Over 1300 innovators, entrepreneurs, academics and professionals came together to attend TiECON East 2006 from June 15-17 at the Hynes Convention Centre in Boston, driven by the desire to tap into some of the best minds in the world. This year marked the biggest, most well-attended conference ever, in the history of TiE-Boston. The theme was “Innovating in a Flat World” and speakers and attendees from 4 continents and of many different nationalities drove this point home very well, indeed.

On Thursday, June 15, at a special, by invitation only reception Clayton Christensen, a renowned speaker and Harvard Business School professor, addressed a packed house on how to judge the viability of a business idea. Everyone who attended the event felt how lucky they were, and those who did not wish they could have.

Distinguished Keynote Speakers on Friday June 16 and Saturday June 17 included Hatim Tyabji, Executive Chairman of Bytemobile and Board Member, BestBuy, Professor Mohanbir Sawhney of the Kellogg School of Management, S. Ramadorai, CEO and Managing Director, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. and Rajeev Samant, CEO, Sula Vines and many others.

TiECON East 2006 featured many other very illustrious speakers on various discussion panels. These panels tackled diverse topics but all pertinent to the theme of “Innovating in a Flat World”. Panels such as “Can VCs Innovate in a Flat World?”, “Best Practices for Doing Business in Emerging Markets” and “Emerging Trends in Social Software and Online Networks” covered the most relevant aspects of the theme. They featured very high profile panelists such as Paul Sagan, CEO, Akamai, Jeff Nick, CTO, EMC, Angela Biever, Managing Director, Intel Capital and Pete Engardio, Senior Editor, BusinessWeek.

The Banquet is definitely the high point of TiECON each year and this year was no different. It was marked by Keynote Speeches by Mark Brown, Deputy-Secretary General of the United Nations, (he filled in for Secretary General, Kofi Annan, who was unfortunately unable to make it due to pressing business that came up at the last minute) in conversation with Rajat Gupta, former worldwide head of McKinsey and Co., Raj Sharma Senior VP- Investments, Merrill Lynch, and Robert McCann, Executive Vice-President, Merrill Lynch. The highlight of the Banquet was the TYE award ceremony.


TiE Young Entrepreneurs (TYE) is the brainchild of TiE-Boston Executive Director, Ms. Geetha Ramamurthy. Sponsored by the Prashant Fadia Foundation and Microsoft, which backed the prize money of $10,000, this is an effort to interest youth in entrepreneurship and business. Children between the ages of 14-18 were approached to be a part of this new and exciting experiment. The good business sense and the sheer grit and hard work of the competitors amazed the judges, to say the least! It left them in little doubt that a new generation of entrepreneurs would soon be ready to harvest. Be sure to catch the winners on NECN at as they share their TYE experience.

TiECON East 2006 was a huge success and the experience of a lifetime for the attendees. But the best is yet to come. So don’t miss TiECON East 2007.

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