MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge Announces Sector Keynotes and Expanded Roster for Innovation Summit 2008 -- "Power, Drugs and Money"

CAMBRIDGE, MA--(Marketwire - January 17, 2008) - The MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge today announced the sector keynote speakers for its Innovation Summit 2008 -- "Power, Drugs and Money." The event will be held February 7, 2008 at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston.

Each year, the Forum's Innovation Summit explores a different theme, highlighting invention and entrepreneurship in New England. This year's conference, "Power, Drugs and Money - Local Innovation/Global Impact," will focus on three interconnected sectors where the region has unique strengths: clean energy and the environment, life sciences and financial services. The conference features individual tracks on these sectors, each led by a keynote speaker presentation.

Stephen Connors, Director of the Analysis Group for Regional Energy Alternatives at the MIT Lab for Energy and the Environment, will present the energy and environment sector keynote. Connors is a noted authority on renewable energy, energy efficiency and energy security.

The life sciences sector keynote will be presented by Dr. Raju Kucherlapati, Scientific Director, Harvard Partners Center for Genomics and Genetics. The Center focuses on using emerging genetic and genomic technologies to advance research and revolutionize medical practice.

Kevin Tice, Global Investment Banking Group at Merrill Lynch, will kick off the financial services sector keynote. Tice has worked with many leading technology companies, driving hundreds of key financial transactions, including IPOs and mergers and acquisitions.

"New England's world-class research and technology developments are fueling a revolution in several fields, with the potential for profound impact on people and businesses around the globe," said Jim Matheson, General Partner at Flagship Ventures and volunteer chairperson for this year's conference. "This conference provides a forum where we can come together to explore these issues, learn from one another and lay the groundwork for an ambitious agenda to drive innovation occurring in New England into the global markets."

As previously announced, Dr. John Kao will be the opening keynote speaker for the conference. Dr. Kao, a leading authority on innovation, organizational transformation and digital media, will kick off the day-long event with a presentation on the challenges America faces in recapturing its innovation edge. He is the author of the bestseller, "Innovation Nation: How America is Losing Its Innovation Edge, Why it Matters, and What We Can Do to Get It Back" (Free Press, 2007).

Panels and Track Speakers: Sharing Lessons and Strategies

In addition to the keynote speakers, "Power, Drugs and Money" will feature top-notch business leaders discussing the challenges and opportunities of building companies and taking them global.

Following Dr. Kao's morning keynote address, The Futurist Panel will address the state of our traditional and emerging sectors, New England's strengths and pitfalls for entrepreneurs as they move into the global marketplace. This panel features Doug Banks, Editor, Mass High Tech; Robert Buderi, Founder, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Xconomy.com; Scott Kirsner, Innovation Economy Columnist for The Boston Globe; and Bob Krim, Executive Director, Boston History and Innovation Collaborative. The panel will be moderated by Chris Gabrieli, Co-founder and Chairman of Massachusetts 2020 and an entrepreneur across the fields of business, nonprofits and public policy.

After this panel, the conference breaks into the three tracks that form the foundation of the agenda. These sessions include the following noteworthy speakers:

Energy and Environment Track

--  Justin Adams, Director of Technology Strategy, BP
--  Jeff Andrews, Partner, Atlas Ventures
--  Richard Chleboski, Vice President, Worldwide Expansion, Evergreen
    Solar
--  Dennis Costello, Partner, Braemer Energy Ventures
--  William Davis, President and CEO, Ze-gen
--  John Doyle, Vice President, Projects, Verenium Corporation
--  Jim Gordon, President, Cape Wind
--  Christina Lampe-Onnerud, Founder and CEO, Boston-Power, Inc.
--  Andrew Perlman, President and CEO, Great Point Energy
--  Peter Rothstein, Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Flagship Ventures
    

Healthcare and Life Sciences Track

--  Noubar Afeyan, Ph.D., Managing Partner and CEO, Flagship Ventures
--  John Brennan, Partner, Director and Global Leader of Healthcare and
    Medical Technologies Practice, Arthur D. Little
--  Eugene Chiu, Co-founder and Vice President Business Development,
    Prediction Biosciences
--  Daniel Cole, General Manager, Spray Venture Partners
--  Bob Creeden, Managing Director of the Center for Innovative Ventures,
    Partners Healthcare
--  Omid Farokhzad, M.D., Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School
--  Rainer Fuchs, Executive Director, Biogen Idec Innovation Incubator
    (bi3)
--  Michael Greeley, General Partner, IDG Ventures
--  Amar Sawhney, Co-founder, President and CEO, Confluent Surgical
--  Anupendra Sharma, Investment Partner, Siemens Venture Capital
--  Martin Young, Vice President of Corporate Development, Phase Forward
    

Financial Services Track

--  James Bildner, General Partner, New Horizons
--  Joost Bonsen, Founding Program Director, MIT Legatum Center for
    Development and Entrepreneurship
--  Michael Chu, Managing Partner, Ignia Fund
--  Todd Dagres, General Partner, Spark Capital
--  William Foote, President and Founder, Root Capital
--  Bob Higgins, Managing General Partner, Highland Capital Partners
--  Shane Hughes, CEO and President, Pyxis Mobile
--  Anthony Jimenez, President and CEO, MicroTech LLC
--  Stephen Killeen, Carbon Neutral
--  Luda Kopelkina, Founder, Noventra Corporation
--  Michael Lannon, CEO, KoKo Fitness
    

A closing keynote panel, "Taking New England Global," will focus on how New England and its institutions supporting innovation can capitalize on its strengths to continue to build market value. The panel will feature Travis Bradford, Founder, President and Director of the Prometheus Institute for Sustainable Development; Elliott Hillback, Executive Vice President of Corporate Relations, Genzyme; Vinit Nijhawan, Chairman of TIE; and Doug Solomon, chief technology strategist of IDEO. The panel will be moderated by Mark Bonchek, CEO of The Truman Company.

For more information on "Power, Drugs and Money," please visit www.PowerDrugsandMoney.com. This event is expected to sell out quickly and registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Early-bird member registration is $195 and early-bird non-member registration is $235. (Early-bird rates are available through January 17.) Walk-in registration at the conference is $295. The rate for full-time students is $25.

About the MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge

The MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge is a volunteer, nonprofit organization based at MIT whose mission is to promote and strengthen the process of starting and growing innovative science- and technology-oriented companies by providing services and programs that educate, inform and support the entrepreneurial community.

Contact Information: MIT ENTERPRISE FORUM OF CAMBRIDGE CONTACT: Trish Fleming MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge 617-253-8238 PRESS CONTACT : Barbara Heffner (for MIT Enterprise Forum) CHEN PR, Inc. 781-672-3112