Please join us for a special evening event at the estate of Woodside Capital partner Kelly Porter. Our newest sponsor, Michael Marquez from CODE Advisors, has assembled six giants of corporate development on one stage: Cisco, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Twitter and Yahoo!
Our discussion will center on the new world of acquisitions. Our esteemed panel will share what each of their companies are looking for, what has and hasn’t worked in the past, and where they see the acquisition landscape going in the future.
Now more than ever we are seeing acquisitions for talent, where teams are purchased and products end of life’d. We are also seeing far more acquisitions where products are rebuilt from scratch inside the new company. As new industries form around mobile and social, companies are transforming themselves by acquiring the focus and momentum of those brave enough to risk tackling new markets. You will likely never see a line up like this again, so RSVP early to reserve your spot in the grand ballroom.
Derek Idemoto, Cisco
Derek Idemoto is the Director of Corporate Development at Cisco Systems, and is responsible for driving Cisco’s strategy, acquisitions and investments across the consumer and digital media markets. Prior to joining Cisco, Derek was Managing Director of Venture Investment for ITOCHU Technology, the Silicon Valley-based technology venture capital investment and business development arm of ITOCHU Corporation. Prior to joining ITOCHU Technology, Derek was Vice President of Corporate Development at Overture Services, the pioneer of commercial search services on the Internet. Derek received a B.S. in finance and marketing from U.C. Berkeley an M.B.A. from The Anderson School at UCLA where he was a Venture Fellow.
Michael Brown, Facebook
Michael Brown is Manager of Corporate Development at Facebook. Mike’s primary responsibilities at Facebook include acquisitions and corporate strategy. Prior to joining Facebook, Mike was a Principal at Foundation Capital, a venture capital firm in Silicon Valley where he led numerous investments in the consumer Internet sector. Mike started his career at McKinsey & Company in the Firm’s San Francisco office. Mike is an investor in and/or active advisor to a number of Silicon Valley companies including Counsyl, RockYou, Structural Wealth Management, Satisfaction Inc., Tapulous, and Brilliant Earth. Mike attended Yale University and Stanford Business School.
Amin Zoufonoun, Google
Amin Zoufonoun joined Google in 2003, and is a senior member of its Corporate Development team, which is responsible for evaluating, negotiating and executing Google’s mergers, acquisitions and investments. He has led several of Google’s key strategic acquisitions and investments both in the U.S. and internationally, including Google’s first acquisition of a publicly traded company (On2). Previous to Google, Amin was a practicing attorney, both in-house and at a number of Silicon Valley law firms. Amin holds bachelors degree in electrical engineering as well as a Juris Doctor (law) degree.
Fritz Lanman, Microsoft
Fritz Lanman is Senior Director in Corporate Strategy and Acquisitions at Microsoft, where his responsibility spans strategy development across Microsoft divisions, advisory to the CFO, CEO and Board of Directors as well as Corporate Development for Board level deals. He especially focuses on Microsoft’s emerging businesses in Search, Advertising, Mobile and Entertainment and he has worked on several large deals for Microsoft including Facebook and Yahoo.
Jessica Verrilli, Twitter
Jessica works on Corporate Development, New Business Development, and Special Projects at Twitter. She has played an influential role in the company’s search partnerships, Series E financing, and acquisitions. She is currently working on new commercial programs and ongoing M&A. Jessica joined Twitter from Venrock, a venture capital firm, where she focused on technology and healthcare investment opportunities. Jessica is a graduate of Stanford University where she was a Division I lacrosse player and a Mayfield Fellow.
Taylor Barada, Yahoo!
In his current role, Taylor works with the Americas and Global Product orgs at Yahoo! leading strategic analysis/execution of acquisitions, divestitures, investments and other strategic relationships. Recent transactions include the sale of Zimbra to VMware and the acquisition of Citizen Sports. Prior to Yahoo! he worked as an investor, consultant, and operator at Rosewood Capital, Bain & Company, and Peregrine Systems. Taylor started his career as a professional soccer player and was a three time National Champion at the University of Virginia while completing his B.A. in History and Foreign Affairs.
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