If you want to gain insight into the decision-making process that investors go through when evaluating business plan presentations, be sure to attend this event.

This networking event will feature a panel of experienced angel investors who will talk about different tips and strategies to use when pitching your plan.

In addition, attendees will have the opportunity to watch two recorded business plan presentations from the recent Illinois Business & Investor Forum’s investment meeting, and Cornerstone Angels’ screening meeting. After each presentation, investors will not only discuss their thoughts on the presentations, but will also provide an insider’s perspective of:
- The nature of the discussion amongst the investors in attendance (after the entrepreneur left the room)
- Why certain questions were asked by the investors
- What they believe the prospects are for the ventures to get funded

Confirmed Panelists

Dennis Serio
Dennis is a principal of Falcon Capital Corporation, a boutique investment banking company involved with securing equity and/or debt financing for start-up, seed, and early stage companies. He has spent the last 15 years working with early stage companies and is a principal and founder of the Illinois Business & Investor Forum, an organization acting as an umbrella group for angel investors throughout Illinois. The Forum provides a venue for investment-worthy early stage companies to present their business cases to angel investors. Dennis is a graduate of the University of Dayton.

Ronald Kirschner, M.D.
Dr. Kirschner is President of Heartland Angels, Inc. and has a broad background in healthcare, start-ups and private equity. He practiced medicine for 23 years and started three companies of his own in the healthcare field dealing with nutrition, managed care, and utilization review. Dr. Kirschner was the VP of Technology Development for CDIB Biotech, Inc., a Midwest Biotechnology Venture Fund where he assisted in the discovery and funding of early stage biotechnology ventures. He was principal in the funding decisions concerning, among others, Aegera Therapeutics, Immunicon, and VitaGen (now Vital Therapies, Inc.). He was also active in advising local companies, e.g., Neuronautics, on options relating to funding opportunities and was involved with the Board of Directors for Phytoceutica.

Larry Hayward
Larry joined Cornerstone Angels in November 2006, and is a Partner with SCIUS Capital where he provides advisory and placement services for early-stage companies in the industrial, clean and information technology sectors. Prior to joining SCIUS in 2003, Larry was President of Vcapital, a venture-backed start-up and private equity exchange that connected entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. From 1992 to 2000, he worked at Arthur Andersen and was the Global Marketing Director of the Enterprise Group, a $500 million global practice serving start-up and venture-backed companies. Larry earned a joint BS/MBA from the University of Illinois.

Jeff Carter
Jeff is the treasurer and co-founder of the Hyde Park Angels. He has been an independent commodities trader at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) since 1992, and previously traded for FCT Group, Inc. He trades interest rate, equity and agricultural futures for his own account. In addition, Jeff has published editorials and opinions on the futures industry, has been a commentator on Bloomberg Television and CNBC, and has been featured on WTTW. Jeff has made several angel investments, most recently in Tallgrassbeef.com, and shuffletech.com.