WINBC and Vancouver Enterprise Forum (VEF) present:

On the Ground in China
Tips on Doing Business in the Middle Kingdom from Two High-Tech Veterans

With more than a billion people, 100 million Internet users, and approximately 400 million wireless customers, the China market is hard to ignore - especially in the wireless sector, in which China represents the world's largest and fastest-growing market. However, regardless of how impressive the market potential may be, the Chinese business culture presents a significant challenge and barrier to technology companies. In the May VEF, hear two seasoned high-tech veterans speak on the pros and cons of doing business on the ground in China. Topics to be discussed include building relationships, deciding whom to trust, tips on opening up a wholly foreign-owned enterprise, and raising capital for Chinese-related businesses both inside and outside China.

Don Lay has 25 years' experience in both the software and finance areas and is CEO of Contec Innovations, a Vancouver-headquartered, TSX Venture-listed mobile software infrastructure provider that is targeting China's mobile operators. Don has spent the last six years immersed in roles as founder, financier and dealmaker to create shareholder value from the arbitrage between North American software "smarts" and the Asian market's opportunity and lower-cost talent. In addition, Don was a principal at China MobileSoft, a seed-funded, embedded software supplier that delivered solutions to Chinese handset makers. China MobileSoft was ultimately sold to ACCESS of Japan for a value of approximately US$28 million. Don currently focuses his energy on building Contec's business inside the burgeoning Chinese wireless market.
Laurie Wallace is a co-founder and President of FlyOver Entertainment, with offices in Seattle and Shanghai. Laurie has over twenty years' experience in engineering, sales and management with such industry leaders as IBM, Apple and MPR Teltech. In 1995, he co-founded Datum Telegraphic and served as president and CEO until its sale to PMC-Sierra for more than $200 million. Until early 2003, Laurie was PMC-Sierra's global director of marketing for wireless products, securing business contacts throughout Asia, Europe and North America. He presently serves as a board member and advisor to a number of technology companies and is a board member of WINBC.

The evening will also feature a quick snapshot presentation by Stephen Robinson of ClearVision. The moderator for the event will be Caroline Lewko, CEO of the Wireless Industry Partnership (WIP) and chair of WINBC. In addition to moderating, Caroline will also offer some comments on her experience selling industrial park space in China almost ten years ago.

This light dinner/networking event should be of interest to business entrepreneurs in every industry, and will provide a unique forum for networking with many people in the technology community, including some of our top local VCs and entrepreneurs.

The May VEF event will be held on Tuesday, May 30 at Science World. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., with the presentations beginning precisely at 6:45 p.m. Pre-registration is highly recommended. Admission is free for members, WINBC Members receive a $10 discount at www.winbc.org off the $35 non-members price. Please register online at www.vef.org.

Cost
WINBC Members: Receive a $10 discount for registering here
Non-Members: $25

*To qualify for member rate, you must be a current member of WINBC

Speakers

Don Lay, Contec Innovations
Don Lay has 25 years' experience in both the software and finance areas and is CEO of Contec Innovations, a Vancouver-headquartered, TSX Venture-listed mobile software infrastructure provider that is targeting China's mobile operators. Don has spent the last six years immersed in roles as founder, financier and dealmaker to create shareholder value from the arbitrage between North American software "smarts" and the Asian market's opportunity and lower-cost talent. In addition, Don was a principal at China MobileSoft, a seed-funded, embedded software supplier that delivered solutions to Chinese handset makers. China MobileSoft was ultimately sold to ACCESS of Japan for a value of approximately US$28 million. Don currently focuses his energy on building Contec's business inside the burgeoning Chinese wireless market.

Laurie Wallace, FlyOver Entertainment
Laurie Wallace is a co-founder and President of FlyOver Entertainment, with offices in Seattle and Shanghai. Laurie has over twenty years' experience in engineering, sales and management with such industry leaders as IBM, Apple and MPR Teltech. In 1995, he co-founded Datum Telegraphic and served as president and CEO until its sale to PMC-Sierra for more than $200 million. Until early 2003, Laurie was PMC-Sierra's global director of marketing for wireless products, securing business contacts throughout Asia, Europe and North America. He presently serves as a board member and advisor to a number of technology companies and is a board member of WINBC.

Presenters

Stephen Robinson, ClearVision Technologies Inc.
B.A.Sc, Mechanical Engineering - (Computer Aided Automation option), UBC, 2005
Stephen Robinson worked for Papertech, the leading competitor in web monitoring, for most of 2003. At Papertech, Stephen played a major role in the R&D department and innovated several products during his employment period. His most notable design was the WebLite PlusT, which is now the leading lighting system for web monitoring systems. He became very familiar with the WebVisionT system and many other competitive monitoring systems during this time.

While working for Braintech Inc. in 2004, Stephen further enhanced his knowledge of machine vision systems. Specifically, he designed, prototyped, and tested camera and lighting systems for automated robotic applications. His expertise was designing LED based lighting systems for vision guided robotic (VGR) applications.

VEF is brought to you by:

BCIT Technology Centre
BDC Venture Capital
Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP
Bull, Housser & Tupper LLP
Business in Vancouver
Campbell & Company Strategies
Comerica Bank
Corporate Recruiters Ltd.
Davis & Company LLP
Deloitte & Touche LLP
Dorsey & Whitney LLP
Ernst & Young LLP
Growthworks
KPMG
Lang Michener LLP
McCarthy Tétrault LLP
Navigo Consulting and Coaching
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Raymond James Ltd.
SFU University/Industry Liaison Office
Stargate Connections Inc.
T-Net British Columbia
Technology Incentives
The Level
TSX Venture Exchange
Ventures West
Western Economic Diversification
ZLC Financial Group

ABOUT WINBC

Need a wireless solution? www.winbc.org

Wireless Innovation Network society of BC (WINBC), is the focal point for
wireless in BC, encompassing the entire wireless technology value chain.
WINBC brings this diverse sector closer together by fostering collaboration
and business development, regionally and with global organizations.

2005 BC Wireless Survey Results - Over 230 companies, $1 Billion in Revenue
and 5500 employees. Find out more, download the survey here.