December Think Tank

December 1, 2009

When:      Tuesday, December 1, Networking starts at 7:00 PM.  Program starts at 7:30 PM.
Cost:        FREE
Where:     Seattle University, Pigott 104 - Auditorium

Parking:Click here to download a map of the SU campus which will help indicate areas for parking. You may not park in the Broadway or Main/Visitor parking, parking passes are required for those areas.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

What does it take to transform a new technology from a great idea embraced by "the few" to a multimillion dollar “must-have” innovation? Why is it that some new technology products typically sell very well to a limited market, but then fall flat when introduced to the larger market? Much research has been published on ways to make this leap, most notably in Geoffrey Moore’s book titled Crossing the Chasm. Don’t forget this conundrum as you launch your new venture.

Join us on December 1st for an enlightening Think Tank idea exchange about driving products and technologies beyond the early-adopter threshold. Our panelists have been there and will offer insights, reflections, and guidance for winning with the mainstream market.

Jon Matsuo, CEO of DropStation
Jon Matsuo has a track record of proven leadership over a span of 28 plus years. Jon is currently the CEO of DropStation, an early stage innovator in the first and last mile of logistics. Some of Jon’s former responsibilities include posts as CEO of Fidesic Corporation, President of Concur Technologies (NASDAQ listed), General Manager of the Consumer software division for Delrina Corporation (a public company acquired by Symantec), Senior Vice President of Qpass (acquired by Amdocs) and Vice President of Marketing for Contact Software International (the makers of ACT! – one of the best-selling software programs of all-time – and acquired by Symantec). Jon was responsible for helping each of these market-leading companies create and develop large new high-growth businesses.

Magnus Christerson, VP of Products, Intentional Software Corporation
Magnus joined Intentional Software Corporation in 2004 to drive commercialization and go-to-market strategies for Intentional Software’s innovative and disruptive technology. Prior to joining Intentional, Christerson was instrumental in building an industry leadership position for Rational Rose, the leading UML product for visually designing software programs. Christerson joined Rational in 1995 when Rational acquired Objectory, a software startup where he held various software development and product management roles. He holds a MSc. in Computer Science and Engineering from Lund Institute of Technology at Lund University, Sweden.

Jeremy Irish, CEO of Groundspeak
Jeremy started Groundspeak as a 3 person company dedicated to the operation of Geocaching.com. Originally a hobby site, the company has grown to over 40 employees and has launched Waymarking.com - a sister site to the sport of Geocaching and location-based gaming adventures in the real world. Previously Jeremy served as VP of Technology for SAVIshopper.com, a privately held company in the Leisure, Travel & Tourism industry. He has also worked as a project manager, technologist, ecommerce developer, and web developer for a number of companies. Prior to those roles he was a member of the US Air Force working as a Cryptologic Linguist in the Mandarin language. He holds a BS in Business Marketing from the University of Maryland.

Thank you to our Think Tank Sponsors: