Boston boasts some of the most important and influential venture capital companies in the nation. Although not frequently recognized, Boston is also home to many of the most important and influential WOMEN leaders in venture capital. Moderated by Kathy Elliott, author of the "The Old Girls' Network" and partner at 8Wings Enterprises, WITI Boston presents a panel of distinguished leading women, representing different sectors of the venture community, to discuss their varying perspectives, experiences and successes in the venture capital industry.

About Our Speaker(s)

Moderator:

Kathy Elliott is a private equity investor and a partner in 8Wings Enterprises, a firm that invests in early stage, women-led companies. Kathy is a Board Member of the Technology Capital Network at M.I.T., a non-profit organization that matches entrepreneurs with investors and provides educational forums for entrepreneurs. She is a Forum Committee member for Springboard/New England, a venture capital conference for women entrepreneurs, and a Steering Committee member of the Commonwealth Institute's Emerging Women Entrepreneurs Program, an innovative program that helps women entrepreneurs launch high tech companies.

Elliott was formerly a Director and Senior Vice President of David L. Babson & Co., Inc., a leading investment counsel firm specializing in the management of institutional pension assets and mutual funds. As Director of Research, she was responsible for the oversight of the equity research efforts of the firm. David L. Babson was acquired by MassMutual in 1995. Elliott received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors in Economics from Northeastern University, her MBA from Boston University, and the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

Elliott and two of her 8Wings partners are the authors of a newly published "how to" book for aspiring entrepreneurs entitled The Old Girls' Network: Insider Advice for Women Building Businesses in a Man's World (Basic Books, August 2003).


Speakers:

Ann Bilyew, partner at Advent International, joined the company in 1999 and has nine years of venture capital and healthcare operations experience.

Before joining Advent, she was a managing director at Health Business Partners, a boutique investment bank and venture capital fund focused on healthcare. Her portfolio companies included More.com and Integrative Medicine Communications. Prior to Health Business Partners, Bilyew spent five years with APM Inc., a large healthcare-oriented strategic consulting firm. As a project manager, she led a number of large turnaround and restructuring projects at premier medical centers. In a subsequent role as director of business development for CSC Healthcare, she was responsible for the firm's acquisition and alliance strategy, investments in evolving technologies, marketing and sales, major client strategy and new market development.

Ann has led or managed Advent's investments in five companies: Health Hero Network Inc., MDeverywhere Inc., Med e-Manager Corp., MedVantx and SmartMouth Technologies Inc. She received a BS degree, with highest distinction, from the University of Kansas and an MBA from Harvard Business School.


Sarah Reed is General Counsel at Charles River Ventures, a 33 year old venture capital firm with offices in both Massachusetts and California that has raised eleven funds to date. Reed is recognized as a national authority on legal aspects of venture capital financings. In addition to publishing articles in business periodicals such Business Law Today and The Boston Business Journal, she has lectured at national industry forums hosted by the National Venture Capital Association (“NVCA”) and the American Bar Association, and to students at MIT’s Sloan School of Business and Villanova Law School. Reed is the founding Chairperson of an industry-wide, NVCA-endorsed initiative to create model venture financing legal documents. She has also appeared as an industry representative on the PBS television program “Debates, Debates,” and was profiled in The Industry Standard. Prior to joining CRV, Reed was general counsel at Palomar Medical Technologies, Inc., a Nasdaq-listed laser medical device manufacturer. Prior to Palomar, she was with the Boston firm of Foley, Hoag & Eliot LLP where she covered a variety of areas including venture capital financings, private placements, IPOs and SEC reporting, as well as commercial litigation. Reed earned her BA from Harvard College in East Asian Studies (she is fluent in Mandarin Chinese) and her JD from Harvard Law School, both cum laude. She is a marathoner and a mother of two boys, and finds the latter more physically challenging than the former.

Dr. Monika Vnuk is an Associate with Oxford Biosciences Partners (OBP). While at Oxford, Dr. Vnuk has been instrumental in helping Oxford start portfolio companies such as Descartes and Cyberkinetics, and is currently an active observer on their boards of directors. Prior to joining OBP, Dr. Vnuk was a Fellow at the Health Care Entrepreneurship Program at Boston University, where she focused on business analysis and funding strategies while serving as a liaison to the business community. Dr. Vnuk has significant experience in the healthcare data industry where she completed internships with Quintiles Transnational and McKesson HBOC. She holds a B.A. in Mathematics and Philosophy, Magna cum laude, from Boston University and an M.D. from Boston University School of Medicine. Dr. Vnuk is a 2000 Inductee to the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society.

Claire Wadlington is partner and Chief Financial Officer at FA Technology Ventures. Wadlington joined FA Technology Ventures after a series of operating roles at venture-backed companies, most recently as VP of Finance & CFO of Cayman Systems, Inc. (telecommunications equipment). Wadlington was a member of the management team that sold Cayman to Netopia, Inc. (Nasdaq: NTPA). Prior to joining Cayman, she was CFO of a publishing and an Internet company. There Wadlington played a primary role in the sale of the publishing company to United News & Media PLC (UNMPC). In addition to her multiple operating roles, as an investment banker for nearly a dozen years, Wadlington has extensive experience handling public and private market transactions at First Albany Corporation, Lazard Freres & Co. and The First Boston Corporation. She also serves on the Boards of Christopher House, Inc. and Christopher House Assisted Living. Wadlington earned her BA from Yale University and her MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Event Date and Venue

This event will be held from 6:00 p.m.- 8:30 p.m on Thursday, January 22, 2004 at:

MIT's Tang Center, building E51, room #345
70 Memorial Drive
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139-4307
Map

via Public Transportation - MBTA ("The T")
Subway - By train, take the Red Line to the Kendall/MIT Station or to the Central Square Station, both of which are a short walk from the campus. The walk from Central Square takes about 10 minutes and takes you right down Massachusetts Avenue. The Kendall/MIT Station is on the edge of the east end of campus, and as soon as you enter an MIT building you can get to the other buildings without going outside.

Bus - The #1 or Dudley/Harvard Station bus stops at MIT on Massachusetts Avenue and provides transportation to Central Square and Harvard Square. The MIT stop is at a large crosswalk with a stop light. One one side of the street are steps leading up to large Ionic columns and the Small Dome of MIT, on the other side of the street is the Stratton Student Center and Kresge Oval (an open, grass-covered area). Additionally, the CT1 (Cross Town) stops at MIT on Massachusetts Avenue and the CT2 stops on the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Vassar St. as well as Kendall Square T Station.

From Logan Airport
by taxi - Taxi fare from the airport is about $20-$25. During non-rush hour, the taxi ride will take about 15 minutes. During rush hour, the ride could take 30 minutes.

by subway - The subway ride from Logan involves several transfers. From any terminal at Logan airport, take the airport shuttle bus to the Blue Line subway station. Take the Blue Line to the Government Center station and go upstairs to and take the Green Line trolley to Park Street. At the Park Street station, go downstairs and take the Red Line subway to Kendall/MIT (take the outbound train toward Alewife). Under normal conditions the ride will take about one-half hour.

by car - Leaving the airport follow the signs to the Sumner Tunnel. Entering the tunnel keep in the right lane. At the end of the tunnel, keeping in the right lane, start down an incline and bear to the right immediately at the sign for Storrow Drive. Take Exit 26 for Cambridge/Somerville. Follow the Back Bay/Cambridge signs (do not take the exit for Cambridge/Somerville). Keep in the right lane and follow the Storrow Drive West signs. After passing under the pedestrian walkbridges, change to the left lane and take Exit 2A-N. Turn right and cross the Harvard Bridge. MIT's main entrance, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, will be on the right at the second set of traffic lights.

From the North (I-95 or I-93)
If you are heading south on I-93, follow I-93 into Boston then follow the I-93 instructions below. If you are heading south on I-95, take the I-93 South exit then follow the instructions from I-93. Alternatively, take the I-90 East exit from I-95 then follow the instructions from I-90.

From the South (I-95 or I-93)
If you are heading north on I-93, follow I-93 (the Southeast Expressway) into Boston then follow the I-93 instructions below. If you are heading north on I-95, take the I-93 North exit then follow the instructions from I-93. Alternatively, take the I-90 East exit from I-95 then follow the instructions from I-90.

From the West (I-90) (Mass Turnpike)
Follow I-90 east to the Cambridge/Brighton exit (exit 18). Following the signs to Cambridge, cross the River Street Bridge, and continue straight about 1 mile to Central Square. Turn right onto Massachusetts Avenue and follow Massachusetts Avenue for about a half mile. The main entrance to MIT will be on your left. If you cross the river again, you have gone too far.

From Route I-93
From I-93, take exit 26, and follow the signs to Back Bay along Storrow Drive West, approximately 1.5 miles, to the exit for Route 2A. The exit will be on the left, just before the Harvard Bridge (more appropriately called the Massachusetts Avenue Bridge). The Charles River will be on your right. As you cross the bridge, you will be looking at MIT - the Great Dome and academic facilities are on the right, the dormitories and athletic facilities are on the left.

Parking Suggestions
Free after 5 p.m. and no permit needed in the Sloan lot on Main Street http://whereis.mit.edu/map-jpg?selection=P1&Parking=go
or the Hayward/Medical lot on Hayward Street: http://whereis.mit.edu/map-jpg?selection=P5&Parking=go

There is metered parking on Massachusetts Avenue. There are a number of lots at which you may park for a fee. These include Vassar St. Public Parking at the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Vassar Street, University Park / Star Market Public Parking, and Marriott Parking Garage on Ames St. and Broadway.

Schedule

Networking will take place from 6:00 to 6:45, with the panel discussion following from 7:00 to 8:00. The last 30 minutes will be reserved for questions.

Pre-registration for this event is closed and on-site registrations will not be accepted.

Contact Us

For more info regarding registration or event details, please contact Christie Smith, Program Chair ([email protected]).

For more details about pre-registration, contact Tech Support.