By Hector Gonzalez
Special to The Lookout

March 14, 2016 -- Starting a business from the ground up will be explained in three free upcoming discussions sponsored by the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce.

The chamber's Spring 2016 Entrepreneurship Series, presented in partnership with Santa Monica College and the the SMC Associates, a private organization that funds speakers and special programs on campus, begins Thursday, March 24, with a panel discussion on entrepreneur success stories.

The series will also present panel talks n what investors look for in a start-up company and what it takes to create a successful business.

All discussions in the series are aimed at general audiences and will be held on the main campus of SMC, 1900 Pico Blvd. Seating to all events is on a first-arrival basis.

The series begins Thursday, March 24, with “Entrepreneur Success Stories: Scott Perry, Zach Sekar, Jo Beyersdorfer, Joe Devon, & Brian Mac Mahon.” The panelists will discuss what it takes to grow small businesses into public companies.

Brian Mac Mahon, CEO and founder Expert Dojo, will moderate the talk.

Perry, is CEO of LA Tech Digest; Sekar is CEO of Happy Hour; Beyersdorfer is founder of JNB Events; and Devon is co-founder of Diamond Web Services. founder and CEO

The discussion will be held in SMC's humanities and social sciences lecture hall at 11:15 a.m.

The series continues on Thusday, April 21, with, “What Do Investors Look for When Funding a Startup? Venture Capitalists Asher Leids, Matthew J. Bresnahan, Sara Stringfellow, & Rachel Horning Share Their Secrets”in the humanities and social sciences lecture hall on the SMC campus at 11:15 a.m.

Discover what venture capitalists look for when investing in a startup company in a panel discussion moderated by Los Angeles city representative Rachel Horning, Asher Leids, one of the region's most important investors, Matthew J.

Bresnahan of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, the largest venture attorney in San Francisco, and Sara Stringfellow of March Capital Partners will discuss what venture capitalists look for when investing in a start-up company.

The series concludes on Thursday, May 26, with, “Putting It All Together: How to Put Together a Successful Company: Kelsey Doorey, Christie Good, Chris Shoff, & Randy Churchill,” in the humanities and social sciences lecture hall at 11:15 a.m.

The panel discussion on what it takes to create a successful business will be moderated by Randy Churchill, senior vice president of technology banking for Square 1 Bank, and will feature successful local entrepreneurs Kelsey Doorey, CEO of Vow To Be Chic, PwC partner Christie Good, and Cooley LLP partner Chris Shoff.

For more information, call 310-434-4100.