Every month, a small group of industry experts donates their time to helping out at Mass Innovation Nights.  You’ll find them in the Cafe, with a seat just for you.  Stop by and get your business questions answered!  Here’s who is joining us this month!

Janet Morgenstern Passani, MBA, has 20 years of marketing management experience specializing in consumer food and lifestyle brands. She has worked with major U.S. and international brands including Smartfoods (now part of PepsiCo), Stride Rite, and Nelsons Bach (based in UK), and was part of the management team for a national natural foods company. Janet is a strategic marketer with a creative twist and expertise in new product launches, marketing communications, and consumer outreach.   As founder of Jute Marketing, Janet launches and grows brands and initiatives committed to healthy, natural living. With two decades of natural products industry experience, she knows the eco-living marketplace – the trends, key players, and challenges. Janet Morgenstern Passani is also founder of BostonEco, a networking community and event series focused on furthering local, sustainable, and environmental ideas in Boston and beyond.

Rama Nandiwada, Founder & President if IT Shore, holds an M.B.A. from Babson and an Masters in Computer Applications from a top Indian technical university (R.E.C, Warangal). Rama has over a decade of experience managing outsourcing projects for major companies, including Wipro, Satyam and Virtusa, both from a consultant and client perspective. She has managed global teams from the U.S., India, and Europe, and possesses extensive experience in application development, quality assurance, strategic business consulting, and human resources management. Her work spans many industries, including but not limited to finance, education, food-oriented companies and retailing; many technologies from e-commerce to storage and CRM to mobile technology.  Rama launched IT Shore in order to bring a more personal, hands-on approach to the global sourcing market. Her vision is to provide services that go well beyond traditional outsourcing; IT Shore’s personnel can form a true partnership with clients to meet and exceed business goals.

Jessica Manganello, New Leaf Legal, is a corporate attorney and legal structuring guru.  She excels at designing initial corporate structuring and expansion plans as well as developing exit strategies and preparing entrepreneurs for their next venture.

Catharine Arnston, AKA “The Naughty Nutritionist” holds an MBA from The Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario, Canada, a BA from Queen’s University, Kingston Ontario and an Arts Management Certificate from the Banff School of Fine Arts, Banff Alberta. She is also a Reiki Master. Catharine attended The Institute for Integrative Nutrition/SUNY in New York City and graduated in July 2009 with a certificate in Holistic Health Coaching. During Catharine’s twenty years experience in strategic partnerships, branding, marketing, product launches, and online-retail she has been a Commercial Attache for the Canadian Government and British Government, a Fund Raiser for Vancouver Playhouse and Toronto Free Theatre (now Center Stage),   the Publisher of Design Times, an upscale national interior design magazine, and a founder of three companies including Hoteluxury, YourInteriors and Stealthealth.   Catharine was born in Toronto, Canada and lives in Boston MA. She is having a blast with her new life as The Naughty Nutritionist and is ready to share her fun and vitality with everyone she meets. Are you ready? If so, let’s get naughty and healthy together!

Jay Burstein, CPA, Accounting Management Solutions, Inc. (AMS), is an executive with over 25 years of financial and operating experience in a variety of industries. He has an extensive background in building corporate infrastructures covering all aspects of finance, accounting, IT and administration. In addition, his experience includes M&A, risk management, strategic planning, and system conversions.

While at AMS, Jay has performed and managed Sarbanes-Oxley compliance projects, has overseen CFO and Controller service engagements and performed and managed special projects for clients in varying industries ranging from several million dollars to over $1 billion in revenues, including a local wholesale bakery specializing in artisan breads. In addition, Jay has taken a lead role in developing and training staff on the AMS Rapid Diagnostic(TM), a comprehensive tool designed to assess the health of an organization’s finance and accounting systems.  He has managed and performed many such engagements for both nonprofit and for-profit clients.

Before joining AMS, Jay served as an independent financial consultant, assisting clients with Sarbanes-Oxley implementation and a variety of other needs including private equity accounting, financial analysis, and interim CFO services. Prior to consulting, Jay served in Controller, CFO and COO capacities for businesses including an $8 million venture backed services and technology startup, a $150 million financial services  subsidiary of State Street Bank and a  $220 million mutual fund and bank services operating unit of First Data Corporation.  Jay received his BA degree in English Literature from Brandeis University and an MBA in accounting and finance from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management. He is a CPA in Massachusetts.

Our Experts Corner is a great resource for start-ups, entrepreneurs and innovators who work with more established companies.  Sign-up for time (Wednesday, February 17  10, #MIN11) with one or more of our experts on-site. (Note: Due to the schedule change, we’ve changed the line-up a bit.)

• Larry Begley, 406 Ventures — Co-Founder and Managing Director.  Larry brings 30 years of senior executive management, finance, and operational experience in technology and services industries. Prior to founding .406, Larry served on the board of 14 companies, including 5 public and 9 venture-backed companies. Larry is on the board of portfolio companies Ambient Devices, ChosenSecurity, Optaros, RatePoint, Mashery, and ThingMagic. Prior to founding .406, Larry served initially as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and then as a Director of CCBN.com, which facilitated online communication between public companies and the investment community, where he played a major role in the company’s sale to Thomson Financial for $150 million. Prior to that, he was Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of i-Cube and Razorfish, where he oversaw revenue growth from $9 million to $41 million in three years, awarding the i-Cube IPO “Massachusetts IPO of 1998” and the company’s ultimate sale to Razorfish for $1.8 billion in 1999 . From 1988 to 1996 Larry served as Partner, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of The Boston Consulting Group. He holds an MBA-Finance from Babson College and a BSBA-Accounting from Boston College.

• Andy Zimmerman, Brainshark,  VP of Business Development, is responsible for developing and managing strategic partnerships and programs at Brainshark, the leading software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution provider for on-demand presentations.  Most recently, Andy played a leadership role in the launch of myBrainshark.com, a free version of Brainshark’s software that allows users to create, share and track on-demand, multimedia presentations. While myBrainshark was being developed, Andy became acutely aware of the need for businesses and individuals to deliver impactful, far-reaching messages at zero cost. At a time when it takes an average of 100 phone calls to book one sales appointment and when two-thirds of registrants fail to attend live webinars-effective communication tools are critical. Andy can talk to Mass Innovation Night attendees about how to leverage multi-media tools to increase the effectiveness of outreach and prospecting activities, whether it’s to promote your business, your products and services, or your expertise. Prior to Brainshark, Andy launched SaaS offerings for other leading software providers including Theikos (now part of Astadia) and Edocs (now part of Oracle). Andy earned his BA from Brown University and MBA from the Kellogg School at Northwestern University.

• Coleby Mantz, Jetty Marketing,  Marketing Strategies for Start-ups:  A long-time marketing professional, Coleby has extensive experience in both corporate and agency marketing environments and has held leadership roles at Parametric Technology (PTC), Tech Pak, and Aviva Labs. She has also worked as an outsourced marketing professional for companies such as Applix (now IBM), Crossbeam Systems, and Progress Software. As the Founder of Jetty Marketing, she has worked with various tech start-ups including matchmine, mobile.messaging.solutions (formerly part of VeriSign), and PODi, in addition to working with more established technology companies. Her company has also helped start-ups outside the technology arena with everything from marketing strategy, planning and budgeting, to campaign development and execution. From start-ups to large, global companies, Coleby has helped businesses achieve their marketing objectives. Coleby holds a BA in sociology from the University of Vermont and graduated cum laude from the F.W. Olin School of Business at Babson College where she received her MBA.

• Steve Garfield is author of the book Get Seen: Online Video Secrets for Building Your Business and is founder of Boston Media Makers. Garfield works with and advises Fortune 500 brands such as AT&T, Kodak, Nokia, and Panasonic, and media outlets including CBS, NBC and PBS. Nationally featured on CNN, Garfield is the Boston correspondent for the pioneering video podcast “Rocketboom” and a longtime video blogging expert. He lectures on new media at Boston University, Northeastern and Emerson College.  Garfield  also serves as an advisor to many of the Web’s early video startups.

Our January Experts Corner offers all kinds of great resources!  What questions do you need answered? What didn’t you find under your tree in December? (More coming too.)

Paul D. Sorkin, Weingarten, Schurgin, Gagnebin & Lebovici LLP, has been a practicing patent attorney for over 16 years and was an electrical engineer for 8 years before that.  He can talk, generally, regarding plans for protecting ideas with patents, copyright, trade secret, trademark, etc., as well as issues regarding licensing and ownership.

Bill Scher is with Adventus/Sandler, a global sales training and professional development consulting firm.  He has spent over 25 years in sales and sales management. Bill’s areas of expertise are training around helping emerging companies with new business development; shortening sales cycles, relationship building and defining sales process. Bill comes to Sandler from the technology sector, where for the last 10 years, he held Regional Sales and Channel Account management positions with some of the nation’s leading enterprise IT systems and security software vendors and  partners such as Software Spectrum, NAI Solutions, Symantec, and Open Channel Solutions. His clients included Fortune 500 companies in verticals of finance, healthcare, software, bio tech, education, state and local government. Bill has been utilizing Sandler Sales methodology his entire career. During that time, Bill has attained, Business Dev Rep of the Year, President’s Club, has been awarded Sales Star of the Year, and the Symantec Extra Mile Award. Early in his career, Bill held executive sales and finance management positions with leading automotive retailers in New England including Toyota, and Volvo.

Andy Komack is founder and President of KoMarketing Associates, LLC, an online marketing agency focused on providing the B2B community with Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Pay Per Click Advertising (PPC), & Social Media Marketing services.  Andy has been building online marketing strategies for clients since 1999. He has worked with many well-known brands including Hallmark, HP, & John Deere, as well as many established and growing technology and manufacturing companies.  Working in the disciplines of Search Engine Optimization, Search Engine Advertising, and Social Media Marketing, Andy’s approach is to combine business strategy, creative energy, and a focus on defining & measuring the ROI of online marketing initiatives.

Inbound Marketing Content-where to start? Confused about inbound marketing content?  Meet with Kelley Kassa of Midnight Oil Writing to discuss what you currently have and what you really need.  Inbound marketing content is not just for large companies; the key is to determine what will make a difference while meeting budget requirements.

About Kelley:  Kelley Lynn Kassa’s foray into professional writing began as a 12-year old, when she won a statewide contest and cash prize for her non-fiction work. Since then, she has gone on to a successful career as a corporate writer, marketer and public relations executive, working with many high-profile companies, including IBM, eHarmony and others. In addition to her ghost-written work for her clients, which have appeared in numerous business and trade magazines, Kelley has been profiled in the Boston Globe, Complete Woman magazine, Boston Irish Reporter, and the Irish Emigrant.

Connie Wright is Managing Director, Business Solutions for Accounting Management Solutions, Inc. This group focuses on public, private and emerging businesses, with a concentration in the technology and life sciences arena.

As an expert on internal control and process improvement, including Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) and SAS 115, Wright also leads the firm’s mergers, acquisition and IPO practice, having helped develop the AMS Rapid Diagnostic(TM), versions of which are used to prepare organizations for exit. Since she has worked on both the buy and sell side, Wright is able to help deliver an organization that is better prepared for a transaction, allowing deals to close faster and more efficiently.

Wright joined AMS in 2004 from The Resources Connection (Nasdaq: RECN), a professional services firm she was instrumental in establishing while at Deloitte & Touche. She also opened the firm’s Boston office where she served as the managing director and built its New England practice to more than $10 million in annual sales. Previously, Wright held various positions at Deloitte & Touche, including, senior manager of the company’s audit practice, working with clients in both the United States and Germany.

Wright is also an in-demand speaker, addressing various groups with insightful discussions on topics such as:

• Internal controls for small and medium-sized businesses
• Mergers, acquisitions and IPOs
• Finance process improvement

When you attend Mass Innovation Nights, we also make sure you have access to a variety of business experts who will sit down with you to discuss your business, innovation or career needs.  Take a few moments to meet just a few of them (we have a few more folks to confirm and will add them to the list over the next few days).

• Jim Connolly, managing editor of Mass High Tech, will be joining us in the December Expert’s Corner.    MHT specializes in covering the region’s incubation of next generation technologies and the people and companies behind our innovation economy.  New England’s technology and life sciences executives and engineers rely on MHT to track the pulse of local market forces, to identify new trends, detect emerging competition and uncover new opportunities.  As an information resources company serving the needs of influencers working throughout New England’s innovation economy, MHT is responsible for a bi-weekly print product on alternating Wednesdays,  a website, daily and weekly e-mail newsletters,  online and print technology company directories and several networking/educational events, including the quarterly Forum Series, the MHT All-Stars and Women to Watch.

• Edward Melia is managing director of Revolve Inc., the first of its kind combination of venture capital, business law, business design/execution, and investment banking services specialized in accelerating the revolution of early stage companies from start-up to exit event.  Revolve’s unique combination of professional services provides high-growth, fast track companies with the resources, services, support, leadership and mentoringthey require at all phases of development – from start-up to exit.  Clients include the best and brightest entrepreneurs and business leaders of the day who are poised to revolutionize industries and create the sector leaders of tomorrow.

• Laura Glynn, partner at Gennari Aronson, LLP, has been advising clients on business and financial strategy and transactions for over 25 years.  Laura Glynn has worked with clients in all stages of growth, from angel-funded and venture-backed early stage companies to multimillion-dollar global enterprises.  She has a particular interest in energy and clean tech.  Laura Glynn has represented investors in multiple wind plants, worked on the project finance and development of natural gas liquefaction plants, spearheaded joint venture agreements among three global energy giants, and coordinated sponsor, equity investments and senior and subordinated debt for iron carbide facilities and steel mills.  In addition, Laura Glynn recently represented a manufacturer in the solar thin film panel industry.  Prior to joining Gennari Aronson, Laura Glynn was a partner at Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP in Boston.  Laura Glynn is an active member and former trustee of the American College of Investment Counsel as well as the Center for Women & Enterprise.  She earned a J.D. from Harvard Law School, cum laude, as well as a B.A. from Brown University, magna cum laude.  Gennari Aronson, LLP, a newly formed law firm, serves innovative companies, entrepreneurs and the investors and venture capital firms that finance them.  Founded by veterans of Boston’s largest law firms, the firm exemplifies the same entrepreneurial spirit that guides many of its clients.  The firm has established a strong network and commitment to the technology, innovation and emerging growth sectors.

• Haven Tyler, vice president program development, Altitude Inc., has twenty years of experience in building successful product innovation programs for clients ranging from fortune 100 companies to regional start ups.  In her twenty year career, she has worked across every marketplace, including consumer electronics, medical, and industrial. Her strengths lie in developing a deep understanding of her clients’ business needs, and compiling appropriate teams for her clients that address their specific challenges. Haven is currently the VP of Program Development at Altitude, an innovation firm based in Somerville. She has held similar positions at IDEO, Design Continuum, and Fitch RS.

• Jim Bourdon, founder, president and CEO of Accounting Management Solutions, Inc. (Waltham, MA) will be available to talk to Mass Innovation Nights guests about founding their own companies and any finance issues they may have.  Bourdon founded AMS in 1998 to provide public, private, emerging and non-profit organizations with part-time and interim access to experienced, knowledgeable finance and accounting professionals.

• Rick Hutton is an expert in strategic business development, tactical sales management and new market/product strategy, in B-B and B-C internet businesses, enterprise software/SaaS businesses.  Rick comes to the Experts Corner from MetaCarta, VideoLink, Lycos, (where  he produced the Lycos’ first live audio concert webcast featuring the Dave Matthews Band),  Eprise Corporation (acquired by Divine), a VC funded start-up software company providing web content management solutions, where he developed and implemented the initial channel sales strategy and InfoCellular, Inc. (acquired by LHS Communications), a start-up software company providing customer acquisition systems to wireless carriers, where he was responsible for the company’s operations and revenue streams. Under his leadership, InfoCellular became the leading provider of sales automation solutions to U.S. wireless carriers with revenue and profit growth for 18 consecutive quarters. Rick also founded two small businesses, in manufacturing and distribution, and holds a BS in Engineering Technology from Wentworth Institute of Technology.

In October we held our first Experts Corner and can declare it a rousing success.  (Of course, you know we’ll be tweaking the format but overall, the offer to talk one-on-one with various experts was greeted with great enthusiasm.)  We’re going to keep it going.  This is your opportunity to ask experts in a variety of different areas, specific questions.   Of course, one of the best things about MassInno is that you find yourself surrounded by experts all evening.  Just ask!

And, thanks again to our “hosts” Navisite for onsite refreshments and CHEN PR is again offering to buy the first round at Biagio’s for the after-party. If you would like to be considered for an expert slot, please use the “Contact Us” form so we can get you on the waiting list for an open slot in your area of expertise.)

The November Expert Class:

Fresh Ground Communications — a new marketing firm with partners Chuck Tanowitz and Todd Van Hoosear at the helm.  Regular Mass Inno attendees will know Chuck who has been a regular “Friend of MassInno” and has previously supervised the demo pit and helped coordinate last month’s Expert’s Corner.  Todd is a founding member and interim director of the Boston Social Media Club.  They will be on hand to help you with your PR and social media challenges.

VC Ready Law is back from last month’s team.  For more information on the organization, check out their website or last month’s description.  (Editorial note:  Ben and Michael have been instrumental in organizing the Experts Corner chats, helping us connect with their VC-ready world and contacts, and working out schedules, as well as advising Dan and Bobbie on the whole starting a company process.  Thanks, guys!)

LaunchCapital is also coming back — they were in such high demand last month!  (Editorial note:  15 minutes probably isn’t really enough time for a full-on pitch but the LC team is open to questions, conversation and connecting.)

We’re adding Silicon Valley Bank to the list.  Pete McDonald is a Relationship Manager with SVB Silicon Valley Bank’s Emerging Technologies practice.  Pete leads SVB’s efforts in New England, providing banking services to hundreds of early-stage technology and life science start-ups.  A majority of his portfolio consists of companies working towards raising their first round of equity.  As part of his role, he acts as a resource for these companies as they begin the fund raising process, including business idea feedback, plan/slide deck review, and insight into the current investment climate.  Pete has been with SVB for over 15 years beginning as an analyst in the Bank’s Boston office and relocating to Virginia as part of the founding team in the Mid-Atlantic region.   Pete moved back to Boston in 2000.

How about an entrepreneurial coach?  Elli St.George Godfrey has always been passionate about supporting people to find a way to be their best. Combining a background in psychology and her work with entrepreneurs, she has developed a 3 Keys model that incorporates where each client is in the entrepreneurial life cycle. It utilizes her clients’ abilities which build on success to propel business and personal growth. By utilizing short-term coaching cycles, Elli and her clients focus on how and who runs the business by integrating the coaching with a process that measures results that can be seen in the bottom line and in each person.

By partnering with her clients, it is easier to take risks, transform organizations, and build successful businesses with accountability as an integral piece. Her clients feel confident in identifying and developing strategies to be more effective leaders, plan more creatively, innovate, and overcome the fears and obstacles that interfere with building their businesses according to their vision.

In the finance department, we are lucky to have Dick Woodrich joining us this month.  Woodrich has more than three decades of senior accounting and financial management experience, having served as Chief Financial Officer, Executive Vice President, and Senior Vice President at a number of life sciences companies.  Before joining his current employer, Accounting Management Solutions, he most recently served as acting CFO for an early-stage, publicly-traded biopharmaceutical company where his accomplishments included managing a $58 million public follow-on offering, disposing of $1.4 million in excess assets, implementing a strategic planning process for information technology, and strengthening the finance and accounting departments.

Earlier, he helped to raise $36 million in venture capital and private equity in a Preferred C round and oversaw the in-licensing of more than 30 patents from government and corporate sources for another company. Richard also had served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for a biopharmaceutical company, as well as President, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and Director for an early stage developer of ophthalmic drugs.  His experience also includes serving as CFO of a telecommunications company where he participated in the turnaround of the company leading to a successful acquisition by a publically-traded high tech company.

Puneet Gangal, Principal at Aciron Consulting is a 14 year technology consulting professional with a major part of his career being with the “Big 4″ consulting firms. He has been providing consulting services in Business Strategy and technology innovation for a variety of clients of all sizes.  Puneet has earned an excellent  reputation in the marketplace with Aciron Consulting, providing advice that helps small businesses take advantage of today’s technology solutions to achieve and sustain growth in a competitive landscape.

So, don’t forget to RSVP now — it’s a great chance to “see and be seen.”  See you soon!

Part of the appeal of Mass Innovation Nights is the more than ample opportunity for networking.  With that in mind, starting in October, we’re adding a new feature to our event.  We’re setting aside a corner of the venue (the back room off the ballroom) for one-on-one conversations with a group of volunteer experts who have committed to helping out our innovators, entrepreneurs and prospective entrepreneurs.

One thing we’ve heard several times is that one thing the Massachusetts innovation community could do better helping out the newcomers.  There seems to be the perception (deserved or not) that we aren’t as free with our advice.  That young entrepreneurs don’t have  a circle of advisers whom they can call upon whenever they need a little guidance.  So, we’re going to create that network at Mass Innovation Nights, at least for some of you.  What do you need help with?

Our October 14 Experts (with thanks of course to the BIG group of people who helped to coordinate this gathering and to the people who have offered to be future experts):

• Teresa Kalinowsky, Accounting Management Solutions, Inc. has more than 20 years of hands-on experience in accounting and finance with in depth knowledge of core business operations and external reporting. Teresa has worked with early stage and publicly traded technology companies providing hands-on support with their financial reporting, budgeting, cash flow analysis, acquisition due diligence and integration analysis.
• VC Ready Law Group helps Boston-area entrepreneurs launch and grow their businesses by providing legal and organizational guidance during the formative early stages of a company’s existence. We draw upon our experience working with dozens of start-up companies and venture capitalists to advise our clients on how to avoid many of the pitfalls start-ups face on their path from formation to obtaining venture capital financing.
• Branko Gerovac, CEO, Video in the Cloud, For over 25 years, Branko has led developments at the forefront of technology and market advances, and regularly produces game changing innovative products across the interplay of computing, communications, and media.  He has held senior executive positions, providing leadership in technology development, business planning, product development, and customer and partner relations.  Previous positions include: Chief Strategy Officer and Founding CEO, Blackwave Inc.; Vice President of Research and Chief Technology Officer, SeaChange Inc.; Associate Director, MIT Research Program on Communications Policy; Visiting Scientist, MIT Media Lab; FCC Advisory Committee on Advanced Television Service (ACATS); Consulting Engineer, Digital Equipment Corporation.
• The Square Roots team at Square 1 Financial, Mark Loranger  — partners with entrepreneurs and their nascent companies to form the foundation of a banking relationship built to last through the full lifecycle of a growth oriented startup. By combining startup-focused banking services with extensive early stage domain expertise, Mark plays a key role in the entrepreneurial ecosystem that drives these young companies towards their development goals and funding objectives.  Square 1 Bank is a full service commercial bank dedicated to providing tailored financial services to venture capital firms and the entrepreneurs that are seeking and have received venture capital investment. Backed by an experienced team, our knowledge and strong capital base provide a solid foundation to support our clients through all stages of growth.  Square 1 is active from coast to coast with offices in ten locations. For more information, we welcome you to our website,  or just give us a call—we’re here with answers.
• LaunchCapital — Heather Onstott and Tom Egan — LaunchCapital is dedicated to seed stage funding for all types of businesses. We combine the dedication, direct experience and organization of a traditional venture capital firm with added flexibility, focus and speed. Our industry agnostic investment approach includes two unique investment vehicles to address funding needs for a range of business models.
• Kevin Kosh — Based in Waltham and providing strategic media and analyst relations services for more than a decade, CHEN PR partners with companies ranging from rapidly growing startups such as Boston-Power and SpaceClaim to established market leaders that include Phase Forward and Sophos.

NaviSite will supply the onsite drinks and ice.  CHEN PR will be sponsoring the after-party at Biagio’s.  We’ll also have the team from the the MIT Enterprise Forum Auto-ID & Sensing Solutions group, who will have a table with info about their upcoming FREE event, the Auto-ID & Sensing Expo – Oct 27th at MIT, our media sponsor, Mass High Tech, AND our team of innovators for the month.