Join us for a lively discussion on starting your own firm and accessing the capital markets to finance those efforts. After successful careers in corporate America, find out why these women started their own firms, the challenges and rewards, the evolution of the financial services industry and regulatory impact, and the status of the investment industry in Chicago.

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Jennifer L. Nemec, IDSA, ISP

Founder and Principal, Ideation Studio Inc.

In 2000, Jennifer Nemec established two companies. Ideation Studio Inc., which is a design/think tank consulting firm; and Milieu Inc., which is the brand name under which products are manufactured and launched. Ideation Studio is a multi-disciplinary design firm, specializing in developing branded environments for retail stores and restaurants. Ideation Studio services include: retail store concept design, identity design, and product design.

Jennifer received a Masters of Fine Art in industrial design at the University of Illinois in Chicago. She also enhanced her education with Entrepreneurial Product Design Studies at Harvard University.

Ideation Studio has become a National Award Winning Design Firm, taking national honors for recent projects such as Elmhurst Toyota. Jennifer was the recipient of the first place design award from the National Housewares Manufacturers Association National Product Design Competition.

Jane Karpinski Ott, President

Jane, principal owner and manager of North South Capital, has experience in the capital markets since 1986. She started her career in New York City at Chase Bank where she worked as an institutional salesperson for 11 years. Continuing in sales she moved to Chicago and worked for Banc One Capital Markets. From 2004 to 2008 she developed the institutional equity and municipal syndicate at Podesta & Co. She received her MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and a BA from St. Anselm College in New Hampshire. She served as a Director of the Bond Club of Chicago and was President of the organization in 2011. Jane is currently on the Board of Trustees for Econ Illinois . Her licenses include FINRA Series 7, 24, 53 and 63.

Karin Dommermuth O’Connor, CFA

Managing Director, Hyde Park Angels
President, Perimeter Advisors

Karin D. O’Connor is Managing Director of Hyde Park Angles, a Chicago-based angel investment network. To date, she has invested in fourteen deals with HPA and served as the group’s representative on the board of portfolio company FeeFighters, which was acquired by Groupon, Inc. in 2012. She is also the founder of Perimeter Advisors, an advisory firm that assists owners of promising mid-market companies with planning and execution of value enhancement strategies

Since beginning her career at Continental Bank in the 1980’s, Ms. O’Connor has invested in and advised entrepreneurs in a variety of industries that includes financial services, business services, technology distribution, health care, and manufacturing. She has invested at all levels of the capital structure—from senior debt to mezzanine, venture leasing, and equity—and in companies ranging from early stage to mature.

Ms. O’Connor received her BA in Finance from the University of Illinois, where she graduated magna cum laude and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She earned her MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, where she was an F.C. Austin Scholar and was elected to Beta Gamma Sigma. She served on the Kellogg Alumni Council and enjoys guest lecturing and judging student business plan presentations for the school’s Entrepreneurship Program. She has also received a CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) charter.

Event Details

Date: Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Time: 5:30pm – 7:00pm
Location: One South Dearborn, 20th floor,
Regus Conference Room

Cost: $25