Panelists to Lead Entrepreneurial Discussion on March 13 @ Spark Central in

Ann Arbor

    ANN ARBOR, Mich., March 5 /PRNewswire/ - The Great Lakes Entrepreneur's
 Quest (GLEQ) and Ann Arbor SPARK will sponsor the "Entrepreneur's
 Roundtable" as a part of their joint program to encourage and support
 Michigan entrepreneurs. The panel discussion will begin at 6 p.m. on March
 13 at SPARK Central in Ann Arbor and is free to pre-registrants.
     Michael Long, President & CEO of Velcura, Aaron Crumm, President and
 founder of Adaptive Materials, Josh Botkin, team member of the Space
 Weather Forecasting Technologies and Kris Kurnit, Vice President and
 co-founder of SensiGen will lead this panel discussion from a successful
 entrepreneur's perspective. All four panelists are past winners of the GLEQ
 business plan competition.
     This training session is designed for both first time entrepreneurs and
 seasoned serial entrepreneurs wanting to learn from successful
 entrepreneurs through their experiences and insights. Join the growing
 community of entrepreneurs attending the GLEQ / SPARK training events and
 sharpen the tools for your success.
     WHO SHOULD ATTEND:
     This informative seminar and panel discussion will prove invaluable not
 only to current entrepreneurs and startup teams, but also to individuals in
 established companies or research institutions who focus on developing new
 internal or spin-out ventures.
     Specific topics addressed will be relevant for
      - Startup entrepreneurs
      - Aspiring entrepreneurs
      - Small company executives
      - Service providers
      - Established company new-business-development executives
      - University researchers or technology-transfer officials
 
     Event Details:
     "Entrepreneur's Roundtable"
     Date: March 13, 2007
     Time: 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
     Location: SPARK Central, 330 E. Liberty, Lower Level, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
     Admission: Free with pre-registration (required) on www.gleq.org
     Details and directions to the above mentioned sites are located online
 at www.gleq.org. All sessions are free and open to the public, regardless
 of intention to compete in the GLEQ business plan competition.
     To register for training classes and learn more about the GLEQ's
 program for entrepreneurs - please visit www.gleq.org.
     About Micheal Long
     Dr. Long has extensive private sector experience, having served as a
 consultant for startup and leading biotechnology firms as well as major
 pharmaceutical firms, particularly in the areas of refining and
 troubleshooting their discovery research efforts. Former clients include
 Merck, Pfizer, Baxter Healthcare, Sandoz (now Novartis), Cetus (now part of
 Perkin Elmer), Genetics Institute, and Genentech. Dr. Long's organizational
 management experience includes the direction of large for-profit clinical
 laboratories and 4 years of service on the Executive Committee of the
 national board of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. This association has
 provided additional experience in corporate oversight, fundraising,
 strategic planning, and legal affairs. Part of his responsibilities as CEO
 of Velcura includes directing the business development efforts until a full
 time person can be hired.
     Dr. Long has worked in the area of cell and molecular biology for more
 than three decades and received more than $12 million in funding for his
 research from the National Institutes of Health prior to founding Velcura.
 As a professor at the University of Michigan, he developed the technology
 for bone cell analysis and for forming human bone outside the body that the
 University of Michigan has exclusively licensed to Velcura. Dr. Long also
 serves on a national grant review committee at the National Institutes of
 Health and has reviewed grant applications for the American Cancer Society
 and other national organizations. Dr. Long received his B.Sc. degree in
 biology and M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in human physiology from Wayne State
 University School of Medicine. He completed a post-doctoral fellowship at
 the Sloan Kettering Memorial Cancer Center and sabbatical training in the
 laboratory at one of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute laboratories.
     About Aaron Crumm
     Aaron Crumm is the President and founder of Adaptive Materials. The AMI
 mission is to blend fuel cell development and technology with practical
 high volume manufacturing.
     Aaron Crumm's experience and education in alternative energy began in
 1990 while pursuing a BS in Nuclear Engineering from Purdue University.
 Aaron Crumm continued his education, earning a PhD in Materials Science and
 Engineering from the University of Michigan. While at university, he
 co-invented the Micro Fabrication by Co-eXtrusion (MFCX) technique as part
 of his PhD dissertation. MFCX is the low cost process used today by AMI to
 generate fuel cells and ceramic products.
     In 1999 Aaron founded Adaptive Materials Inc. with a focus on
 developing AMI's patented fuel cell technology and ceramics manufacturing
 process. Aaron currently leads over $21M in military and commercial
 contracts for the development of portable solid oxide fuel cell systems.
     Aaron Crumm's vision is to transition fuel cell technology into viable
 commercial products.
     About Josh Botkin
     Josh Botkin is a member of The Space Weather Forecasting Technologies
 Team. Josh and his team placed second in their division, and eleventh
 overall, in the prestigious Rice University Business Plan Competition. SWFT
 had earlier been selected as one of 36 semi-finalists in the original pool
 of 112 entries. The SWFT Team made the cut to the final eight in the
 Michigan Business Challenge (there were more than 40 starting teams). SWFT
 is the only team outside the Schools of Public Policy and Business to make
 this cut! Josh Botkin is an MBA student in the Ross School of Business.
 Josh is set to graduate this spring.
     About Kris Kurnit
     Kristine and her husband David Kurnit, inventor of SensiGen's
 technology, co-founded SensiGen in 2002. Since that time, Kristine has
 performed a wide range of business development activities designed to
 create visibility for the Company. These activities included entering
 various competitions which resulted in winning awards such as: "best
 elevator pitch" in a competition held during Ann Arbor SPARK Entrepreneurs'
 Boot Camp, winning the Midwest Research University Network "Rising Star"
 award which recognizes companies with break-through technology and
 compelling business plans, winning first place in the Great Lakes
 Entrepreneur's Quest and winning the largest award in the state for a
 proposal written to the Michigan Technology Tri-Corridor.
     About the Great Lakes Entrepreneur's Quest (GLEQ)
     The GLEQ, now in its seventh year of continuous operations, is a
 nonprofit 501(c)(3) educational program designed to accelerate the
 formation of high- growth companies across Michigan. Anyone who lives,
 works or attends school in Michigan can participate in the educational
 programs and competitions at no cost. Over $18 million was recently awarded
 to ten GLEQ alumni from the 21st Century Jobs Fund, bringing the total
 investment into GLEQ companies to over $38 million.
     Founded in 2000, the GLEQ has provided over $860,000 in contributed
 services from volunteer coaches, educators, judges and in-kind sponsors. It
 has provided over $760,000 in cash to promising technology companies
 through its statewide program which is aimed at encouraging and educating
 entrepreneurs on the creation, start-up, and commercialization of
 high-growth businesses within the state of Michigan.
     Additional information is available at www.gleq.org or by calling Art
 DeMonte GLEQ Executive Director, at 734.913.0090.
     About Ann Arbor SPARK
     SPARK is a public-private partnership whose mission is to advance
 innovation-based economic development in the greater Ann Arbor region. Our
 partners represent the area's university, business, government,
 entrepreneurial, and community leaders. SPARK's services focus on building
 our innovation-focused community through continual proactive support of
 entrepreneurs, regional businesses, university tech transfer offices, and
 networking organizations. By attracting and effectively deploying talent,
 investment, and other resources, SPARK will help accelerate the growth of
 innovation-focused companies and jobs in greater Ann Arbor. Visit us at
 www.annarborspark.org.
 
 

SOURCE Great Lakes Entrepreneur's Quest