Keiretsu Forum
3466 Mt. Diablo Blvd.
Suite C-205
Lafayette, CA 94549
© 2004 Keiretsu Forum.
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Why Long Beach?
Randy Williams, Founder of Keiretsu Forum, and Chip Parker, President of Keiretsu Forum Long Beach say they selected Long Beach “because of its strategic location, which not only promotes mutual collaboration with the Westlake chapter but also exposes Keiretsu Forum investors from the greater Los Angeles area and Orange Counties to broad based and diversified deal flow.”
They strongly believe that such collaboration will result in increased quality membership, broader access to quality deal flow, increased mind-share, and overall support for Southern California’s Keiretsu Forum members.
Team
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Chip Parker
President, Keiretsu Forum Long Beach
With Several successful start-up companies under his belt, Chip brings a unique blend of both high tech and traditional business experience to the forefront. He imparts visionary direction and leadership necessary to build a world-class operation.
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A pioneer of Internet services, Chip co-developed DeltaNet as the first Internet service provider (ISP) based in Southern California. After building DeltaNet into the largest privately held ISP, he identified key acquisition parties and directed its sale to Concentric Networks International. His success at creating strategic partnerships and alliances for DeltaNet provided a solid background to develop and deploy the Keiretsu Forum model.
In a prior entrepreneurial venture, Chip established Parker Commercial, a commercial shopping center brokerage and development company with offices in Costa Mesa, and Sacramento. He built an effective organization a respected brand name and a 14M square foot portfolio. He also served as founding editor and executive director of California Centers Magazine, a leading publication of the shopping center industry.
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Anu Mande
Director, Keiretsu Forum Long Beach
Anu joined Keiretsu Forum in November 2003. She is the primary contact person for entrepreneurs and members. She guides them through the entire screening and presentation process. Anu holds a Ph.D. in Latin American Studies. Prior to joining Keiretsu Forum, she taught Central American history at Yale University and was the managing editor of the Hispanic American Historical Review, the flagship journal of Latin American history in the United States.
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Quality Deal Flow
Keiretsu Forum now has monthly meetings in Southern California: The Long Beach and Westlake Village chapters hold forums in alternate months, but as membership and deal flow increases, each chapter will begin to have monthly forums. The Long Beach chapter currently has two title sponsors: the law offices of Bingham McCutchen, LLP, and the investment firm of SmithBarney. Our sponsors help address every part of the deal, from the intricacies of legal and financial structures to executive compensation and retention. From planning to execution, Keiretsu Forum members and sponsors assist entrepreneurs in all aspects business development and financial management.
“We’re going to be looking at entrepreneurs who have the right business plan to attract people to invest in these companies.”
Gregg Whelan
Senior VP, Salomon SmithBarney |
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To date, the Long Beach chapter has held two forum meetings, one in October and another in December 2003. The presenting companies were from a wide range of industry sectors including software, nanotechnology, biotech, and real estate. As a result of the December forum, entrepreneur company Tahiti Partners received partial funding.
The next Long Beach screening is on February 11, 2004 and the Forum is on February 18, 2004. For more information about the screening and the Forum, please contact Chip F. Parker, President, or Anu Mande, Director. Telephone: (949) 752-7900, Fax: (949) 752-7925.
Growth Plan
A sizeable portion of Keiretsu Forum’s deal flow comes from its members. The Long Beach chapter is also executing a comprehensive affiliate program with Southern California’s leading venture capitalist companies. The goal of this ongoing campaign is to share the Keiretsu model with venture capitalists and increase their participation, encourage venture capitalists to send us early stage deal flow, provide venture capitalists with an opportunity to come in post-angel rounds, and increase their participation in due diligence and validation of various technology opportunities.
Southern California is home to over 180 institutions of higher education, such as UCLA and Cal Tech, and each of these institutions has an office of technology transfer. An abundance of technology deals reside within these institutions. There is no shortage of ideas. What is lacking is the ability to deploy entrepreneurial teams and execute their commercialization from inception to exit. Historically entrepreneurs have flocked to Silicon Valley, Boston, and Austin to ramp up and fund their new ventures. Keiretsu Forum Long Beach is now providing new, local opportunities for entrepreneurs in Southern California to access resources and capital and increase their chances for success in a competitive global economy.
About Long Beach
Located between Los Angeles and Irvine, Long Beach is a 50-square mile major metropolitan area with a diverse population of nearly 500,000. It is California’s fifth largest city, with 345 sunny days a year and the world’s most preferred container port with an unparalleled transportation system. Long Beach has an exceptionally strong education system and is home to the headquarters of the California State University System, the largest 4-year university system in the US.
| Industry | Jobs |
| Services | 63,000 |
| Retail/Wholesale Trade | 35,022 |
| Manufacturing | 31,020 |
| Government/Education | 30,705 |
The city’s top six employers include the Long Beach Unified School District, The Boeing Company, City of Long Beach, Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, Cal State Long Beach, and Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
Keiretsu Forum’s quality and diverse deal flow comes from its community of members, venture capitalists, sponsors, incubators, universities, and trusted sources. Keiretsu Forum enjoys synergies and close relationships with capital firms, universities, and investment banking institutions in Long Beach, LA, and Orange County. These relationships facilitate Keiretsu Forum’s access to local talent, technology, and resources needed to build a successful venture. Keiretsu Forum strongly believes that a strong community builds a strong economy.
Timing has also been critical. According to Parker, the founding of the Long Beach chapter coincided with the increasing public and private recognition of the emergence of the Tech Coast region, which extends from Santa Barbara to San Diego, as a cohesive and vibrant economy. There is no doubt that the aggregate economic power associated with the significant presence of Southern California’s multiple technology clusters has tremendous implications for the future growth and prosperity of the region.
Southern California is home to a variety of technology-related industries or clusters, which include some of the most sophisticated and prolific research companies in the world today. Chip Parker has identified at least ten primary industry clusters that have mitigated the impact of the economic recession in Southern California. Technology industries rely heavily on a constant influx of new ideas, technology transfers, and a skilled workforce. This priceless infrastructure of renewable resources makes the region attractive to ever-increasing numbers of technology-related business entities—entrepreneurs and corporations—from both a regional and international perspective.
The identified industry clusters are:
- Aerospace / Defense
- Automotive / Transportation
- BioTech / Medical Devices
- Computer Software
- Electronics / Optics
- Energy / Environment
- Entertainment / Digital Media
- Telecommunications / Internet
- Semiconductor Manufacturing
- Broadband / Wireless
Interesting Facts About Southern California
More that 20 million Americans live work and play here.
More than 20,000 technology companies are located here.
More than 500,000 people are employed by these companies.
More than 180 institutes of higher learning.
More than 500,000 students attend these colleges and universities.
More than 3.4 billion was invested in Tech Coast region in 2003.
More than 2.2 billion was invested in Tech Coast region in 2003.
More than 270 companies were funded in Tech Coast region in 2003.
More than 200 companies were VC funded in Tech Coast region in 2003.
This is precisely what attracts other technology related business entities, entrepreneurial and corporate, national and foreign, to the area. In the process, a concomitant influx of financial investment resources can be expected. In fact, in the third quarter of 2003, fifty-nine privately held companies headquartered in Southern California raised $472 million in venture capital, with an average deal size of $8.7 million. Collectively, these companies raised 11.6 percent of the total venture dollars invested nationwide. There is no doubt that this is the best time for investors to invest in private equity deals.
Photos courtesy of Long Beach Strategic Marketing.
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