Schwarzenegger Advisor David Crane to Deliver Keynote at Pepperdine Venture Capital Forum

Sept. 14, 2010 - PRLog -- David Crane, special advisor to the governor for jobs and economic growth, is the scheduled keynote speaker at the Tuesday, October 5th Pepperdine University industry panel event, “Early, Middle and Late Stage Venture Capital: How Growing Companies Can Attract Debt and Equity Capital,” hosted by the Graziadio Alumni Network Council of Los Angeles at the Warner Center Marriott in Woodland Hills, Calif. URL: http://bschool.pepperdine.edu/events/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D90685065

The panel will be moderated by Dr. John Paglia, associate professor of finance and senior researcher for the Pepperdine Private Capital Markets Project (http://bschool.pepperdine.edu/privatecapital) at the Graziadio School of Business and Management. Other panelists include: Luke Johnson, Platinum Equity; Eric Manlunas, Frontera Group; Alexander Suh, California Technology Ventures; and Stephen Hughes, Silicon Valley Bank

Personally appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Crane serves as the Governor’s liaison on job creation and retention initiatives, and on national and international marketing of California products and industries. Crane, 50, is a Democrat from San Francisco. The position does not require Senate confirmation.

The event is open to professionals who work in private capital markets (investment, corporate, and commercial banking, mezzanine capital, private equity, and venture capital), and entrepreneurs of companies in all lifecycle stages (CEOs, CFOs, and managers).

The evening panel, which will convene at 5 p.m., concluding at 8 p.m., will offer information and insight from a team of experts on current trends in venture capital investing, financing growth companies, attracting junior capital and issuing public equity. The event also allows for an opportunity for fellow alumni and industry professionals to mingle, network and open new doors to business opportunities.

Crane is no stranger to venture capitalism and strategy. Before joining the administration, Crane worked at Babcock & Brown, a financial services firm headquartered in San Francisco. When Crane joined Babcock & Brown in 1979, it had four employees and one office. Crane helped to build the firm into a worldwide business that has arranged over $250 billion of financings during his tenure and currently employs more than 450 people in 22 offices in 14 countries. A graduate of the University of Michigan and the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, Crane is a trustee of the San Francisco Day School and an advisory trustee of Environmental Defense, a non-profit organization that provides, among other things, market-oriented environmental protection policies.

Schwarzenegger chose Crane for the economic growth position based on their shared belief that California is the best place on earth for turning dreams into ideas, and ideas into great companies and entirely new industries, according to the Governor. "David shares my commitment to providing a state government that fosters an economic environment that enables such business and job creation."

"I'm honored that Governor Schwarzenegger has asked me to serve in his administration and excited by this challenging opportunity," said Crane. "I look forward to working with him to improve our state's business and employment climate and to return California to economic strength and vitality."

Register for the “Early, Middle and Late State Venture Capital: How Growing Companies Can Attract Debt and Equity Capital” event at http://bschool.pepperdine.edu/events/?trumbaEmbed=view%3D....

For more information, please contact gsbmalum@pepperdine.edu.

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Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management offers fully accredited MBA, Masters of Science, and bachelor’s completion business programs. More at http://bschool.pepperdine.edu/newsroom/.