Victoria Ransom is one of our speakers at BizTechDay Seattle and is the co-founder and CEO of Wildfire Interactive. We thought the product was cool and wanted to try it out for ourselves!

Below are the links to the contests, apply ASAP because time is running out on this opportunity.

Facebook:

For Seattle
http://apps.facebook.com/sweepstakeshq/contests/50848

For New York
http://apps.facebook.com/sweepstakeshq/contests/58704

Twitter

For Seattle

http://wildfireapp.com/twitter/233/contests/50848

For New York

http://wildfireapp.com/twitter/233/contests/58704

Bill Wixey is an Emmy-award winning TV news anchor and reporter. A Seattle native, Bill has utilized social media to engage viewers in an entirely new way. In addition, Bill has helped raise great awareness for his causes through social media, and as a result, was voted 2009 Western Washington Man of the Year in Seattle Magazine’s annual “Best of Western Washington” poll.

Bill will teach you how companies should pitch to the media to propel your brand, launch a product, get attention from the media, what you should and should not do when pitching to media outlets, and how to craft your stories and soundbite that worth talking about.

Click here to see the full topic of Bill’s and all of the speakers at BizTechDay Seattle and Register now because tickets for her talk are going fast.

We’re super excited to have Dan joins us at BizTechDay New York happening on September 24^th, 2010.

Dan is also the author of  Me 20 and was recently named INC Magazine 30 Under 30 entrepreneurs. Dan has been cited in over 300 media outlets including Details Magazine, USA today, and NPR.

At BizTechDay New York, Dan will share his stories and ideas on how to build remarkable brand and market your business on social media. We think he probably knows a few things on this front.

Click here to see the full topic of his and all of the speakers at BizTechDay New York and Register Now because tickets for his talk are going fast.

How do you differentiate yourself in an incredibly crowded market competing against the largest corporations in the entire world?

We are proud to introduce Joe Whinney the founder of Theo Chocolate. Joe pioneered the organic cocoa and chocolate market into the US in the early 90’s. Many years later, Theo Chocolate is the culmination of Joe’s experiences working with cacao farmers and his expertise in navigating the economics of cocoa and chocolate manufacturing from beans to finished confections. Joe’s dedication to the fundamental principle that there is no luxury in products that benefit us today, while depleting the resources of future generations is at the core of Theo’s mission and vision as a company.

Come here Joe talk about how to compete head to head mega corporations and the lessons he has learned growing his company from the ground up without funding.

Click here to see the full topic of Joe’s and all of the speakers at BizTechDay Seattleand Register now because tickets for her talk are going fast.

In this video, Simon discusses:

• Most organizations communicate from the outside in and communicate the what and the how
• Inspiring leaders communicate from the inside out – the why
• How Apple, Martin Luther King, and the Wright brothers inspire people?
• The concept of the Golden Circle – Why, how, what

Who is Simon Sinek?
Simon Sinek released the book “Start With Why” — a synopsis of the theory he has begun using to teach others how to become effective leaders and inspire change. Beginning as a student in anthropology, Simon Sinek turned his fascination with people into a career of convincing people to do what inspires them. His earliest work was in advertising, moving on to start Sinek Partners in 2002, but he suddenly lost his passion despite earning solid income. Through his struggle to rediscover his excitement about life and work, he made some profound realizations and began his helping his friends and their friends to find their “why” — at first charging just $100, person by person. Never planning to write a book, he penned Start With Why simply as a way to distribute his message.

Simon will be one of our featured speakers for BizTechDay New York 2010. Come join us on September 24 , 2010 at the New York Times Center.

BizTechDay Seattle 2010 Entrepreneurial Conference Donates Portion Of Ticket Sales To American Cancer Society.

Seattle, WA – August 30, 2010- BizTechDay and The American Cancer Society are joiningforces to create awareness for the fight against cancer within the entrepreneur community. For each full value ticket sold to BizTechDay Seattle 2010, $100 will be donated to The American Cancer Society.

“The American Cancer Society’s dedicate these funds to the fight against cancer and creating a world with more birthdays. It is important as entrepreneurs and members of the business community to give back and support the fight against cancer,” said Edith Yeung, Executive Producer of BizTechDay.

BizTechDay is a conference which brings innovative and scalable ideas to business leaders and entrepreneurs. It is an intensive one-day conference where attendees meet to inspire and be inspired by one another.

Originated in San Francisco in 2008, BizTechDay had a goal of bringing together amazing entrepreneurs to share their experiences creating and growing businesses. Since its inception, it has grown nationwide to Seattle and New York with the same goal; to connect, inspire and learn from one other.

“We are honored by this generosity and excited to be part of the Seattle entrepreneur community,” said Danielle Anderson of The American Cancer Society.

Emmy-award winning TV news anchor and reporter, Bill Wixey, who will be one of the speakers for BizTechDay Seattle said, “I am excited to be a part of this event. The lineup of speakers is phenomenal, and the chance to help a great cause like the American Cancer Society, is an added bonus.”

BizTechDay conferences attracts business icons, renowned thought leaders, 1,500 inspired business leaders, and entrepreneurs to come together at three separate events across the nation. The events will feature business icons such as Seth Godin, Clay Shirky, Jessica Jackley, Joan Barnes, Colleen McCreary, Megan Casey and many more dynamic leaders.

About BizTechDay
BizTechDay conference brings innovative and scalable ideas to entrepreneurs. For more information, please visit www.BizTechDay.com or call 415 763 8686.

About The American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society saves lives and creates more birthdays by helping people stay well, helping people get well, by finding cures, and by fighting back. Contact the Society at 1.800.227.2345 or cancer.org.

Contact:
Gabe Brown
gabe@biztechday.com 614-578-9489
2443 Fillmore Street #330
San Francisco, CA 94115
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Lisa has been an investor and board member of more than twenty internet and mobile services companies.  She is also one of the attending presenters at BizTechDay 2010 New York along with Seth Godin and Clay Shirky. Lisa will also launch her new book ‘The Mesh’ at BizTechDay this year.  All attendees of BizTechDay New York will receive a copy of her new book ‘The Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing”.

In the following short interview, we talked about the growing trend, Lisa’s story, experience and strategies on winning through sharing and building strategic partnership with the right people.

Edith: What is your story? Why do you believe in the business of sharing and partnership so much?

Lisa: A few things here – I came to The Mesh as part of a personal exploration — imagining that I and we could design and build businesses that would support less stress on ourselves and the planet. I was feeling, as an entrepreneur, that often the businesses we invent drive people to buy more things.

My experience working and ‘living’ with the internet and mobile web led me to consider that people and things (goods and services) were more ‘in hand’ and perhaps we didn’t need to own them we could rather access them as we access – reach out to one another.

When I dove into the exploration which led me to The Mesh. I discovered that sharing is natural — it’s been a huge part of how people have lived and fundamental to how communities and civilizations have evolved and grown. Technology has made connections possible across physical distances that weren’t there before and this has enabled more sharing of ideas, friends and other types of support – it’s helped fuel a culture of generosity – a culture of sharing. But, businesses have been creating partnerships for centuries. Many of the largest categories or industries of the last century began by creating ecosystems to build their products and/or bring them to market. Think about energy, automotives, appliances, entertainment – they all began as companies who build partnerships or ecosystems and then, over time, they acquired other companies or they themselves made the parts of the value chain they once outsourced. (vertical integration).

Edith: Who did you partner with what was your most successful partnership?

Lisa: Personally, as an entrepreneur, I have surrounded myself with people who have a very different core competence and perspective than me. At Ofoto, we called this, ‘forming a molecule’ – aligning yourself with
someone who when you act as one, it creates a powerful capacity to see and act. I was fortunate in my career to have partnered with Tim O’Reilly and Dale Dougherty, Kamran Mohsenin and Seth Godin – to
name a few. These partnerships have been feisty, inspiring, highly interactive and creative ‘jazz’.

Edith: What made the partnership successful?

Lisa: Openness, candor, clarity of purpose, self-awareness, tenacity and humor – and occasionally, wine.

Edith: What would you think about first in initiating a successful partnership?

Lisa: See above.  And, I would add, it is important that both parties either want the same outcome in or around the same time OR that the respective goals, if they are not the same, are complementary.

In the case of two companies forming a partnership, it is often the case for a startup that we partner with bigger, more powerful companies – so, what is promised on both sides needs to be VERY clear – it is typically that the larger company has more money and power but the startup has youthful sexiness on its side. Big companies often partner as a way to put a toe in the icy waters of newness. The partnership helps them imagine a world other than the one which consumes them and the bigger brand brings street cred and often exposure to the startup. This differential of power is very present in these partnerships – I have found it’s best to talk about it. be clear and mutually state and agree on expectations.

Edith: What is the best way to connect with the right partners?  Especially for startup entrepreneurs with no connections and no budget?

Lisa: Reach out to people who know you, your company, your vision == who also see making the introduction as a way for them to be valuable and insightful to their colleague or friend. Some people are ‘power brokers’ – they naturally make introductions and see the power of connecting you to someone you don’t yet know – commerce yentas rock!

If you don’t know someone like that – going to conferences (one or two very selectively), meetups and schmoozing events will give you more opportunity to tell your story to someone and make a connection – my pov is that it’s p2p here.

Edith: What was the biggest partnership failure?  What would you do differentially?

Lisa: My biggest have come from being more consumed with the glory of the press release than really embracing the longer term reality of the working partnership. Now I just ask straight ahead – up front – is this a partnership disguised as a press release or something that we’re really going to build and deliver to people who will love it?

Neither answer is inherently bad. But, you both better have the same response or … Great partnerships, are increasingly open – the world is moving that way. IMHO and certainly The Mesh thrives in a world of open
partnerships – after all, we’re moving to a culture and economy based on access rather than ownership – for that sharing and partnerships are essential.

Learn more about Melody at The CRAVE Company, Tech Mavens Lara Feltin
“I attended the a BizTechDay in San Francisco and was impressed by the caliber of the speakers, the breadth of topics covered, and the enthusiasm and openness of the event attendees. The organizers certainly know how to attract an awesome group of people. The outcome is a powerful mix of engaged participants and content you can’t find elsewhere. If you’re not going for the speakers, then go for the networking. You won’t regret it.”
Learn more about Lara at Biznik Cofounder & CEO Matthew Steinbrueck
“I had a powerful experience at BizTechDay last year in San Francisco. It was great to be at an event with hundreds of other entrepreneurs. There was a feeling of camaraderie and common purpose there. The practical real world information I got at BizTechDay, along with the social proof of meeting other successful people has helped me to focus on my own new projects. I met cool people and learned the latest technology and innovations to apply to my businesses. I am excited to attend this upcoming event in Seattle.”

Learn more about Matthew at Ravens Nest Treasure, Steinbrueck Native Gallery, Pres. Rural Area Kids Org, USA

Slowly but surely, that little meetup group grew and grew. From 5 people to 10, 20, 50, then 100, then more than 300 people. And today, more than 3,000. Out of that group BizTechDay was born!

BizTechDay was born because of a conversation with Gary Marshall (of the Small Business Administration). We thought the entrepreneurial community need to learn from the best from both worlds–from the business side and from the technology side. Why not create an event for that? When I didn’t have a good answer to “Why not?” I decided to ask myself instead: “What am I waiting for!”

BizTechDay is built on the philosophy that the most important aspect of a successful business is not about what you know or how you do things (though those are obviously important elements). The most important thing is to have great people around you. This isn’t to be confused with just networking or a popularity contest. Instead, it’s about living a life and doing business with people you trust, like, and learn from. Your co-founder, investors, advisors, employees, customers, fans and partners–it is the WHO that will make or break your business. They are the ones who want to see you succeed. They are the ones who will help make our entrepreneurial journey worth all the sweat we put in.

With that in mind, BizTechDay is really a conference about people. We of course have amazing speakers and innovative technology demos, but for us the most important thing is to facilitate the connections between you and other attendees, not just from the speakers to the audience. If every single one of us walks away from BizTechDay 2010 with at least one meaningful business connection, a relationship that will truly help and change your business for the life time, we will have done our job.

I’m sharing this story now so you can get a look at the spirit behind the conference, and maybe understand why I’m always talking excitedly about it.

I truly believe when amazing people get together, magic happens. Imagine 1500 doers and changemakers in Seattle, New York and San Francisco all come together to support you.

How cool is that?

Meet our amazing attending presenters: