March 19 - Mark Lazar

Bill Gates. Steve Jobs. Larry Ellison. We remember these tech titans because they still lead the companies they founded, yet they are the exception rather than the rule. The founders of companies such as Cisco, eBay, and Yahoo were replaced by professional management long ago. As a founder, the odds are that you'll find yourself relinquishing the CEO role, especially if you're successful.

Who are these professional "suits" that the VCs bring in? Can they help your company? And what can you learn from them to delay the seemingly inevitable of letting go?

This month's speaker, Mark Lazar, is one of these hired guns, who has been brought in numerous times to lead startups to successful acquisition. He'll tell you his secrets, including how you can avoid being replaced, and what to do if you are.

Lazar is a highly experienced chief executive with a proven record in successfully growing and managing companies in the software and telecommunication industries. He started his career as a consultant at Bain & Company and has subsequently held chief executive roles at a variety of both established and start-up companies, including Pacific Edge (enterprise software, acquired by Serena Software), RouteScience (wide-area network optimization, acquired by Avaya), Talking Blocks (web services middleware, acquired by HP), Stratasource (IT Managed Service, acquired by MSP SevenSpace), LoopNet (online listing service for commercial real estate), TimeDance (online meeting planning), and TollFree Cellular (mobile). Mark was also an entrepreneur in residence at Crosspoint Ventures, Trinity Ventures, and Redpoint Ventures, and a consultant at Bain. Mark holds both a BA and an MBA from Stanford University.