As part of the 2006-2007 Entrepreneurship Seminar Series and Entrepreneurship Challenge, Mr. Schafer will share his experiences in raising public awareness and interest in a new company. He will discuss aggressive advertising and marketing strategies designed to move new firms from obscurity into the mainstream consciousness. He will also discuss ways in which established firms make the leap from well-known to iconic.

Ian Schafer worked at i-traffic, an online agency, where he oversaw all of Disney’s online media planning, buying and creative development. He was also the Vice President of New Media at Miramax/Dimension Films, where he conceived the company’s most popular online campaigns.

He has been featured as an expert in online entertainment advertising and marketing in many agencies, such as iMedia Connection, and on CNN. His work has won numerous awards including a 2001 Golden Marble Award for Best Feature Film Promotion for SPY Kids.

Ian Schafer is also the co-founder of Deep-Focus, a 4-year-old entertainment marketing and promotion agency already working with some of the most well-known companies in entertainment and lifestyle brand such as 20th Century Fox, HBO, Google or Nike. As the CEO of Deep-Focus, Ian was in charge of the advertising of some recent blockbuster films including the Kill Bill franchise.

As part of the 2007 Entrepreneurship Seminar Series and Entrepreneurship Challenge, Marina Severinovksywill share her experiences as a leading member of Digital Mandate, a provider of Discovery Lifecycle Management solutions used for the retention, acquisition, processing, review and production of documentary evidence required by the legal and compliance marketplaces. She will discuss her latest venture and lead an innovation workshop for entrepreneurs.

Edward G. Cape, Ph.D. is the Managing Partner and Founder of the Sapphire Group LLC. As Managing Partner he is responsible for the overall business plan execution and trajectory of the firm, and participates as a senior partner in the investment banking, alternative asset management, healthcare, media, and debt & real estate advisory functions. Prior to the Sapphire Group he was a Healthcare Investment Banker at UBS Warburg, focusing on financings and mergers & acquisitions for companies in the healthcare sector, primarily in the medical technology, biotechnology, and specialty pharmaceutical spaces. Prior to UBS Warburg, he was the Founding Director of the Cardiac Dynamics Laboratory at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh (a research and consulting entity) and a faculty member in the Schools of Engineering and Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. In this capacity he consulted with numerous companies ranging from large-cap companies including Baxter and GE, mid-cap companies such as Acuson (ultimately acquired by Siemens) and ATL (ultimately acquired by Philips), down to biomedical start-ups.

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Mr. Model is responsible for Stonehenge Capital's Early Stage and Start-Up investment activities in New York State. Stonehenge currently has 9 active Early Stage and Start-Up portfolio companies in New York. He has been with the firm since 2001. Mr. Model is currently a board member of Lumetrics and a board observer of Knovel and PixFusion.

Prior to joining Stonehenge, Mr. Model spent 12 years in the retail industry as Founder of a men’s sportswear e-tailer, Vice President and Merchandise Manager of an upscale multi-store apparel retailer in New Jersey and as a graduate of the Macy's Executive Training Program in San Francisco. Mr. Model received his undergraduate degree in Economics from Duke University. He has an MBA with Honors from Columbia Business School in Finance and Technology.

Mr. Model is active in the regional venture investing community, speaking at events sponsored by the Upstate Venture Association of New York (UVANY), the Business Council of New York, YoungStartup Ventures, the Long Island Capital Alliance, the Silicon Alley Entrepreneurs Club and Columbia Business School, and currently serves as a mentor for Columbia Business School’s Lang Fund.

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Lawrence Williamson is a Partner with Urban ReDevelopment Associates, LLC (URA), a boutique real estate development, investment and consulting firm which he established in 1992. Mr. Williamson has 20 years of redevelopment and business start-up experience in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. His experience includes architecture, real estate development (affordable housing, lofts, retail and commercial) and economic development. URA has consulted with several local, state, county agencies, and nonprofit corporations, providing design, development, construction management, program administration, and training services. Projects included the acquisition and redevelopment of Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC) properties, mixed-use (office/retail/residential) redevelopment projects, development of homes and apartments. URA sample clients list includes: National Trust for Historic Preservation, State of North Dakota & the County of Los Angeles. In September of 2006, URA purchased two properties, consisting of 125 units of apartments on 14 acres which are currently under redevelopment in Macon Georgia.

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Experience - Tom has over 30 years of general corporate and commercial experience in such areas as securities and business counseling, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, private financings and domestic and international commercial transactions. His technology and intellectual property transaction practice includes design and development contracts, all types of licensing, equipment and hardware transactions, internet and e-commerce transactions, biotech and medical device matters, outsourcing, government contracts, supply chain and other commercial matters. He also regularly acts as neutral in complex commercial and international mediations and arbitrations.

Leska was formerly a partner with Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison LLP in Palo Alto, California, where he assisted public and private technology companies and investment banks with a variety of corporate transactions. Specifically, Leska has represented sellers and acquirers in numerous merger and acquisition transactions. In addition, he has extensive experience representing issuers and investors in venture capital financings, public offerings, PIPES offerings and other equity financing transactions.

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Overview: On December 7th, CORE will host a panel of analysts and associates from Morgan Stanley who will present some of their research on the tech sector and where they believe it is going in the future. This seminar has relevance because many of our E-Challenge applicants in the past have focused on technological innovation.