Join us as we kick off 4 fantastic days of immersive sessions, networking opportunities, and special events as we welcome you to OPEN 2022. We'll share an overview of not-to-miss content and exciting announcements to help you plan out the week ahead!

Plenary: The Critical Role of Federal Agencies in America's Innovation Plan

Hear leaders from four key federal science funding agencies as they share their visions for America's innovation agenda. We'll welcome speakers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Energy (DOE), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), who will outline emergent opportunities for funding and collaboration, the changing relationship between agencies and institutions, and the key role universities will play in developing technological breakthroughs that will solve the world's most urgent challenges. This opening panel will feature a dynamic fireside chat and interactive Q&A session with Dr. Bruce Tromberg (NIH) and Dr. Erwin Gianchandani (NSF), moderated by VentureWell President Phil Weilerstein. Don’t miss this singular opportunity to connect with federal funders!

Dr. Vanessa Z. Chan, Department of Energy | Dr. Erwin Gianchandani, National Science Foundation | Ms. Jennifer Gustetic, National Aeronautics and Space Administration | Dr. Bruce Tromberg, National Institutes of Health

The Lemelson Foundation’s mission is improving lives through invention. For nearly 30 years, the Foundation has donated more than $300 million in support of our mission, cultivating the next generation of impact inventors and invention-based enterprises in the U.S. and abroad. A founding partner to VentureWell, the Foundation also supports Invention Education in K12 and the Engineering for One Planet initiative – an effort to make sustainability core to the engineering profession by transforming engineering education. Come learn more about our work through an overview of our work followed by an informal, interactive conversation with Lemelson staff.

Rob Schneider, Cindy Cooper, David Coronado, The Lemelson Foundation

It’s important for budding entrepreneurs and innovators to have a foundational understanding of how to protect their innovations and creative work through intellectual property (IP) rights—patents, copyright, trademarks and trade secrets. This session explores programs from the Michelson 20MM Foundation, a non-profit initiative working to improve access to IP education, including a look into how their communities of practice for community colleges and HBCUs have advanced this work.

Dr. Musinah Morris, Morehouse College | Ms. Diane Sabato, Springfield Technical Community College

The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently announced bold new initiatives designed to ensure that the federal pipeline for innovation, entrepreneurship, and engineering continues to evolve and contribute to prosperity and progress. Join a panel of NSF program directors leading these new initiatives for an insightful look at the programs NSF will roll out in the coming year. This session should be of particular interest to faculty and leaders at colleges and universities engaged in innovation and entrepreneurship.

Dr. Erwin Gianchandani, Dr. Thyaga Nandagopal, Dr. Douglas Maughan, National Science Foundation

This session, offered by Blackstone LaunchPad, will explore challenges associated with developing, assessing, and credentialing entrepreneurial mindsets and skillsets and present opportunities for improving how we develop and assess competencies. Several use scenarios will be explored to support those who lack resources, role models, and mentors as a means of investigating how improved models and methods can support their career readiness and entrepreneurial success.

Ms. Hadar Borden, Blackstone LaunchPad, University of Buffalo | Dr. Cam Ford, Blackstone LaunchPad, University of Central Florida

Join us for a look at Day 2, including a fast-paced icebreaker, enriching sessions, and an overview of our Interactive Poster Session!

Re-Envision Innovation
The day will kick off in true VentureWell fashion with a series of fast-paced, fun conversations designed to tap into what you and others know about integrating innovation and entrepreneurship, promoting sustainable design, and advancing equity. Come with your own ideas and leave with lots more—as well as new networking connections!

Prof. Iain Kerr, Prof. Jason Frasca, Montclair State University

Learn about the Z Model for cultivating the entrepreneurial ecosystem, and see evidence in support of students, employees, and community members engaging in innovative and entrepreneurial experiences together. Presenters will also share how their minority serving community college took innovation programming halted by the pandemic and gave it new life with the help of a community partner.

Dr. Caron Sada, Paradise Valley Community College | Prof. Mark Ulrich, Prof. Wilfred Moran, Prof. Christine Mooney, CUNY Queensborough Community College

This workshop will share the findings of a 2021 study, which identified major concerns about STEM entrepreneurship programs including unclear intended outcomes, lack of valid instruments to measure outcomes, and a lack of focus on diversity in entrepreneurship programs. Attendees will collaborate to identify actions that can be taken to address these concerns.

Dr. Sarah Zappe, Dr. Stephanie Cutler, Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus

During this dynamic fireside chat, an investor and a past E-Team entrepreneur and startup founder will chart the journey of a science and technology innovator, including the ups and downs of a founders role, early-stage Innovator programming from VentureWell, and all of the necessary elements like mentorship, advisement, investment, and resources, that are needed to make it happen.

Christina Tamer, Tricia Compas-Markman,VentureWell

Find out how the IMPACT Center at the University of Pittsburgh is using training and a Community of Practice to employ a collaborative design approach to get assistive technologies in the hands of those who need them most. 

You’ll also earn more about a diversity, equity, and inclusion-focused designathon at Oklahoma State University that allowed students to work in multidisciplinary and multi-cultural teams in a collaborative working environment to develop their innovation and entrepreneurial spirit.

Dr. Michelle Zorrilla, Dr. Mary Goldberg, Dr. Jon Pearlman, Nancy Augustine, University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | Zahrasadat Hosseini, Tilanka Chandrasekera, Oklahoma State University-Main Campus

Refresh and renew through these one-minute on-demand videos, presented by VentureWell staff and friends. Choose from basic workouts, meditation, yoga, and salsa.

Looking to create a more inclusive and equitable I-Corps program? Don’t miss this double presentation, highlighting findings from research that examined I-Corps data, that will help you reframe and rethink how you run the I-Corps program on your campus.

Dr. Aileen Huang-Saad, Northeastern University | Dr. Nathalie Duval-Couetil, Purdue University-Main Campus | Dr. Jeffrey Robinson, Rutgers University-Newark | Dr. Joe Bradley, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Dr. Ebony McGee, Vanderbilt University | Dr. Thema Monroe-White, Berry College

Take part in our fast-paced Interactive Poster Session and benefit from learning about the work of a broad and diverse group of faculty, students, and researchers. Cast your vote for the People’s Choice award, and leave with new ideas and new connections!  

As VentureWell has strengthened its commitment to improving diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout its work, the importance of fostering a sense of belonging has become even more apparent. We'll explore the importance of feelings of belonging to budding science and technology innovators and entrepreneurs, and those that support them.

Dr. Gilda Barabino, Olin College of Engineering | Dr. Sarah Zappe, Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus | Dr. Justin Henriques, James Madison University | Mr. Justin McLeod, VentureWell

Sponsored by the Burton D. Morgan Foundation and Impact Center.

Resources, and tools to enhance the diversity of volunteer pools at predominantly white institutions.

Best practices for modern mentorship and for building mentor programs.

Dr. Audrey Iffert-Saleem, Oregon State University | Dr. CJ Cornell, Arizona State University

Learn how University of California-Irvine's Beall Applied Innovation (BAI) leveraged the 6-point framework outlined in VentureWell's "Advancing Equity" report to build an organization-wide initiative called "Opportunity-Wayfinding-Networking" to help entrepreneurs create their OWN version of the American Dream.

Mr. Tim Shaw, Dr. Matthew Hanson, Mr. Jaune Odombrown, University of California-Irvine | Shaheen Mamawala, VentureWell

A hands-on introduction to the tools and curriculum developed to support entrepreneurs in lower-income countries, and the many stages of their ventures; tools shared help students to learn more about their community problems, frame a design challenge, evaluate the strength of different possible solutions, design impact and business models, and begin to implement low-cost rapid prototyping. ​

Mr. Leo Henghes, Mr. Max Weber Asiimwe, United Social Ventures | Mr. Enoch Muwanguzi

A panel of experienced I&E educators discuss why ideation often fails, and how to construct classes and connect to other campus supports to more authentically and effectively support young innovators.

Dr. Soyoung Kang, University of Washington-Seattle Campus | Prof. Iain Kerr, Prof. Jason Frasca, Montclair State University | Prof. Khanjan Mehta, Lehigh University | Dr. Jose Lugo, Dr. Mari Luz Zapata Ramos, University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez

Federal labs across the U.S. are partners with companies large and small, either as licensees of federally developed technology, users of state of the art facilities, or collaborators with working in federal R&D laboratories. The Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) is the formally chartered nationwide network of over 300 federal laboratories, agencies, and research centers that fosters opportunities from federal labs for commercialization of technologies into the marketplace. In this session, learn how your organization can benefit from the resources of the federal government through the free support of the FLC.

Jenna Dix, US Navy  |  Corin Hindenach, Federal Laboratory Consortium

Refresh and renew through these one-minute on-demand videos, presented by VentureWell staff and friends. Choose from basic workouts, meditation, yoga, and salsa.

An inside look at the National GEM Consortium and its role in developing underrepresented minority (URM) STEM PhD and Masters researchers, and the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP), an NSF grant that works to support URG students in STEM.

Mr. Latane Brackett, Dr. Talmesha Richards, The National GEM Consortium | Mr. Kameron Kadooka, Dr. Michelle Marie, Ms. Lesly Rojas, Oregon State University

As the landscape of space innovation grows and a large-scale commercial space sector emerges, NASA is actively exploring ways to accelerate and support NASA researchers for real-world applications. Join Maggie Yancey, NASA’s Lead for Entrepreneurship Development, for a lively crowdsourcing, solutions-oriented conversation centered on breaking down some of the most complex barriers facing entrepreneurs and innovators across the space sector.

Maggie Yancey, Denna Lambert, John Nelson, National Aeronautics and Space Administration

A hands-on introduction to using Afrofuturism and Indigenous Design principles to inspire more inclusive and sustainable social innovation for generations to come.

Mrs. Chris Baeza, Ms. Grace Landry, Prof. Raja Schaar, Drexel University

Broadening participation using proven approaches that connect K-12 programs with higher education, including dual enrollment pathways, mentors, and custom programs.

Mr. Juan Barraza, Dr. Tong Zhang, Ms. Melissa Tran, Portland State University  |  Dr. Jane Talkington, Bradley University

Welcome back to OPEN! We'll share an overview of VentureWell's sustainability initiatives, highlights from the day's schedule, and awards.

Our Day 4 plenary will feature a panel discussion of early-stage companies focusing on innovations in sustainable food and agriculture all along the value chain, and the live unveiling of the winner of our 2021 Sustainable Practice Impact Award!

Mr. Rob Schneider, The Lemelson Foundation | Mr. Alec Brewer, Transfoam | Ms. Katherine Sizov, Strella Biotech | Mr. Adam Stager, Tric Robotics | Ms. Christina Tamer, VentureWell

Sponsored by The Lemelson Foundation

Solutions to create more inclusive opportunities for all, including classroom interventions, HBCU hubs, leadership engagement, and recommended funding opportunities and partnerships.

Dr. Natalie Cozier, ICAST - Innovation Center for Applied Sustainable Technologies | Ms. Tamette Farrington, Dr. Charles Mitchell, North Carolina Central University

A hands-on introduction to a structured framework to help you optimize your entrepreneurial ecosystem by first inventorying, and then prioritizing which components to cut, add and change.

Dr. Michael Lehman, Lehigh University

Join this panel of experienced faculty to learn how they ensure sustainable design is a primary consideration for student innovators. Panelists will share proven practices and tools, along with suggestions for overcoming challenges associated with integrating sustainability.

Dr. Dustyn Roberts, Prof. Taylor Caputo, University of Pennsylvania | Dr. Nancy Ruzycki, University of Florida | Prof. Raja Schaar, Drexel University

In this session you will learn about our 4-week virtual program to engage students in learning skills associated with the entrepreneurial mindset. Content includes presentations, group breakout sessions, and real-world homework challenges designed for students to practice the skills they are learning. We will share lessons learned, feedback from student participants, and data from the cohort.

Dresden Goldberg, University of Texas at Dallas | Nina Ho, The LaunchPad at UT Austin | Cam Houser, Actionworks

Engaging students in entrepreneurial makeovers in 6-8 weeks, and sustainability design challenges in a single semester.

Dr. Sharon Simmons, Jackson State University | Dr. Carlee Bishop; Dr. Laquita Blockson, Agnes Scott College

Panel discussion with Q&A on proven academic models for supporting students in impact ventures in lower- and middle-income countries.

Prof. Khanjan Mehta, Lehigh University | Dr. Pritpal Singh, Villanova University | Dr. John Gershenson, Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus

Learn about programming and curriculum developed to address psychological barriers that impact underrepresented students’ interest and engagement in innovation and entrepreneurship.

Prof. Beth Ferguson, Dr. Katia Vega, Dr. Jiayi Young and Ms. Eldy S. Lazaro Vasquez, University of California-Davis

At this must-attend conference highlight you will meet 8 E-Teams, learn about their groundbreaking innovations, and invest OPEN Venture Bucks in the teams of your choice.

Sponsored by The Lemelson Foundation and Blackstone LaunchPad.