SPEAKER: Ari Newman

Founder and President of Filtrbox

Ari is an accomplished entrepreneur, start-up advisor, and founder and president of Filtrbox, Inc. He made the move from the SF bay area to Boulder in 2002 and hasn’t looked back. Ari’s mantra is “work-hard / play-hard”, and he thinks Boulder is the ideal place to live the dream. When he’s not at the Filtrbox office or hanging with the family, you’ll find him on his road or mountain bike somewhere in the front range.

As an experienced entrepreneur, he thrives on the challenges and opportunities that define early stage companies. He has been involved in numerous technology companies in various roles and stages of evolution. 

Prior to Filtrbox, Ari held various senior management positions at CreekPath Systems in the areas of client services and product management and strategy. Additionally he has held senior management positions in network operations, professional services, and sales engineering at Novell and Volera (a Novell spin-out). He was also a founder of JustOn, a successful ASP sold to Novell in 2000. He received a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from the Leeds School of Business at University of Colorado.

MODERATOR: Joy Milkowski

Founder of Access Marketing Company

Joy Milkowski is the Founder of Access Marketing Company where she specializes in bringing search engine marketing and web marketing intelligence to her clients in a way they can understand and measure. She has over a decade of marketing, sales and professional copywriting experience in a variety of areas including tech, industrial, direct to consumer sales, commercial real estate ventures, professional and collegiate athletics and Internet-based marketing. In addition, Joy trains small businesses and entrepreneurs who want to leverage the power of search engines as an advertising tool to reach their audiences.

PANELIST: Austin Veith

Co-founder of TravelFli

Austin Veith is a co-founder of Travelfli. Austin has an extensive entrepreneurial background; he has started and operated a number businesses in a variety of industries. He has previously taken a company from the conceptual stage to a point where he was responsible for employing a staff of 30+ individuals. He has experienced every aspect of starting a business from scratch, including: raising capital, establishing operations, forming a legal structure, hiring, personnel administration, payroll, tax/regulatory compliance, accounting, and growth management.

Austin previously founded and operated a local transportation company that grew into national charter operations. Those experiences have greatly influenced TravelFli's development to this point.

Austin studied Finance, Marketing, and Political Science at Leed's School of Business at The University of Colorado.

PANELIST: Brad Bernthal

Associate Clinical Professor at Colorado Law School and Director of Entrepreneurial Initiatives for Silicon Flatirons Center

Brad Bernthal is an Associate Clinical Professor at Colorado Law School, tennis enthusiast, and the Director of Entrepreneurial Initiatives for Colorado University’s Silicon Flatirons Center. Brad leads the law school’s Entrepreneurial Law Clinic which provides free legal help to Boulder area start-up companies.  He also teaches doctrinal courses in the areas of telecom policy, spectrum management, and entrepreneurial finance.   His research involves telecommunications policy issues with a focus on spectrum management, public safety, and so-called ‘smart’ radios (i.e., cognitive and software defined radios).  In addition to his academic work, Brad analyzes angel investment opportunities in the Boulder and Denver area.  Email him at brad.bernthal {at} colorado.edu

PANELIST: Sam Rediess

Futurist and Change Management Expert

Sam Rediess is currently working on a startup venture with Construction Change Partners.  Sam has over 20 years of technology change management and in depth knowledge of organizational leadership.  His experience ranges from startup environments to executive management in Fortune 1000 organizations.  

The Construction Change Partners help companies envision and embrace future trends in technology and organizational design to build a sustainable competitive advantage.

HOST: Steve Baker

Senior Fellow, Business Advisor and Author

In addition to being a Senior Fellow at DaVinci Institute, Steve Baker is President and co-founder of International Wellness Resorts Inc., serenely located in Placencia, Belize.

Steve has been a founder of successful businesses, a corporate executive and a business advisor to startups. With proven leadership in every phase of business cycle from startup to exit, Steve has the unique ability to generate immediate and sustainable improvements in business. He directs strategic marketing and business development and has taken companies from startup to millions of dollars in revenues in such diverse industries as international travel, financial software, casinos, manufacturing, cosmetic surgery, and ergonomics.

In a former corporate life, he was co-founder and Executive Vice President of WorldGroup Inc. and developed 300 franchise travel agencies with revenues of $500 Million.

Always the entrepreneur and Startup Junkie, Steve is a well known speaker and author of the award winning book PUSHING WATER UPHILL With A Rake, as well as being an avid poor golfer.