Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and beginning to the Holiday season.
I look forward to seeing our OCTANe "Family" for our Holiday Party on Dec 2nd. However I have gotten a few comments on "why aren't you cancelling your party given this environment." Certainly a legitimate question; so I thought about it, thought about it a little more and then decided to give my ..."Top 10 reasons OCTANe did not cancel its Holiday Party." (In semi-random order).
10. It is a FREE reception for our members, partners, supporters who have been working with us for years to develop OCTANe into a true, national "innovation development" best practice that continues to grow and get results. PLUG INTO something special if you haven't yet.
9. We tucked the costs into the AIG bill at the St. Regis (and still weren't a line item)
8. Related to #9, the reception will be bare bones and modest ... exactly how OCTANe is run (we don't do hype, BS or overhead here! ... everything supports our mission).
7. I like Mistletoe better than garlic.
6. There is never a #6 (please someone get this one).
5. The show must go on... innovation and bringing talented "minds and money" together to network, form new companies etc. IS our primary economic driver in this country. One day soon I hope we (as a country en masse) invest in Science and Tech instead of saving dinosaurs who ride on corporate jets. I am a dog lover (my 2 labs are 10 and 12) but sometimes a dog ain't sleeping; it's dead.
4. I saw Bolt recently with my kids and got all misty...then watched Bad Santa after they went to bed to balance and remind myself I will not have to wear a Santa Suit.
3. OCTANe had double digit growth AGAIN in 2008 (thxs to our supporters/members! This reinforces the notion that if you stay laser focused on creating value and results, you will always rise at the end of the day), so we will be lowering our membership price next year...stay tuned!
2. It's been a "dramatic year" on all accounts; from Wall St. stock drops, to real estate drops to Obama being elected (incredible on so many levels) to recession, to well, you get the picture. Taking a step back to spend a little time with friends to celebrate the fortune we STILL have is both warranted and healthy as we head into a challenging 2009.
1. OC venture capital investments in 2008 is already the highest in four years!!!! ... and OCTANe absolutley played a tactical role; certainly worth at least one glass of egg nog.
A safe and happy holiday season to all.
Gary
Showing posts with label OCTANe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label OCTANe. Show all posts
Monday, December 1, 2008
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
The Maiden Voyage
And it begins...volume 1, chapter 1, section 1, edition 1 etc. Welcome to my blog. My maiden voyage down the Digital Media Communication Highway … or should we say universe.
Why do this? .. because blogs and other digital communication mediums are FASTLY becoming THE platform for communicating your thoughts, beliefs, knowledge, ideas, and opinions (good and not so good) to a targeted community (social and business networks are just starting folks and it is in the first inning) AND the added benefit of being able to reach out and interact with complete strangers who just happened to “Stumble Upon It”.
I run a company called OCTANe in “a near nirvana neverland” called Orange County, CA. We are driven to help create, grow, support, staff and fund more biomedical and hi-tech companies. More companies created. More jobs. More people connected. More square feet leased. More R&D leveraged. More money deployed to science/tech businesses. Our belief is that innovative, IP driven businesses are our future; both here and long-term, anywhere in the US. “Minds and Money” sitting on a bed of capitalism, freedom and entrepreneurial spirit IS our future. Why we don’t invest more in our future businesses instead of trying to save “the dinosaurs” is beyond me, but I digress.
My goal is to write this blog weekly. As I say, goal. Three kids 6 and under and 2 dogs will make the over/under about 40 a year; as it should be, as family and health are first priorities ahead of business.
What will I write about? Well it will MOSTLY be about various issues related to entrepreneurship, capital, university, medical devices, digital technology, finance, clean and green tech, innovation, communications and similar science/tech/money topics and people. These unique, high value added companies and sectors produce the highest paying jobs, careers and economic impact; not to mention great wealth for “founders and funders” which SHOULD work its way back into society through philanthropy. The need for this futuristic “venture philanthropy” is critical to solve our real problems; which is not if a valuation is 4.23X revenue or 4.22X revenue but how we are so woefully failing our youth in math and science in schools; but I digress.
What this blog will not be? Boring. Long. Academic. Sarcastic (yeah right). Not the “King’s best English” or “By the book”; not even sure there is a book in this new medium; if so it’s already out of date. It will be straight forward, topical and thought provoking. It will not be politically focused but I will talk about the political process including the current election; which I find fascinating in the diversity of candidates as well as how the internet and social networks are SIGNIFICANTLY impacting the election; but I digress.
So that’s the intro blog. Hope you enjoy it even though I feel like I just signed a 78 year ARM mortgage with weekly payments.
I look forward to interacting with 100,000’s of my closest friends real soon.
Why do this? .. because blogs and other digital communication mediums are FASTLY becoming THE platform for communicating your thoughts, beliefs, knowledge, ideas, and opinions (good and not so good) to a targeted community (social and business networks are just starting folks and it is in the first inning) AND the added benefit of being able to reach out and interact with complete strangers who just happened to “Stumble Upon It”.
I run a company called OCTANe in “a near nirvana neverland” called Orange County, CA. We are driven to help create, grow, support, staff and fund more biomedical and hi-tech companies. More companies created. More jobs. More people connected. More square feet leased. More R&D leveraged. More money deployed to science/tech businesses. Our belief is that innovative, IP driven businesses are our future; both here and long-term, anywhere in the US. “Minds and Money” sitting on a bed of capitalism, freedom and entrepreneurial spirit IS our future. Why we don’t invest more in our future businesses instead of trying to save “the dinosaurs” is beyond me, but I digress.
My goal is to write this blog weekly. As I say, goal. Three kids 6 and under and 2 dogs will make the over/under about 40 a year; as it should be, as family and health are first priorities ahead of business.
What will I write about? Well it will MOSTLY be about various issues related to entrepreneurship, capital, university, medical devices, digital technology, finance, clean and green tech, innovation, communications and similar science/tech/money topics and people. These unique, high value added companies and sectors produce the highest paying jobs, careers and economic impact; not to mention great wealth for “founders and funders” which SHOULD work its way back into society through philanthropy. The need for this futuristic “venture philanthropy” is critical to solve our real problems; which is not if a valuation is 4.23X revenue or 4.22X revenue but how we are so woefully failing our youth in math and science in schools; but I digress.
What this blog will not be? Boring. Long. Academic. Sarcastic (yeah right). Not the “King’s best English” or “By the book”; not even sure there is a book in this new medium; if so it’s already out of date. It will be straight forward, topical and thought provoking. It will not be politically focused but I will talk about the political process including the current election; which I find fascinating in the diversity of candidates as well as how the internet and social networks are SIGNIFICANTLY impacting the election; but I digress.
So that’s the intro blog. Hope you enjoy it even though I feel like I just signed a 78 year ARM mortgage with weekly payments.
I look forward to interacting with 100,000’s of my closest friends real soon.
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