Events

IdaVation, Idaho’s premier educational and networking summit for Idaho’s innovators and entrepreneurs, will be held May 29 in Boise. The all-day event is a gathering of business luminaries and successful entrepreneurs from across the Northwest, and includes:

* Breakfast Keynote on ‘Eight Steps from Vision to Innovation’ by Gary Hoover, one of America’s greatest entrepreneurs.

* Lunch Keynote on ‘Creating an Innovative Ecosystem’ by Brian Cummings, Executive Director of the Technology Commercialization Office at the University of Utah.

§ Presentations and panel discussions by experienced entrepreneurs and investors.

* Tech transfer opportunities from universities and the Idaho National Laboratory.

* Opportunities to exchange ideas with entrepreneurs from around the state.

* Breakfast, lunch and a networking reception to celebrate innovation in Idaho.

Keynote speaker Gary Hoover is the creator of Hoovers.com—the world’s largest Internet-based provider of information about enterprises and the highly acclaimed Hoover’s Handbook series, featuring profiles of large and fast-growing companies. Hoovers.com was sold to Dun & Bradstreet for $117 million in 2003. Hoover also created Bookstop, which was eventually sold to Barnes & Noble for $41.5 million to become a cornerstone for their industry-dominating superstore chain

“The best way to change the world is to lead or create enterprises,” says Hoover. “And to foster that entrepreneurial spirit, I look forward to speaking with fellow innovators about my personal experiences and what I view as the critical components for a successful business mission.”

Speaker Brian Cummings serves as the University of Utah’s Assistant Vice President for Technology Ventures, in addition to his role at the Technology Commercialization Office. In the two and a half years that he has been in this role, the office has produced record revenues and successfully started 53 new technology-based companies, 80% of which have received initial funding and beyond.

Formerly known as Kickstart, IdaVation is hosted by Kickstand – a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people and companies across Idaho network, learn and grow.

“Taking a great idea from a dream to reality and business success is a difficult, but attainable goal,” says Raino Zoller, IdaVation Chair and Vice President of Kickstand. “IdaVation will empower entrepreneurs to be more successful by providing insight into critical factors of business success, the tools to make better decisions, and exposure to business opportunities available in our state.”

Event sponsors include Perkins Coie, Tech Connect, Stoel Rives, Hewlett Packard, Simplot Foundation, C&H Group, Bank of the Cascades, Highway 12 Ventures, and Ellsworth Kincaid.

IdaVation

When: May 29 from 7am-6pm

Where: Doubletree Riverside / 2900 Chinden Blvd. Boise, Idaho

Cost: $99. Early registration ($79), discounts for Kickstand members and affiliate groups. Includes breakfast, lunch, and a networking reception.

To Register: Visit http://www.idavation.com About IdaVation

Hosted by Kickstand, IdaVation is the premier annual educational and networking summit for Idaho’s innovators and entrepreneurs. IdaVation presents a great opportunity to learn from an ensemble of business luminaries and experienced, successful entrepreneurs. To register, visit http://www.idavation.com . About Kickstand

Kickstand is a non-profit organization of more than 400 members dedicated to helping people and companies across Idaho network, learn and grow. In addition to monthly networking and speaking events, the organization hosts ‘Start-Up Speed Dating’ events produced to help founders and CEOs hone their pitches to investors, customers and recruits. Kickstand’s Entrepreneurs Resource Network (ERN) is an on-line directory of resources for starting and growing businesses in Idaho, as well as a searchable glossary of key business terms and concepts. The organization’s signature event is the annual gathering of entrepreneurs and innovators known as IdaVation. For more information, visit http://www.kickstand.org .
Contact: http://www.idavation.com