The "Invention to Venture" workshop hits UNM on Oct. 21. The workshop runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the UNM Student Union Building. UNM students Ryan Smith and Scott Lovald who will be among the presenters. Smith and Lovald were winners of UNM’s first campus-wide business plan competition last spring with their Satryne Biotechnologies. Now as they seek further funding, they’re sharing their plan and lessons learned with other young entrepreneurs.
It’s all part of the second annual event, presented by High Desert Venture Camp, the city of Albuquerque, UNM and many other groups as a way to give students and other interested in starting technology business the skills and connections necessary to make those start-ups work. Modeled on the successful nationwide series of Invention to Venture workshops by the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA), Invention to Venture has been tailored to meet the unique opportunities and challenges of New Mexico.
A new feature this year is the afternoon business plan panel. Satyrne Biotechnologies will present their plan to a group of potential investors. Attendees will see not only what goes into a winning presentation, but also learn first hand how venture capital fund representatives think. Also on hand will be Anderson Schools’ Associate Dean for Economic Development, Sul Kassicieh, who heads up the competition to provide information on how others can participate -- and win.
Another new feature is the resources fair that concludes the event, with representatives from a wide range of organizations that want to encourage entrepreneurship and economic development. "The support this year from the city, UNM, and other organizations has been tremendous," says lead organizer, Peter Rachor of STC@UNM. "Everyone wants to help these young entrepreneurs succeed -- and this is a good place to start."
Advent Solar CEO Rusty Schmit is the keynote speaker for this year's "Invention to Venture" event, the second annual series of intensive workshops focused on technology and entrepreneurship.
“Rusty’s story with Advent Solar is perfect for this event,” says Professor Andy Salazar of UNM’s School of Engineering and Anderson Schools, one of the event organizers. “From commercialization of technology from the labs to work with UNM and the city and securing solid funding, Rusty Schmit has really made the system work. There’s no better example for entrepreneurs in New Mexico.”
Two of the other organizers, Luciano Oveido and Eric Whitmore, were inspired by Schmit’s talk when they attended Professor Salazar’s class. “ He’s a key reason I wanted to help make this happen,” says Oviedo, who now works with Intel.
Other prominent speakers at this year’s event include Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish and Fred Mondragon, the City of Albuquerque’s Director of Economic Development.
Modeled on the successful nationwide series of Invention to Venture workshops by the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA), Invention to Venture has been tailored to meet the unique opportunities and challenges of New Mexico. Workshop topics include: validating ideas, marketing and legal considerations, and finding money and other resources.
Details for attendees:
Date: Saturday, October 21
Time: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Location: University of New Mexico SUB Ballroom
Cost: $10 Students and Teachers; $25 Business Community
Online information & registration: http://www.invention2venture.org/events/UNM/index.html. Or contact: Peter Rachor via e-mail, prachor@unm.edu or (505) 272-7900.
For more information about HDVC visit: http://www.highdesertventurecamp.com.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Posted by scarr at October 11, 2006 08:56 AM