How Startups Can Leverage Partners for Market Access
Entrepreneurs’ Network
For today’s entrepreneur – who faces high hurdles to funding, ever increasing competition, thin barriers to entry, and shortened cycles from invention – strategic alliances and partnerships can play an important role in your success and even in your survival. For the startup company, your strategic partner can leverage your market access in several ways. Your partner can be your first source of outside funding, the beta tester of your product or service, and source of credibility for your first angel or venture capital investment round. For the early-stage company, alliance partners can help you to gain competitive advantages, increase sales, scale up production, for access and to penetrate new markets and deliver new products and services. Sounds good. Well, how do you do it?
The ENET webinar on June 7, 2022, will include present and past CEOs, serial entrepreneurs and professionals, including those experienced with both tech and life science startup companies moderated by a past ENET Chairman who is also a contracts attorney, all with experience developing and building these relations with partners to deliver market access and value.
They will tell what to look for and what to avoid, including
- Addressing the process of identifying possible partners, drilling down to the best one and securing the relationship.
- Sharing experiences regarding what has made their partnerships successful, and, more importantly, what went wrong and why.
- Discussing how these relationships increase (or decrease) shareholder value, and enhancing your chances for investment.
- Discussing the risks to their companies, and the learning process that they went through.
Each of the three speakers will speak to the topic including experiences with both tech and life science startup companies they founded. The presentations will then be followed with a fireside chat, with audience and moderator questions for each of the speakers on the panel. There will also be a half hour of online networking available to registrants, after the presentations to give you the chance to “meet” virtually the speakers and moderator.
Event Schedule
7:00 pm ET – Introduction – ENET Chairperson’s announcements
7:10 pm ET – eMinute Pitch – Up to 3 Startup pitches
7:25 pm ET – Expert Panel – 4 expert speakers on the night’s topic
8:10 pm ET – Q & A – Moderator and Audience Q & A with the speakers
8:30 pm ET – Networking – Panelists will be available afterward for responses to individual questions.
Speakers
Eric Giler – Founder and Co-CEO @ OmniZare Imaging, Inc. and serial entrepreneur
His current company is an early-stage company developing next generation medical imaging equipment in the Boston area. He is also Chairman of Endeveo, Inc. in Boston, Massachusetts. He was previously CEO and a board member of WiTricity Corporation from 2008 to 2016. WiTricity Corporation was founded in 2007 to commercialize a new technology for wireless electricity invented and patented two years earlier by a team of physicists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Previously, he was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Groove Mobile, a provider of mobile music commerce platforms, from 2006 until its acquisition by LiveWire Mobile in 2008. Eric was the founder and served as the Chief Executive Officer and President of Brooktrout Inc., a provider of telecom software and hardware platforms, from 1984 until it’s go private transaction in 2005. Under Eric’s leadership, Brooktrout grew to over $150M in annual revenue, and had a successful IPO in 1992. He has been an adjunct professor at Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts and Chairman and CEO of Speedy Packets, a software company based in Boston. Eric is a trustee of Carnegie-Mellon University and a lifetime overseer of Newton-Wellesley Hospital. He is a board member of Streann Media in Miami, FL as well as an advisor to multiple technology companies. He is the author of over 30 patents. Eric holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Carnegie Mellon University and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Harvard Business School.
Susan Israel – AIA LEED AP, Founder & President @ Climate Creatives
She founded her company to use art and design experiences to engage stakeholders on sustainability topics in all sectors. She consults to organizations on culture change, strategy, team development, and outreach. Her participatory public art, workshops, and STEAM programs have been used in three countries and with the United Nations. Climate Creatives has collaborated with 125 partners, reaching 500,000 people on-site plus digital impressions. Past clients include Fidelity Investments, Blue Cross Blue Shield MA, Harvard Business School, universities, boards, non-profits, museums, and municipalities. Susan is a licensed Architect and LEED AP, practicing architecture for over 20 years. She sits on advisory boards and is a Clean Tech Open Mentor. Susan is a lifelong Harvard alumni leader, holds an A.B. from Harvard College, a Master of Architecture from Harvard University Graduate School of Design, and attended the Boston Museum of Fine Arts School.
Naomi Vishnupad Ph.D. – Chief Scientific Officer @ Romeg Therapeutics, LLC and COO @ Imaginative Research Associates Inc.
She is an entrepreneurial business executive with 20+ years of pharmaceutical industry experience. With over 15 years in product research, development and commercialization, she has a history of successfully introducing novel pharmaceutical and consumer products to the market. Prior to her entrepreneur business experience, she worked extensively in pharma and biotech providing scientific expertise and regulatory guidance for innovative drug development and commercialization. As the Chief Scientific Officer at Romeg Therapeutics, a company that develops drug therapies for unmet needs, she has been responsible for executing the vision for the company and has managed key milestones for establishing a successful pharmaceutical startup. Naomi is also the Chief Operating Officer at Imaginative Research Associates, Inc., a private company providing patented innovative product technology for the dermatology industry. Naomi is the inventor on several patents resulting in over fifteen marketed products in dermatology and inflammation, and has a doctorate in immunology from Drexel University. She’s a recreational runner and fitness enthusiast and lives and works in the greater Boston area.
Moderator & Organizer
Robert A. Adelson – Principal, Business and Tax attorney @ Adelson & Associates, LLC. Chair Emeritus @ Boston Entrepreneurs’ Network (ENET)
Rob has been an attorney for over 30 years specialized in business, tax, stock and options, employment, contracts, financing, trademarks and intellectual property. Rob began as an associate at major New York City law firms before returning home to Boston in 1985 where he has since been a partner in small and medium sized firms before joining Engel & Schultz LLP where he was a partner from 2004 to 2019. When the senior partners retired, he moved his law practice to his own firm, effective 1/1/2020. Rob represents entrepreneurs, start-ups and small companies, independent contractors and employees and executives. Rob is a frequent speaker on business law topics and author of numerous articles published in Boston Business Journal, Mass High Tech and other publications, plus more than thirty articles since 2016 on executive employment topics published by CEOWorld magazine. He has been named among the “Top 20 Boston Startup Lawyers” by ChubbyBrain.com, a website that provides tools for entrepreneurs. Rob has been on the ENET Board since 2002, was Vice Chair 2005-2009, and ENET Chairman 2009-2019. He was also a Co-Founder and Board member of the 128 Innovation Capital Group (2004 -2015). In 2016, he received the IEEE USA Professional Achievement award for “extreme dedication to the entrepreneurship community.” He holds degrees from Boston University, B.A., summa cum laude, Northwestern University (Chicago), J.D., Law Review, and New York University, LL.M. in Taxation.
www.executiveemploymentattorney.com
This event is FREE; however, registration is required.
Webinar recording will be available for ENET members only. Learn how to become a member here!