September 27, 2007 by jack petrie.

CresaPartners will cosponsor and host the October 10th, 2007 iBreakfast panel discussion on “Where are Venture Capitalists Placing their Bets Today?” Panelists include Dr. Howard Morgan of Idealab & First Round Capital and David S. Rose of NY Angels & Rose Tech Ventures.

Monetizing Web 2.0

As we enter the next of stage of the Internet Economy, Digital Media and Web 2.0 Social Media are everywhere. So where are we headed now? You can get a very good idea by looking over the shoulder of Investors to see where they are focusing their interests. Understanding what Investors are thinking can make a big difference in where you take you company. So join us for the next iBreakfast season on monetizing Web 2.0.

First Round Capital/Idealab - Dr. Howard Morgan

Dr. Howard Morgan has more than 25 years of experience serving as a mentor, advisor and investor in entrepreneurial ventures. He is a partner with First Round Capital and began working with Idealab in 1997 becoming Vice Chairman in 2000. He is also President and Founder of the Arca Group, Inc., a consulting and venture capital investment firm specializing in the areas of computer and communications technologies. Howard was also a professor of decision sciences at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, a professor of computer science at the Moore School at the University of Pennsylvania who received his Ph.D. in operations research from Cornell University and his B.S. from the City University of New York.

New York Angels/Rose Tech Ventures - David S. Rose

David S. Rose heads New York Angels and Rose TechVentures. He is an entrepreneurial executive and investor with extensive experience in high technology and communications, venture investments, finance and government.He was named by Inc. magazine to the 1998 Inc 500 list as CEO of one of the fastest growing private companies in America. Red Herring magazine has described him as “a patriarch of New York’s Silicon Alley” for his early leadership in developing the city’s high technology corridor and Crain’s New York Business named him one of the City’s 25 most influential technology executives. Mr. Rose has a B.A. from Yale University and an M.B.A. in Finance from Columbia University Business School.

Program Details

The program will consist of breakfast and networking, followed by the panel discussion and will conclude with a question-and-answer period and closing remarks. It will be held from 7:30-10AM at CresaPartners, 100 Park Avenue (40th-41st Streets), 24th Floor, New York, NY.

Posted in Recent Events | No Comments »

September 27, 2007 by jack petrie.

CresaPartners will host the New York Software Industry Association’s Sales & Marketing Special Interest Group’s October 3rd, 2007 panel discussion on “How to Differentiate Yourself in the Marketplace”.

Two Esteemed Experts

The panel will consist of two experts on sales and marketing: Rajesh Setty, President of Suggestica and Robert Algeri, President of Great Jakes Marketing Company. The topics for discussion will include: Increasing Return on Investment for an Interaction or “ROII”, Improving Likeability, Selecting a Niche Market, Why do Customers Buy? and What Differentiates You and Your Firm?

The ability to differentiate your business always seems obvious. However, what is it that you make available to the marketplace that no other company can claim to replicate? In what way are you transforming the lives of customers?

Come hear experts in the disciplines of sales and marketing talk about how they get their clients to convey a message of uniqueness. Learn methods and techniques for uncommoditizing your business.

Suggestica - Rajesh Setty

Rajesh Setty is a serial entrepreneur, investor and author. Currently, he serves as the president of Suggestica, a company that powers vertical discovery engines. He also serves as the chairman of iPolipo, a company that aims to make scheduling simple.

Rajesh Setty began entrepreneurial life the old fashioned way—by failing hard. Settyhas built company divisions, led teams and took on challenges with unabashed enthusiasm. His first venture in United States (co-founded in late 2000) — CIGNEX Technologies, grew 250% every year, without external funding during his first five years of leadership.

Rajesh has also written and published seven books, including his latest book “Beyond Code” (foreword by Tom Peters) which was published in late 2005. Rajesh maintains a blog called Life Beyond Code (http://blog.lifebeyondcode.com) and speaks at conferences and companies in US and India on wide ranging topics that include Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Personal Branding and Living a Life Beyond Code.

Great Lakes Marketing Company - Robert Algeri

Robert is a partner at Great Jakes Marketing Company, a marketing communications firm that crafts marketing strategies and creates marketing materials like websites, brochures, logos and strategic mail campaigns. The company specializes in serving the marketing needs of mid-sized business-to-business companies.

Robert is responsible for all aspects of business development and operations. However, his primary responsibility is to ensure that Great Jakes consistently exceeds the expectations of its clients. Robert currently sits on the Steering Committee of the Business Development Network, a highly selective group of business professionals. Additionally, he has held various board positions at the New York Legal Marketing Association, including Information Officer.

Program Details

The program will consist of breakfast and networking, followed by the panel discussion and will conclude with a question-and-answer period and closing remarks. It will be held from 8-10AM at CresaPartners, 100 Park Avenue (40th-41st Streets), 24th Floor, New York, NY.

Posted in Recent Events | No Comments »

September 5, 2007 by jack petrie.

Tighter Mortgage Market Demands Lower Risk Profile
by Shawn Gilreath & Jeanne St. John of CresaPartners

The implosion of the sub-prime residential lending market has been well covered by the media in recent months with the collapse of Ameriquest, New Century, Novastar, Ownit, Mortgage Lenders Network USA and many others. This drop in the residential debt marketplace also has caused repercussions in the commercial mortgage markets.

In May, two of the five groups that were buyers of the lower grade levels of commercial mortgage backed securities debt stopped buying these debt tranches. Seeing the devastation in the sub-prime market, bond rating agencies are requiring higher subordination levels and have begun lowering ratings on commercial mortgage backed securities bonds.

Commercial mortgage backed securities investors are now demanding lower risk profiles from securitization programs and requiring higher returns in order to compensate for the increased risk. Some of the demands to reduce risk include increasing debt service coverage, increasing amortization and reducing loan-to-value. This tightening in the market is already trickling down as stricter financing terms and higher interest rates on new loans to property owners. Commercial mortgage backed securities woes are being further compounded by treasury yields rising to their highest point in five years. Perhaps hardest hit will be property owners who purchased real estate in recent years, used floating rate debt and assumed that generous debt programs and low rates would be available for several more years. For companies occupying real estate, this shift in the commercial mortgage backed securities market may have dramatic adverse results.

A large amount of capital was allocated this year for real estate investments. Most market players agree that less capital will be available in 2008 and the dollars that are allocated will require higher rates of return.

Companies considering a sale/leaseback or other transactions in 2008 should consider executing those strategies now, while there is a surplus of capital.

Posted in Articles | No Comments »