This post was written by Lauren Emenaker ’18
On April 5th, 2018 the University of Vermont hosted the 13th annual Invention2Venture Conference for entrepreneurs, inventors and students alike. The conference focused on how to finance, protect and commercialize inventions, as well as how to thrive in the New England tech world.
The conference kicked off with Dr. Richard Galbriath, Vice President for Research at UVM, and Corine Farewell, Director of UVM Innovations, presenting awards to a number of university innovators. Eleven patents were issued in the past year from an improved cardiac pacemaker to an energy transfer system. It was exciting to see what technology is being created on our own campus!
Next, Dawn Berry, CEO and president of Luna DNA and UVM alum ‘96, gave an inspiring keynote entitled “The DNA of Authentic Leadership.” She detailed three qualities that leaders need: credibility, logic and emotion. Credibility is necessary to show trustworthiness and integrity. Logic is necessary to show strategic thinking and reasoning. Emotion is necessary to show that someone is human — full of excitement, anxiety and confidence. Berry then went on to explain her view of authentic leaders. They are genuine and have strong sense of self. They lead with their hearts and show empathy towards others. They are mission driven and focused on results that will change the world for the better. Authentic leadership fosters diversity which in turn enhances businesses and their practices. She argued that someone cannot call themselves a leader; only other people can call that person a leader.
Finally, Barry shared her own experiences with the audience, including her latest start-up venture. In 2017, she co-founded Luna DNA, “the first and only genomic and medical research database that is owned by its community.” Based on the belief that people should be treated as research partners and not just data subjects, the platform allows for the public to share their genomic information to further medical research. Established as a public benefit corporation, LunaDNA hopes to enable the medical community.
Participants of the conference were then given the opportunity to attend three round table discussions of their choosing. Discussions were held about prototyping, financing, pitching, legal resources, biomedical technologies and lessons learnt from start-ups in Vermont. I had the pleasure of attending the following three sessions: Concept to Prototype, Corporate Legal Necessities for Your Start-Up, and Intellectual Property Primer. The following themes emerged in my discussions:
- Try and fail often
- Run the company like you are going to sell it later
- Protect your intellectual property
- Do what you enjoy, hire someone else to do the pieces you don’t enjoy
After the final round table session, attendees were encouraged to network with those they had met throughout the afternoon. Advice was given, business cards were exchanged, and ideas were sparked. From the presentation of UVM research awards to networking over drinks and appetizers, I felt fortunate to be a part of such a forward-thinking community. This is an event you won’t want to miss in 2019.