The meeting commenced with committee reports:
- Open source -- Roger Maduro provided updates and news relating to open source. He
talked about the latest acceptance of linux on the desktop. Roger also
cited a European study that gave cost reduction values for using open
source.
- The Medicaid bill's provisions to enhance the use of new healthcare technology were summarized and discussed by Dave Ford & David Main.
- The results of the Strategic Planning Committee's recent meeting were discussed by Scott Mason. Overall, there appears to be a very positive feeling about Health TechNet among the members, with its primary attributes being immediacy of topics, quality of the presentations, the intimacy of the meetings, networking opportunities, and the diversity of the group. Some thought will be given to encouraging a larger representation of health care providers.
- The Capital Finance Committee reported that there will be a
Mid-March investors meeting, featuring opportunities for members to make presentations to investors, after pre-screening and coaching opportunities.
The remaining time was devoted to the main speakers, who focused on a description and discussion of the current climate for capital financing in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.
- Bruce Robertson (Bruce@BruceCRobertson.com) spoke on "Capital
Financing in Life Cycle Biotech". Bruce discussed current trends in capital
funding. He anticipated an upturn in funding for the next year and
discussed the reasons.
(Bruce Robertson is general partner of Vienna-based GIV Venture Partners,
which provides expansion capital to mid-Atlantic businesses. Web site:
www.givventurepartners.com)
- April Young (April_L_Young@Comerica.com) April discussed information
that entrepreneur should know when seeking capital loan financing.
(April L. Young is Managing Director of Comerica Bank's Mid-Atlantic
South Region Technology and Life Sciences Division. In that role, she is
responsible for developing and managing the bank's portfolio of
technology company clients in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast from
offices in Reston, Virginia; Durham, North Carolina; and Atlanta,
Georgia. The Technology and Life Sciences Division provides unique
credit and banking services to professionally backed and managed
technology companies throughout the U. S. Dr. Young serves on the
advisory boards of several early stage technology companies, including
DreamLabs, LaunchFuel, My Job Coach and Credible Wireless. She is also a
director of several non-profit organizations, including the Mid-Atlantic
Venture Association and the International Economic Development Council.)