Events

Summer Solstice Reception for Women Angel Investors

Keiretsu Forum, the world's largest angel investment network, will host its 8th annual Summer Solstice event for women investors and entrepreneurs on Thursday, June 13 at Hanson Bridgett LLP in San Francisco from 5:30pm until 8:00pm.

The panel will be hosted by members of the Keiretsu Forum Women Investing in and Supporting Entrepreneurship (WISE) committee. Early stage women-led companies are encouraged to apply to present by contacting Summer Williams, Associate at Keiretsu Forum, at summer@keiretsuforum.com. The program will feature 5 companies that will present for mentoring, feedback, and resources. Guest speaker will be Kathy Wilson from New Day for Children. New Day for Children rescues and provides for the needs of American girls ages 10 to 18 suffering from the desperation of human trafficking.

Agenda:
5:30pm-6:00pm Registration and Networking
6:00pm-6:15pm Welcome and Opening Remarks
6:15pm-6:45pm Panel Introductions
6:45pm-7:45pm Presentations
7:45pm-8:00pm Networking and Adjourn

The Keiretsu Forum Summer Solstice is a "Call to Action" for female entrepreneurs and investors to help spur economic growth and recovery at a local, national, and global level. The event will include a networking reception as well as a panel discussion about the importance of the role of women investors.

Randy Williams, Founder of Keiretsu Forum, said, "More than ever, the angel investor community is eager to attract women participants." He pointed out that a report by the Kauffman Foundation explains that while "women own half of this country's wealth... [they] make up no more than eight percent of angel investors." Women investors are considered a largely untapped market that is critical to "financial and mentoring support for new companies."

With this in mind, Keiretsu Forum members established in June 2007 a Women Investing in and Supporting Entrepreneurs (WISE) committee to encourage increased involvement of women angel investors and entrepreneurs in the Bay Area early stage venture eco-system.

To register for this event, click here: http://women-angel-investors.eventbrite.com/#

Structure Lab

New corporate forms are blurring the boundaries between for-profits and nonprofits.  Old silos of financing and funding streams are giving way to hybrid structures like social capital firms, public/private collaborations and venture philanthropy.  Entrepreneurs and established organizations alike are bending the marketplace to meet multiple bottom lines including a return on social capital.  While some nimbly explore the space between for profit and nonprofit, many more are struggling to make sense of the new landscape of social change.

Criterion Ventures is a leading voice in the structuring of social ventures.  Criterion's dual identity in launching social ventures, both for clients and by taking an equity position with internally developed ideas, has resulted in a nuanced understanding of what it takes to launch a venture.  It is itself a unique structure in the world of social ventures. As the world of social enterprise matures, Criterion is helping to create the methodology that can make it more accessible. Criterion has spent the past year creating an easy to engage process to understand how new forms are structured and how they might work to support the efforts of social change agents.

The Structure Lab provides participants with a roadmap of possibilities to navigate this new territory.  Participants will have a clear understanding of the range of possible legal structures that can be employed for their newly forming venture, pros and cons of each of those structures as it applies to their prospective venture, and will be prepared to work with legal counsel to take the next steps in understanding and establishing the optimal legal structure.

Lean, Leadership and Leverage: What Women Bring to the Design and Construction Revolution

In an industry plagued by conflict, lack of productivity, bureaucracy, silos and litigation, the time has come for a positive revolution in the broader industry. The application of Lean to advance this revolution is gaining momentum. Lean is a way to deliver value effectively to the customer, not just the client, but all customers internally and externally. It requires a different mindset, culture, and leadership; all of which are deeply rooted in collaboration, empathy, relational thinking, transparency and holistic understanding. Women can be major forces of culture change and catalysts to this revolution.

Join us for a highly interactive session, where we will explore how women can thrive and drive this revolution. What natural abilities and acquired skills do we possess that can be leveraged across projects and across the industry as a whole? How will a holistic view of the industry – from the initial desire for a facility through design, insurance and build to occupation, maintenance, and decommissioning – change the way we deliver our value? How will expanding Lean Thinking and Implementation revolutionize and improve the industry? What do we see that needs to be changed and how can we lead the charge? What is the next right step?

Guest Speaker: Natalie J.Sayer, MSEMSE

Natalie J. Sayer, is the founder and principal of The Blair David Company, a consultancy working with leaders to leverage their people, leadership, culture and process to realize greater and lasting results. She is the lead author of both editions of Lean For Dummies and is currently working on two books one in the area of Lean in the delivery of capital building projects and another on global leadership. She is an active member of the Lean Construction Institute, Arizona CoP. She is on the board of the National Speakers Association, Arizona chapter and is a past president of the Institute of Management Consultants Arizona chapter.

Natalie started her Lean journey in the automotive industry in the 1980s, before it was known as Lean. She has started manufacturing plants, designed products in a big room environment, led a merger and acquisition effort and team, traveled the world facilitating leadership experiences, coached executives and acted live and on film. She has a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Dayton and a Masters of Engineering in Manufacturing Systems Engineering. She graduated from Coachu as a personal and executive coach and is a certified Global Leadership Coach.

Program: 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Networking Reception: 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Cost: $45 

Additional Information: Contact Lisa Dal Gallo or Brandi Hewlett

Sponsored by XL Construction

Structure Lab

New corporate forms are blurring the boundaries between for-profits and nonprofits.  Old silos of financing and funding streams are giving way to hybrid structures like social capital firms, public/private collaborations and venture philanthropy.  Entrepreneurs and established organizations alike are bending the marketplace to meet multiple bottom lines including a return on social capital.  While some nimbly explore the space between for profit and nonprofit, many more are struggling to make sense of the new landscape of social change.

Criterion Ventures is a leading voice in the structuring of social ventures.  Criterion's dual identity in launching social ventures, both for clients and by taking an equity position with internally developed ideas, has resulted in a nuanced understanding of what it takes to launch a venture.  It is itself a unique structure in the world of social ventures. As the world of social enterprise matures, Criterion is helping to create the methodology that can make it more accessible. Criterion has spent the past year creating an easy to engage process to understand how new forms are structured and how they might work to support the efforts of social change agents.

The Structure Lab provides participants with a roadmap of possibilities to navigate this new territory.  Participants will have a clear understanding of the range of possible legal structures that can be employed for their newly forming venture, pros and cons of each of those structures as it applies to their prospective venture, and will be prepared to work with legal counsel to take the next steps in understanding and establishing the optimal legal structure.