An inside view from the experts on seed and early-stage funding innovation programs including representatives from private equity firms, public funds and tech-based economic development organizations. The topics might include How to fund a startup, what gets funded and what doesn’t get funded, leveraging public investment to attract private investment and the 'how to" in commercializing technologies developed at Federal laboratories.

This session will explore the funding challenges that face start-up lifescience companies. Beyond federal grants, and often too early for venture firms or corporate partners, we will discuss the barriers as well as the pathways that have proven successful for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies. Our stellar panel includes a university technology transfer officer, angel investor, venture capitalist, and corporate partner, as we plan to share real-world case studies that document failed attempts, but more importantly offer blueprints of funding success for early-stage lifescience companies.

Presenting a new, sustainable and multi-agency approach to federal technology transfer.

This session will feature 4 members of the Agricultural Research Service Office of Technology Transfer, to discuss the services of OTT, and the various networks and processes developed in the past 2 years to provide “…portals to the R&D capabilities and innovations of ARS and USDA for Technology Based Economic Development.

Preparing Early to Exit

WBT continues the tradition with the Hot Investment Markets and Sizzling Sectors series. Get in the game and join Bill Reichert, Garage Technology Ventures, in this discussion with technology enterprise front runners now bringing potential game-changing technologies into the global market.

Dr. Wisniewski will lead off the panel with an introduction to the Technology Innovation Program. Then 2 current TIP recipients will discuss their use of TIP to further their corporate research goals, the impact of the TIP program on their companies, and a brief description of their TIP project and anticipated national impacts.

The National Venture Capital Association (NVCA), comprised of more than 400 member firms, is the premier trade association that represents the U.S. venture capital industry.

In todays tight credit markets understanding venture lending, factoring, and EXIM financing could be critical in the success of your business.

The TMRC , managed by the Center for Innovation, is a collaboration between universities and private Industry to identify clinical problems and provide funding for proof-of-concept prototypes that solve those problems. You will hear from professors and clinicians at UT-Arlington, UT-Dallas and Texas Health Resources and have a first-hand look at 3 of the TMRC-funded technologies.

China's VC industry, after a slow start before 1990, has gone through a growth boom in new companies since 2000. Today China has more than 400 different VC companies, including about one-third with foreign management. In many ways China's VCs operate like U.S. VCs - they work with great entrepreneurs to help build market leading companies and their bottom line includes risk reduction, above average ROI and winning exits. However, there are some important differences between Chinese and U.S. venture investment models. Join the discussion as experts in Chinese venture capital provide up-to-date information on cross border investment opportunities, best practices for partnering with Chinese organizations, legal and other government requirements, typical investment structures and tips on China's investment growth sectors like alternative energy.

Dr. Karina Edmonds, Technology Transfer Coordinator for the Department of Energy, will discuss working with DOE’s national laboratories to accelerate the process of moving discoveries from the laboratory to the private sector, ensuring that America's scientific leadership translates into new, high-paying jobs.

The X PRIZE Foundation is an educational nonprofit organization whose mission is to create radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity thereby inspiring the formation of new industries, jobs and the revitalization of markets that are currently stuck. Today, it is widely recognized as the leader in fostering innovation through competition.