December 2004
Alliance of Angels Welcomes New Program Managers for 2004-05
Each September, the Alliance of Angels welcomes two new program managers who take on the day-to-day operation of the AoA for a calendar year. In this issue of TechKnowledgy, the AoA is pleased to introduce Aaron Coe, the full-time Preston Gates & Ellis fellow for 2004-2005 and Edward Hansen, the part-time Alliance of Angels Fellow for 2004-2005.
AoA program managers are the point of entry for entrepreneurs seeking funding from the organization, receiving and evaluating all business plans submitted by startup companies. The program managers work closely with the AoA Screening Committee, which selects companies to invite to present to the full membership. Program managers act as liaisons between entrepreneurs seeking funding and member investors during the AoA process and help prepare entrepreneurs for their presentations to the full membership. In this way, the AoA fellows provide a vital service to investors looking for opportunities in early-stage technology companies in our region, as well as to the entrepreneurs seeking support to take their newly-formed businesses to the next stage.
The program managers are the public face of the AoA, representing the organization at regional networking and investor relations events and managing the AoA web site. In addition, they spearhead the development of investor education programs - the popular AoA Investor Forums held twice a year - collaborating with AoA leadership in the selection of topics, development of the agenda and selection of speakers and panelists. The continuing success of the AoA program is clearly in these individuals' hands.
Both Aaron and Ed bring a variety of talents and experience to their respective positions.
Aaron earned his MBA from the University of Washington in June of this year and has had a number of successes in business plan competitions, most notably capturing 1st place in the UW CTE Business Plan Competition and finishing 3rd in the national Purdue Life Sciences Business Plan Competition. Aaron is a co-founder of Promentix, Inc., an early-stage biotechnology company established this year to develop therapies for protein aggregation diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. In the summer of 2003, Aaron was an international marketing intern at local game-maker Cranium, Inc. Prior to his internship, Aaron co-authored an award winning business plan for NanoString Technologies, Inc., a biotech startup spun out of the Institute for Systems Biology. He was previously a network engineer at America Online, Inc. and PersonaLogic, Inc., the latter having been acquired by AOL in 1998.
"The opportunity to serve this organization is quite remarkable," said Aaron. "Sitting down with early stage companies, screening for good deals to bring in front of the investors, and coaching entrepreneurs is very gratifying. Companies come to us in varying stages of preparedness, trying to solve a myriad of different problems that the market may or may not perceive. Sifting through the articles of faith of these entrepreneurs to test and prod their assumptions gives me the opportunity to test my own assumptions about what makes a strong company."
Aaron served as president of the Global Business Association and was a member of the Entrepreneur and Innovation Club and the Biotech Club at the university. Prior to beginning his MBA, Aaron earned a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics and Spanish at the University of California at Santa Barbara. He speaks three foreign languages: Spanish, Catalan and Portuguese.
Ed is an MBA candidate and was awarded the 2004 WRF Capital/Gates Fellowship at the Center for Technology Entrepreneurship at the UW. In 2003 he co-founded TechFriends, LLC, a technology support company based in Tacoma that provides service packages to small and mid-size companies, and currently serves as CEO. Previously, Ed held the positions of professional services manager and software consultant at WinMill Software. Prior to joining WinMill, Ed was a software test engineer at Microsoft.
"The Alliance of Angels is giving me the opportunity to learn the practical side of evaluating start-ups and private equity investment, going beyond the theoretical side that I'm being taught at business school," said Ed. "The angels have been extremely helpful in mentoring me and teaching me how to evaluate start-up companies and separate out the good investment opportunities. Through my experience with the AoA, I have come to appreciate the importance of having the right people involved in a start-up enterprise."
Ed is president of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Club and a member of the Global Business Association and High Tech Club at the university. Prior to enrolling in the MBA program, he concurrently earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Science in Physics with a minor in Mathematics from the University of Puget Sound through a dual degree program.
"It is a great time to be working at the Alliance of Angels," Aaron concluded. "Deal flow is starting to pick up, and some pretty good teams are coming through with some exciting technology. It is great to be a part of it and gives me a sense of optimism regarding the state of the entrepreneurial climate in the region."
The Alliance of Angels is pleased to welcome Armfield, Harrison & Thomas, Inc., as a new supporting sponsor for 2004-05, and thanks its returning premier sponsor, Preston Gates & Ellis, LLP, and supporting sponsors Ernst & Young, Silicon Valley Bank and Text 100 for their continued support.