At this year's event, Guy Kawasaki will speak. From the SVASE site, yesterday:
Launch: Silicon Valley 2007 is THE premier event designed specifically to give you the opportunity to stay on top of the latest emerging technologies, products and startups. And as a special bonus, hear Guy Kawasaki explain "How I Launched a Web 2.0, User-Generated Content, Citizen Journalism, Long-Tail, Social Media Site for only $10,918.09"
I was part of the steering committee for this event last year. Companies looking for funding or partnerships sent a two-page brief and the winners got to pitch their product and set up a mini-booth. The variety of companies was what struck me most, and the quality of those selected made the event valuable for the attendees. One of my favourites, iBloks, was there and they've been a mainstay of Microsoft's Vista launch programs ever since. If you want to see very promising companies at an early stage in their growth, this is a great forum.
