Program
6:30 PM-7:00 PM: Open Networking
7:00 PM-8:30 PM: Panel and Q&A
8:30 PM-9:00 PM: Networking
Speaker Profiles
Amit Mehta (Moderator) '03
Vice President, Eagle River
Amit Mehta is a vice president at Eagle River, an investment firm based in Kirkland, Washington. Since 2006, Mehta has been responsible for the firm’s investment opportunities by leading its diligence efforts, structuring and negotiating transactions, as well as managing the accounting, human resources and legal services teams. Throughout his career, Mehta has held a variety of leadership positions in the high tech and telecommunications industries and has served as a consultant and board member to a number of early-stage and established companies. He served as treasurer at Nextel Partners, Inc. where he also was a member of the team that sold the company to Sprint Nextel for $6.5 billion and then led the integration teams. Previously, hes was VP of finance and corporate development at Monet Mobile Networks, the first 3G mobile wireless broadband operator in the United States. As a founding team member at Monet, Mehta raised more than $50 million from strategic and financial partners. He started his career with the AT&T Corporation and was selected to join the first class of the company’s Financial Leadership Program. He earned an undergraduate degree from Georgetown University and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Elaine Kong (Panelist) '00
Program Director, Washington Technology Center
Since early 2000, Kong has been actively involved in the Pacific Northwest’s early stage investment scene. Prior to joining the Washington Technology Center, she was a senior associate at Buerk Dale Victor (now Montlake Capital), a Seattle-based private equity firm. Here, Kong led the deal sourcing and investment selection effort. She also worked at Paladin Partners and consulted for over 30 seed and early stage companies on business model, market strategies, financial management, and capital acquisition. She also enjoyed her tenure at Artemis Ventures (now Novus Ventures), where she was responsible for deal sourcing and analyzing investments focusing on enterprise software, communications, and infrastructure companies. Prior to settling down in the Pacific Northwest, Kong held management positions in JP Morgan’s Asia Pacific offices, built a professional services business in China for an international software company, and held various positions at Westpac Banking Corporation in Australia. She earned an undergraduate degree from the University of New South Wales and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Dan Neault (Panelist) '95
General Manager, Enterprise Strategy & Architecture, Microsoft
Dan Neault leads the enterprise strategy and architecture team at Microsoft, which accelerates customers toward their business goals by helping them realize maximum value from Microsoft products and services. The team’s cornerstone is the Enterprise Strategy Program, which provides “business first, then technology” consulting services delivered by Enterprise Architects who work with customers at senior levels. Neault also serves as executive sponsor for Services’ HP Alliance. Prior to joining Services in 2009, Neault was GM, enterprise application platform, leading marketing for SQL Server, BizTalk Server, and their cloud-based variants of SQL Azure and .NET Services. Under his leadership, SQL Server grew to be one of Microsoft’s largest businesses. Prior to this, Neault founded and led Platforms Business Management, reporting to the President of Platforms and Services. He was responsible for business strategy and development and other strategic activities including acquisitions and alliances, technology and IP licensing, regulatory compliance and government engagement, executive communications and global events, and divisional IT. Neault joined Microsoft in the Developer Division in 1995 after receiving an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in marketing and finance. Prior to this, he held roles as a software engineer, architect, and systems analyst at The Boeing Company, where he worked in defense-related simulation and analysis.
Puneet Tandon (Panelist) '06
Head of Venture Development, T-Mobile USA, Inc
Questions
Emily Theis
Manager, Employer Development
773.702.7738