Detailed Agenda - 2004 NorCal PDMA Conference

SpaceX is the third company founded by Mr. Musk. Prior to SpaceX, he co-founded PayPal, the world's leading electronic payment system, and served as the company's chairman and CEO. PayPal has over twenty million customers in 38 countries, processes several billion dollars per year and went public on the NASDAQ under PYPL in early 2002. Mr. Musk was the largest shareholder of PayPal until the company was acquired by eBay for $1.5 billion in October 2002.

Before PayPal, Mr. Musk co-founded Zip2 Corporation in 1995, a leading provider of enterprise software and services to the media industry, with investments from The New York Times Company, Knight-Ridder, MDV, Softbank and the Hearst Corporation. He served as Chairman, CEO and Chief Technology Officer and in March 1999 sold Zip2 to Compaq for $307 million in an all cash transaction.

Mr. Musk's early experience extends across a spectrum of advanced technology industries, from high energy density ultra-capacitors at Pinnacle Research to software development at Rocket Science and Microsoft. He has a physics degree from the University of Pennsylvania, a business degree from Wharton and originally came out to California to pursue graduate studies in energy physics at Stanford

Presentation:

Launching a New Era in Space Exploration

Abstract:

Financial Services and Aerospace are two significant industries that have delivered ground breaking innovations, transforming our lives, and extending our sense of possibility. From PayPal to space exploration, Elon is driving progress with diverse and far reaching impact, from PayPal's integration into our financial service infrastructure, to the much more Abstract: and far reaching dimensions of space. Listen as Elon draws exciting parallels and delivers insights gained from these two striking start-up stories and don't miss the opportunity to actually see his current innovation in action.

12:15 PM - 1:15 P

Guest Speaker:

Michael K. Tanner

Managing Director, Adexta, Inc

Back to Agenda

Biography:

Michael Tanner is founder and managing director at Adexta, Inc. Adexta provides strategy development, marketing, outsourcing, partnering and recruitment services for growth stage businesses. Prior to Adexta he was Managing Director at The Chasm Group, LLC, a widely-acclaimed Silicon Valley-based consulting firm focused on marketing strategy. In his consulting roles, Michael’s focus has been on strategy development and implementation for growth-stage businesses, and best practices in strategy and marketing for established organizations.

For over 10 years in the consulting business Michael’s clients have included over 150 clients across a wide variety of both start-up companies in enterprise and technical software, telecommunications, scientific and web-enabled services businesses. He has also worked with a who’s-who list of technology companies such as IBM, Symantec, Agelent, HP, Tektronics and Computer Associates to name a few. Prior to consulting Michael spent 15 years in operational roles as publisher for the data publishing group of Autodesk, Inc, VP/Director of marketing and international sales at two software startup companies and market manager for a subsidiary of Schlumberger. He currently serves on the board of directors of Savi Technology, Inc. and Saronyx, Inc. He began his career as a mechanical engineer in the defense industry and holds a B.S in mechanical engineering from Ohio State University, and MBA from Rivier College.

Presentation:

Marketing on Venus, Mars, and Here on Earth:
"A Situational Model for Launching Products and Services"

Abstract:

Unlike some professions such as law, accounting or medicine, the profession of marketing lacks a standard, recognized set of best practices and principles to guide efforts in launching new products and services. In the technology area this is a particularly vexing problem, the implications of which include missed release dates, confused positioning and lower-than-expected revenues. Moreover, the lack of a standard methodology is more vexing for mature and successful companies than for the entrepreneurial start-up. Companies who serve multiple markets with multiple products and services often have highly-orchestrated processes for product management, but have few best-practices for what works. They are faced with the reality that one size does not fit all when it comes to orchestrating a successful launch. Some have even said that their products don’t launch – they “escape.”

History has proven there are at least three major success models that must be understood and treated uniquely to achieve a successful launch and follow-on market success. We’ll call them Mars, Venus, and Earth. Each of these landscapes require not just different, but in-fact opposite tactics. Because many successful companies have optimized their systems and people skills around just one of these planets, marketers sometimes feel that they are “from Mars” while the rest of their companies are “from Venus.” Creating a cross-functional understanding of each of these planetary landscapes is the first step in accelerating the time to market success.

Strategic Planning Track Part I

Presenter:

Eric Krock

1:25 PM - 2:15 PM

Director of Product Management, Kontiki

Back to Agenda

Biography:

Eric began his career by launching the Japanese subsidiary of Interleaf and selling its publishing and document management products through a network of 15 distributors. He then worked at Netscape, first as a Technology Evangelist promoting the JavaScript, and then as Group Product Manager for the Gecko browser engine and all web technologies and standards. At Kontiki he worked as Group Product Manager for the grid delivery network, security, network management, and enterprise integration, then as the lead systems engineer selling and deploying Kontiki at its largest enterprise accounts including Ernst & Young, Nextel, and a Fortune 50 telecom company, and now as Director of Product Management. He has a B.S. in Computer Science and B.A. Japanese from Stanford.

Presentation:

Surviving Enterprise Evaluations: You Launched It, Now You Gotta Sell It!

Abstract:

Abstract: Surviving Enterprise Evaluations: You Launched It, Now You Gotta Sell It! After you launch, your company and product will face a rigorous evaluation by skeptical customers. High technology products in particular must run the gauntlet of jaded IT evaluators who have been burned in the past by the broken promises of others. To succeed and turn launch momentum into sales momentum, your team must know what to expect and how to turn doubt into belief and trust. This presentation will cover techniques for succeeding in formal product evaluations at Fortune 500 enterprises, including:

- The "10 Commandments” for evaluation success and building trust with prospects

- 33 techniques for handling objections

- Lists of questions to expect in formal reviews and tips for handling each: 28 on architecture, 33 on security, 10 on network, and 14 on desktop image evalutions

- Preparing for server and client deployment; what to have in your written plan

- Hints for surviving pilots and production deployment

The presentation will draw on the process of sucessfully passing IT evaluations and selling and deploying complex enterprise software at Fortune 500 companies for examples, but it will provide lessons applicable to the evaluation process across other industries as well.

Preparing for Launch Track Part I

Presenter:

Ted Finch

1:25 PM - 2:15 PM

President, Chanimal

Back to Agenda

Biography:

Mr. Finch has executed the launch over 400 products for over 150 companies (including Microsoft, HP, IBM, Intel, Adobe, Lotus, Autodesk, Disney, Citrix, Sony, etc.). He also helped secure funding and form Red Storm Entertainment with noted author, Tom Clancy, published Netscape Navigator, has been quoted in numerous books and magazines, has gone through five acquisitions, and recently produced the video, “How to Finance a High-Tech Start-Up.” In addition, he has served as a Sr. VP of Marketing at Motorola, and a VP of Marketing at GE. He is also well known for Chanimal – The Ultimate Resource for Software Marketing at www.chanimal.com.

Presentation:

Tsunami Product Launches: How to Rip your Product Into the Market and Ride the Wave

Abstract:

Ted will provide the keys to creating a Tsunami product launch. He will boil down some key learnings from his experience with hundreds of product launches to help the partcipant:

- Learn three keys to position a wining product, de-position & then drown competitors (before & after development)

- Learn the secret tidal wave launch effect via analyst, press, ads, direct response, events and online marketing that maximizes leads (producing 35 times the normal response and thousands of qualified leads).

- Learn to brand the resellers and increase sales 67-81%

- Learn how to calculate ROI and justify the budgets needed to meet your product’s quota.

Managing Launch and Beyond Track Part I

Presenter:

Gretchen L Schieber, PhD, MBA

1:25 PM - 2:15 PM

Associate Director, Corporate Planning, Affymetrix

Back to Agenda

Biography:

Gretchen Schieber, Ph.D., M.B.A., is Associate Director of Corporate Planning for Affymetrix, a Bay Area biotechnology company. Affymetrix is honored to be a recipient of the 2004 Oustanding Corporate Innovator award. In her current role she balances her time between three functions: designing and implementing Affymetrix' project management system, coaching and mentoring project teams and team leaders, and facilitating the integration of worldwide marketing. In previous experience, she managed product development groups, established a design control system that passed both FDA and ISO audits, and, as a project manager, managed multiple IVD and biotechnology projects across systems that included consumables, instruments, and software.

Presentation:

The Product's Launched...Now What?!: Introducing and Managing Technically Complex Products

Abstract:

Consider the introduction of a technically complex product to market. How will you introduce the product and its features? How can you train customers to use your product? How will you provide service and support? How will you even train the sales force?

The activities to create a successful product do not end when it is finally released to inventory. For a new, technically complex, yet widely sold industrial product, the costs of sales and support may equal those of new product development. This session will use examples and discussion to explore mechanisms for successful commercial placement of technically complex products.

Strategic Planning Track Part II

Presenter:

Steve Blank

2:25 PM - 3:15 PM

Entrepreneur/Adjunct Professor, Haas Business School

Back to Agenda

Biography:

Currently at U.C. Berkeley's Haas Business School, Steve Blank is a retired entrepreneur having done 8 startups in 25 years. Steve's career started at ESL a military systems company, and then included two chip startups; Zilog and MIPS Computers, two workstation companies; Convergent Technologies and Ardent; two consumer products companies; SuperMac and Rocket Science; and ended with the founding of E.piphany in his living room. Steve now teaches entrepreneurship and the Customer Development process at Haas Business school. He sits on the board of two public companies; Macrovision and Immersion (NASDAQ: MVSN, IMMR) and two private companies; CafePress and Pharmix.

Presentation:

Strategic Planning for Overall Product Success: The Customer Development Process

Abstract:

Steve will describe how the “Customer Development” process can be used to strategically organize marketing, sales and business development for overall product success. An innovative new way to approach strategic planning, Customer Development brings clarity to: How customers can help define your products and differentiate them from your competitors, how to balance product development and customer needs, how to maximize product profitability throughout the product lifecycle.

This presentation will challenge your perception of the traditional strategic planning product and will leave you with a new way to view and organize this activity. How to make your customers part of your strategic planning process. How to maximize the value of the product development team while minimizing sales and marketing dollars.

Preparing for Launch Track Part II

Presenter:

Konstantin Guericke

2:25 PM - 3:15 PM

Co-Founder, VP Marketing, LinkedIn

Back to Agenda

Biography:

Konstantin Guericke is the VP Marketing and a Co-Founder of LinkedIn. He oversees development of the LinkedIn brand, growth of the user base and LinkedIn’s educational programs. Prior to LinkedIn, Konstantin served as VP of Marketing at Presenter:, which was acquired by WebEx. In the mid 90’s, Konstantin was responsible for the initial public launch of Blaxxun as VP Sales & Marketing. Other executive roles included EVP at Caligari and Project Director with P&L responsibility for a $10 million product unit of publicly-traded Micrografx. In his career, Konstantin helped the CEOs of over two dozen high-tech startups develop their positioning and marketing strategy. Konstantin graduated with distinction from Stanford University with a B.S. and M.S. in Engineering.

Presentation:

The Shoestring Launch

Abstract:

While the economy is moving again, the days of big launch parties are not back. While sometimes splashy launches make sense, Konstantin will provide guidance to those tasked with a high-impact launch, but given a budget of under $30,000.

We will cover the DO’s and DON’T’s of two time-tested and essential tools of shoestring launches: PR and word-of-mouth. The presentation will also cover the fundamentals of a shoestring launch: powerful positioning and relevant customer references. The emphasis will be on initial public launches of venture-funded companies, but many of the lessons will also apply to re-launches of existing products and to lightly funded new products of established high-tech companies.

Takeaways:

Successful launches don’t require big budgets

None of the most cost-effective launch techniques work when the positioning is not realistic or supported by customer references

Evangelism is trainable, but having the right spokesperson is key for converting press appointments into positive, consistent and sustained media coverage

Managing Launch and Beyond Track Part II

Presenter:

Jonathan Oomrigar

2:25 PM - 3:15 PM

VP, High Tech Industry, Oracle Corporation

Back to Agenda

Biography:

TBD

Presentation:

TBD

Abstract:

TBD

Panel Event

Moderator

Theresa Marcroft

3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

Principal, MarketSavvy and Interim VP of Marketing, Sigaba

Back to Agenda

Biography:

Theresa Marcroft offers practical, effective marketing advice to put high-tech companies on a high-growth path. After more than 20 years in technology marketing, Theresa founded MarketSavvy and consults as an “Interim VP Marketing”. Previously, Marcroft was VP of Global Marketing at Cylink, a provider of network security products, where she successfully built the company’s first product marketing organization and launched the company’s first PKI and VPN products. Marcroft started her career at Regis McKenna, working with Geoffrey Moore for two years. Marcroft earned her Masters in International Management and her B.S. in Marketing.

Panelist:

Neil Kjeldsen

Director - Schwab.com, Charles Schwab & Co.

Biography:

Neil has worked on Schwab.com since 1998 managing various aspects of the electronic client experience. Having originally joined Schwab to build out its online self-service capabilities, his responsibilities broadened over time, permitting him and his team to work on hundreds of online products, services, and marketing initiatives. Currently, his responsibilities encompass New Product Development and Overall Client Experience on Schwab.com. Neil has additional online marketing and product development experience as a founder of an eCommerce firm in 2000. Prior to Schwab, he worked as an independent economic consultant after graduating from Claremont McKenna College with a B.A. in Economics.

Panelist:

Charlie Tritschler

VP of Worldwide Product Marketing, PalmSource

Biography:

Charlie Tritschler is vice president of worldwide product marketing for PalmSource responsible for driving the product roadmap and overall product vision. Prior to PalmSource, Tritschler was vice president of marketing for Liberate Technologies where he was instrumental in driving the product and marketing strategy for the company’s focus on the interactive television market. Prior to Liberate, Tritschler held multiple positions at Apple Computer including systems engineering, sales and product marketing. As product line manager at Apple, Tritschler drove the product line marketing strategy and implementation for the PowerBook division. Tritschler holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Dartmouth College and has completed executive coursework at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Panelist:

Jonathan C. Miller

Founder & CEO, ProductSoft

Biography:

Jonathan C. Miller has over 15 years of experience building high tech enterprises. Jonathan has been a key player in a number of successful start-up ventures helping build over $5B USD in stakeholder value. Prior to founding ProductSoft, Jonathan held the positions as Vice President of Product Management and later Chief Community Officer at PeopleLink, a leading provider of online collaboration and CRM software. While serving as Chief Operating Officer of The Fortunecity Network, Jonathan helped grow this start-up to become the 26th largest property on the Internet. As an early member of the Flycast Communications team, he managed the product and marketing efforts that launched the pioneering web advertising company. Jonathan writes articles and leads workshops on Product Lifecycle Management as well as being involved in thought leadership activities with leading product management groups such as NorCal PDMA, AIPMM and SVPMA. Jonathan attended the Ohio State University where he studied Finance, Actuarial Science and Computer Science.

Panelist:

Brett Murray

Senior Marcom Manager, Apple

Biography:

Brett Murray is a Senior Manager of Marketing Communications at Apple Computer where he is responsible for the launch, initial positioning and ongoing communications for their PowerBook, iBook and AirPort product lines. Prior to Apple Mr. Murray worked at Handspring, Inc., where he served as the Worldwide Marketing Launch Manager for their Visor and Treo products from 2000 until 2003. He has also served as an industry analyst as Affiliate Analyst for MobileTrax, LLC. where he contributed to reports, was a resource to the media, and was Editor-in-Chief of Mobile Letter

Panelist:

Eric Krock

Director of Product Management, Kontiki Inc.

Biography:

Eric opened the Japanese subsidiary of Interleaf and worked in Tokyo for 4 years. He then worked at Netscape, first as a Technology Evangelist for JavaScript, and then as Group Product Manger for the Gecko browser engine and all web technologies and standards. At Kontiki he worked as Group Product Manager for the Grid Delivery Network, Security, Network Management, and Enterprise Integration, then as a Senior Systems Engineer selling and deploying Kontiki at its largest enterprise accounts, and now as Director of Product Management. He has a B.S. in Computer Science and B.A. Japanese from Stanford.