RED HERRING EAST 2007: Overview

During the last two days, I attended the Red Herring East 2007 conference in Boston. Although not directly related to my usual project failures focus, it’s an important event that should be of interest to readers of this blog.

The conference brings together investors and entrepreneurs in an environment where deep pockets and good ideas can find each other. The event format provides a mix of informational talks and panel discussions regarding VC investing and hot technologies, startup company presentations, and networking. You can see the agenda here. My hat goes off to Oliver Hanisch, the conference organizer, for pulling together a well-run event.

I was particularly impressed by the caliber of the attendees. By and large, the companies had an interesting story to tell, and the investors were experienced and willing to share their knowledge freely. I certainly learned a lot attending sessions and talking with people over coffee.

The promotional material states that the event is by invitation only, which I assume must be true, given the generally high caliber of the participants. Approximately 250 people were in attendance.

Over the next few days, I will describe some of the more interesting things I saw at the conference.