First Flight Venture Center, a science and technology incubator in Research Triangle Park, has again won a U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program grant from the Small Business Administration. The FAST program is meant to increase the number of competitive grant applications for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) but also to impact grant funding WINS by underrepresented companies in NC.
WHERE? THIS IS A VIRTUAL PANEL/EVENT
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
Entrepreneurs interested in securing angel or VC investments
I-Corps graduates/participants
Faculty/academics interested in spinning-off technologies
ABOUT OUR PANELISTS:
Allison London Brown : Allison London Brown has 20+ years of diverse medical device, consumer and pharmaceutical experience in Healthcare. During her career, she has launched over 90 products/services, leading product pipeline, strategy and fundraising initiatives for various healthcare organizations.
Ms. London Brown leads LUMINELLE®, which is focused on point of care diagnosis of Uterine Cancer and Disorders with the LUMINELLE Bx(Biopsy) RotoSheath and LUMINELLE Endoscopic platform.
She also serves as a Board Member for Plakous Therapeutics and the Council for Entrepreneurial Development. She has earned degrees of B.S., Auburn University in Medical Textiles, M.S. ,North Carolina State University, in Polymer Chemistry, and MBA, Temple University, Fox School of Business. She is the author of three publications, co-inventor of eleven issued patents, and speaker at various programs for Women in STEM, Leadership and Strategy.
Bill Perry : Bill Perry has 29 years’ experience innovating and partnering with surgeons in medical start-ups. He is currently CEO of Deep Blue Medical Advances, a soft tissue surgery company spun out of Duke University. Mr. Perry has led 19 new medical product introductions (many from concept to regulatory approval to market launch), has consummated 20+ business development relationships, has extensive venture fundraising experience ($120M+), and has had multiple successful start-up exits. Bill currently leads the American Society of Plastic Surgery Accelerator Program. He has a BS from Georgetown University, and an MBA from ASU Thunderbird School of Global Management.
Robert Cooley : Robert S. Cooley, Jr. is a serial entrepreneur and recently retired U.S. Army Brigadier General. Rob graduated from West Point in 1989. His more than 37 years of uniformed service include missions to Iraq, Afghanistan, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and Asia. His U.S. Government interagency collaboration includes the State Department, USAID, Department of Justice, Department of Commerce and other critical partners. He worked closely with our international partners, both military and civilian entities, to enable and implement development, reconstruction and governance improvement around the globe.
Rob was the commander of an Army Reserve Civil Affairs Command with sustained deployments and enduring missions to both Europe and Africa concurrently. In his final assignment he was the Chief of Staff for the Army Reserve Command with oversight to more than 200,000 Soldiers and civilian employees living and working across the globe. Rob also worked for Philips Medical Systems in their New Ventures organization and Deloitte Consulting as a Strategy and Operations expert out of their Boston, Massachusetts office.
Rob currently operates several small businesses in North Carolina. He is currently the CEO of the neurodata startup Nuream. He is an angel investor and provides advisory support to multiple technology-based startup, pre-revenue and emerging growth companies across multiple industry and technology sectors. He sits on several Veteran Support Organizations (VSOs) boards, was appointed by the Governor of North Carolina as a commissioner to the North Carolina Military Affairs Commission (NCMAC), is a member of the Marketing Advisory Board at the University of North Carolina – Wilmington (UNCW), is a Senior Peace Fellow at the Public International Law and Policy Group (PILPG), is an Honor Foundation Coach, and a board member to the Cape Fear West Point Society.
Robert Williams : Robert Williams and his partner operate an early stage investment fund, Triangle University Fund, that targets A round investments in technology, business services, and medical device. He’s been in the area for over 15 years and has started a few small companies, worked with organizations nationally to raise over $40mm in capital, and is currently working through the acquisition of several light industrial firms.
Moderated by Mary U. Mussachia : Mary Musacchia is a dedicated leader that leverages more than 30 years in corporate and board leadership roles, applying a diversified industry background to building and managing corporate organizations and programs as well as having her own law practice. Mary is a board member of RTP Capital Associates, an angel investing network and has served on 3 early stage company boards; is a past chair of the Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED); Information Technology Association of America’s Software Division and its first China Committee Chair; Leadership Triangle; Kenan Institute of Engineering, Technology and Science; North Carolina Virtual Public Schools; UNC School of Law’s Journal of Law and Technology (NC JOLT); NC Bar Association Board of Governors and more. Mary’s assignments at SAS Institute Inc. included Counsel to the CEO, Director of Global Government Affairs and General Counsel and she was Sr. VP for International Business Development at ACS, Inc. She is a speaker on topics related to corporate governance and board management and is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors, Women Corporate Directors and OnBoard NC.