agents for the treatment of oncology and cardiovascular diseases. Previously, Mr. Wright was President and CEO for TomTec Imaging, a developer and manufacturer of advanced ultrasound imaging software and hardware. The bulk of his career, 27 years, was spent with the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies, where he worked in a number of domestic and international assignments across a variety of operations. His last 15 years with the company were focused on acquisitions, turn-around scenarios and divestitures across a broad line of advanced medical products. Mr. Wright received a B.S. in Business Administration and Economics from Midwestern University.
Paul Abel, Managing Partner, Blue Research, LinkedIn
Mr. Abel's unique set of experiences has helped shape Blue Research to be a culture focused on providing reliable information that effectively drives action. He has worked for some of the biggest brands in technology both as a research supplier and research consumer (e.g., IBM, Cisco, Intel, Gartner Group). Having seen both sides of market research he knows what to do to ensure market research is incredibly successful and what to avoid that can make research counter productive. Over the past 15 years, He has created market research organizations, managed up to $3M market research budgets and delivered reports to analysts, press, diplomats and CEOs worldwide. Prior to founding Blue Research Paul worked at Intel Corporation where he created and delivered reports to the President/CEO that led corporate strategy discussions. Roles prior to Intel include market research consultant for Gartner Group and Griggs-Anderson Research for Fortune 500 corporations. Paul holds a Ph.D. in Psychology and Neuroscience from the University of Washington where he published papers in leading medical journals using novel statistical analyses. He holds a B.S. degree from UCLA.
Shelley Gunton, Castor & Pollux Pet Works, LinkedIn
Ms. Gunton is founder of Castor & Pollux Pet Works, home of Organix and Natural Ultramix dog and cat foods, treats and more. Previously, she co-owned T&K Pet Products for seven years with husband Brian Connolly. They lived in Hong Kong for eight years where they started a premium pet food distribution business. Prior to the pet food business she was in international banking. Ms. Gunton has an MBA from York University, Toronto, Canada; and a B.A., economics, from the University of Western Ontario, London. She is actively involved in community volunteer programs.
Steve Morris, Executive Director, OTBC, LinkedIn
Mr. Morris is the Executive Director of OTBC and the Managing Director of OregonStartups.com. He is a vetran of three start-ups, and has more than 25 years of management experience in the software, service, and semiconductor test industries at companies such as Hewlett Packard, Integrated Measurement Systems, Cadence Design Systems, Mentor Graphics, Credence Corporation and Teseda Corporation. He holds a B.A. in mathematics from Reed College and a Masters of Science degree from Carnegie-Mellon University Graduate School of Industrial Administration(now The Tepper School of Business).
Sócrates Jiménez, Managing Director, Hamilton Partners LLC, LinkedIn
Mr. Jiménez is an accomplished senior professional with over 15 years of global corporate development, corporate finance, capital markets and operations experience. He has extensive transaction leadership and execution experience in addition to demonstrated internal as well as external communication and relationship management skills and a strong strategy approach with successful roles focused on new business initiatives, finance, operations as well as strategic partnerships and investments. Significant experience in working directly with executive management teams as well as strong collaboration skills in building consensus across multiple organizational levels. Broad experience working with companies ranging from start-ups to large caps across industries including multiple sectors within industrials, technology, and healthcare services.
Sudhir Bhagwan
Sudhir is a local angel investor, serves on two Boards, and till recently was on the Advisory Board of the National Science Foundation SBIR/STTR program. He received his MSEE from Stanford University, and an MBA with honors. From 2005-2008 he was the Chairman & CEO of SnapNames.com, Inc.. Under his leadership the company profitably grew revenues 600% to $50million. He successfully sold SnapNames to Oversee.net in 2007. Previously, he retired from Intel Corporation, where for more than 21 years he served in several executive positions including Director of International Marketing, General Manager of several businesses, and Engineering Manager. During his tenure at Intel, Sudhir received several awards from Mr. Grove and the executive management in creating aggressive business strategies and delivering committed operational results.