Launching a company may be tough in the current economic landscape, but entrepreneurs can get advice from those who have gone before them at an upcoming forum.
The third annual Arizona Entrepreneurship Conference is set for Nov. 19. This year’s forum will highlight what is happening in the world of startups, where funding is coming from and how social media can help build a business.
The conference will have a strong focus on technology, with discussion topics including blogging and sustainability, said Francine Hardaway, one of the event’s organizers. Her company, Stealthmode Partners, also is a sponsor.
Among the high-profile speakers this year are Matt Mullenweg, founder of WordPress, a blogging site; Brad Biddle, one of the organizers of the Desert Biofuels Initiative; Pat Sullivan, CEO of Flypaper Studio Inc.; and Limelight Networks Inc. co-founders Allan Kaplan and Bill Rinehart (now CEO of Tempe-based Unicorn Media).
The conference will address financing available to entrepreneurs, particularly during the credit crunch. Also on tap will be several tracks on social media and a panel discussion on sustainability and business ventures.
Joan Koerber-Walker, CEO of the Arizona Small Business Association, another conference sponsors, said the event provides good perspectives on success during turbulent economic times.
“If there’s anything that adds value to the (business) community right now, that’s it,” she said.
All proceeds from the conference will be donated to the Opportunity Through Entrepreneurship Foundation, a Phoenix group that supports entrepreneurial ventures by at-risk youth and adults.
Koerber-Walker, who also serves as chairwoman of the foundation, said anything that can help spur entrepreneurship in the Valley is something both the foundation and ASBA can back.