See below for videos of certain panels and powerpoint slides from various panelists

SUMMIT AGENDA at a Glance

8:30am - Welcome and Sponsor Acknowledgement

Speakers:

Krista Covey, President, First Flight Venture Center

8:45am - 9:00am - Overview of SBIR Program - America’s Largest Seed Fund

Speaker: Brittany Sickler, Senior Innovation Policy Advisor, US SBA (Presentation Linked HERE)

9:00am - 10:15am:

• Click here for Trials and Tribulations of Phase I and II SBIR grant winners - Advice from SBIR Funded companies panelist bios

  Hear from a range of SBIR Phase I and II winners about how being an SBIR winner has impacted their business. What are other types of funding they have and how they incorporate this funding into their grant strategy/business plans. They will give advice for first time applicants and how to utilize feedback from an agency for unsuccessful proposals. They will share the resources they used on their journey and how they overcame hurdles they faced along the way.

MODERATOR: Eva Garland, President, Eva Garland Consulting Panelists: Pepper Landson, Co-Founder/CEO, Praetego Sue Mecham, PhD, CEO, NALA Systems Nick Pashos, PhD, Funder/CEO, BioAesthetics David Reeser, Founder/CEO, OpiAID Ricky Spero, Co-Founder/CEO, Redbud Labs

10:15am - 10:25am - Break

10:25am - 10:30am - Jordan Stowe, Regional Director, CSC Leasing Company

10:30am - Noon:

• Click here for Show Me the Money - Capital Investors Speak panelist bios

  Introduction of Panel: Mary Beth Thomas, Senior VP, Science and Business Development, NC Biotechnology Center

  Learn from seasoned investors about how SBIR grants value science but this does not necessarily translate to commercial value or a market. What is an angel investor? What motivates them to invest in a pre-revenue company? How critical is intellectual property protection? Learn the importance of founders being coachable and having a quality team in place.

MODERATOR: Mary Musacchia, RTP Capital Board member Panelists: Greg Brown, Cardinal Finance, LLC Shawna Cannon Lemon, PhD, Patent and Intellectual Property Attorney, Stanek Lemon Crouse + Meeks, PA Lou Anne Flanders-Stec, EVP of Entrepreneurship, Launch Greensboro, Greensboro Chamber of Commerce

12:00 - 12:30pm - LUNCH

12:30 - 1:30pm:

• Click here for Making (Some) Sense of the DoD Budget - Tapping into Massive DoD Funding Opportunities panelist bios

  Experts in navigating and obtaining a variety of funding from the Department of Defense will describe two fundamental approaches to securing DoD funding: 1) traditional, budgeted, longer term through Programs of Record and
  2) non-traditional, near-term opportunities that take the form of abbreviated contracts and agreements. They will shed insights about the benefits of the SBIR program, the importance of relationship building, how to submit unsolicited proposals and how to bid and improve your win probability. Panelists will also describe the budgeting process, timing and cycles

  Moderator: Phil William -Emerging Technologies Consultant, Founder/Chair, The Defense Alliance of NC's Science & Technology Committee

  Panelists: Ron Houle, Pivot Step Consultants, LLC (Presentation linked here) Randy Simpson, COO, TechOpp Consulting (Presentation linked here)

1:30 - 2:45pm:

• Click here for SBIR Program Directors Share Insights - How to Navigate SBIR Grant Funding Opportunities Panel bios

  SBIR Program Managers will shed light on the BEST KEPT SECRETS about thinking broader than just one agency for potential funding; describe structure/review process and metrics of successful awards by their agency and the importance of understanding priorities of granting agencies. They will identify the mistakes they see applicants make; outline their top Do's and Don'ts; enlighten the audience on underrepresentation of our state with their funding opportunities, and stress the importance of PERSISTENCE in submissions and re-submissions. In this session, learn the answer to the question "What discretion/role do Program Managers have in the funding award process?

  MODERATOR: Elden Hawkes, Partnership and Innovation Specialist, US Small Business Administration

• Panel members:

  • Henry Ahn, PhD (Presentation Link Here) Program Director, SBIR/STTR Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships National Science Foundation

  • Eileen Chant, PhD (Presentation Link Here) Outreach Manager Office of SBIR/STTR Programs U.S. Department of Energy

  • Gynelle C. Steele (Presentation Link Here) Deputy Program Executive, SBIR/STTR Space Technology Mission Directorate National Aeronautics and Space Administration

  • April Richards (Presentation Slide here) Program Manager SBIR Program Environmental Protection Agency

  • Rob Vinson (Presentation Slides Here) Small Business Program Manager Small Business Education and Entrepreneurial Development Office of Extramural Research National Institutes of Health

2:45 - Close - Krista Covey, President, First Flight Venture Center