Deja vu
Stopped by for a Deloitte-sponsored conference this morning on "Building Successful Early-Stage Companies". This was my first such event in over a year since the dotcom implosion and I'm so glad. Do organizers and/or panelists really believe that they can tell entrepreneurs how to be successful?
I got to the Sofitel Hotel across from Oracle, three hours after it started and an hour before it was to end. As I entered the packed, very large conference room, one panelist was using her spot -- on the panel about CEOs and Boards or something -- to promote her startup. I walked out.
Before I could leave I ran into several old faces from my previous lives in the lobby. Azhar Khan who founded Cubus that was acquired by Bidcom that was acquired by Citadon. Hmm, did I get that all correct? Ravi Chirovulu who seems to be one of those rare VCs who'll tell an entrepreneur like it is rather than keeping him/her hanging. Chris Gulker who was our incredible wise and supportive friend at Apple and is now at Ventanis. Shankar Hemmady who regaled us with stories about bozo dotcom CEOs who will never get a job in the Valley again. And, yes, he named names!