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Contact: Kerry McGagin
KMA Communications
310.258.9801
kerry@kmacommunications.com
Keith Krach and Jesse Berst to Speak at INNOVATE
Voyager Capital's Biannual Thought Leadership Series for Top Pacific Northwest Executives
SEATTLE, WA- November 15, 2004 - Voyager Capital, a leading Pacific Northwest information technology venture firm, along with co-sponsors Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Comerica, Deloitte, Gartner, KPMG, MSA, and Silicon Valley Bank, will host INNOVATE, the second of its biannual thought leadership series, on Wednesday, December 1st at the Science Fiction Museum at EMP in Seattle. The event brings together top technology executives and investors to share insights, network, and explore relevant industry topics. Keith Krach, co-founder and former CEO of Ariba will deliver the keynote address, "Building A High Performance Team". In addition, Jesse Berst, President of the Center for SmartEnergy and internationally known technology writer and analyst for PC Week, Computerworld and ZDNet AnchorDesk, will emcee the event and offer his predictions for the technology industry in 2005.
Mr. Krach will address how to build a high performance management team during periods of growth. As Chairman of the Board and CEO for over five years of Ariba's history, he grew the company from a start-up to annual revenues of over $500 million, becoming one of the fastest growing software companies in history. After earning a bachelors of science degree in industrial engineering from Purdue and an MBA from Harvard, Krach spent ten years with General Motors (GM), and became their youngest-ever Vice President, leading GM's robotics operations. Krach then joined as Chief Operating Officer at Rasna Corporation, a rapidly growing software company that was sold in 1995 for $500 million. He became the first entrepreneur-in-residence at Benchmark Capital and in 1996 formed the team to start Ariba. In 2000, he was presented with the Technology Pioneer Award at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland and named National Entrepreneur of the Year in recognition for his accomplishments in eBusiness.
"At Voyager, we provide entrepreneurs the resources, experience, and connections needed to build successful companies. Through INNOVATE, we have created a forum for Pacific Northwest entrepreneurs to access leaders in the technology community to learn from their success stories with the goal of furthering business growth in the region," remarked Bill McAleer, managing partner at Voyager Capital.
In March 2004, Voyager hosted its inaugural INNOVATE series at Benaroya Hall. Mark Leslie, chairman, president and CEO at Veritas, the third largest software company in the world, was the keynote speaker and presented a talk to over two hundred of the Pacific Northwest's top executives on the steps it takes to build a successful company. To learn more about the INNOVATE series, visit http://www.voyagercapital.com/news/events.htm
About Voyager Capital
Voyager Capital is a leading Pacific Northwest information technology venture capital firm, providing entrepreneurs with the resources, experience, and connections to build successful companies. Voyager invests primarily in early stage business software and services, mobility, digital media and infrastructure companies, where the firm's domain expertise, team-building track record and go-to-market resources help build market leaders. Voyager Capital has $265M under management with offices in Seattle, WA and on Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park, CA. For more information, visit Voyager's web site at www.voyagercapital.com or telephone (206) 438-1800.
