Silicon Vikings is in collaboration with the Swedish Institute during the Innovative Sweden week hosting an evening where you will get the chance to discover the DNA of successful startups with serial entrepreneurs Max Marmer and Bjoern Lasse Hermann of BlackBox. They will share their findings from the research of over 600 startups for their project “Startup Genome: Cracking the Code of Innovation”. The facilitator this evening will be Lars Johansson from Foley & Lardner LLP.

Please join us from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm at  Stanford University, Frances C. Arrillaga Alumni Center, 326 Galvez Street, Stanford, CA 94305 for an exciting evening of entrepreneurial presentations and networking!

“If you spend much time with Web entrepreneurs or investors these days, it quickly becomes clear that "pivot" is the hottest term in Silicon Valley. It signifies a young company's shifting of focus, and everyone has an opinion about whether it's something start-ups should be doing or not. The answer, it seems, is yes. And as long as it's done at the right pace, it can even be an extremely lucrative and important step. In fact, young Web outfits that pivot once or twice can raise two-and-a-half times as much money, see 3.6 times the user growth” - Daniel Terdiman’s introduction to the Startup Genome Project on cnet.com.

The session will draw on the startup experience of Marmer and Hermann at BlackBox and the insights they have gained from their research for their report Startup Genome: Cracking the Code of Innovation. We will learn about the Startup Lifecycle and the different phases of growth and development that startups experience, as well as of the milestones and challenges faced along the way. What are the different types of startup companies and how do they differ in characteristics and behavior? We will discuss what are the key lessons that budding entrepreneurs, startup investors and perhaps corporate venture unit managers can take away from the insights presented in the Startup Genome. And we will put all of this in the context of the current environment and trends seen in entrepreneurship both in Silicon Valley and in the Nordic region.

Blackbox:
blackbox - a next generation seed accelerator for technology startups based in the heart of Silicon Valley. blackbox connects entrepreneurs with a global network of seed investors, mentors and market entrance partners, and works with entrepreneurs to run their startups more effectively by providing cutting edge tools and frameworks based on the emerging science of entrepreneurship. We are located at blackbox mansion - a commune of technology entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs traveling to Silicon Valley can stay at blackbox mansion for up to 2 weeks.

Startup Genome:
Startup Genome - a research project in collaboration with faculty from Stanford and Berkeley to crack the "innovation code" of Silicon Valley and accelerate the pace of innovation around the world by turning entrepreneurship into a science

Moderator
Lars Johansson, Foley & Lardner LLP. Lars has extensive experience in working with entrepreneurs and addressing legal and other issues and challenging that startups face.

Event Sponsor
Foley & Lardner LLP

With approximately 900 attorneys in 21 offices, Foley & Lardner LLP provides award-winning business and legal insight to clients across the country and around the world. Our team-based approach, innovative technology, and focus on value and client service are continually recognized by our clients and the legal industry. In a recent survey of Fortune 1000 corporate counsel, conducted by The BTI Consulting Group (Wellesley, Massachusetts), Foley received a top 10 ranking out of more than 500 firms for our strong client focus, breadth of service, innovation, and value for the dollar. In addition, Foley was a Top 10 firm on the U.S. News – Best Lawyers® 2010 “Best Law Firms” list, based on the total number of first-tier metropolitan rankings, and CIO magazine recognized Foley for technological innovation that enhances business value by naming the firm to its prestigious CIO-100 list in 2011. Learn more at www.foley.com.