Event Program Schedule

Schedule of Events

Measuring the Biobased Economy

Presented by: USDA
Tuesday, April 29
4:30pm-6:00pm - Continental Ballroom B

This is a structured workshop soliciting the support of bioindustry leaders and experts in identifying and developing pertinent indicators of the emerging biobased economy. In fulfillment of section 948 of the Energy Policy Act, the federal government, in partnership with Iowa State University, seeks your guidance on the types of information that should be gathered and published by federal agencies and others to assist government policy and business strategy development. The information gathered in this facilitated workshop will help determine the selection of bioeconomy indicators that will be reported to Congress and used to measure the effectiveness of a variety of programs. This is an opportunity for industry to be involved at the early stage of government information procurement and policy development for a future bioeconomy.

New Crops Roundtable

Tuesday, April 29
Presented by: BioDimensions
Sponsored by: BioEnergy International LLC
4:30pm-6:00pm-Continental Ballroom C

Roundtable discussion of entrepreneurs actively developing new agricultural and forestry crops. This will be a guided discussion focusing on the needs of these companies who have a unique position in the emerging bioeconomy. The roundtable will be guided by Randy Powell, Ph.D. of BioDimensions and Mike Karst of Entira. The following topics will be included:

  • Specific hurdles involved in commercializing new crops that are different than the commodities.
  • Opportunities to collaborate on public policy, lobbying and strategic planning.
  • Discussions on sustainability and biodiversity.
  • Legal issues involved in IP specifics to new crops.
  • Ways to collaborate with the specialty chemicals, automotive and other sectors that may need to take advantage of specialized properties that are in various new crops but may not be in commodity crops such as unique fibers and fatty acid profiles.

The Role of Venture Capital and Start-ups in Industrial Biotech

Presented & Sponsored by: MDV-Mohr Davidow Ventures
Tuesday, April 29
4:30pm-6:00pm - Continental Ballroom A

North American venture capitalists invested a record $4B in clean technologies in 2007. Biotech-based companies represent a significant share of investment contributing to a number of applications including fuels, chemicals, materials, and air and water treatment.

Industrial biotechnology startups have the opportunity to play a significant role in establishing the new bio-based economy. This workshop will highlight these opportunities and discuss the process of founding and building successful startups. The workshop will discuss the typical growth stages of a venture-backed company, key elements of successful companies and how to raise capital most effectively. It will include a panel featuring founders and executive management of promising industrial biotech startups who will describe their businesses and the process of starting and building them. The panel will feature:

  • Christophe Schilling, President and Founder, Genomatica
  • Jim Imbler, CEO, ZeaChem
  • Rob Chess, CEO, OPX Biotechnologies
  • Marianne Wu, Partner, MDV

About MDV-Mohr Davidow Ventures
A leading Silicon Valley venture capital firm for 25 years, MDV partners with entrepreneurs to build companies which transform business, energy and medicine through technology innovation. MDV has $2 billion dollars under management. For more information, visit http://www.mdv.com.