Day:    Thursday
Date:   25th March 2010
Time:   6.30 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (presentations starts at 7.00 p.m.)
Venue: National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts. (NESTA) 1 Plough Place,
 London  EC4A 1DE
Tube:   Nearest tube – Chancery Lane
Cost:    £15 for members; £20 for non-members and guests.

Come join with other entrepreneurial HBS alums to help decide which of the businesses being started by alumni is the most promising!

For the first time ever, the HBS club of London is running a competition to award a prize to the best New Venture in Europe!  Aside from recognition from fellow alumni and bragging rights, the winner will get £ 1000 and a place at the Harvard competition in Boston to see if they can be declared the GLOBAL best HBS new venture and also receive $ 25,000.

We’ve got the finalists down to the following short-list

•Mr. Stephen R. Berry   MBA 1979 E is presenting QBP: Qtara technologies addresses the enterprise customer service, healthcare and ‘intelligent home’ markets.

•Mr. Alidad Moghaddam   MBA 2008 F / Mr. Pietro Peligra Section D 2008 are presenting Distinta: Distinta is a new venture focused on bringing a unique customer experience and new business model to the men’s luxury apparel industry.

•Ms. Karen G. Freyer   MBA 2005 E is presenting New Deal of the Mind which addresses the creative industry jobs market.

and we’ve put together an entertaining evening for you on the 25th of March 2010.  Why not come along?  Each company will pitch for 10 minutes and then we’ll do Q&A for 10 minutes.  As members of the audience, you will participate in the judging.

6:30        Canapés and wine, informally meet the contestants
7:00        The Pitches and Audience Q&A.
8:00        The winner is declared – prizes awarded
8:30        Networking & Close of the evening

Judges are: Sherry Coutu, Toby Coppel, Lea Bajc, Chad Raube, Alex Hoye & Chris Bates

Sherry Coutu (MBA ’93) is an Angel investor and as an entrepreneur floated her company on the London Main Market.  In addition to her 30 investments, she sits on the boards of Cambridge Assessment, CUP and the Advisory board of Linkedin.

Toby Coppel (MBA ’97) is a partner at Virgin Green Fund and former EMEA CEO for Yahoo.  He is Non-exec director at Criteo, Yell and Amee.

Chris Bates (MBA ’98) is Director of Global Product Management at Dell.  He was the founder of the Dell Direct Store retail programme and formerly with Bain and Procter & Gamble.

Chad Raube (MBA ’98) is a Partner at Dawn Capital and  NED at Cognitive Match.  He has been CMO at FireNet communications and Director of consumer Internet at Virgin Media.

Alex Hoye (MBA ’96) is CEO at the Latitude Group and invested in / on the board of Skimlinks, Mybuilder, Seedcamp and Faction Skis.

Lea Bajc (MBA ’07) is with Northzone Ventures and Startmeup.  Other experience includes 5 years at Morgan Stanley in London.

Please book on line at http://www.hbsa.org.uk/store.html?event_id=189

Alternatively contact Janet Talbut on admin@hbsa.org.uk <mailto:admin@hbsa.org.uk>  / Tel: 01799 540089 of London admin@hbsa.org.uk <mailto:admin@hbsa.org.uk>

Canapés and drinks will be served. Guests are welcome.