What we often forget is that the most successful entrepreneurs in the world all started out the same way.
They didn’t know what the first step was or what they had to do in the middle of it, but they all managed to pivot and become the amazing success stories they are today. Founders will be sharing about their company’s trajectory, with more than a few failures and pivots along the way.
Dr. Brian Cohn, Cheif Scientist at Kaspect
After studying the state of physical therapy for upper-extremity rehabilitation, Dr. Brian Cohn, Ph.D., founder and chief scientist of Kaspect, teamed up with a clinician and set out to evaluate whether a market existed for a VR-based physical therapy solution that would leverage convolutional neural networks in generating procedurally-generated patient-specific exercises. In this project, which was funded in part by the NSF Graduate Fellowship and an innovation grant from the USC Marshall School of Business, he ultimately found that the prospective market and distribution strategy were untenable to start a business during COVID-19. In this presentation, he presents his story—filled with setbacks, strategies, and small wins in his bid to evaluate the space for a new medical device. Attendees will learn valuable do’s and don’ts for their own ventures as Dr. Cohn evaluates lessons he learned in his bid to create a successful startup.
Dr. Richard Creager, Consultant with the SBDC @ UCI Beall Applied Innovation
Richard Creager has more than 30 years’ experience in In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD). He was the SVP Molecular Diagnostics and Chief Science Officer for Beckman Coulter. He also served as Group Vice President for Beckman Coulter’s Immunoassay Business. Richard is a partner in IOI Partners, a management consultant firm for IVD and biotechnology companies. Dr. Creager also held senior executive positions with Kallestad Diagnostics and Sanofi Diagnostics Pasteur. Previously, he served as chairman of the board for Medical Alley, a 501(c)3 non-profit trade association of healthcare companies in Minnesota. He currently serves on the board of 1for2 education foundation and OnRamp Bioinformatics.
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Presenting Sponsor: Biocom https://www.biocom.org/
Biocom harnesses the collective power and experience of the most innovative and productive life science clusters in the world, with powerful advocacy and transformative programs to help companies in their quest to improve the human condition. Biocom provides the strongest public voice for research institutions and companies that fuel the California economy.
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Presented in partnership with: SBDC @ UCI Beall Applied Innovation https://sbdctech.com/UCIappliedinnova... Whether you’re looking for guidance with starting your new tech venture, obtaining angel or venture capital, or looking for SBIR/STTR assistance, we’re here for you! The SBDC @ UCI Applied Innovation is a resource for any high-technology, high-growth, scalable venture from both the Orange County and UCI ecosystem that needs assistance with business planning, business development and funding-readiness. The center hosts several VC and Angel investors on site, as well as various ecosystem partners and industry professionals who work closely with the entrepreneurs.
