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North County Times, Escondido, Calif., Bradley J. Fikes column: Mix with the creative elite at Playhouse event
Nov 04, 2009 (North County Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
This holiday season, some of Southern California's most seasoned entrepreneurs will meet at the La Jolla Playhouse for a special night dedicated to innovation.
The second annual Innovation Night, on Dec. 9, combines networking, season's cheers and the premiere of the musical "Bonnie & Clyde."
And if you want an idea of the kind of people who'll show up, just look at the host list:
Ivor Royston, managing partner of Forward Ventures and a founding father of San Diego biotech; Len J. Lauer, chief operating officer of Qualcomm Inc., Duane Roth, CEO of Connect; and Susan Dube, a veteran pharmaceutical industry consultant.
Also, Joe Panetta, CEO of Biocom; Ed Dennis of UCSD's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; Victor Felix, partner, Procopio; and John Rains, vice president, Alliant Insurance. The lead sponsors are Qualcomm and Biomed Realty Trust, Inc., with Merck & Co. as a co-sponsor, and the San Diego Business Journal as media sponsor.
In other words, these are people good for any entrepreneur to know, spanning biotech, high-tech, academia and business service providers. Be forewarned, the admission price is stiff, $150 per person, which goes to support the playhouse.
What does that money get you? It begins with a private networking reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by the play at 7:30 p.m. and a post-play dessert party with the cast and crew. And the price guarantees those attending are serious about innovation, the arts, or both.
To buy tickets, call the Playhouse Box Office at 858-550-1010 or visitwww.lajollaplayhouse.org. For more information, call Jill McIntyre at 858-550-1070, ext. 137, or e-mail jmcintyre@ljp.org.
Wish list
My innovation holiday wish really isn't that innovative; it's quite simple: Bring SIM (Subscriber Identification Module) cards to CDMA phones.
SIM cards are the little bits of plastic and metal that carry the identity of cell phones using GSM technology. You can swap them out between phones at will. That's especially handy if you like to switch between different phones, or use a cell phone in another country.
CDMA, developed by San Diego's Qualcomm Inc., actually allows something like a SIM card. It's called R-UIM, for Removable User Identity Module. They're in use in some other countries, such as China and Korea.
But American CDMA carriers, such as Verizon Wireless and Sprint, don't allow these cards. If they won't change their minds, perhaps some other carrier, like Cricket Wireless, will do so and put pressure on the reluctant giants.
Do you know of an entrepreneurial success story or bold beginning in North San Diego County or Southwest Riverside County? Contact Bradley J. Fikes at bfikes@nctimes.com or 760-739-6641.
To see more of the North County Times or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to
http://www.nctimes.com. Copyright (c) 2009, North County Times, Escondido,
Calif. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints,
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