Workshops - Friday, May 22, 1pm - 3pm

Learn from entrepreneurs and business leaders who drive innovation all day every day. Eight 25-minute workshops on topics from industry-specific startups like medtech and cleantech to access to SBIR funding and Venture Capital.

1:00 PM

- Supporting a Medtech Startup -

Kathi Durdon - Executive Director, CNYBAC

Win Thurlow - Executive Director, MedTech Association

Join Kathi Durdon and Win Thurlow as they discuss the incubation process, biotech-related NYS resources that the incubator supports for clients such as Innovation Law Center and MedTech Incubator Plus and connection with the ecosystem.

1:00 PM

-How to Launch a Drone Startup -

Jeff Fuchsberg - Director, Genius NY

Patrick Walsh - CEO, EagleHawk

Adam Fine - CTO, Dropcopter

A conversation with Jeff Fuchsberg of Genius NY, Adam Fine of Dropcopter and Patrick Walsh of EagleHawk touching on prior drone experience and recognition of a business opportunity, permitting & piloting challenges, CNY/UNY ecosystem connectivity, and new opportunities in the face of COVID-19.

1:30 PM

- THE POWER OF CUSTOMER DISCOVERY: An I-Corps Program Discussion -

Robert Manasier - EIR, Innovate 518, CEO, In Focus Brands

Xing Che - Founder, YDS Medicine

Timothy Williams - Founder, The 110 Group

A panel discussion on the importance of market understanding through the I-Corps Program. An overview and interactive discussion of real experiences in the I-Corps Program that have accelerated and pivoted company ideas and how testing marketability is key to success.

1:30 PM

- Building a Product-Based Start-up -

Julianne Clouthier - Industry Engagement Manager, FuzeHub

Nathan DeMario - Co-Founder, Phase Innovations

Matt Watson - Senior Vice President, NYSTAR

The workshop is geared towards early-stage hardware companies and will cover the entrepreneurial lifecycle from ideation and market validation, through pilot runs and manufacturing scale-up.

2:00 PM

- Finding the Right Incubator -

Marc Alessi - Executive Director, Business Incubator Association of NY

Deb Novick - Director, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Westchester County

Tom Murdock - EIR & Manager, Incubator Network, Western NY

There are nearly 100 incubators and accelerators in just New York alone. How does an entrepreneur select a place to launch their startup? What are the right questions to ask?

2:30 PM

- Raising Venture Capital -

Charles Hamilton - CEO, Conamix

Jonathan Greene - Director, NY Ventures

Join Charles and Jon for a conversation about raising venture capital. They’ll talk about how they’ve done it, why, and what to look for in building a venture-backed startup.

2:30 PM

- Leveraging America’s Seed Fund: Using the SBIR and STTR Programs -

Jeff Boyce

Virginia Smith

Join Jeff and Virginia to learn about the SBIR and STTR Programs.  The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program is a highly competitive program that encourages startups and small businesses to engage in Federal Research/Research and Development (FR/R&D) that has the potential for commercialization.