You Are Cordially Invited To
Grassroots Capitalism
6 October 2007
Everyone keep in mind that this event happens because of your participation! Even this website is a group effort; if you think anything needs to be changed, change it! If you are interested in coming, please make sure to RSVP in the Participants section so we can plan accordingly. Enjoy!
Introduction
"Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish"
Ideas, expertise and testimonials to build a Venture Capital ecosystem.
VentureCamp is a BarCamp, an unconference, dedicated to Venture Capital. From experiences in the USA to innovation funding needs in Italy, we'll speak directly with Venture Capitalists, first generation entrepreneurs, and people from both countries.
You are all invited to contribute. Come and discover what's right, and what's wrong, about Venture Capital.
Find out about Angel Investors -- the real grassroots capitalists, who bring their own money and experience to help new venture grow and reach their full potential. We'll have some Italian Angel investors, who will have just returned from a week-long trip to the American heartland -- Milwaukee (the home of Harley Davidson) and Kansas City, the home of the Kauffman Foundation, where they will have explored how angel investing is done in the United States. In the United States, entrepreneurs that take prudent risks to build their innovative companies have long been as famous successful athletes and entertainers. Now the a system is developing to identify and support the next Business Idols.
Together, we'll try to understand if this model is a real opportunity to boost the Italian economy, and learn how to be prepared for new opportunities.
Is networking changing markets and the geography of opportunities? What about resources, culture, expertise and skills are needed to approach Venture Capital challenges. Is knocking on the door and presenting your own project enough? Is there a future for first generation entrepreneurship or serial entrepreneurship in Italy? Come and ask your questions.
BarCamps are organized and evangelized largely through the web, harnessing what might be called a Web 2.0 communications toolkit. Anyone can initiate a BarCamp, using the BarCamp wiki.
The procedural framework consists of sessions proposed and scheduled each day by attendees, mostly on-site, typically using white boards or paper taped to the wall. This has been dubbed, with another play on words, The Open Grid approach.
While loosely structured, there are rules at BarCamp. All attendees are encouraged to present or facilitate a session. Everyone is also asked to share information and experiences of the event, both live and after the fact, via public web channels including (but not limited to) blogging, photo sharing, social bookmarking, wiki-ing, and IRC. This open encouragement to share everything about the event is in deliberate contrast to the "off the record by default" and "no recordings" rules at many private invite-only participant driven conferences.
Un barcamp a tema per ragionare raccontare e ascoltare esperienze a tu per tu con chi il Venture Capital lo fa e lo usa.
Il networking sta cambiando la geografia dei mercati e delle opportunità? Quali sono i mezzi, la cultura e le capacità necessarie per finanziare idee e progetti con il venture capital? Quali prospettive di crescita ci sono in Italia ed in Europa per far crescere l'imprenditoria di prima generazione, l'imprenditoria seriale e l'accesso al capitale di rischio?
Queste e altre domande per accendere un dibattito informale e dare vita ad una non conferenza dove tutti possono partecipare, per condividere e conoscere meglio una realtà poco nota in Italia e talvolta circondata da miti, misteri, pregiudizi.
Main Sponsor
Support Sponsors
Logistics Sponsor
Media Partner
Intruders.TV è il video network internazionale dedicato al mondo del Web che esplora le nuove forme di imprenditoria e creatività su Internet.
Intruders.TV is a global network of video blogs covering the web 2.0 and technology ecosystem.
blognation Italy is part of the blognation network and reports on the Italian Web 2.0 scene and beyond. Covering the technology, enterprise and mobile markets as well as the people and events that make up this ecosystem.
Thanks to 
for supporting the event
IN COLLABORAZIONE CON:
Partnership for Growth
http://italy.usembassy.gov/p4g/italiano/
L’Ambasciata degli Stati Uniti, sotto la guida dell’Ambasciatore Ronald Spogli, ha lanciato una nuova ambiziosa iniziativa battezzata “Partnership for Growth”. La Partnership ha l’intento di stimolare la competizione economica e l’imprenditorialità per affrontare le sfide del 21mo secolo.
La commercializzazione della Ricerca: Collaborazione tra UniversitA' e Mondo del Lavoro
L’Italia ha nella ricerca e nello sviluppo uno dei suoi punti di forza storici. L’Italia è sempre stata all’avanguardia nell’innovazione - dalla costruzione degli acquedotti romani, al brevetto per il telegrafo senza fili di Marconi, fino all’esplorazione dello spazio.
Rafforzare i legami tra la ricerca universitaria ed il settore privato, consentirà la creazione di nuovi prodotti e servizi, e la nascita di nuove aziende porterà nuove opportunità di lavoro.
Un Più Ampio Mercato Dei Capitali Di Rischio
Il futuro economico dell’Italia sarà in gran parte plasmato dall’imprenditorialità e dall’assunzione del rischio. E’ spesso una sfida per i giovani imprenditori italiani accedere al capitale di rischio.
Ed anche il cambio generazionale nelle imprese italiane, in particolare nella piccola e media impresa a conduzione familiare, crea delle incertezze.
Con un mercato del venture capital più ampio ed accessibile, con l’apertura al private equity e ad un mercato obbligazionario ad alto rendimento, l’Italia potrebbe offrire più opportunità agli imprenditori ed alle aziende.
Innovazione e Diritti di Proprietà Intellettuale
Alcuni studi stimano in 5 miliardi di Euro l’anno la perdita per le aziende italiane causata della pirateria e della contraffazione. Per lo stesso motivo, anche lo Stato perde considerevoli risorse a causa delle mancate entrate fiscali.
Molto si potrebbe fare, sia nel pubblico che nel privato, se si riuscisse a recuperare tali ingenti somme.
Le aziende italiane potrebbero investire e diversificare e lo Stato potrebbe investire in ricerca e sviluppo, elementi essenziali per la crescita economica di un paese che basa il proprio futuro sull’ingegno e la creatività.
BEST: Business Exchange Student Training Program
A Gennaio 2007 abbiamo inviato cinque giovani ricercatori italiani nella Silicon Valley per un progetto pilota di scambio, teso a favorire la diffusione dello spirito imprenditoriale.
Questo nuovo programma e' realizzato in collaborazione con la Santa Clara University e prevede attività formative sulla creazione di imprese a Stanford e presso la Univeristy of California, un internship presso un'azienda ad alto potenziale di crescita e networking con giovani imprenditori americani.
Nel 2007 e' nostra intenzione inviare negli USA un gruppo di funzionari municipali e regionali che si occupano di piani di sviluppo territoriale per verificare come le città e gli Stati riescono ad attrarre nuovi investimenti attraverso sistemi di incentivazione.
e
CAPTURING CREATIVITY - Incontra i Nuovi Imprenditori
Capturing Creativity è la serie di video webchats realizzate nell'ambito di "Face2Face",http://italy.usembassy.gov/Face2Face/ incentrato su interviste on-line a giovani imprenditori di prima generazione, che hanno avuto successo grazie ai loro sforzi e alle loro capacità. Gli invitati metteranno a confronto le proprie esperienze, raccontando, ad esempio, come è nata la loro attività ed in che modo sono riusciti a trasformare le loro aspirazioni in realtà.
Il 26 Settembre 2007 Capturing Creativity incontra Stefano Quintarelli
Speakers
While times have not yet been finalized, these speakers will participate in person or through a video connection.
Giacomo Marini
Founder and Managing Director, Noventi
Fabrizio Capobianco
CEO, Funambol
Fabrizio Capobianco, a serial entrepreneur and veteran executive at Reuters and Tibco, founded the first Italian Web company, Internet Graffiti, in 1994. He also founded Stigma Online, developer of an information portal product with customers that included Kraft, Novartis, Italian Broadcasting Television and the Italian Stock Exchange. Capobianco has taught courses on wireless and mBusiness strategies at the University of Pavia in Italy, where he holds a Ph.D. in computer science with a focus on usability. Fabrizio was recognized in 2007 as a top "40 under 40" leader by American Venture Magazine and by the readers of Mobile Village for being a consumer email visionary. He writes a blog that was voted among the 20 best in the wireless industry by Fierce Wireless. Check out Fabrizio's Blog.
Arturo Artom
President and CEO, Your Truman Show
Arturo Artom, one of Europe's most successful serial tech entrepreneurs, founded San Francisco-based Your Truman Show in October 2006 to build the largest online inventory of personal stories on video and enable anyone to watch, rate and review people lives.
A leader in the technology and telecom industry since the early 90s, Artom is widely recognized as the "father" of telecom market liberalization in Europe. In 1993 he founded Telsystem, the first telecom carrier to successfully challenge SIP fixed-line monopoly in the Italian market.
In the following years, Artom held a series of executive roles, first as Managing Director of Infostrada long-distance phone service, then as Senior Vice President of Omnitel/Vodafone, followed by the CEO role of Viasat, a leader in satellite positioning systems. In 2000, he founded Netsystem, the leading European broadband satellite ISP, which solved the digital-divide problem in many European areas.
In 2004, Artom created Artom Innovazione, an early-stage venture capital fund focused on startups that marry innovations in technology and industrial design. Its most significant initiative is Muvis, the Italian company that created the first intelligent digital lighting system for the home. As Muvis's CEO, Artom inked strategic distribution and technology partnerships with global brands and established Muvis as an international case study in Made-in-Italy tech innovation.
Arturo is a member of the board of the Aspen Institute Italy, he wrote "Free Telecommunications" and is often quoted and interviewed by the Financial Times, WSJ Europe, Business Week and CNBC.
Luigi Amati
Founder, President and CEO, | META Group
META is
an international, dynamic, independent group dedicated to the creation and acceleration of knowledge based companies for the wealth of open, brain intensive and entrepreneurial regions.
Since 1993 we have been successfully working with Universities and Research Centres, Private Companies, Local Governments and Development Agencies, National and International Institutions.
META will
share with you the commitment to:
- promote the entrepreneurial spirit raising awareness and building sustainable policies,
- align research activities towards tangible goals - scouting ideas and validating their market potential,
- ignite the process providing seed finance and investing in fast growing companies,,
- provide skills and infrastructures for acceleration - networking, sales, marketing, facilities.
Andrea Gumina
Luiss Research Network; Founder, President and CEO, NexttLab
Born in 1976, Andrea is CEO of NexttLab Srl, an academic spin-off of the University of Milan “Bicocca”. He has got a Ph.D. in Economics and actually is a Research Fellow on Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Luiss Guido Carli University of Rome. In 2006 he funded Star-Up Meetings together with a group of Young Entrepreneurs and Business Angels coming from Luiss.
He is also a serial entrepreneur, having recently funded its third start-up, NexttLab, which act at an international level and develops methodologies and solutions for unleashing the potential of private and public organisations, through a wider use of the e-Governance. Favourite topics and area of expertise relates to the Economics of Innovation, with particular reference to the e-Governance and the development of Entrepreneurship.
Among its publications, a book “Innovazione e Buon Governo: dall’e-Government all’e-Governance, Luiss University Press, a cura di M.Corsi e A.Gumina, 2007 (forthcoming)”; several Working Papers: “Verso un modello di economia etica e sostenibile (with M. Corsi) in “La carità intellettuale - Miscellanea in onore di Benedetto XVI in occasione del suo 80° genetliaco”, ed. Pontificia Università Lateranense, Roma, 2007”, “How E-Government May Enhance Public Procurement (with Marcella Corsi and Daria Ciriaci), proceedings of the II International Public Procurement Conference, september 2006”, “eGovernment Economics Project - Economic Model Final Version (with Marcella Corsi, Carlo d’Ippoliti, Michele Battisti), http://www.rso.it/eGEP, 2006”; and many articles: “L’impatto delle nuove tecnologie sull’informazione pubblica (with M.Corsi ed E.Gullo), Economia Italiana, Edizioni Banca di Roma, n. 3 / 2002”, “ Profili di integrazione tra Fondi Strutturali Europei e politiche economiche per il Mezzogiorno tra il 1986 ed oggi, Rivista Economica del Mezzogiorno, Svimez - Il Mulino, n.3 / 2001”.
Since 2006, he monthly publishes articles on e-Government on Nova24, the Technology Review of “Il Sole24Ore”, www.ilsole24ore.com
When
Saturday, 6 October 2007
Where
John Cabot University, Via della Lungara 233 - 00165 - Rome, Italy
Facilities Include:
- 100 mb/s Wifi bandwith
- Satellite uplink
- Projectors, screens and whiteboards
- Indoor meeting space, including large conference room
- Outdoor meeting space, including spacious courtyards with fountains
Many thanks to Franco Pavoncello, PhD, president of John Cabot University for providing VentureCamp with this magnificent workspace in the heart of ancient Rome. He graciously offered,
"On Saturday, the University is yours."
Foro da Flickr
Where is John Cabot?
Lodging
Couchsurfing
Visit ptumpa.com, an italian start up, for help with planning your trips!
Want to sponsor?
VentureCamp is an exciting combination of technology, innovation and entrepreneurship. It will bring together people of different nationalities who are using their unique ideas to shape the globalized world of international trade in which we live today. If you are interested in these ideas and would like to support them through a donation, please contact Fabio Masetti (scriptavolant_at_scriptavolant.net) as soon as possible!
Simone Onofri is the creator of VentureCamp Logo.
Schedule
Edit this schedule to include the time in which you would like to speak!
Try to limit your presentation/speech to 10-15 minutes.
- 11:00 - Funambol: US Capital and Italian Heart (Fabrizio Capobianco)
- 11:30 - The growth of Enterprise 2.0 in Europe - Thomas Christel -Yooplus
- 11:45 New perspectives for Entrepreneurship and Angel Investing in Italy: Start-Up Meetings and beyond (Andrea Gumina) -[http://www.startupmeetings.org/]
- 12:00 - META Group: developing seed capital in Italy - our experience (Luigi Amati)
- 15:00 - TVBLOB: seeking capital in Italy and abroad - our experience (Lisa Morris)
- 17:00-17:15 - The "LiveBase" project (Antonio Leonforte)
- 17:30-17:45 - BAIA, Business Association Italy America (Alberto Cecioni, from San Francisco via Skype)
Topics
Add whatever topics you would like to discuss or are interested in below! This event is driven by you, so come with fresh ideas!
- I won't probably be there (my great loss) to present P2PVenture.org and the first FundCampFrance we want to organize to emulate at the local level Seedcamp's pan-European initiative. If you feel like it, VentureCamp could be the opportunity to see if there is critical mass for launching a FundCampItaly. All information on what we want to put in place to let anyone organize a FundCamp and use information and tools we are developing can be found here -- FredericBaud
- Cost-effective marketing techniques & channels for web start-ups. Mitigating risks: which percentage of the revenues is it worth to spend in marketing for an internet startup in the early stage ? Is it there a general trend or best practice to be learned from funded business plans ? Getting seed/BA funding in the US/UK while keeping production in Italy: is it there a roadmap or some case studies ? -- Antonio Leonforte
Organizing Staff
Thanks for the support:
- Daniele Bianca e-mail, U.S. Embassy in Rome
- Vincenzo Sposato, GSO - U.S. Embassy Rome e-mail , John Cabot University
Volunteers
Participants
- Luca Mearelli
- Roberto Galoppini
- Simone Onofri
- Fabio Scriptavolant Masetti - VentureCamp 2.1: what's next
- Cristiano OninO Siri
- Nicola Mattina
- Nicola 'Smeerch' Bruno
- Matteo Brunati
- Tara Kelly - PassPack
- Antonio Leonforte / The LiveBase project
- Amanda Lorenzani
- Emanuele Quintarelli
- Marco Formento
- Alex - Microsmeta Digital Worlds
- Alessandra Zecchi - yoo+
- Luigi Grimaldi
- Thomas Christel
- Livia Iacolare - Intruders TV
- Marco Balzerani
- Luca Sartoni
- Antonio Pavolini - Radio Imago - Interviste per Proxy Bar
- Daniele Pauletto
- Francesco Romeo
- Marco per Roma Eventi
- Massimiliano Artibani - Radio Spazio Aperto - Magazine Noituttinoi
- Leo Sorge per Più Blog
- Daniele Montemale aka viralavatar
- Francesco Sullo di PassPack
- Roldano De Persio
- Leonardo Camiciotti
- Massimo Zaglio
- Luigi Passerino
- Marco Barulli, Clipperz - online password manager
- Gianluca Dettori, Dpixel - early stage, seed money VC
- Fabrizio Capobianco, Funambol
- Alfredo Terrone
- Paolo Vanossi
- Lisa Morris, TVBLOB-TV 3.0, next generation Internet TV, seeking VC funding
- Giulio Montevecchi
- Mary Merva, PhD, John Cabot University
- Professor Pulino, John Cabot University
- Giacomo Mason
- Stefano Vitta
- Alessio Jacona Blogs4biz - Communicagroup
- Marco Campesi
- Marco Rossi per FirstGeneration
- Alessandro Rossi per ADIT
- Max Basciano, Consultant, E2BLab Incubator, IT
- Henrik Rabell - Dating4You
- Massimiliano Mirra - SamePlace
- Claudio Vaccaro & Daniele Florio - Succodimelone.it
- Jake Garrett, University Venture Fund / U.S. Embassy - www.uventurefund.com
- Alfredo Rolletta - Sychem
- Giulio Busulini - E2B Lab Business Incubator - University of Rome Tor Vergata
- Vito Alessandro Bonura, M&A Telecom Italia
- Maria Francesca Silva - science park in Milan
- Amanda Dobson - Vice President, Student Government, John Cabot University
- Chung Guk Kim - Founder of Photo/Icon Collage Facebook Application, MyWackoSpace, and Dundoo
- William Liani - Founder of ForwardGames [http://www.forwardgames.com], BAIA Italian Chapter Member
- Magda Paolillo Spotanatomy - Communicagroup
- Andrea La Mesa
- Federico Crea
- Enrico Sette
- Davide Donini
- Lee Finley
- Valeria Spagnoli Sviluppo Italia
- Cinzia Tecce Sviluppo Italia
- Andrea Martines
- Carlo Maria Medaglia - University of Rome "Sapienza"
- Michele Iovino
- Leo Aruta [ http://leoaruta.simplicissimus.it ]
Excused
- Frederic Baud -- Really sorry I can not make it. Hope all the best for the event! Hope also that some of you will be interested by FundCamp and come up with the desire of organizing a FundCampItaly.
Task List
(please cross out when it's done)
Tech
Wifi
Projector, White Boards
Photo
Video
Audio
Non-tech
Breakfast
Lunch
Coffee/Tea
Tables and chairs
Blogging
Please use the tag (venturecamp) for content related to this event
VentureCamp on Upcoming.org
