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Texas, the new dot.com destination

J M Shenoy

The gap between entrepreneurs's expectations and market reality has been getting plenty of attention in recent months, with the collapse of many high-tech and dot.com firms.

People are not interested in learning about wealth creation alone but about overcoming odds and challenges in the industry, many entrepreneurs say.

TieCon Texas 2001 event will reflect on some of the issues that worry many entrepreneurs -- new and old.

The April 7 conference (The Road Map Ahead) in Austin will feature CEOs, venture partners and analysts with well-known technology firms from around the US.

With the growing number of Indian high-tech companies in Austin, Dallas and Houston, and with the increasing presence of Indian professionals and academics in the region, the Texas chapters of The Indus Entrepreneurs, TiE, are getting busy for a slew of activities.

The Road Map Ahead at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Austin will hear from two of the most dynamic names in Silicon Valley: Shailesh Mehta, chairman, president and CEO of Providian Financial, and Kanwal Rekhi, angel investor and former president, TiE.

The TiE chapters in Houston and Dallas are joining hands with its Austin chapter to host the event.

'The Year 2000 brought back a healthy dose of reality in the startup community,' TiE organizers in Austin note in their newsletter.

'But stepping into 2001 many entrepreneurs have been left a little bewildered by the swift turn of the tide as well as the uncertainty of the tech economy going forward. The need of the moment is for rational thinking and evaluation of the new entrepreneurship model.'

There are three key sessions.

Focus on Technology, Wireless & Beyond: Technology and market perspective on the wireless infrastructure and applications sector. By targeting new and emerging trends, the attendees will get a glimpse of the areas where big opportunities lie in the wireless and mobile enterprise solutions arena.

Startup 101: New as well as seasoned entrepreneurs and professionals can get a refresher on the various modalities and dimensions of successfully getting a company off the ground. From concept to funding to establishing operations. This is a popular workshop jointly organized by AV Labs and Jenkins & Gilchrist.

Building Sustainable Enterprises: Challenges faced in taking a company to the next level, be it a subsequent round of funding or an IPO. How to incorporate long-term vision along with an agile management style to grow the company into a profitable and scalable business. The emphasis will be on defining critical success factors, winning strategies and market evolution alternatives.

The conference leaders say it will highlight the emergence of Texas as a destination for the technology industry.

"While Austin clearly shows strengths in software and semiconductors, Dallas has emerged as one of the forerunners in the wireless and telecom arena," they point out. "Houston with its large corporate base is an attractive destination for service companies selling to the energy and chemicals industry."

The organizers expect 500 attendees from Texas and the other southern states.

For more information, check www.tie.org; or email Info@tie-aus.org

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