An event in celebration of
Entrepreneurship in NYC

David Rose, Principal of Rose Tech Ventures & Chairman of the New York Angels David S. Rose is an entrepreneurial executive and investor with extensive experience in high technology and communications, angel investments, finance and government. He was named by Inc. magazine to the 1998 Inc 500 list as CEO of one of the fastest growing private companies in America. Red Herring magazine has described him as "a patriarch of New York's Silicon Alley" and Crain's New York Business named him one of the City's 25 most influential technology executives.

Tokumbo E. O. Shobowale is the Chief Operating Officer of the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), the City's primary vehicle for promoting economic growth in each of the five boroughs. They work to stimulate investment in New York across industry sectors and broaden the City's tax and employment base, while meeting the needs of businesses large and small. Tokumbo earned his Bachelor's degree from Stanford University, an M.A. at the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs, and an M.B.A. at the MIT Sloan School of Management, earning each degree with academic distinction.

Darren is an entrepreneur and digital media evangelist, currently the Head of Digital Media for a major New York based media agency. An active angel investor around Silicon Alley, he is a board member and adviser to both startups and emerging companies. He launched Herman blackbook in late 2008 and in January 2009, he released it's first fund, the New Platforms Fund to fund ideas on napkins into early stage development. He was listed as one of Business Week's 25 top Entrepreneurs Under 25 in 2007.

Sanford Dickert is with Contagious Conversations, a social-media consulting firm offering general contracting services for the new age of digital engagement. Sanford has worked with Fortune 500 firms, leading venture funds and promising start-ups through product marketing and development strategies to help teams better understand and execute on customer-focused solutions through the effective use of technology and social media marketing. He has become part of the New York Tech community, working with businesses, investors and government to strengthen the connections between them and the NY Tech community.

Bruce Niswander is a business leader, entrepreneur and consultant with 20+ years of experience driving profitable growth in challenging and competitive business markets. This experience has provided him with outstanding leadership, communication and analytical skills, and extensive expertise in working closely with senior management of large and small corporations. He has extensive expertise in the creation and deployment of marketing and sales strategies, financial analysis, intellectual property management, business valuations, digital information forensics, and the identification and negotiation of joint ventures, marketing and sales agreements.

Brian August is an attorney and entrepreneur who has been advising clients on digital entertainment and new media for over 20 years. Brian founded and oversees Webster Hall Digital, which explores the boundaries of how video, mobile, social media and web 2.0 technologies can enhance the live event experience. Brian is a partner in Box of Rain, which provides consulting and digital media integration services to venues, festivals and events and helps its clients understand the legal and business aspects of working with digital media. He is also a principal in Event Technologies, which uses near field communications to monetize the relationship between artists, fans, festivals, venues and brands. Previously, Brian was the general counsel and head of corporate development for two technology start ups as well as a transactional attorney for NBC/Universal.

Rachel Sterne is CEO of GroundReport.com, a global citizen journalism platform that empowers anyone to publish and earn money from original, intelligent reporting. She founded the platform in 2006. Prior to founding GroundReport, Rachel worked in Business Development at peer-to-peer platform LimeWire and as a Political Reporter on the Security Council for the US Mission to the United Nations. Her experience observing political inertia at the UN during the Darfur crisis inspired her to launch GroundReport, a tool that empowers people to share their stories and discover what's really going on in the world. Rachel has discussed GroundReport and citizen journalism for CNNMoney, NBC Universal, The Aspen Institute, The Waldzell Meeting, The American Democracy Institute and dozens of other organizations, and is a regular commentator on FOX Strategy Room. She is a co-founder of the Citizen Journalism Think Tank.

Dan Allen is a NYC-based writer, producer, web designer and humorist. He has appeared on Comedy Central's Premium Blend, is a co-producer of the TimeOut NY's Critic's Pick monthly comedy show ¡Sacapuntas! (http://SacapuntasShow.com) and the weekly podcast In the Tank with Jon Fisch (http://inthetankwithjonfisch.com). He's the creator of FlockOfMullets.com and TaoOfDan.com. He is also writing Kevin Bacon's fictitious biography in the sixth person and the founder of the multimedia company SuperMango Media (http://supermangomedia.com).