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April 27 2004 Home

Letter to the Editor
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From: iEvents <iEvents@iBreakfast.com>
To: Al Berrios <al@alberrios.com>
Subject: Re: Trade Event: iBreakfast Venture Capital Outlook [virus-checked]

Dear Al,

Even if this is the sound of sour grapes I appreciate you taking the time to write.

I think we both agree that you are not an accredited journalist and we are not obliged to give you free access to this event.

What surprises me is why you’d even want to attend. You spent a lot of time talking about the coffee (ever hear of "de gustibus"?) but none about the issues facing investors and entrepreneurs. Investors are defined by their investments and that’s what they talked about.

You trash people who are CEOs of their own companies, which is what you are. Nor does it occur to you that some of those CEOs
are serial entrepreneurs who have made millions (Cohen of YHD Foxtons & Resnick of Netcreations, for example).

Since you are in market research, it is hard to see why you would be here unless you are looking for capital. But even then, I am amazed that you take pride in not watching the top rated TV show, the Apprentice, which also happens to be about business. Its 18-20 million viewers are consumers and the show is considered a breakthrough, especially in business circles.

The fact that one of our speakers would take the time to critique the contestants from the point of view of what kind of management team he would back is of inestimable value. If he had referenced the Yankees, our audience would as easily get the point. It really isn't about whether they like baseball. Since the Apprentice is a direct metaphor, the points are more telling.

If you laugh at our start-up TV show then I suppose you’ll laugh at the founder of Partsearch Technologies for whom we helped raise $40 million. He didn’t look all that different when he stepped off a bus in Boston. A that’s what the next $40 million company will look like while it gets started.

We’ve been doing what we do for a long time and our track record speaks for itself. You can always find fault, especially if you’re not there with an interest in the topic. iHop will always offer you better breakfast choices and it is a fact that Starbucks has more caffeine and one suppose, taste, than any other cafe. But they’re not going to help you launch a business, connect with a VC or network with potential business partners.

We like this location because our attendees can get in and out efficiently and they tell us that. The VCs in particular appreciate it, especially when, like Kay Koplovitz that they are headed off to the airport to make a flight.

There are lots errors of fact in your letter (this is a Wednesday iBreakfast not a Thursday iBreakfast) that undermine your credibility, but you are certainly welcome to your opinion. Let’s just agree on this: we won’t be recommending you for market research and you‘ll be doing your business networking somewhere else.

Regards,

Alan Brody
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