PALO ALTO, CA--(Marketwired - Oct 15, 2013) - VC Taskforce™, an organization committed to enhancing collaboration in the venture community, is giving a sneak preview to some of the "one-of-a-kind" experiences and items up for bid at its Silent Auction to be held during the 2013 Innovation Catalyst Award (ICA) gala, October 23, 2013 at the Palo Alto Hills Golf & Country Club. Some of the "priceless" items in the silent auction include:

Breakfast for four with Guy Kawasaki
Silicon Valley author, speaker, investor and business advisor, Guy Kawasaki will host a private breakfast for four in Palo Alto. He was one of the Apple employees originally responsible for marketing the Macintosh in 1984. He's authored numerous books including The Art of the Start, Rules for Revolutionaries, How to Drive Your Competition Crazy, Selling the Dream, and The Macintosh Way.

Lunch for five with Ann Winblad and Heidi Roizen
Two of Silicon Valley's legendary female venture capitalists will host a lunch for five in San Francisco. Winblad, one of the first female venture capitalists and this year's ICA Award honoree, is founding partner and managing director of Hummer Winblad Venture Partners. Roizen, who started her career founding and growing tech companies, is now helping entrepreneurs build companies as a venture partner at Draper Fisher Jurvetson.

Lunch with TV star and Tech Investor Harry Hamlin
Enjoy a private lunch in Los Angeles with Harry Hamlin, actor of stage, television and films -- and high technology investor. Hamlin received three consecutive Golden Globe nominations for his memorable role as attorney Michael Kuzak on L.A. Law. He has starred in more than two dozen telefilms and mini-series and as Perseus in the Clash of the Titans with Sir Lawrence Olivier. His investments include Tri Alpha Energy, an under the radar venture that has attracted nearly $200 million in investment from Vulcan and VenRock and several other venture funds.

Bluebelle Concierge 10-Hours of Lifestyle Services
Treat yourself to peace of mind with 10 hours of lifestyle services including on-demand help with errands, home projects, and life organization. Pick and choose the services that work for you, and you can breathe a sigh of relief knowing an extraordinary team of life savers is at your fingertips! Bluebelle Concierge uses a unique team based approach to make your life fuller and better, by helping you manage your to-do list. 

Custom Italian suit from Franco Uomo
Savvy, sophisticated, confident Franco Uomo delivers exclusive European luxury men's wear at its very best. From our superbly tailored suits, custom designed dress shirts, color coordinated ties and sportswear, Franco Uomo is the place to find outstanding service. Let the experienced staff match you with the wardrobe that will make you look fantastic, sophisticated and bring you the compliments you deserve. The newest Franco Uomo store is on Santanna Row.

New ICA Sponsors
VC Taskforce also announced two new major sponsors for the 2013 ICA event. They are finance and human resource services company Global Upside, Inc. and international law firm Dorsey & Whitney LLP. Headquartered in Los Altos, CA, Global Upside is a specialist in finance, accounting and HR services. The company's team of finance professionals delivers high quality, timely and responsive service to clients in over 40 countries worldwide. Dorsey & Whitney has locations across the U.S. and in Canada, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region and provides an integrated, proactive approach to clients' legal and business needs. Dorsey represents many of the world's most successful companies, including leaders in financial services, life sciences, technology, agribusiness and energy, as well as major non-profit and government entities. The company recently earned a place on the 2013 Working Mother & Flex-Time Lawyers Best Law Firms for Women list. This is the sixth time Dorsey has been recognized as one of the "Best Law Firms for Women."

The Innovation Catalyst Award gala is the annual fundraiser for VC Taskforce. A portion of the proceeds from the silent auction will go to support two charities: Girls Who Code, an organization working to close the gender gap in the technology and engineering sectors, and Girls Innovate!, an organization dedicated to inspiring and supporting visionary leadership among women and girls.

Tickets to the gala are $275 per person or $500 for two tickets and include fine wines and exquisite hors d'oeuvres throughout the evening. Advance reservations are required and tickets can be purchased here. For information about the gala or a sponsorship, click here.

About the Innovation Catalyst Award
VC Taskforce established the ICA in 2009 to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions made by visionary leaders in the investment community. In 2012, VC Taskforce honored the Draper Family. Over three generations, the Drapers invested in and grew hundreds of start-up companies, many of which became household names, such as Hotmail and Skype. Bill Draper also established the DRK Foundation to help launch entrepreneurial-minded not-for-profit CEOs. Ann Winblad will be the 5^th recipient of this prestigious Silicon Valley award.

About VC Taskforce
"Enhancing collaboration in the venture community"
Founded in 2001, VC Taskforce is primarily an educational organization offering forums for real-time information exchange and dialogue through networking events, panels, keynotes, workshops and roundtable meetings conducted by investors, business and industry experts that support venture capitalists, institutional investors, angels, companies looking for funding and venture-backed executives in managing their business for success. Visionary thinking, uncensored questions and opinionated discussions around pressing issues are hallmarks of events. More than 15,000 members and participants have been actively involved in VC Taskforce. www.vctaskforce.com.