Greg Beattie (moderator) is Partner at MBV Law, specializing in corporate and technology law, emphasizing start-up and private company representation, venture fund representation, mergers, acquisitions and strategic joint ventures, technology licensing, protection and transfers, and securities and commercial law. He represents a broad spectrum of companies, venture capital firms and a variety of distribution, retail, service and manufacturing concerns.

Greg and MBV's food and beverage clients include Dreyer's Ice Cream, Mary's Gone Crackers, Rock Wall Wines, Picán Restaurant, Pat Kuleto, Yan Can Cook, Palio D'Asti Restaurant, and Just Desserts.  Greg has helped companies raise millions in capital through private stock offerings, negotiate complex agreements for production and distribution, comply with applicable laws and regulations, protect intellectual property, and sell select assets, operating divisions or entire enterprises.

Greg lectures on early stage and privately held companies, venture financing, director and officer liability, and angel investing. He served on the Board of the East Bay IT Group and the East Bay Venture Forum, the advisory board of Technology Ventures Corporation, and is the founder and a lecturer for the Keiretsu Forum Academy. Greg is a graduate of Harvard Law School (J.D., cum laude, 1980) and Stanford University (B.A., with distinction and departmental honors, 1976).

John Foraker (MBA 94) is CEO of Annie's Inc. and has been working since 1998 with company founder Annie Withey, and a cast of passionate employees to build Annie’s as a socially responsible business rooted in core values consumers care about: sustainability, quality, taste, and fun.  Annie’s is a leading natural and organic brand for conscientious moms and kids. John became chairman of the board of Annie’s Homegrown, Inc. in 1998, when the business was <$5MM in net revenues, and led strategic efforts to expand the business.   The business subsequently doubled in size and Annie’s attracted private equity growth capital from Solera Capital in 2002.  John became CEO in 2004 concurrent with moving the company headquarters from Wakefield, MA to Napa, CA.

Prior to and during his early role at Annie’s, Inc., Foraker led other natural and specialty food businesses.  He helped found Napa Valley Kitchens in 1993, a specialty food company selling into gourmet retail channels, while in graduate school at Berkeley.  After that John founded Homegrown Natural Foods, Inc, a platform company in natural and organic foods that owned several brands and eventually held a majority ownership interest in Annie’s.  Prior to his work in the food business he served as a vice president for Bank of America, where he managed corporate banking relationships with particular focus on the bank's North coast California wine industry portfolio. 

Foraker holds an M.B.A. from the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkley (1994) and a B.S. in Agricultural Economics from the University of California at Davis (1986).

Laila Tarraf (MBA 97) has been Chief People Officer of Peet’s Coffee and Tea since 2006 and is responsible for overseeing all of the company’s human resource and corporate communication activities. Ms. Tarraf has more than 20 years of extensive talent management experience in high tech and retail environments. Throughout her career, Ms. Tarraf has successfully led the growth of several organizations by identifying and attracting top talent, leveraging and growing high potentials and designing and building organizations for scale. Prior to joining Peet’s in 2006, Tarraf spent 7 years at Walmart.com, the online division of Wal-Mart, Inc. During this time she led the growth of this division from 7 to 700 people and almost a billion dollars in revenue. Prior to Walmart.com, Tarraf performed in senior roles at software and internet-based companies, including Electronic Arts and Webvan. Laila also spent time overseas, building Netscape’s offices in Dublin, Paris and Munich. Tarraf holds a BS degree from Cal Poly Pomona and an MBA from The Haas School of Business at Berkeley. She currently resides in Northern California with her daughter.

BlueRun Ventures
Burr Pilger Mayer, Inc.
Claremont Creek Ventures
Fenwick & West, LLP
Intel Capital
Morrison & Foerster LLP
Physic Ventures

Reed Smith LLP
San Francisco Business Times
Siemens Technology-to-
   Business Center
Silicon Valley Bank
Wood Philips