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At present, Intellectual Property (IP) is arguably the most important driver of growth, innovation and asset values.

Still, how often do we delve deeper into the specifics of IP? How much do we know about patents, copyrights, trademarks and other forms of intellectual property? Where can we find IP that permeates large industries such as Music, Pharmaceuticals, Filmed Entertainment and, Software & Technology? More importantly how can one invest in IP and what is the return and risk profile associated with such investment? 

Join us for insight into IP  and explores possible investment strategies executed by practitioners in this field.

Intellectual Property: a real asset explained
Presentation by Laurens Rensch, Managing Director Swiss Alpha

Laurens will provide a bird's-eye view of IP, explain the various forms of IP, their lifecycle and provide an overview of important players in the industry.

Music copyrights in focus: The beat goes on
Presentation by Bill Cisneros, Partner, Primary Wave IP Investment Management and Larry Mestel, Founder & CEO of Primary Wave Music

Larry and Bill will delve deep into the workings of the music industry, publishing, investment and monetization of music copyrights.

Agenda
16:45 Registration and Welcome
17:00 - 18:30 Presentations 
18:30 – 19:30 Drinks 

Speaker Bios

About Bill Cisneros
Bill Cisneros, who has 28 years of institutional alternative investment experience, joined Primary Wave in late 2014 as Partner, IP Investment Management. For the prior eight years, Mr. Cisneros was a Senior Managing Director and Investment Committee Member at GTIS Partners (GTIS), a private equity real estate manager, where he was responsible for capital formation and macroeconomic research and moved the firm from $500 million of capital under management to over $3 billion. Mr. Cisneros helped GTIS identify, validate and focus on two compelling macro investment opportunities – Brazil and U.S. Residential Post-Crisis – and convert both strategies into market leading franchises. Mr. Cisneros joined GTIS from GoldenTree Asset Management (GTAM), a credit specialist absolute return manager. Prior to joining GTAM, Mr. Cisneros was a partner at Lyster Watson & Company, Vencast (an Internet-based company focused on the institutional alternative investment markets), and Croesus Capital Management (a hedge fund management company dedicated to emerging markets). Prior to Croesus, Mr. Cisneros was a proprietary investor focused on emerging markets debt at Security Pacific Merchant Bank, The Bank of Tokyo and Banco Internacional.

Mr. Cisneros received his B.A. with Honors in Economics from Colgate University in 1985 and continued his education at the London School of Economics, where he received a Diploma in Economics and an M.Sc. in Finance. He later received an M.A. in Politics from New York University, and in 1995 he became a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). Mr. Cisneros is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill, NY.


About Larry Mestel

Larry Mestel has been working in the music and entertainment industry for over 25 years. In 2006, Mr. Mestel took his extensive experience working at multiple record labels and founded Primary Wave, now one of the largest independent music publishing, marketing and talent management companies in the United States. Primary Wave has controlled over 10,000 songs from the catalogs of legendary artists such as Kurt Cobain, Steven Tyler, John Lennon, Def Leppard, Hall and Oates, Chicago, and many others. Originally founded on music publishing, Mr. Mestel has strategically and successfully built the company into a full service music and entertainment powerhouse offering in-house branding, digital marketing, publicity, TV & Film development and talent management. Primary Wave manages artists including CeeLo Green, Cypress Hill, Melissa Etheridge, Eric Benet, and others.

Mr. Mestel landed on Billboard Magazine’s 2012 “Urban Power List”, being recognized for his music industry leadership, and has also been featured in major media including the New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, Fast Company, New York Post, Forbes, Billboard Magazine, and HITS Magazine. Prior to founding Primary Wave, Mr. Mestel was Chief Operating Officer and General Manager of Virgin Records, where he was responsible for all marketing, sales and business-related aspects of the company. During his tenure, he worked with iconic artists including The Rolling Stones, Janet Jackson, and Lenny Kravitz, among others. From 2000 to 2004, Mr. Mestel was Executive Vice President and General Manager at Arista Records, managing sales, international and strategic marketing, A&R and marketing administration, finance and business affairs. While at Arista, he developed artists such as Avril Lavigne, OutKast, Usher, Pink, Carlos Santana, and Dido, among many others. Mr. Mestel also held the position of Chief Operating Officer for Island Entertainment Group, which included Island Records, Island Music Publishing and Island Pictures.

Mr. Mestel received his B.B.A. degree from UMass Amherst in 1984.


About Laurens Rensch
Mr.  Rensch has  over  17  years  of  investment, trading and  portfolio  management  experience  dedicated  to alternative  investments.  Prior  to  joining  Swiss  Alpha Mr.  Rensch  was  responsible  for  intellectual  property investments at APG Asset Management, which is the world’s   largest  independent  pension  fund  fiduciary manager     with     €400     billion    in    assets     under management.    During    his    tenure    at    APG    Asset Management  over  $2  billion  was  committed  to  IP investments   in   Music,   Film   and   Pharmaceuticals through   primary   investments,   co-investments   and direct  investments.  Mr.  Rensch  was  involved  in  all aspects of investing from, sourcing, diligence, approval and  execution  to  ongoing  monitoring  and  oversight. During his career, Mr. Rensch has conducted hundreds of   due   diligence   reviews   and   oversaw   portfolio construction  and  management  of  investments.  Mr. Rensch  received  a  MSc.  in  Econometrics  from  the University   of   Groningen.   He   holds   the   Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designation.