VESTAL — Two new events at Binghamton University will bring together entrepreneurs, industry partners, and investors over the course of two days in April. Things kick off with Binghamton University’s first-ever Energy Innovation Day on April 17. The day will feature speakers and panels on alternative-energy research and education, tours of campus facilities, and an […]
VESTAL — Two new events at Binghamton University will bring together entrepreneurs, industry partners, and investors over the course of two days in April.
Things kick off with Binghamton University’s first-ever Energy Innovation Day on April 17. The day will feature speakers and panels on alternative-energy research and education, tours of campus facilities, and an evening reception.
The reception is also open to participants of TECHSTORM, which takes place on April 18 and serves as a networking opportunity for inventors and entrepreneurs.
Both events will be held at the university’s new engineering and science building at the Innovative Technologies Complex on Murray Hill Road in Vestal.
“We’re bringing [in] technologies that are on the cusp of becoming companies,” Dr. Eugene Krentsel, assistant vice president for entrepreneurship and innovation partnerships at the university, says of the two programs. The goal, particularly for TECHSTORM, is to give people with great ideas, companies looking for new innovations, and investors seeking projects to fund a chance to network together in the same place.
The event also gives the university and others a chance to showcase energy initiatives and innovations during Energy Innovation Day, sponsored by the New York State Center of Excellence in Small Scale Systems Integration and Packaging (based at Binghamton University), industry partners, and the university. The goal of the day is to bring together students, researchers, and companies to discuss emerging alternative-energy technologies, energy-conservation issues, and research and development collaborations.
Binghamton University decided to host a TECHSTORM event after attending the inaugural one created by InnovateTech Ventures in Virginia last year, Krentsel says. That event, held at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. last June, drew 27 university and federal labs to showcase more than 115 technologies. More than 175 attendees participated.
Binghamton University reached out to InnovateTech about having an event in New York State, Krentsel says.
The ultimate goal of both events — and the idea behind having the events on successive days with a joint reception between them — is “cross pollination” between big companies and small entrepreneurs. Throw in an investor or two, and some of those matches might result in the formation of new startup technology companies, he contends.
Krentsel says the events have been drawing a steady stream of interest from possible attendees and participants.
Registration for the Energy Innovation Day is free, although space is limited. Email innovation@binghamton.edu to sign up or get more information.
Registration for TECHSTORM is $150 through March 16, and then rises to $175 through April 15. The cost is $200 for those who register the day of the event.
More information about the event and registration is also available online at www.techstormny.com.
Krentsel says he hopes to register more than 100 for the events. “We hope that we’ll fill the room to its capacity,” he says.