Santa Clara University: Social Networking Start-up Execs Share Stories of Success.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Executives from four of the top ten social networking sites will share their experiences on Tuesday, October 10, at 7:00 PM in the Recital Hall of the Santa Clara University Performing Arts Center. The panel presentation, produced by the Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) at the SCU School of Business, is co-sponsored by the MBA-Entrepreneurs Connection and the Engineering Business Alliance, and is proceeded by a reception from 6:00 - 7:00 PM. General admission tickets are $40; SCU alumni, $25, and SCU students (with ID) are admitted free.

Panelists include Steve Loughlin, president and CEO of Affinity Circles, Keith Rabois, vice president of business development at LinkedIn, Jeff Roberto, Friendster, Inc., senior pr/marketing manager, and Jim Scheinman, vice president of business development and sales, Bebo, Inc. The panel will be moderated by Fred Stutzman, co-founder of ClaimID.com.

Fred Stutzman is co-founder of ClaimID.com, a site which helps users manage their online identities. As a Ph.D. candidate at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Fred's research focuses on social networking and social software, as well as the effects of social technologies. He was formerly director of technology for ibiblio.org, and has worked for The Motely Fool and Nortel Networks in project management roles.

Steve Loughlin is president and CEO of Affinity Circles, a growing social networking tool used by university alumni organizations. Prior to overseeing engineering, sales, and marketing for Affinity Circles, he served as director of business development for a medical company. He received his bachelor's degree from Stanford University, and completed coursework at the London School of Economics.

Keith Rabois, LinkedIn's vice president of business development, creates new products and forecasts new developments in the Internet environment for the career networking service. A serial entrepreneur, he has worked as part of the executive team for six Internet companies named "Best of the Web."

As senior PR and marketing manager for Friendster, Inc., Jeff Roberto develops new customer acquisition and retention marketing programs for the online social networking site. He has more than nine years experience in e-commerce, product development, and partner marketing for Internet-related companies, including Roxio/Napster, Inc. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Connecticut.

Jim Scheinman, Bebo vice president of business development and sales, came to the largest social networking site for high school and college students in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand as Employee #3. Previous he held positions at NBCi and at a large Silicon Valley law firm.

ABOUT THE CENTER FOR INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

The Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship was launched by Santa Clara University School of Business to provide students, alumni, and friends with a greater understanding and control of the forces that drive the economies of Silicon Valley, our nation, and the increasingly inter-connected global economy. Among the programs fostered by the CIE mission are its Venture Accelerator program, which enables launches of new ventures, and partnering with community programs through the Venture Information Network. The Center also provides resources for the School of Business Entrepreneur Leadership program. More information can be found at the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship website (www.scu.edu/cie).

ABOUT THE LEAVEY SCHOOL OF BUSINESS 

The Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University began in 1926, and was one of the first business schools in the country to receive national accreditation. Its undergraduate business program has been recognized as one of the best in California, and its MBA program is ranked 10th in the nation among part-time graduate programs. More than 80 percent of its 1,100 MBA students are working professionals in Silicon Valley.

ABOUT SANTA CLARA UNIVERSITY

Santa Clara University, a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located in California's Silicon Valley, offers its 8,213 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, and engineering, plus master's and law degrees. Distinguished nationally by the third-highest graduation rate among all U.S. masters' universities, California's oldest higher-education institution demonstrates faith-inspired values of ethics and social justice. More information is online at www.scu.edu.