The headline tech conference of the Forward Festival, the Forward Technology Conference (FTC) is geared toward startup founders, tech geeks, and those wanting to build successful technology companies. Whether you’re thinking about launching a startup business or you’re an experienced entrepreneur, you’ll find this conference relevant and insightful.
The 2017 Forward Technology Conference is by entrepreneurs, for entrepreneurs. You'll get real perspective from tech startup leaders who are actually in the trenches building successful companies. You'll hear everything from best practices to war stories, and you'll walk away with real concrete learnings and actionables - not high level generalizations about broad topics.
FTC is part of the new Forward Summit, which brings together several new and returning Forward Fest events. Over 400 people at six+ events by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs, all in UW's beautiful Memorial Union, all on one day.
Also included with your FTC registration:
The Forward Festival Startup Showcase will feature 5 minute presentations from 5 emerging startup companies, as well as 1 minute updates from 20+ alumni startups who have presented in prior years.
A Terrace Reception featuring beverages and hors d'oeuvres will cap off the day.
Building a successful remote workplace is paramount for nearly all tech startup companies. You’ll hear from startup leaders about their company's remote culture, what works and how, and what isn't working and why. This is focused on how to setup and build a successful remote workplace, including applicable best practices, processes, and remote "tech stacks” to facilitate remote teams.
Through a series of intimate Fireside Chats and AMA-style discussions, you’ll hear directly from veteran startup founders who will take a deep dive into how to structure funding through the different stages of a company, how to choose the right investors, and how to build a company that is setup for success (and an exit).
A high energy pitch night and reception showcasing the Madison startup ecosystem. Admission included with your FTC registration!
More info: here
Location: Shannon Hall (1st Floor)
Leah Roe will begin this session by explaining what being remote means, how you can do it at your company, why it is the foundation of healthfinch's culture, the challenges they face and how they are overcoming them, how they maximize engagement with their remote teams, and why being remote-first is paramount for healthfinch.
Panelists will speak on their company's remote culture, what works and how, and what isn't working and why. This panel is focused on how to setup and enable a remote workplace (ie: for those that need to build a remote team and how to do that). Including applicable best practices, processes, and remote "tech" stacks you use to facilitate your remote teams.
Laura Strong will provide an overview of the current Madison funding landscape, how it has evolved over the last few years, and how Madison compares to other cities across the nation.
Exiting a company is more than just the amount of funds raised. Laura will address how funding is not the only metric that matters, where the Madison ecosystem is at, and where it needs to get to for it to be a fully healthy startup ecosystem.
How to structure funding through the different stages of your company
Luella, Anurag, and Matt will discuss how to structure funding, including exploring newer types of funding structures (besides VC and Angels) such as convertible notes, debt, crowdfunding, etc. And will also talk about different business stage funding and when to seek different sources.
How to Choose the Right Investors and the Path to an Exit
Toni, Justin, and Mark will discuss how to pick and evaluate investors to find the right fit for your company. They'll discuss toipcs such as what investor metrics should you look for, how do you define success vs. how your investors define success, how do the investors you choose impact your path to exit, and how to build a company that is setup for success (and an exit).
Ashley Powell - App Development 101: From your vision to MVP
Everything you need to know, didn't ask, or hadn't thought to consider about app development.
Taylor Fahey - Magnifying Product Success
How a small team of UW engineers turned their idea for a color 3D printer into a marketable product that was acquired by Makerbot.
Jason Weaver - The Do's and Don'ts of Launching a Software Company
From the back of a napkin to a funded company, hear the highs and lows from an serial entrepreneur.
