< Back
SEÁN SEBASTIAN FROM BIRCHMERE VENTURES
TO CHAIR EARLY STAGE EAST 2006
VENTURE CAPITAL CONFERENCE
Wilmington, DE- Seán Sebastian, partner, Birchmere Ventures will serve as co-chair for the ninth annual Early Stage East Venture Capital Conference to be held on May 8 th & 9 th, 2006. Mr. Sebastian has served on Early Stage East’s selection committee in previous years. He will work with co-chair, Joshua Grotstein, managing partner for SAS Investors, to champion venture opportunities for investors and entrepreneurs on the East Coast.
Mr. Sebastian is responsible for sourcing and evaluating venture capital opportunities primarily in the technology sector. He is actively involved in the development and growth of numerous area businesses, serving as a past or current director/observer of CyOptics, FreeMarkets (sold to Ariba), Precision Therapeutics, Eximias Pharmaceuticals, MediaSite (sold to Sonic Foundry), NeoLinear (sold to Cadence Design Systems), and Safeguard Interactive (sold to Storage Technologies). Mr. Sebastian has over 20 years of experience in technology commercialization, management consulting, systems integration, and financial services. Prior to founding Birchmere Ventures, he directed artificial intelligence commercialization activities at General Electric Information Services; he was previously an applied artificial intelligence systems consultant with American Management Systems. Mr. Sebastian also serves on the Pittsburgh Technology Council’s executive committee and is past president of the Pittsburgh Venture Capital Association.
The ESE 2006 Venture Conference will be held at the DuPont Country Club and Brantwyn Estate on May 8 th & 9 th. Mr. Sebastian said, “ As Mid-Atlantic early stage investors, Birchmere has long considered Early Stage East a ‘must attend’ conference, and I’m honored to serve as co-chair of this great event.”
On Monday, May 8th, ESE welcomes attendees to our day of athletics to include a golf outing, tennis tournament, and competition lawn bowling. It’s a great way to network in a relaxed and fun environment. Attendees will kick-off the conference that evening at a lavish networking reception hosted at the Brantwyn Estate, a former DuPont family residence. On Tuesday, May 9 th, the conference will include presentations from the most innovative early stage companies on the East Coast, panel presentations, exhibits, and networking!
Traditionally, the conference features start-up companies focused on information technology, enterprise software and internet technology. This year, companies specializing in chemicals and advanced materials, manufacturing technology, nanotechnology, medical instruments and devices, industrial biotechnology and electronic materials are also encouraged to apply.
ESE 2006 brings the annual conference back to Delaware, a prime location in the central region of Early Stage East’s geographic footprint which extends from the Carolinas to New England.
Apply to present at the conference or register to attend at www.earlystageeast.org. The deadline to apply is March 15.
Sponsorships are still available, but selling out quickly. Learn more about sponsorship opportunities by contacting the Early Stage East office as soon as possible at 302-777-2460 or [email protected].
About Birchmere Ventures
With more than $160 million under management, Birchmere Ventures has a successful track record of investing in and building early-stage technology and life sciences companies. We focus principally on early stage, pre-revenue start-ups where we have direct operational or investing experience. We prefer to lead syndicated deals with other institutional investors. Industries that we target include:
- Advanced Technologies
- Software
- Communications
- System Components
- Drug Discovery/Improvement Platforms
- Biopharmaceuticals
- Medical Devices
- Diagnostics
To ensure that each of our companies gets the attention that it needs, we limit the number of board seats each partners holds. This strategy ensures that each company gets the attention it deserves.
About Early Stage East
Early Stage East is an organization dedicated to seeing early stage companies grow and succeed. Early Stage East was founded in 1998 as a non-profit organization and has grown from a single-day venture capital fair to a year-round series of events to include venture conference and entrepreneurial education programs. Our events showcase entrepreneurs from up and down the East Coast in order for them to effectively obtain venture capital and successfully start break-away businesses. Early Stage East is geographically the largest venture conference specifically for early stage companies. Companies that have participated in Early Stage East events have gone on to raise over $600 million in institutional funding.
|