2011 Irvine Entrepreneur Forum Announces Keynote Speakers

IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Four highly accomplished Orange County entrepreneurs have been chosen to speak at the 2nd annual Irvine Entrepreneur Forum (IEF) on February 28th. The panel will provide an in-depth look at lessons they learned while successfully launching their startup companies, and how to take advantage of opportunities and minimize miscues:

• Steve Andler (Moderator), Vice President of Marketing for Telecommunication Systems, Inc.  Mr. Andler was Vice President of Marketing for Networks in Motion (NIM), when it was acquired by Telecommunication Systems.  He was instrumental in growing NIM from a startup to more than 250 employees.  NIM was acquired in 2010 for $170 million.
• Albert Wong, Retired Entrepreneur, "A" of AST Research.  In 1980, Albert together with Safi Qureshey and Tom Yuen founded AST Research to design and manufacture add-on products for personal computers.  They grew the company to be one of the largest PC companies in the world with over one billion dollars in annual revenue.
• Bob Bova, President and CEO for Vangard Voice Systems.  Bob possesses special competence in entrepreneurial, startups, and emerging growth companies.  He has played instrumental roles at U.S. Bank/Oliver Allen Corporation, created Secure Networking, grew Rainbow Technologies from zero to $56 million in annual revenue, and served as CEO and Vice Chairman of Enfotec, Inc.
• Gregg Marston, Vice President and CFO for Networks in Motion.  Gregg is currently Vice President of Finance for Telecommunication Systems, and has been involved with three successful startups that have earned returns for their investors.  He was CFO at Foundstone that was acquired by McAfee for $87 million and conducted a reverse merger with Intek Global, to mention just a few.    

The panel will provide relevant insight into the dynamics of entrepreneurship, the challenges that present themselves, and how to adapt.  A startup with little or no revenue will have different challenges than a company attempting to hit $5 million and beyond.  When it comes to startup or growth lessons, there is no single curriculum that fits all, but these entrepreneurs have "been there and done that," and will have valuable advice to impart.  

The panel will be concise and practical in providing life-long experiences and answering questions to help recognize opportunities and avoid the pitfalls that many entrepreneurs experience.

About the Irvine Entrepreneur Forum

The Irvine Entrepreneur Forum (IEF) was established by the Irvine Chamber of Commerce at the successful inaugural event on June 1, 2010 in an effort to bring together local entrepreneurs with angel, venture and private equity investors.

The IEF provides entrepreneurial companies the unique opportunity to make pitch presentations to a panel of angel and venture capital investors interested in discovering, and possibly investing in, emerging companies. Two $10,000 cash prizes are awarded to the two winners of the event. To learn more about IEF 2011 visit, www.iefinfo.com.

About The Irvine Chamber of Commerce

The Irvine Chamber of Commerce is one of the most influential Chamber's in Orange County representing hundreds of local businesses. The Chamber's mission is to promote an economic climate that strengthens the competitiveness of local businesses, while offering members a wide range of benefits, services, programs and information. The Irvine Chamber is one of only 250 Chamber's in the U.S. who meet the requirements for accreditation by the U.S. Chamber. For more information, please call 949-660-9112, or visit www.irvinechamber.com.

SOURCE Irvine Chamber of Commerce