Panel Discussion on 'Funding Your Technology-Based Startup' to be Held at Brookhaven Lab, July 25

July 1, 2011

UPTON, NY — The U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory is hosting a panel discussion on “Funding Your Technology-Based Startup” on Monday, July 25, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. This is the fourth meeting of the Entrepreneurs’ Foundation Workshop series hosted by the Laboratory.

A panel of experts on funding technology startups will address such questions as: What types of investments are venture capitalists looking for? What are the characteristics of a winning investor pitch? What makes a technology-based business attractive to investors? Additional questions will be taken from the audience.

The workshop is open to the public. There is a $10 fee, and advance online registration is required. Online registration and payment by credit card is available at the Entrepreneurs’ Foundation Workshop website. Registrants may also pay the fee at the door by cash or check after pre-registering. All visitors to the Laboratory age 16 and older must bring a photo ID.

The agenda includes refreshments and networking from 5 to 5:30 p.m., the panel discussion with time for Q&A from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., and more refreshments and networking from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

This workshop is sponsored by Nixon Peabody, and cosponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration, the New York State Small Business Development Center, and Stony Brook University.

The moderator for the panel discussion will be Walter G. Copan, Manager of Brookhaven Lab’s Office of Technology Commercialization and Partnerships.

Panelists include:

  • Allan H. Cohen, Partner at Nixon Peabody, one of the world’s largest law firms. He is experienced in all areas of business law related to public and private companies, and has expertise in venture capital and emerging companies.
  • Jim Chinitz, CEO, Population Diagnostics, Inc., a company that he co-founded in 2006 to develop and market DNA-based diagnostic tests for pre-symptomatic early detection of disease. Also, the company enables pharmaceutical firms to develop companion diagnostics and targeted drugs with greater efficacy and safety.
  • Michael L. Faltischek, Senior Partner, Ruskin Moscou Faltischek, P.C., a major regional law firm, is a founding member and chair of the Long Island Angel Network, which provides a forum for entrepreneurs, investors, and businesses to examine investment opportunities in new technologies or business models. He also helped found Stony Brook University’s (SBU) Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center, and serves as its general counsel and vice chair of its advisory board. The center fosters research and commercialization of promising technologies developed at Brookhaven Lab, SBU, and other institutions.
  • Clayton Besch, Director, Small Business Technology Fund, earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry but later focused on finance and investment. The fund he manages provides early stage high-tech companies throughout New York State with a potential source of venture capital to promote new job creation and economic growth.
  • Murat Ozsu, CEO of innRoad, founded the web-based hotel management solutions company in 2006. The company was designed to meet the needs of independent hotel owners who wish to compete in and profit from an Internet economy.
  • Steve Winick, Partner, Topspin Partners, Inc., is a registered patent attorney who had previously been Chief Technology Officer of the $2 billion security group at Honeywell International. Topspin Partners, Inc. is a venture capital fund that is a successor to the Long Island Venture Fund and affiliated with the Renaissance Technologies hedge fund.
  • John May, President, William E. Hill & Co. and Senior Partner, Towers Perrin, both management-consulting firms, is also an active Long Island Angel Network participant, investing in four early-stage technology companies.

Brookhaven National Laboratory, the Small Business Administration, Stony Brook University, and the New York State Small Business Development Center at Stony Brook developed the Entrepreneurs’ Foundation Workshop Series to help those interested in starting up small technology companies.

Brookhaven Lab is located on William Floyd Parkway, one-and-a-half miles north of Exit 68 of the Long Island Expressway.

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