Midland's MidMichigan Innovation Center will begin its speaker series Tuesday, Sept. 16 with a talk from Ken Kousky on “From Garage to IPO in Six Years.”

Saginaw native Kousky had settled in St. Louis, M., where Wave Technologies began. When his software development and training company sought angel investors and venture capital, Kousky was unable to find it in St. Louis, so he returned to Philadelphia and Saginaw to raise the needed money.

Kousky will share his experience of starting a company in his home, where four people came to work for the first six months, to the eventual IPO that took Wave public. Kousky stayed on as CEO of the now-public Wave Technologies for six years, remaining with the company through its acquisition by Thomson Corp., then the largest Internet content provider in the world.

With Thomson, Kousky went on to lead almost $1 billion of further merger and acquisition activities before retiring and returning to Michigan.

While a handful of Saginaw angel investors were able to realize a 20-fold return in less than
five years with Wave Technologies, the idea of early stage investing has remained elusive to this day for most mid-Michigan companies. This has lead to Kousky’s active involvement in the newly formed angel investment group BlueWater Angels, where he serves as president.

Kousky will discuss his experiences including working with venture funds, personnel management in high-growth environments, wWhy sales always come first, even with a start-up, and when a business is really born -- spending investors’ capital vs. cash flow from customers

The event will run from noon to 1:30 p.m. at MMIC's Core Conference Room. Registration of $25 at the door or $15 for MMIC tenants and students includes lunch. Limited seating is available. To reserve a seat, call (989) 839-2333 or e-mail receptionist@mmic.us.

The MMIC Speaker Series is an ongoing effort to provide educational opportunities for
mid-Michigan based entrepreneurs, investors, business leaders, and community members. The series will be held on a quarterly basis at the MidMichigan Innovation Center.

Those with questions or who would like to participate in future events should call Chris Moultrup at (989) 839-2336.

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