The third BAIA Dinner #3: All about Self-Funded Businesses will take place in San Francisco on Tuesday January 22nd, at 7:00 pm.

We often hear about large amounts of investment capital that enable a business to take off and become profitable. This is however just one scenario: sometimes entrepreneurs found and grow a business without that kind of investment, but through determination and ingenuity, using only the resources at hand. We will hear from Cristiano Sacchi about how he started and grew Novedge, to become the leading online reseller of software for design professionals. We will hear from Shelley Costantini about how she followed her passion and grew Bella Pelle into a retail space in Union Square and from Cheri Larsh Arellano how she founded the first certified green business in San Francisco, Conscious Creative.

The price to attend the BAIA Dinner #3: All About Self-Funded Businesses is $51.67 per person. This includes the meal, tip and tax and a glass of Prosecco and the wonderful Amarena Italian Restaurant. It doesn't include other drinks. And the entire amount can be used towards purchasing or renewing a BAIA Membership at the Individual Level or higher. There are only 6 highly sought-after seats, so send in your request to attend right now!

The Experts:

Cristiano Sacchi has always been passionate about science, engineering and technology. In his quest to make complex technology accessible to the largest possible number of people, he co-founded Actify in 1997, followed by Novedge in 2003. At Novedge, he leads a team of dedicated professionals, going to great length to find complex design software products and making them available to design professionals in North America. Cristiano Sacchi has a Ph.D. in Information Engineering from the Polytechnic of Milan and, when not at work, he can be found skiing, and sailing in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Shelley Costantini began beautifying the world one face at a time as a make-up artist in the Washington DC area. After becoming a licensed Cosmetologist and Esthetician, Shelley chose skin care as her focus and developed a cult-like following and clientele that included politicians, actresses and CNN on-air talent. She also diversified her experience, participating in the product development for a cosmetics line. After relocating to San Francisco, Shelley rapidly established a diverse and loyal following. As a result she founded BellaPelle Skin Studio in 2002 and then, topped her achievements in 2004, by launching the BellaPelle Skin Care line of products focusing on anti-aging and acne treatments, incorporating botanically-based and pharmaceutically-purified products. BellaPelle Skin Studio has been acknowledged in Allure, InStyle and Lucky magazine.
As the founder of Conscious Creative, Cheri Larsh Arellano primarily serves as its creative director and photographer. After several years as a professional photographer in Miami, she moved to Los Angeles where she attended UCLA for graphic design while working as a freelance designer, mostly on entertainment and corporate design. She has been a graphic designer and a photographer for over a decade, and has worked for and with such companies as Warner Brothers, DreamWorks, Universal, Disney and AT&T. Upon realizing that these corporate markets did not satisfy her soul, the idea for Conscious was born. In 2001, Cheri moved to the Bay Area and started Conscious Creative. Today, she enjoys helping organizations like Marin County Parks, Midpeninsula Open Space, Hosteling International and NeighborWorks America. She is committed to increasing awareness around sustainable business practices, saving trees and is an avid animal lover. You can view her personal photography website at cherilarsh.com
How do I attend? Send us a request!

Anybody can request to attend a BAIA Dinner. The price to attend the BAIA Dinner #3: All About Self-Funded Businesses is $51.67 per person. (And the entire amount can be used towards purchasing or renewing a BAIA Supporting Membership). This strictly covers the cost of the meal, tip and tax. It does NOT include drinks, except a complimentary glass of Prosecco. The dinner will take place in San Francisco on January 22nd, at Amarena Italian Restaurant. Tickets are non refundable.

If you'd like to request to attend, please send an email to Aurora at [email protected] with the subject line "BAIA Dinner #3" answering succinctly to the following 3 questions:

Why do you want to attend this BAIA Dinner?
Your Linkedin profile or link to your online bio.
Describe yourself in 140 characters.
What Next?

We will process your request and confirm your invitation on a first-come, first-serve basis. Because there are only 6 seats available, make sure to not wait! Participants will be selected with the objective to maximize the mutual learning and mentoring value of BAIA Dinners to all participants. Finally, priority will be given to current BAIA Supporting Members.

Do you have a topic or industry in mind for the next dinner? Let us know, email Aurora Meneghello at [email protected] with your ideas.

Fonte: BAIA