Summer 2008
New MBA Fellows to Share Their Talents and Learn the Secrets to Entrepreneurial Excellence
Alliance of Angels is pleased to welcome Jon Jacobson and Vandan Parikh, the University of Washington MBA candidates who will work side by side with AoA leadership, investors and entrepreneurs to support the growth of young, innovative companies in our state…and, in the process, advance their own growth as entrepreneurial leaders of the future.
Jon Jacobson joins AoA as the 2008-2009 William H. Gates, Sr. Fellow in Innovation & Entrepreneurship. At UW, he is active in the Finance Society, Entrepreneurship Network, and Net Impact. Previously, Jon was a consultant with Iditarod Systems, where he led a four-person team in developing process and application integration requirements for customers of the new Boeing 787 aircraft and co-authored a software delivery solution for Boeing customer airlines.
From 2001 to 2006, Jon served in the United States Army based in Fort Lewis, Washington and served multiple tours of duty in Iraq, where he led or participated in more than 150 combat missions and convoys. He also directed more than 40 reconstruction projects to rebuild infrastructure such as schools, medical clinics and water purification facilities. During reconstruction, Jon actively engaged local citizens, seeking to address security concerns and promote stabilization and economic growth in the region.
In recognition of his exemplary leadership in Iraq, Jon was awarded the Bronze Star Medal. He retired from the Army in 2006 with the rank of captain. Jon is a graduate of the U.S. Army Ranger School and Air Assault School, and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in English at Wake Forest University.
Vandan Parikh, the 2008-2009 K&L Gates Fellow, participates in the Entrepreneurship Network, Business Consulting Network and techConnect Club at UW, where is working on his MBA with a concentration in marketing.
Previously, Vandan was a lead product engineer at Restoration Hardware in Corte Madera, California. There, he created a set of e-commerce tools designed to improve the customer experience and increase sales on the company's web site, including a wedding registry, product recommendations, natural language search, and order management, and managed a team of eight software engineers to support the company's expanding online business.
While working at Restoration Hardware, Vandan served pro bono as a marketing manager at San Francisco-based Taproot Foundation, which grants consulting services and projects to non-profit organizations. Vandan holds a Bachelor's in Computer Science with a concentration in Industrial Economics from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
"In a very competitive process, we interviewed a tremendously talented pool of applicants from the UW MBA program," said director Rebecca Lovell. "Jon and Vandan bring a solid combination of leadership and technical skills to the program, and share traits that are core to our mission: intellect and empathy. I look forward to working with them to further AoA's goal to create value for our investors while supporting entrepreneurial innovation in our state and region."
The Alliance of Angels fellowships are made possible by the generous support of premier sponsor K&L Gates and program sponsors AH&T Insurance, Clark Nuber, Silicon Valley Bank, and Washington Partners.
Alliance of Angels Company of the Year Transforms the Cup of Coffee and Brews Entrepreneurial Success
The Coffee Equipment Company, founded in Seattle in 2004, married sophisticated product engineering with that quintessential daily ritual: the cup of coffee. Having achieved a nationwide market for its innovative Clover brewing system – and an attractive exit for investors – the Alliance of Angels’ 2008 Company of the Year is flying high.
Information, Imagination, Ingenuity: Thank You to Our Speakers, Sponsors and Friends for a Successful 2008 State of Technology Luncheon!
On May 9th, more than 800 business, research and policy leaders from around the state gathered in Seattle for the Technology Alliance’s largest annual event, the State of Technology Luncheon. This year’s action-packed program featured a keynote conversation between TA board member Ed Lazowska and Internet pioneer Vint Cerf, opening remarks by Governor Chris Gregoire, a sneak peek at key findings of our new economic impact study, and a celebration of Alliance of Angels’ 10-year commitment to advancing entrepreneurial excellence.
TA chair Marty Smith punctuated his presentation on Washington’s growing technology-based economy by calling on audience members to express their support for increasing high school graduation requirements to better prepare students to succeed in higher education and 21st century careers. As a result, the TA delivered more than 400 postcards to the State Board of Education that call for increasing the minimum course-taking requirement in math, a key priority for the TA and our partners in the College & Work Ready Agenda.
Incoming TA board chair Jeremy Jaech recognized Dan Rosen for his stellar leadership of AoA, which he helped build into one of the nation’s most active angel investor organizations, while The Coffee Equipment Company took home the honors as AoA’s 2008 Company of the Year. All of us at the TA are grateful to the participants in this year’s luncheon program and to our sponsors and friends for your steadfast support of our mission to advance education, research and entrepreneurship in Washington.
View the luncheon program online, courtesy of TV-W, here!
New TA Report Demonstrates Growing Importance of Technology-based Industries to the Washington State Economy
At the 2008 State of Technology Luncheon, the Technology Alliance provided the audience with a sneak peek at findings from our new study of the economic impact of Washington’s technology-based industries. The report, released in June, examines in depth the level of employment, labor income, sales and tax revenues generated by our state’s innovative companies and institutions, and assesses our concentration of technology employment compared to the rest of the nation.
This year, recognizing that businesses in all sectors increasingly rely on innovation to be competitive, we raised the bar on what qualifies an industry as technology-based. The result?
Washington’s technology sector is larger and more diverse than ever, and making increasingly vital contributions to our statewide economic prosperity.
It’s a Small World After All: Regional Leaders Explore Lessons of the Past, Possibilities for the Future at First-Ever International Benchmarking Conference
In early June, business, economic development and policy leaders representing eight dynamic metropolitan areas from around the globe joined Seattle for The Innovative Region, the first-ever conference of the International Regions Benchmarking Consortium.
Participants in the conference, which was initiated through a partnership involving the Technology Alliance, Puget Sound Regional Council and Trade Development Alliance, were treated to a keynote conversation with William H. Gates, Sr., who shared his perspectives on the factors that contributed to the growth of greater Seattle into a globally recognized center of innovation. Regional representatives also considered how to combine lessons of the past with lessons for the future, with a presentation by Microsoft’s Brad Smith for inspiration.
The Technology Alliance’s Discovery Series: the Breakfast of Champions!
Champions of ground-breaking research and game-changing innovation, that is. Satisfy your craving for science and technology with our exciting breakfast series showcasing innovation superstars from Washington’s preeminent research institutions and companies.
New for the 2008-2009 season: in addition to individual membership, we are offering a new category called Network Membership, which entitles your company or organization to send any four people to each breakfast. With programs in Seattle and Spokane, there’s no excuse for missing the most important meal of the day!
Important Dates
- September 12
- Seattle Discovery Series: Yoky Matsuoka, MacArthur Fellow and Associate Professor, Computer Science & Engineering/Neurobotics Laboratory, University of Washington
- 7:30 – 9:00 am
- Seattle
- September 18
- Technology Alliance Board Retreat
- 8:45 am - 3:00 pm
- Bainbridge Island
- October 10
- Seattle Discovery Series: Colleen Delaney, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
- 7:30 – 9:00 am
- Seattle
- October 17
- Spokane Discovery Series: Kevin Cable, Executive Vice President & Founder, Cascadia Capital
- 7:30 – 9:00 am
- Spokane
