Tuesday, April 30, 2024, 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the Lally School of Management will host Invest Capital Region: Life Sciences + Healthcare, Lally's second demo day to showcase emerging startups, invite investors to Upstate New York, and build connections within and across the investment ecosystem.
In addition to an afternoon full of great pitches from the startups cultivated as part of the Practicum in Life Sciences Entrepreneurship and networking between regional higher education institutions and Mount Sinai Innovation Partners, representatives from three accelerators will attend to enhance the much-needed exposure for these new collaborative startups.
The concepts were generated by September’s Innovation Week with Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Albany Medical College, The Center for Disabilities, Mount Sinai, and RPI. The virtual event featured various faculty researchers and clinicians interested in commercializing their work and split into two tracks — research translation and investment-ready startups.
Additionally, the event will include a fireside chat with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute President Martin A. Schmidt '81, Ph.D., and Sean O’Sullivan ‘85 entitled, “The Intersection of Funding Life Sciences Startups and Research Innovation.” Registration closes April 23, 2024, so please register early as space is limited.
Agenda
- 11:30 a.m.: Registration and Networking
- 12:30 p.m.: Welcome from the Lally School of Management, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- 12:50 p.m.: Research Translation Group (Five presentations from regional research and business teams)
- 2:15 p.m.: Networking
- 2:30 p.m.: Fireside Chat: "The Intersection of Funding Life Sciences Startups and Research Innovation" (RPI President Martin A. Schmidt ‘81 and Sean O’Sullivan ‘85, SOSV)
- 3:20 p.m.: Networking
- 3:30 p.m.: Investment-Ready Group (Five pitches from regional life sciences startups)
- 4:55 p.m.: Closing Remarks
- 5 p.m.: Reception
Speakers
Dr. Martin A. Schmidt ’81, an accomplished administrative leader, researcher, and entrepreneur who has earned more than 30 U.S. patents and founded or co-founded seven startups, was named 19th President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in 2022. At RPI, he has overseen initiatives including the installation of the first IBM Quantum System One on a university campus and the development of the Rensselaer Forward strategic plan as the Institute celebrates its bicentennial and looks forward to its third century.
Prior to joining RPI, Dr. Schmidt served as provost at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and was also MIT’s senior academic and budget officer. As provost, he worked closely with MIT’s deans to establish academic priorities, and with other members of the Institute’s senior team to manage financial planning and research support. He also played a central role in the creation of Schwarzman College, the most significant organizational change at MIT in 70 years, and oversaw MIT’s international engagements.
Dr. Schmidt was a member of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science faculty since 1988, and served as director of MIT’s Microsystems Technology Laboratories from 1999 to 2006 and as associate provost from 2008 to 2013. He was the Ray and Maria Stata Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and is a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
Dr. Schmidt earned his B.S degree in electrical engineering from RPI in 1981. He earned his S.M. in 1983 — largely for research conducted at Lincoln Laboratory — and his Ph.D. in 1988, both in electrical engineering and computer science (EECS) from MIT.
Sean O’Sullivan is Managing General Partner of SOSV, a venture capital firm with over $1.6 Billion in assets under management. O’Sullivan began as an entrepreneur, and his first startup, MapInfo, grew to a $200 million revenue public company with over 1,000 employees, popularizing street mapping on computers. SOSV is one of the most active venture investors in the world. Its industry-leading startup development programs include HAX (hard tech) and IndieBio (human and planetary health). His first internet company, NetCentric, developed many concepts in internet computing, and he is credited as the co-creator of the term “cloud computing”. He received his BS in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a MFA in Film Production from the University of Southern California. As the founder of the O’Sullivan Foundation, he was the founding funder of Coderdojo (a global network of coding clubs that more than 50,000 kids attend every week) and is a principal donor to Khan Academy (used by more than 75 million students monthly). O'Sullivan is on the board of Khan Academy, the Tyndall Institute, the Autism Impact Alliance, the Brain Foundation, and a number of private companies.