January 8,15,22, 2002

Reducing Burn Rates:
Learn from the notable and the experienced
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Can be a new beginning for your company. Can revitalize your company

Meet the people with the answers. Meet the people who have years of experience with burn rates. Understand the different perspectives of burn rates and how to manage them for a successful outcome.

Understand the great challenges that businesses face when reducing their burns. Cuts in burn usually drive cuts in revenue and can lead to a spiral if not done correctly. Learn how to reduce burn rates correctly.

Become aware of the good, the bad and the ugly aspects of decreasing the burn.

Learn how to:

• Build the right controls into your business from the very beginning
• Make necessary modifications to your current controls
• Correctly, reduce burn rates
• Understand the people side of reducing the burn
• Keep the employees you want to keep
• Re-energize employees

Learn:

• What a CEO, CFO and COO should remember about reducing the burn
• Proven things you can do to keep employees
• How to keep your investor's attention and remain fundable even in tough times
• What separates the winners from the rest of the pack when times are tough?
• The findings of a study group of 100 CEOs over a three year period
• Winning strategies for leading and managing venture backed companies

Workshop One, January 8

Building in the Right Controls
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Marc Diamond, Partner, KPMG and associates will present how to build
the proper controls into your organization by considering:

• Elements of a business plan
• The operating budget
• Standardized charts of accounts
• Dashboard and performance metrics
• Board of Directors
• Staffing finance early in an organization's growth
• Relationships with law firms and other service providers
• Accountability and internal controls
  

Workshop Two, January 15

Having to decrease burn rates: the beginning of the end or a new beginning?
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The panel, moderated by a seasoned entrepreneur Ken Malpass, will consist of:

Jeff Smith, CEO, Tumbleweed Communications

• Having to reduce burn rates: the good, the bad and the ugly
• Some of the trials and tribulations of controlling burn rates
• What a CEO, CFO and COO should remember

Gary Little, General Partner, Morgenthaler Ventures

• Challenges that businesses face when reducing their burns
• Cuts in burn usually drives cuts in revenue, and it can lead to a spiral if not done correctly.
• Steps to correctly reduce burn rates
• Stories of successful reductions of burn rates

Judy Heyboer, retired VP HR Genentech and Acuson

• The People Side: What happens to a company when a company needs to reduce burn rates
• The short-term effects: morale problems, cultural changes etc.
• Proven things you can do to keep employees
• Proven things you can do to re-energize employees

1. What are the startup "mine fields"? What are the potential barriers to successful execution of a new venture?
2. What are the "stages of development" in a company's life cycle?
3. How do the leadership requirements change as the company moves through the life cycle stages?
4. What competencies are required of the CEO for a new startup?
5. What is the role of the VC(s)
6. What is the appropriate role of the founder(s)?
7. How can the VC evaluate the competencies of the management team?
8. What can the VC do if they suspect that the CEO and/or the management team are not up to the challenge?
9. How can the VC assess it's capabilities to effectively "manage" their portfolio

Workshop Three, January 22

Beyond the burn rate cut - focus on leadership fundamentals
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John Hamm, Venture Partner, Redpoint Ventures
His work at Redpoint Ventures includes venture investing and management/leadership coaching of the companies in the Redpoint portfolio.

• How to keep your VC's attention and remain fundable, even in tough times
• Stories of companies that did this successfully
• What separates the winners from the rest of the pack when money goes in
• What separates the winners from the rest of the pack when times are tough
• The importance of leadership
• Proven winning strategies for leading and managing venture backed companies
• What separates the winners from the rest of the pack as observed in a study
  group of 100 CEOs over a three-year time period

Date: Jan 8, 15, 22 2003
On-site Registration: 7:30 am
Panel Discussion: 8-11am
Location:
Hyatt Rickeys, Camino Ballroom
4219 El Camino Real,
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 493-2500
Seating is Limited