OPEN Forum 2010 has just come to an end, and what a fantastic experience it was.  Our dedicated team of volunteers spent months working on this conference, and their hard work and perseverance made the conference a truly memorable experience.  Boasting 4 customized tracks, 58 accomplished speakers and a host of programs and workshops, this year’s OPEN Forum attracted nearly 600 attendees.

Some highlights from the conference include: 

- In his poignant morning keynote speech, Faysal Sohail, managing director of CMEA Capital, took a look back at the last several decades, and helped us theorize what may lie ahead.

- Mir Ibrahim, CEO of GEO TV, took a fresh look at Pakistan by sharing positive data on the country, and showing the potential that exists in reframing its narrative.

- The afternoon keynote was given by Interwoven CEO Rafiq Mohammadi, who shared his inspiring journey from working a 2 person startup to running a billion dollar business, and discussed the various challenges that come with “scaling”.

- Professor Iqbal Quadir of MIT’s Legatum Center gave a very insightful evening keynote addressing the role of entrepreneurship in creating democracy and adding to the wealth of a nation.  

The day was packed with insightful panels and informative workshops - from social media to getting angel funding to the future of personal transportation.  There was a Gen Y track that shed light on finding a career that aligns with your passion and getting organized and effective as you plan your life.  There were also sessions on leadership and social entrepreneurship.  

If you missed the conference, or would simply like to revisit some of the day’s events, there are several ways to access the content.  You can view our twitter feed at http://twitter.com/search?q=%23OF10 (hashtag # OF10), or you can visit our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/opensv.  The entire even was recorded by VPYPE, and is available on Facebook through the VPYPE application (http://apps.facebook.com/vpypebroadcaster/).  

I highly recommend watching or re-watching the content – I think that you will find all of the keynote speeches truly remarkable.

Once again, check out the agenda at www.OPENSVForum.org, and I hope that you will block Saturday, June 4^th 2011 in your calendar for the next big event!

Nz

 Sincerely,

 Naeem Zafar

 President OPEN Silicon Valley (2009-2011)

OPEN Women’s Leadership Forum 2010 features a compelling lineup of ten panelists and speakers, with distinguished business leaders headlining the event as Keynotes. I am pleased to welcome Nilofer Merchant – noted business strategy consultant and an expert in marketing.  Her morning keynote is titled “The Game Changer”. Our afternoon keynote speaker is Sharon Meers, author of the book Getting to 50/50, who will talk about how working couples can have it all.

Since our new team took over six months ago we have been laying the foundation for future growth by strengthening our processes and expanding our volunteer base.  We would love to see you become a part of OPEN and help our local community with your mentorship and involvement.  You will be helping us all profit by sharing our knowledge and experience. 

Please write to me at Naeem@ConcordiaVentures.com  if you would like to help plan other programs for OPEN or volunteer for OPEN Forum 2010 – our annual conference that will be held on June 5^th 2010.

Sincerely,

Naeem Zafar

President OPEN Silicon Valley (2009-2011)

[...]

Dear Forum Participant,  

I would like to welcome you to OPEN Forum 2009! With the 6th edition of OPEN SV's highly successful conference series, we open a new chapter for OPEN Forum. OPEN Forum '09 presents an expanded and arguably the richest program to date, a diverse audience, and a new home at the Computer History Museum. It is a moment of great pride for the entire OPEN community in the United States that OPEN Forum is now recognized as one of Silicon Valley's leading business events.  

OPEN Forum '09 features a compelling line-up of more than 55 speakers, with distinguished business leaders headlining the event as Keynotes. I am pleased to welcome Tom Campbell, noted educator, economist and an experienced public servant; and Masood Jabbar, a 16-year veteran of Sun Microsystems who led global sales for Sun, and served as President of Sun Microsystems Computer Division.  

OPEN Forum '09 comes at a challenging time for Silicon Valley and the broader economy. Many in the OPEN community have felt the impact of these times. Yet, Silicon Valley distinguishes itself with an umatched zeal for innovation, and a strong will and capacity to weather challenges. The OPEN community possesses immense talent -- and together, we have the ability to not only persevere in these times, but to emerge stronger post-downturn. This is what inspires our conference theme of "Winning Tomorrow" and our agenda across Keynotes and 12 panels in the conference tracks. We have taken great care  in developing a program that exposes entrepreneurs to opportunities, as well as, offers insights and advice to professionals who are in transition in their careers.  

This year's conference also comes at a turning point for Pakistan. As an organization of entrepreneurs, we will take the opportunity to discuss how entrepreneurship can play a role in furthering socio-economic development in Pakistan, and act as a stabilizing force in the developing world.

Thank you again for being part of OPEN Forum '09. Many of you are traveling to Silicon Valley from across the US and abroad. I look forward to your active participation -- and your continued engagement with us into the future.

Regards,

Dilawar Syed

On behalf of the OPEN team, I would like to wish you a Happy New Year.

OPEN SV ushers in the New Year with a series of exciting events. First, I am pleased to share with you that OPEN will host Women Leadership Forum - a networking event designed exclusively for women - on Saturday, February 7^th in Sunnyvale, California. This inaugural event is themed "Empowering for Success". Keynote speaker Wendy Beecham, CEO, Forum for Women Executives & Entrepreneurs will be joined by a number of distinguished leaders including Lorainne Hariton, Talat Hasan and Mythali Sankaran. Please register and take advantage of the early-bird discount.

We have planned several mentorship and networking events over the next few months. I would like to highlight a few:

• Art of Pitching: Communicating your business idea effectively - Jan. 14th
• Incorporating your venture: Legal workshop. Co-sponsored by Bay Area Assoc. of Muslim Lawyers - Feb. 17th
• Green Economy: Opportunities for entrepreneurs - March 5^th
• Understanding the fund-raising process - March 25th
• OPEN Forum 2009: OPEN SV's 6^th annual business conference - June 2009

A complete list of events is posted.

During this challenging time in the economy, OPEN community has an enormous opportunity to guide and mentor those in transition. To this end, I would like to share with you two important services.

Through Office Hours our members can request a meeting with an expert in a particular field or functional area - this program is designed for both professionals and entrepreneurs in our community. To request an appointment or volunteer to be an expert, please email us officehours@opensiliconvalley.org

Second, OPEN Job Board offers our members preferred access to job opportunities in the OPEN community. We need your help to make this job board an effective resource - I encourage you to submit jobs in your organization by emailing us at jobs@opensiliconvalley.org

Dear Member, 2007 was an extraordinary year for OPEN SV. I would like to acknowledge the dedication of our volunteers. Thanks to their efforts, we hosted dozens of networking and mentorship events, organized a world-class conference, launched a feature-rich new website, and rolled out new services such as OPEN Office Hours.

In closing, I would like to share with you an exciting development at OPEN from outside Silicon Valley. On January 31^st, OPEN launches its 6^th chapter in US in Chicago. Please join us at the launch event if you are in the area.

Thank you for your continued participation. I look forward to seeing you at an upcoming event.

As we prepare to go into the fall season, the OPEN team has put together an exciting calendar of events for 2008 / 09. As in the previous year, the focus of our mentorship, networking and professional development events will remain on two segments: aspiring entrepreneurs and early-stage corporate professionals.

This year we will enhance our mentorship program with the launch of OPEN Office Hours. In addition, we intend to make a special effort to engage more women at OPEN SV with the hosting of a major networking event for women in January, 2009.  

With increased engagement and activity, it is important more members benefit from our content -- both from within and outside our community. To this end, we made great strides last year, as is evident from increased diversity at our events. TiE SV, MIT VLab, Women 2.0 and Bay Area Assoc. of Muslim Lawyers are some of the professional organizations we will continue to actively collaboration with.  

2008/09 PROGRAM   Over 25 mentorship, networking and knowledge-sharing events feature in our 2008/09 calendar. Highlights are

• Fall Quarterly Panel: October 9th: Start-up 2.0: Major operating and financing differences between starting and growing technology companies today versus 5 years ago
• Sat., January 31st: An exclusive networking event for women -- in collaboration with Women 2.0
• Spring Quarterly Panel: March 5th: Opportunities in CleanTech ecosystem
• Monthly Workshops starting with a day-long session on How to start your own venture on Sat., Sept. 27th
• Monthly mentorship sessions over breakfast
• OPEN Forum 2009 -- our sixth annual conference in June, 2009

Please visit our website for a complete list of events.

Our move to an office and the launch of OPEN Office Hours

I am very pleased to share with you that we have leased an office space at the Plug n' Play Technology Center in Sunnyvale. We will shift some of our events to this location, reducing burden on SAP who have been excellent hosts to OPEN SV for more than five years.   We envision our new home to become a hub of hands-on mentorship, guidance and knowledge sharing. Plug & Play Technology Center is a vibrant ecosystem of start-up's and VCs. Having OPEN in the midst exposes our community to a rich environment where our entrepreneurs and professionals will have the opportunity to expand their network and make important connections.   Starting fall, 2008, OPEN SV will launch 'OPEN OFFICE HOURS' -- a regular monthly block of time where entrepreneurs and professionals can review their business plans, ask questions and discuss their career needs and receive advice.  

Finally, I would like to share an important recognition with you. OPEN Silicon Valley was recently acknowledged for improving Pakistan's Tech industry's image abroad with an award at the launch ceremony of the CIO Magazine in Karachi. Many of our leaders in the OPEN SV community have helped champion Pakistan's tech industry's cause. This award is in recognition of their collective efforts.  

Look forward to seeing you at an upcoming event.  

This past weekend OPEN SV hosted one of the most successful events in our history. Much of what we set out to do a year ago - expand OPEN's base, step up activities and engagement, and overhaul our infrastructure - came to fruition at OPEN FORUM 2008.

Our fifth annual conference had many 'firsts', which will become benchmarks for our future performance:

A Record Turn Out

• More than 530 participants turned out at the conference surpassing the previous high by ~50%. Our marketing strategy, which relied heavily on outreach to other groups throughout the year, web campaigns, investment in the new web infrastructure and networking tools paid off
• The audience was diverse with 15 - 20% women attendees (still some ways to go) and many non-Pakistanis in attendance. I credit our active collaboration with TiE and MIT VLab, along with other peer groups, for this healthy trend
• We increased general membership by 20%. 1 out of every 2 non-member in attendance chose to become / renew membership. This is a clear recognition of the value OPEN SV is delivering to our membership

World-class Speaker Line-up

• Top US business and public figures headlined the event, putting OPEN FORUM in the league of top-tier business events in Silicon Valley; and raising profile of the OPEN community in an unprecedented manner
• Gov. Howard Dean's Keynote was uplifting. Mike Moritz's Keynote - moderated by Fortune Magazine's Adam Lashinsky - attracted the highest attendance to date for a morning Keynote. The main auditorium was packed with 300+ attendees; with more folks in overflow areas. Steve Westly's Keynote on Clean Tech added to the diversity of our content, again attracting a full-capacity audience.
• Sohaib Abbasi, Munawar Hidayatallah and Ambassador Haqqani's Spotlight talks - a new feature at the conference - provided depth to the event
• This was the first year we featured 3 Tracks, with eight panels and three fire-side chats in session simultaneously. More than 50 leading entrepreneurs, executives, academics and non-profit leaders participated making Forum '08 most rich in content in history.

Corporate Outreach

• This year blue chip names - Sheppard Mullin, Sequoia Capital, Sun Microsystems and Yahoo! - joined SAP in sponsoring OPEN FORUM. This is validation of the OPEN SV platform; and the value world's top employers see in our organization for brand-building and talent acquisition efforts

Flawless Execution

• Registration - online and on-site - worked smoothly. 80% of attendees pre-registered - a record. OPEN team's hard work and investment into the new website that can scale during Forum campaigns paid off
• We overhauled the room management process, with track captains managing each track. End result: the conference progressed smoothly with the event ending on time (actually 5 minutes earlier)!

Who made it happen?

Earlier this year, we put a dedicated organization and structure in place to plan and execute OPEN FORUM; with co-chairs heading up six committees. Please join me in thanking the leads and their teams - collectively, an army of more than 60 volunteers:

• Shahab Riazi & Moazzam Chaudhry - Co-chairs Marketing & Outreach
• Abdulrahman Rafiq, Abbas Zaidi, Babar Yasin & team; along with Sequoia China - A/V Production
• Nayeem Qureshi & Faisal Jeddy - Co-chairs Sponsorship
• Naeem Zafar, Waheed Qureshi & Ashar Aziz - Content
• Mobashar Yazdani & Abdulrahman Rafiq - Co-chairs Web Platforms
• Faisal Hanif - Chair Registration and Guest Relations
• Naureen Hashim - Event Coordination
• 
  

Last but not least, our thanks to Asiya Merchant and Naureen Hashim for arranging an elegant Evening Reception. Over 150 invited guests enjoyed hors d'oeuvre and a violin duet.

OPEN FORUM 2008's exceptional success caps an extraordinary year for OPEN SV. We end 2007/08 a lot more vibrant, with an expanded and diverse membership body, and an energized volunteer base. Clearly, more remains to be done to foster entrepreneurship and enable professional development in our community. I will look to you for support and active contribution as we build on this momentum and take OPEN SV to new heights.

President's Message for OPEN FORUM 2008

OPEN Silicon Valley is proud to welcome a global audience of leaders to this historic event. OPEN FORUM 2008 is the organization's fifth annual Business Conference; and it comes in a year when OPEN celebrates its 10th year since formation. This is an important feat for the Diaspora; as we have made tremendous strides in establishing a global platform for ideas and talent to come together, and to further our shared success both within the Diaspora community and Pakistan -- where the need to support entrepreneurship and economic advancement remains strong.

OPEN FORUM 2008 presents a compelling line-up of speakers, with the world's leading figures headlining the event as Keynotes speakers. I am very pleased to welcome Chairman Howard Dean, Mike Moritz, Steve Westly, Ambassador Husain Haqqani, Munawar Hidayatallah, Sohaib Abbasi, Sartaj Aziz, along with more than fifty other distinguished speakers to the conference. For the first time in the conference history, OPEN FORUM will feature three parallel tracks; there will be two dedicated tracks for Entrepreneurship and Global Affairs.

Our conference theme this year is 'Leading Through Change'. We timed this theme keeping in view the broader economic slowdown in the US, globalization, and profound changes in investment climate in emerging markets, including Pakistan. Throughout conference tracks, our fifteen panels and keynotes will lead a discussion on how business leaders lead, manage and succeed in a time of change. You will hear about global investment trends from some of the world's top investors; as well as, receive guidance on how to manage and grow your business or career when business models and paradigms undergo significant change.

For OPEN SV as an organization too, 2008 has been a significant year. This all-volunteer organization has led from the front in delivering on an ambitious agenda, and driving remarkable change. With significantly increased activity (25 high quality events over past ten months), greater visibility and consistent engagement both within the Pakistani-American affinity group, and the broader ecosystem of Silicon Valley, OPEN SV is seeking to further the success of a new generation of entrepreneurs and leaders. Community institutions play a critical role in driving positive change over the long haul. As the winds of change gather momentum, this would be our bit to facilitate success through guidance and mentorship for tomorrow's business leaders.

Thank you again for being part of this historic occasion. Many of you will be traveling to Silicon Valley from across the US and Pakistan. I look forward to your active participation - and your continued engagement with us into the future.

I wanted to take the opportunity to share with you our progress in Q1, and provide an update on OPEN FORUM 2008, our mega event of the year.

We continued with our focus on aspiring entrepreneurs and early-stage professionals through targeted mentorship, knowledge sharing, and more frequent networking events. I am pleased to share with you that OPEN Silicon Valley delivered another solid quarter. Below is a summary of a dozen events we hosted these past few months.

• Networking Event with Pakistan-based High-tech Ventures (Jan. 19th). Arranged in collaboration with Pakistan Software Promotion Board, this was an opportunity to expose these firms to the US market and enable OPEN members to learn first hand about opportunities in Pakistan's nascent industry. I would like to thank Faruq Ahmed, Akram Chowdhry, Jaffer Hussain, Raghib Hussain, Rehan Jalil, Aurangzeb Khan, Idris Kothari and Raz Zia who advised these firms in a day-long program at the Sun Campus
• Networking Mixer with MIT's Ken Morse (Feb. 5th). Ken Morse has built a strong rapport with the Pakistani American business community around the US; and delivers highly sought after workshops. In this event, Ken led a high-energy discussion on the importance of building an effective sales function in a start-up.
• Spring Panel on Platformization of the Web (March 13th). This panel on a timely topic was joined by developers from top web application ventures; and included demonstrations of mash-up's built by emerging developers. In a clear sign that OPEN SV is fast becoming a leading platform in the Valley's broader ecosystem, the event was promoted by MIT-VLab, and attracted a large number of professionals from the broader business community
• Recruiting Mixer for Software & Services Professionals (April 17th). This was a first of its kind open-agenda, recruiting mixer. In attendance were recruiters, placement experts, as well as representatives from top valley names, including Google and Yahoo!
• Monthly Mentorship Workshops. Through out the year, OPEN SV has featured highly successful monthly workshops. Naeem Zafar has been the driving force behind this program. Each workshop has attracted a full-capacity crowd. Workshops hosted this past quarter:
• 10 Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make (and how to avoid them)
• Achieving Work-life balance. This event was targeted at women re-entering workforce
• Soft skills for the Global Entrepreneur
• Monthly Mentorship Sessions Over Breakfast. OPEN SV featured Mahmood Panjwani, Rafat Ali, Hasan Rizvi and Jaffer Hussain in topics ranging from 'life of a global CEO' (Mahmood) to a highly informative topic 'alternative sources of funding -- making use of govt. grants (Jaffer)

NEW WEBSITE

This quarter also saw the launch of our new website! The new site is designed to scale with OPEN SV's growth. The site offers dynamic calendar of events, improved registration, OPEN SV Job Board, blogs & news, event videos, and rich community features. Visitors can create a profile, and build connections with members of the OPEN community. We invite you to create (or update) your profile and help build OPEN SV Online Community.

OPEN FORUM 2008 Update

Our upcoming annual event is a huge undertaking, planning for which began in earnest in January. This year's conference is our 5th annual event; a milestone that speaks volumes for our robustness and continued maturity as an organization. OPEN FORUM 2008, scheduled for Saturday, June 14th at the SAP Campus in Palo Alto, features a world-class line-up of speakers. I am very pleased to share with you that Mike Moritz of Sequoia Capital and Gov. Howard Dean, have agreed to keynote at the conference. The conference will feature twelve panels and 'fire-side' dialogues with top industry and public figures over three parallel tracks. Many of our charter members - Sohaib Abbasi, Bari Abdul, Faruq Ahmed, Ammar Hanafi, Ayaz ul Haq, Raghib Husain, Arif Janjua, Zain Jewanjee, Mahmood Panjwani, Rafat Pirzada, Safwan Shah, Faysal Sohail, Fawad Zakariya, along with ExecCom Members Naeem Zafar, Waheed Qureshi, and Ashar Aziz, are playing a key role as organizers, moderators or panelists.

A BIG Thank You to OPEN SV Team!

OPEN SV's stepped up efforts and consistent engagement would not be possible without the herculean (and yes, this is no hyperbole) effort of the members of the OPEN SV team. Each member of our volunteer base takes significant time out of their daily lives to help us execute with this level of activity. On behalf of the ExecCom, my profound gratitude to Moazzam Chaudry, Faisal Hanif, Faisal Jeddy, Ahsan Malik, Shahab Riazi, Nayeem Qureshi, Abdul Rahman Rafiq and Mobashar Yazdani for their extraordinary leadership this past quarter.

Thank you for your continued support. I look forward to seeing you on June 14th.