Letter from Research

Innovation is abound in the mobile ecosystem globally. Startups are emerging with innovative and compelling services and technologies across applications, devices, infrastructure, and semiconductors. Further, the incumbent ecosystem of carriers, handset OEMs, infrastructure suppliers, and media and Internet firms are building and offering platforms and solutions to partner with and facilitate the growth of emerging private companies.

However, fundamental challenges remain in the entrepreneurial landscape for mobile. For public company executives-from chief executives to corporate development heads to business unit managers -finding the right sets of private companies for strategic relationships is difficult, as the population of prospects is large. The number of application developers on the iPhone alone total over 125,000. For venture capitalists and entrepreneurs, the challenges appear equally difficult. Since 2001, venture capitalists have invested $38 billion in wireless companies, yet the number of exits in excess of $500 million total only a handful.

The content for Future:Mobile 2009 will focus on innovation at the intersection of public companies, private companies, and venture capital firms. Given the pace of innovation, identifying and building the right partnerships-and doing so before others-is critical to both corporate and entrepreneurial leaders. Recent news headlines illustrate the ongoing activity: Verizon Wireless' $1.3 billion LTE program in conjunction with venture and corporate investment firms; the growth of developer programs and initiatives by carriers such as Vodafone, Sprint, and Verizon; and the launch of application stores and developer programs by handset and software firms such as Nokia, Palm, and Samsung.

The mission of Future:Mobile 2009 is to catalyze new business ideas and relationships. The event will address the following questions:

• How is the mobile ecosystem enabling, or disabling, innovation, and what can be done to alleviate the barriers?
• What are the best new private companies, who are potential partners for carriers, content providers, handset OEMs, and solutions providers?
• Where are the compelling entrepreneurial opportunities to capitalize on new markets and to form new relationships within the ecosystem?

The structure for the sessions at Future:Mobile will center on interactivity, in order to facilitate a productive exchange of information and to foster an environment conducive to new partner identification. Unique sessions at the keynote level include:

• An opening keynote with an entrepreneur interviewing a panel of carrier, handset, and software executives on the ecosystem's positives and negatives for entrepreneurship.
• The GSMA Americas Grand Prix competition, where the best private companies present to a panel of corporate and venture judges (the two winners of which travel to Barcelona for the global competition).
• A closing keynote with a senior industry leader, in a town hall format with the moderator floating among the audience rather than sitting on the stage.

Additionally, Future:Mobile's breakout sessions will emphasize interactivity and employ unique formats:

• Two panel sessions structured as boardroom discussions, with speakers and audience members seated side-by-side to debate topics of "the future of the mobile Internet" and "emerging technology needs for wireless infrastructure and devices."
• A series of executive briefings and fireside chats with carrier, content, and technology public company leaders, to better understand industry visions and partnering interests.

Our research team has covered the private company landscape in mobile globally since 2001. We are excited for the current stage of the industry's development, as 1) private companies are gaining momentum and scale across numerous sectors, 2) new private companies and sectors are emerging rapidly, and 3) public companies across the ecosystem are reaching to private companies and venture capitalists for collaboration opportunities.

The content at Future:Mobile 2009 will be at the intersection of these trends. We are excited for the agenda and group, and we look forward to collaborating with you to further innovation in mobility.

Rutberg & Company Research