DaVinci Institute’s Inventor Boot Camp – 2008

It all starts with an epiphany. Every invention begins with a single “eureka moment” or some “brilliant revelation” that causes the inventor to take action.

These epiphanies become the idea seeds that will eventually get planted around the world. But we can only wish the process was as simple as adding water and fertilizer and waiting for the ideas to spring to life.

Inventions are not just patents to be hung on a wall. They are the starting point for a new business enterprise. So, not only does the inventor have to figure out how to create a working product or device, they also have to drive their invention towards a business model that will enable it to survive. And that’s where we come in.

 

The Inventor Boot Camp will help you focus on what’s important. We will show you ways to leverage your time and resources, eliminate unnecessary work, and direct your energies towards driving your product forward. And most importantly, we will teach you what it takes to become successful.

Key strategies you will learn:

1. How to perform an early stage benefit/market analysis to decide in advance who your end customer will be. Once you fully understand who your customer is, only then can you begin to piece together your business model.

2. How to develop a profit-centric mindset, the same thinking used by most successful inventors, to maximize your odds of success.

3. How to decide if your invention needs to be patented. If it doesn’t, this can save you significant amounts of money.

4. Who you should be listening to. Advice will come from many sources, but not all of it will be good.

5. How to best position yourself for funding. Hear it directly from the people who have money to invest.

NOTE: People attending the Inventor Boot Camp will receive a FREE PASS to attend the Colorado Inventor Showcase.

A great invention is much more than a new product that ends up on a store shelf. Inventions are a hidden force of nature, driving our economy, building a better future for our children.

They can either make you a living legend, or leave you struggling to survive. Our goal is to help make you successful.

Stake your claim on the invention world!  Reserve your seat now for this revolutionary event.

EVENT:  Inventor Boot Camp – 2008
DATE:  November 10, 2008 – Monday
TIMES:  9:00 am – 1:30 pm
WEBSITE:  www.davinciinstitute.com/page.php?ID=356

LOCATION:  The Cable Center, 2000 Buchtel Boulevard, Denver, C0 80210
DIRECTIONS: Click here for map

INSTRUCTORS:  Tom Franklin, John Calvert, Greg Carlisle, David Wolf, Casey Whisenhunt, Mike Cote, and Karl Dakin
AGENDA:  See below

COST:  $119 – ($79 for DaVinci Institute Members) – Register here.
COMBO PACKAGE:  Membership combined with Inventor Boot Camp: $179 – Register here. *

NOTE:  People attending the Inventor Boot Camp will receive a FREE PASS to attend the Colorado Inventor Showcase.
PHONE:  303-666-4133

* – A $298 value.  More about DaVinci Institute Memberships and Combo Packages at click here. 

Who Should Attend?

---

The Inventor Boot Camp is designed for people who are serious about being an inventor. This may include anyone who either has a patent or is thinking about patenting something. The contents of this workshop will apply to everyone from a first-time inventor to someone who is filing their 27th patent. This is powerful information for those who are serious about their invention.

Why Should You Attend?

---

The Inventor Boot Camp will be the most significant turning point in your entire life. Some of the topics included will be:

• Top 10 Mistakes Made By Most Inventors – How to recognize them before they happen and avoid them.

• Intellectual Property Strategies – The deck is stacked against the individual inventor. Understand the tactics and strategies, and how to use them to your advantage.

• Patent Appraisals – Tools and techniques to determine how to find out how much your patent is worth.

• Patent Insurance for the Little Guy – Where to get it and when do you need it.

• System Thinking – Learn how to evaluate the system in which your invention will function, and how to maximize your position.

• Managing Your Life – Being an inventor is tough work. Learn how to balance and manage your life.

• Being Successful – In the end we want you to be successful – very successful. Learn to enjoy the journey. This is the most important work on the planet earth. 
  

Article continues below

INSTRUCTOR – Thomas D. Franklin

---

Thomas Franklin is an Intellectual Property Attorney with the firm of Townsend & Townsend & Crew, LLP.  Mr. Franklin’s practice focuses on patent prosecution, trademark prosecution, licensing and intellectual capital management. His technical experience is concentrated in the area of software, cryptographic design, VOIP, telecom, electronic system design, wireless data links, satellite transponders, and telemetry systems.Prior to entering the field of law, Mr. Franklin spent several years working in semiconductor fabrication facilities at theNaval Ocean Systems Center and Hughes Aircraft and several more as a senior engineer for Lockheed Martin. At Lockheed, he was responsible for projects involving the design of complex wireless data links, digital circuits and encrypted data links. 

INSTRUCTOR – John Calvert

---

John Calvert. Supervisory Patent Examiner, USPTO.   Since October 1998, John has been responsible for supervising as many as 21 examiners. As the Acting Director of the Office of Independent Inventor Programs, John is actively involved with educating inventors about invention promotion firms and continues to expand the outreach initiative to the inventor community. Mr. Calvert has received numerous achievement awards, including the Department of Commerce Bronze Medal for superior Federal service and the United States Patent and Trademark Office Exceptional Career Award.

INSTRUCTOR – Greg Carlisle

---

Greg Carlisle has over 20 years of experience in software development, high-technology start-ups and venture capital investing. He has served on the boards of directors of seven companies and been involved with investments in 26 portfolio companies. Mr. Carlisle is Managing Director of the Prior Fund, a $50 million venture capital fund, where he oversees the Prior Fund’s investments in and serves on the Boards of Directors of Carmichael Training Systems, Mimix Broadband, Inc., and XAware, Inc. He also served on the boards of Metreos Corporation (acquired by Cisco Systems) and SiVerion, Inc., acquired by LogicVision, Inc. Prior to joining the Prior Fund, Mr. Carlisle began working with Admiral Inman in 1997 to manage his private investments. Initially, Mr. Carlisle acted as interim CEO of two portfolio companies and successfully negotiated their sale. Intransco, Inc. developed and launched an e-commerce booking engine focused on the travel industry and was sold to i:FAO of North America, Inc., an internet travel company. Jazz IT, Inc., a network management services company, was sold to TManage, Inc., a provider of outsourced telework programs. Mr. Carlisle began his career managing telecommunications and software development projects as a senior manager for Andersen Consulting. He then founded and served as President of Jones Cyber Solutions, Ltd. and was responsible for this software services company’s rapid growth, resulting in $12 million of sales revenue within its first three years. He then served as acting COO for an ecommerce company, Ambac Connect Inc., which Mr. Carlisle turned around and grew, directing operations, engineering, business development and marketing. He was also instrumental in launching software infrastructure strategies for strategic communications firms. Mr. Carlisle received a BA degree from the University of Texas at Arlington. He currently serves on the Boards of Directors of Carmichael Training Systems, Mimix Broadband, Inc., Bluespace, and XAware, Inc.

INSTRUCTOR – David Wolf

---

David Wolf, founding General Partner of Wolf Ventures, has over fifteen years of venture capital experience in Colorado, and has been a principal investor in over 20 Colorado Companies.With a history of successful software investments, David spends the majority of his time working with early stage companies in the enterprise software arena. He is an active investor who provides high-level sales and marketing insights to partner companies.Prior to founding Wolf Ventures, David was a portfolio manager with Alpine Capital which managed over $200 million. David received a B.A. from Nebraska and an MBA from the University of Denver. He has served as a board member for a number of emerging growth companies and is currently on the board of directors of NextAction Corporation, Federation, Inc. and the Young Americans Bank. David is a frequent speaker at industry conferences, and is a founding member of the Denver Entrepreneurship Academy.

INSTRUCTOR – Casey Whisenhunt

---

Casey Whisenhunt is the Branch President for Valley Bank and Trust. He has 30 years banking experience working for what is now US Bank, Key Bank and two small family owned Colorado Banks. His current job allows him to focus on commercial lending with a focus on business acquisition loans, construction and term lending for business. His past positions have given him the opportunity to be involved in the strategic planning for both regional and family owned banks much of which revolves around sales management, marketing and product design.  He also has managed regional marketing for multiple state bank holding companies and designed both sales and service training for company wide use.

INSTRUCTOR – Mike Cote 

---

Mike Cote is the Editor of ColoradoBiz Magazine. He has spent more than 20 years in the media industry as a reporter and editor at newspapers in Florida and Colorado, and now at ColoradoBiz magazine in the metro Denver area. He has also taught reporting and editing at the University of Colorado, where he earned his master’s degree in journalism. Before joining the team at ColoradoBiz, Mike served as both the City Editor and the Business Editor at the Boulder Daily Camera.

INSTRUCTOR – Karl Dakin

---

Karl Dakin is a Senior Fellow at the DaVinci Institute and the Principal at Karl Dakin LLC, a boutique law firm specializing in angel investment and business incubation. In this capacity he provides legal representation for emerging businesses, educational institutions, trade organizations and professional associations in a variety of legal matters including licensing, contracts, employment, intellectual property, litigation and dispute resolution on state, national and international transactions. Mr. Dakin is the co-author of book: Technology Transfer: Financing and Commercializing the High Tech Product or Service–From Research to Roll Out.  Published in 1991 by Probus Publishing Ltd., the book became widely adopted as a primer on the subject of technology transfer. From 1995 through 1997, Mr. Dakin wrote the SoftLaw column for the IEEE Journal on Software.Within the last five years, Mr. Dakin has participated in raising over $15 million in angel funding and grants for several small businesses and non-profit organizations.

AGENDA

---

9:00 – 9:10 – Welcome and Introductions – Thomas Frey

9:10 – 10:00 – The Business Side of Innovation – Karl Dakin

• Transition from an innovation to a business
• Early stage benefit/market analysis
• Building a business model – a profit-centric mindset
• Optimizing your business strategy
• Communicating your business
• Recruiting resources/building relationships – people, money and knowledge

10:00 – 10:15 – Break

10:15 – 11:05 – Intellectual Property Strategies – Tom Franklin

• Patents and Provisional Patents
• Trademarks 
• Copyright
• Trade Secrets 
• Planning a Strategy

11:05 – 11:20 – Break

11:20 – 12:10 – Making Your Invention Successful – John Calvert

• An inside look into the USPTO
• What inventions need protection, which ones don’t
• Attributes of a successful inventor

12:10 – 12:25 – Break

12:25 – 1:25 – Finding Funding for Your Invention – (Financial Funding Panel) – Greg Carlisle, David Wolf, Casey Whisenhunt, and Karl Dakin – Moderated by Mike Cote

• Finding funding for your invention
• What makes an invention “fundable”
• Do you need a business plan?
• Besides an investment, what other funding options are available?

1:25 – 1:30 – Closing Remarks – Thomas Frey

1:30 – Lunch – Box Lunches Distributed – Inventor Showcase open to Boot Camp Attendees at 2:30 pm

During the Inventor Boot Camp a box lunch will be served to all attendees.  At 2:30 pm the exhibit floor will be open for Celebrity Judges and those who have attended the Inventor Boot Camp.

 

More at Inventor Boot Camp