Kurt Petersen, PhD | Member of the Silicon Valley Band of Angels

Abstract: It is obviously important and even crucial that the founders of a new start-up company thoroughly understand the technology and the market for their products, as well as how their products will be manufactured, and the supply chain associated with manufacturing. It may not be immediately obvious, however, that the founders also need to thoroughly understand what their potential investors are looking for. Clearly, investors are looking for a return on their investment, but in order to improve their chances of getting a return, there are many features of the new company and the team which investors closely and carefully scrutinize. This talk will focus on what those features are. What aspects of your company do investors consider crucial and which aspects will increase your potential for securing funding? Also, there are several types of investors, individual angels, angel groups, strategic corporate investors, and venture capitalists. Each of these groups have different motivations and agendas which drive their decisions. When founders genuinely comprehend what investors like to see in their portfolio companies, they will not only find it easier to obtain funding, but their chances of being commercially successful will also be enhanced.

Bio: Kurt Petersen received his BS degree cum laude in EE from UC Berkeley in 1970 and a PhD in EE from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1975.  Dr. Petersen established a micromachining research group at IBM from 1975 to 1982, publishing the most frequently referenced work in the field of micromachining and micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS). Since 1982, Dr. Petersen has co-founded six companies in MEMS technology. In 2011, he joined the Silicon Valley Band of Angels, where he now co-chairs the HardTech group. The Band is an angel investment group which mentors and invests in early stage, high-tech, start-up companies. Dr. Petersen has published over 100 papers and has been granted over 35 patents in the field of MEMS.  He was awarded the prestigious IEEE Medal of Honor in 2019 as well as the IEEE Simon Ramo Medal in 2001 for his contributions to MEMS.  Dr. Petersen is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and is a Life Fellow of the IEEE in recognition of his contributions to “the commercialization of MEMS technology”.

Access the Lecture at: https://tinyurl.com/NNCIinnovateNANO