Financing Your Dreams

T he WPI Venture Forum's marketing and program committees have outlined a dynamic program for 2006. We start the year with "Financing the Dream." The equity market has drawn the attention of investors who had steadfastly remained on the sidelines. High technology companies such as Google have primed the financial engine for entrepreneurs with innovative ideas to begin financing their dreams and reap huge rewards for themselves and their investors. The managers of private equity, hedge funds, leveraged buyout funds, venture capital funds and angel investors are trotting around the world to fund companies and bring home to their investors the benefits of those decisions.

The current financial environment is a healthy one for start-up company funding. To learn more, I recommend that you attend the WPI Venture Forum's session on "Financing the Deal: Never a Better Time."

Funding decisions are based on relationships. To encourage its members to develop new contacts in the funding community, the WPI Venture Forum plans to host an April breakfast event featuring a successful CEO from a Massachusetts high technology company. Last year, Mr. Ruettgers, EMC Chairman, presented how EMC survived the tough economic environment among Massachusetts high technology companies. We expect the speaker will address the current state of the Massachusetts high technology industry.

We are actively seeking sponsors for this event. If you are interested, please contact Ms. Gina Betti at the WPI Venture Forum, gbetti@wpi.edu or at (508) 831-5761. You can discuss this with me as well, and I can be contacted at avkapur@aimtek.com or by phone at (508) 832-5035.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all our readers, members, hardworking volunteers, participants, sponsors and board of directors a very Happy New Year and a prosperous 2006.

Sincerely,

Amar V. Kapur '65, '69
Chairman, The WPI Venture Forum
President & CEO, Aimtek Inc.