Foley & Lardner LLP was pleased to participate in the sponsorship of the 2014 Nantucket Conference. Now in its 15th year, the conference was held June 5th – June 7th in Nantucket, Massachusetts. The 2014 Nantucket Conference audience consisted of approximately 150 top entrepreneurs, investors, and tech executives. This small group of creative forward-thinkers engaged in a dialogue with the presenters over the course of the three-day conference. Panelists included Chad Dickerson, CEO of Etsy</A>; Neil Blumenthal, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Warby Parker</A>; and Larry Bohn, Managing Director of General Catalyst Partners. Foley also presented a “fireside chat” between John West, CEO and Founder of The Whistle, a multi-channel sports network focusing on teenage and child audiences, and Susan Pravda, head of Foley’s Technology Industry Team.
The theme of the conference was a comparison of the Boston and New York entrepreneurial communities. Among the many takeaways was our conclusion that New York has truly come into its own for start-up and growth companies, and is indeed a formidable complement to the Boston – Palo Alto venture capital and start-up communities. Nonetheless, the last year has seen many Boston-area successes, not only in tech and life sciences, but also in retail and communications.
Another conclusion of the conference was a trend toward the convergence of tech and consumer businesses. Many participants noted that consumer and B2B business must all be tech-enabled to succeed, and, conversely, that tech businesses must position their offerings as consumer-directed products.
For more information on the 2014 Nantucket Conference, please click here.