The Commericialization of Innovation

Brief:

An investor panel will focus on early stage ventures. The members of the panel have prior experience starting successful businesses. Come to listen as they share insights, experience and connections. Bring your idea to the meeting and then bring it to market. Take the first step in creating a successful startup. Realize your vision while minimizing risk and maximizing value. Network with investors and fellow entrepreneurs. Become a part of the Connecticut Entrepreneurship Ecosystem.

Bios:

Janis Collins:

Janis is a startup company advisor in the CT Innovation Ecosystem. Janis has been helping companies innovate, create and quickly launch new businesses for over 25 years. First, through her own firm, which focused on helping high tech startups and then later advising and funding new financial service companies.

As a Consulting Partner at KPMG, Janis worked with top financial service firms providing innovation techniques to help recreate businesses. At JPMorgan's LabMorgan, the angel investor group, and incubator, advised and funded new electronic market ventures. In the past few years, Janis helped found and launch two non-profit organizations. Janis has an M.B.A in Finance from Fordham University, and a B.S. in Quantitative Methods from University of Illinois, at Chicago.

Vince D'Agostino:

Vince is President of Brilig, an open marketplace where online advertising audiences are created, analyzed, bought and sold under the supervision of Brilig's audience commerce platform. Vince has over 30 years of digital/direct marketing, general management and operations experience. Prior to joining Brilig, he co-founded Webloyalty, the leading provider of online membership subscription programs. Prior to 1999, was President of Benefit Consultants, Inc., a large insurance direct marketer. He graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and went on to earn an MBA from Harvard University.

Bill Gordon:

Bill is the Co-Founder of Lean Launch Ventures, a business and technology accelerator based on LeanLaunchPadTM methodology developed by Steve Blank and Bob Dorf. Bill got his UC Berkeley PhD working with a giant, Nobel Laureate James Watson, but then pivoted to earn a Wharton MBA after which he worked on the buy side for several asset management firms before founding, managing and later selling his interest in a broadband business in 4 countries of Europe. That adventure helped him fund and run a biotech company where he won a Gates Grand Challenge Exploration Grant for his work on a novel approach to a creating a malaria vaccine. Currently Bill enjoys being an angel investor and advisor to many tech startups. Bill also served on the PopTech Board of Directors; a conference, an accelerator and lab for social innovation.

Andy Moss:

Andy is the Co-Founder of Lean Launch Ventures, a business and technology accelerator based on LeanLaunchPadTM methodology developed by Steve Blank and Bob Dorf. Andy started his career as a programmer. Later he had the opportunity to launch and manage a diverse variety of businesses within Microsoft including consulting, development tools, and digital media. Early on at MS he co-authored a software development methodology and built an international network of training centers. After leaving Microsoft, he had the bug to launch his own startup, and have advised and invested in other startups as both an angel and was a limited partner in a large NYC VC fund for many years.

Janet Steinmayer:

Janet Steinmayer is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Appleseed Food Frontiers, a business accelerator and investment firm chiefly supporting expansion-stage consumer packaged good food companies. Before that, Janet was the President and CEO of Centerplate, Inc., the fifth largest food service company in North America, with over $800 million in revenues and 28,000 employees. There she led the company to customize services for its sports and entertainment clients, drive clients' branding, and introduce local products to create a sense of place, resulting in record new business and profitability. She graduated from Bryn Mawr College, where she serves on its Board of Trustees, and the University of Chicago Law School.