Conference Overview

Accelerate the growth of your company with advice from investors, successful entrepreneurs, and industry experts at the 20th Annual Entrepreneurs Conference at the Marriott Anaheim. Times have changed. Learn to adapt with new, "real world" approaches to starting, funding and building your company. Share your perspective with entrepreneurs and investors, and gain insights from them. Dialogue with guest speakers, investors and business owners who share their experience and expertise. Explore questions that challenge all entrepreneurs and owners of growing companies:

• How can I secure funding to start/grow my business?
• What tools would prove beneficial in leading my organization?
• What strategies and tactics should I employ to retain/secure customers?

Rapid changes in our economy demand new approaches to achieve profitability, positive cash flow, and optimum use of skilled employees, directors and advisors. At the Conference, over 60 knowledgeable speakers will address these and other topics in 30 panel sessions.

The 20th Entrepreneurs Conference is presented by the Harvard Business School Association of Orange County to offer small business owners, entrepreneurs, and others the opportunity to expand their skills, make valuable contacts, and gather practical ideas for growing their business.

Who Should Attend

• Entrepreneurs and investors
• Established business owners and managers
• Anyone needing to finance business growth
• Those considering buying, selling, or starting a business
• Professionals providing services to entrepreneurs

An Evening With the Tech Coast Angels

Meet the Tech Coast Angels (TCA) at a walk-around dinner-and-wine, reception followed by the Finals of the 4th Annual TCA Fast Pitch Competition. Entrepreneurs make 50-second funding pitches; judges select the three who win coaching from TCA and presentation sessions with VC firms. This exciting program follows immediately after EC2004; register for both this and EC2004 and receive a discount.

Lunch Keynote Speaker
Ted Waitt
Chairman and Founder, Gateway

Ted Waitt, 40, serves as Chairman and Founder of Gateway, Inc, which is based in Poway, California. The company had revenue of $3.4 billion in the fiscal year ended December 31, 2003, and currently has more than 3,500 employees as of May, 2004.

The son of a fourth-generation Iowa cattleman, Waitt co-founded Gateway on his family's farm in 1985 with a $10,000 loan secured by his grandmother. Under his leadership, the company has grown from $100,000 of revenue in its first year to a Fortune 500 company that is America's second most admired computer company, according to Fortune magazine.

Morning Keynote Speaker
Henry Juszkiewicz
Chairman and CEO, Gibson Guitar Corp.

In 1986, Juszkiewicz and his partners acquired the faltering Gibson guitar operation from the Norlin corporation. Juszkiewicz's aggressive management style effected an immediate turnaround, and Gibson became profitable within a month's time. With creative and innovative marketing tactics he concentrated on the consumer rather than the retailer - a reflection of his personal experience as a guitar player. Refocusing the company on achieving the highest possible standards of quality and customer service, he drove Gibson from the brink of closing to a company that has regained worldwide respect with annual average growth of 20 percent over the last decade.

Want to see video snippets of previous year's Entrepreneurs Conference?  Click below:

Donna Dubinsky keynote speech excerpt Interviews of three attendees Interviews of three exhibitors Investment panel discussion excerpt