OCTANe's Technology Investor Forum Spotlights Best of Area's Technology

ALISO VIEJO, CA--(Marketwired - May 12, 2015) - The Orange County Technology Action Network (OCTANe) today thanked participants and attendees for a well-received Technology Investor Forum held last week at the Hotel Irvine in Irvine, Calif. The Forum featured a wide range of technology companies from various industries and stages of growth.

The overall theme of the Forum -- "The Convergence of Everything" -- was reflected in panel discussions covering the latest technology advancements in IoT (The Internet of Things), intellectual property, smart connected devices and security. Popular sessions at this year's Forum covered financial technology, such as mobile payments, and how to successfully navigate the investment process of funding a start up or growth business.

"The quality of content and relevancy to today's business challenges created a high degree of engagement and debate from our panel discussions and presentations," said OCTANe CEO Bill Carpou.

Beyond engaging discussions and panels, the Forum featured presentations by ten early-stage companies. These promising companies successfully navigated a rigorous screening and coaching process as part of OCTANe's LaunchPad™ SBDC accelerator process. Founders presented to an audience that included angel, seed, venture and strategic investors.

"Our LaunchPad process empowers OCTANe to select companies with strong business models and a high likelihood of success," commented Paul Symczak, vice president of entrepreneurship at OCTANe. "This process is designed to benefit both the companies who use this process as well as the investors who evaluate each of these opportunities."

The opening keynote address featured Paul Pickle, president and COO of Microsemi.

"Paul delivered an eloquent address regarding security on the Internet of Things that was well received by attendees," added Carpou. "He provided valuable information for all attendees from both a personal and business perspective."

OCTANe also announced that November 2-3, 2015, will be the dates for its annual Medical Device Investor Forum (MDIF). MDIF is focused on a variety of healthcare technology areas, including life science investment, regulation, policy, entrepreneurial activities and "state-of-the-industry" updates. For more information on MDIF 2015, visit www.octaneoc.org.

Preliminary dates for the 2016 Technology Investor Forum are May 15-16.

About OCTANe:

OCTANe connects people and resources to drive technology industry growth enabling new company creation and new jobs in Orange County. Its members represent Orange County technology executive leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, venture capitalists, academicians, and strategic advisors, all working together to fuel innovation in the OC. The organization has helped more than 800 companies via the LaunchPad™ SBDC accelerator. LaunchPad™ companies have received more than $813 million in investment and equity exits. These investments have supported the creation of more than 3,500 new jobs in Orange County. OCTANe annually welcomes more than 6,000 people to its programs and events. More than 2,000 business leaders throughout the Orange County region are OCTANe members. For more information, visit www.octaneoc.org.