Mark Bowles and Eric Otterson: How to leverage San Diego resources to launch successful companies

Meet Mark Bowles, a serial entrepreneur and investor who’s made millions in tech, and kept it in San Diego. Learn more about why Bowles maintains a strict, San Diego-only philosophy when it comes to investing in startups.

“I get a lot of opportunities to invest in deals in Silicon Valley … but I restrict all of my investing to San Diego startups, which may not be the best financial choice,” Bowles said. “But I do believe in recycling capital.”

Bowles was the brains behind ecoATM, the local electronics recycling kiosk-maker acquired in 2013 by Coinstar’s parent company, Outerwall, for $350 million in cash. The acquisition represented a landmark moment for San Diego’s tech scene, which unlike Silicon Valley, isn’t famous for its behemoth buyouts.

Now Bowles, along with a few of his ecoATM co-founders, will take another stab at greatness with a health care startup he can only talk about in terms so vague that they would sound ludicrous coming from anyone else.

“If successful, (this idea) is the biggest and most noble in terms of its impact yet,” he said. “This one is really powerful if it works.”

Mark will be interviewed by Eric Otterson.

Eric is managing director at Silicon Valley Bank, leading the San Diego-based technology banking team. This includes a variety of lending, investment and global treasury management solutions tailored to private, venture-backed firms as well as small-cap, publicly traded firms.

Eric has 18 years experience in marketing and business development working with high growth technology and life science companies. As former VP of Business Development at venture law firm Cooley, LLP, he managed the national business practice groups, and locally built relationships between San Diego entrepreneurs and capital provider clients.

Being a former entrepreneur himself helps drive Eric’s passion for helping grow his clients’ and prospects’ businesses. He served as Director of Client Operations at startup eAssist, delivering a CRM suite to clients like Fiserv, Countrywide, AT&T and British Telecom.

Eric is Chairman of the Board at the San Diego French-American School, and on the boards of an EvoNexus and the San Diego Venture Group. He is co-founder of Start Up San Diego, an entrepreneur-run mentor, advisor and investor network.

AGENDA
5:00: Registration, Drinks and Appetizers, Networking
6:00: Welcome
6:10: Presentation
7:15: Audience Q & A
7:30: Program Concludes, Networking, Coffee & Dessert until 8:30

REGISTRATION & COST
MITEF Members and MITEF Sponsors: Free
Non-members: $65
MIT Alums:  $50
​​On-Site: $75

NOTE:  Online Registration ends at midnight, the day prior to the event.  If you register online the day of the event, you will be charged $75, the on-site price.

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