LA VOX July 8, 2002

Building the Nano Republic
Jim Heath, keynote speaker at this month's Nano Republic Conference, made big waves in the small tech world last March when he announced that he would be departing UCLA and stepping down from his acting director position at The California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI). Although his planned year-end departure from the state-funded CNSI was considered sobering, Heath is very confident that the current California-based nano activity will produce a strong economy for the future. As one of the world's leading molecular scientists, Heath looks forward to becoming part of that activity by undertaking an ambitous drug project and continuing his heralded research in nano-scale computing at his new position at Caltech.
full article >

The Offshore Issue -- Foreign Direct Investment
The media's recent preoccupation with domestic corporate affairs threatens to obscure the increasingly critical role foreign direct investment (FDI) plays in the U.S. economy. Foreign direct investment has softened the effects of the recent recession, and will continue to gain significance as U.S. financial institutions come under further scrutiny. Although the tech downturn, the weakening of the dollar, and the impact of September 11 have affected investor confidence worldwide, American public policy could be used to help increase the amount of foreign direct investment currently available to U.S. companies.
full article >

Federal tech transfer turns to nanotechnology (Small Times)
National laboratories and federal entities such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration are paying more attention to nanotechnology as they look to commercialize ongoing research, speakers said Thursday at a conference. Sandia National Laboratories, in Livermore, California, is even creating a Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies to focus its efforts. The center would have facilities at both Sandia and at Los Alamos National Laboratory, in New Mexico.
full article >

File-Trading Furor Heats Up (Wired News)
Word leaked out that the music industry would soon start suing individuals who share songs online. The RIAA has gone after individual file-traders in the past. But it's never been quite what it seems. This time, it's no different.
full article >

A Growing Body of Biometric Tech (Business Week Online)
Devices that use fingerprints, eyes, and voice for security clearance are taking off in the months since September 11.
full article >

California to require better disclosure from investment banks (San Jose Mercury News)
California will join New York and North Carolina in requiring investment banks doing business with it to disclose more about potential conflicts of interest.
full article>

The Nano Republic Conference 2002 - July 17

The Nano Republic Conference is a one-day Larta event featuring world-class speakers and highlighting California-wide nanotechnology efforts. The Nano Republic Conference will serve as a serious examination of the current state of nanotechnology and focus on its near-term developments and constraints. The Nano Republic Conference will bring together all current industry segments and leaders from industry, academia, labs and the capital markets. Registration for the Nano Republic Conference will give you free admission to the ZONE Club dinner reception and program.
more information >

The ZONE Club - July 17

Immediately following the Nano Republic Conference the ZONE Club will host a dinner/networking event featuring one of the leaders of the venture capital community. Steve Jurvetson, Managing Director, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, will speak on "Nanotechnology: What's Hot, What's Hype, What's Not"
6-7 Networking, cocktails and great food
7-8 Program
8-9 More networking, food and drink
more information >

Larta University Managing Your Team: July 24 & 25
When investors, recruiters and entrepreneurs intersect to match a startup with experienced business management, it's a delicate dance of communication, ego and power struggle that can make or break a company. Many startups usually have a standard set of weak spots in their initial management team--a lack of marketing experience, little to no background in launching or heading a corporation, or technologists that cannot juggle a business on their own. This workshop will address such topics as compensation and incentives, management skills, ensuring team follow-through and teamwork, and legal obligations. The workshop will also touch upon establishing and working with a board of directors. Speakers Include: Jim Jonassen (Riviera Partners), Greg Bonfiglio (Anthem Ventures), Michelle Jackman (MJ Enterprises and Adventures), David McKenzie (Ernst & Young), Ivan Rosenberg (Frontier Associates), and Bruce May (Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth)
more information >

Larta has moved!
Larta has found a new home in the historic downtown Los Angeles area. Please be advised to send all snail mail to the following address, and of our new phone number:

Los Angeles County Census Data Now Available
Census 2000 data for the Los Angeles Five-County Area (Los Angeles CMSA, covering Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura Counties) have been compiled into two books. One covers all five counties and the other covers only LA County. Census 2000 data is invaluable for both businesses and individuals. Businesses can utilize census data for location analysis, market research, and marketing program development. Individuals can use it to evaluate relocation needs.
more information >

Growthink Research releases 2001/2002 Southern California Venture Capital Report
The Report analyzes the state of venture capital in Southern California and profiles the 343 Southern California companies that raised venture capital during the past 5 quarters. Growthink's report also profiles the 100 most active investors in the region and the top venture capital firms located outside of the region that have and continue to make significant investments here.
full article >

This events calendar is provided as a service by Larta about events vetted and endorsed by Larta.

July 23: Digital Media Wire Presents M-Commerce: What Lies Ahead In The Global
Marketplace?
Join Larta and Digital Media Wire at this innovative half-day forum at the Davidson Conference Center on the campus of the USC. The event, which is collaboration between Digital Media Wire and the Center of Telecom Management (CTM) at USC's Marshall School of Business, features two high profile roundtable discussion sessions preceded by keynote addresses, one of which will be given by John Gage, Chief Researcher at Sun Microsystems. Wireless technology demonstrations and a post-event cocktail reception cap what is certain to be a dynamic and insightful exploration of the future of mobile commerce. Participation is by invitation only and is limited to 100 participants. If you are interested in having someone from your company attend, please contact either Janet Pearce Stenzel or Sandra Benveniste at CTM. As a special offer to Larta and Digital Media Wire, CTM has agreed to accept registrations from the first 25 Digital Media Wire readers to register for the event. These registrants will not need to complete the application process or secure an invitations from CTM and will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis. To secure participation as one of the first 25 Digital Media Wire attendees, please complete the registration form.
more information >

July 30: The Carmel Group presents, Advertising in a Digital Age
New technologies promise to change advertising perhaps more than any other industry. Digital video recorders, video-on-demand, electronic program guides, datacasting, and interactive TV technologies could herald a new age in advertising, an age that will be defined by new forms of marketing such as product placement, program sponsorships, story line placement, and targeted advertising. This forum seeks to address these topics and provide a roadmap for those interested in understanding what these technological advancements could mean for advertisers and content providers. The future is bright for those who know how to navigate it.
more information >

Copyright © 2002 Larta. All rights reserved. Please feel free to forward this newsletter to those who may be interested. Permission to quote any proprietary part of this material is granted given proper credit. Distribution is allowed provided that no modifications are made to the original content.