Conference Highlights

Keynote Speakers | Venture Capital Showcase | International Reception | ATDC Incubator Tour | Exhibits at SBIR Conference

Keynote Speakers

Start each day out right with inspiring and educational keynote addresses. These speakers will prove that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Della Clark
Monday, April 26, 8 a.m.

Della Clark is a leader and innovator in the field of business incubation with her fingers on the pulse of economic development and entrepreneurship. As president of The Enterprise Center, NBIA’s 1999 Incubator of the Year, Clark directs an award-winning program that provides minority entrepreneurs with the professional skills, resources and opportunities they need to generate businesses in its West Philadelphia neighborhood. During her 10-year tenure, Clark has developed a plan for the nation’s first urban entrepreneurial center, which will include a campus, a model technical assistance program and a venture fund. Clark received the African-American Leaders Award from the Philadelphia Tribune, and in March 2000 was named one of the 25 Influential Black Women in Business by Network Journal, a national business publication.

Charles Brewer
Tuesday, April 27, 8 a.m.

Charles Brewer is an experienced entrepreneur, most notably serving as founder and CEO of MindSpring Enterprises. After starting in 1994 at host incubator ATDC, MindSpring grew to be one of the largest Internet service providers in the country, servicing 1.3 million customers nationwide. The company consistently won praise for having the highest quality service and customer satisfaction in the industry before merging with Earthlink in 2000 to create the second largest Internet provider in the country. Brewer currently serves as founder and chairman of Green Street Properties LLC, a real estate development company dedicated to creating healthy, livable communities. Green Street Properties focuses on relating projects to their surroundings to create environmentally sound urban environments. Brewer is a great example of a successful entrepreneur, and MindSpring is a testament to ATDC’s work to develop new enterprises.

NBIA Incubation Awards Luncheon

Monday, April 26, noon – 2 p.m.
Capitol Ballroom

Join us at this luncheon for the annual NBIA Incubation Awards ceremony. NBIA will announce the winners of this year’s hard-won honors: Incubator of the Year, Outstanding Incubator Client, Outstanding Incubator Graduate, the Incubator Innovation Award and the Randall M. Whaley Incubator of the Year. Sponsors of this year’s NBIA Incubation Awards are the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and Turnstone, a Steelcase company.

Venture Capital Showcase Luncheon

Tuesday, April 27, noon - 2 p.m.

Watch real-life incubator clients pitch their companies to a panel of Atlanta venture capital professionals. Three Atlanta-area entrepreneurs will do their best to convince the venture capitalists that they are the best company to fund. Listen as the VCs provide feedback and strategy suggestions to each company to help them improve their pitches and increase their chances of getting funded. The Venture Capital Forum is a great chance to learn from the experts and take home some tips to provide prospective clients. Find out what VCs look for and learn how to prepare your clients to get the funding they need.

International Reception

Tuesday, April 27, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

The International Reception will have a global flair as conference attendees from around the world relax and enjoy a familiar product at the World of Coca-Cola. The museum, located in a three-story pavilion adjacent to Underground Atlanta, encompasses the rich history and progress of Coca-Cola, an entrepreneurial success story that began in Atlanta more than 110 years ago. First served at a small pharmacy soda fountain near Underground Atlanta, Coca-Cola is now available in more than 200 countries. Worldwide, the soft drink is served nearly 1 billion times a day.

Through its exhibits and unique architectural style, the World of Coca-Cola will introduce attendees to many facets of the world-famous product. Visit the late 1930s Barnes Soda Fountain, where an old-fashioned soda jerk will demonstrate how an early Coca-Cola was prepared. Move ahead into the International Video Lounge and experience Tastes of the World, an international sampler of soft drinks distributed by The Coca-Cola Company but not available in the United States. Don’t miss this opportunity to network with colleagues from around the world as you learn more about one of the world’s great business successes.

ATDC Incubator Tour

Monday, April 26, 4 - 6 p.m.

If you want to see a high-impact incubator in action, be sure to visit the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), Conference 2004 host and 1996 Randall M. Whaley Incubator of the Year award winner. Join us as we travel by bus to Midtown Atlanta to visit two of ATDC’s top-notch locations, including its newest facility at Technology Square and the nearby ATDC Bioscience Center. At each site, you will have a chance to hear from incubator staff and clients and take a brief tour of the facilities. Don’t miss this chance for a peek into two top incubator facilities!

ATDC at Technology Square
In the fall of 2003, ATDC opened a first-class entrepreneur facility in Midtown Atlanta, adjacent to Georgia Tech’s new Technology Square Campus. This new facility allows ATDC to offer an unprecedented level of services in one of Atlanta’s most prestigious locations for technology companies. ATDC provides strategic business advice and connects its companies to the people and resources they need to succeed. In addition, the new facilities enhance the strong entrepreneurial community with common-use areas designed to encourage networking and informal interaction.

Over the past 20 years, more than 100 companies have emerged from ATDC, including publicly traded Internet provider MindSpring — now Earthlink. Currently more than 25 early-stage companies reside and grow at ATDC.

On the tour of ATDC at Technology Square, you will see first-class business facilities, including board and conference rooms, break areas, and the entrepreneurs’ library. Via an on-site ISP, ATDC offers companies plug & play voice, Internet and data services, as well as collocation and Web hosting. ATDC client companies also have access to unique research support services at Georgia Tech.

ATDC Bioscience Center
The ATDC Bioscience Center offers a broad spectrum of services to help start-up and early-stage bioscience companies progress through the continuum of research, development, manufacturing and commercialization. Housed within the Ford Environmental Science and Technology Building, the Bioscience Center is at the heart of a growing bioscience infrastructure on the Georgia Tech campus.

The Bioscience Center boasts state-of-the-art individual and shared laboratory spaces, access to shared equipment, and individual water systems that are essential for building a successful biotech company. The Bioscience Center also offers clients office space; common-use areas, including conference rooms and a business center; and voice, Internet and data services.

Exhibits at SBIR Conference

Wednesday, April 28 and Thursday, April 29

NBIA registrants interested in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs will have the opportunity to visit the Small Business Tech Expo at the 2004 SBIR/STTR Conference, April 26-29 at the Hilton Atlanta. The Expo, which wil take place April 28 – 29, will provide small businesses, service providers and potential partners an opportunity to network and exchange information. Visit http://www.sbirworld.com/ga/sbte.asp for more information about the Small Business Tech Expo and the SBIR conference.