Greenville Business Magazine 2010 March issue : Page 28
INNO VEN TURE W 28 GREENVILLEBUSINESSMAG.COM | MARCH 2010 2010 hat happens when seven senior leaders of major organizations, 60 passionate champions, and 600 interested people gather for two days in Greenville at the annual InnoVenture conference? They find not only the inspiration and energy but the customers, capital, talent and technology they need to create the future here. BY BECKY MANN PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF INNOVENTURE SOUTHEAST PHOTOGRAPHY BY TONY SMITH PHOTOGRAPHY
InnoVenture 2010
Becky Mann
What happens when seven senior leaders of major organizations, 60 passionate champions, and 600 interested people gather for two days in Greenville at the annual InnoVenture conference? They find not only the inspiration and energy but the customers, capital, talent and technology they need to create the future here.
InnoVenture 2010, coming to Greenville May 11 and 12, centers around four themes, selected as areas in which the Southeast is leading the way: advanced materials, clean energy, transformed automobiles, and smart communities.
According to InnoVenture Southeast founder and principal John Warner, this year’s conference is different from the six previous events in that it aligns content along the four theme areas. In the past, presentations by major companies, universities and entrepreneurs have been made in separate tracks. This year, the first day of the conference will cover smart communities in a variety of morning presentations and clean energy in the afternoon. The second day will begin with advanced materials and close with transformed automobiles.
Leaders and champions will discuss where they are today, where they are going, and what expertise and resources they need to be successful. Leaders are David Stafford, COO of the Michelin Americas Research Company; John Kelly, VP for Public Service, Agriculture, and Economic Development with Clemson University; Harris Pastides, President of the University of South Carolina; Bill Mahoney, CEO of the South Carolina Research Authority; Chris Desoiza, VP of the Milliken Research Corporation; Ed Sellers, CEO of BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina; and Don Herriott, Director of InnoVista Partnerships at the University of South Carolina.
Champions are scheduled in ten-minute increments. They have eight minutes to deliver a pitch using no more than 10 PowerPoint slides, with the objective of intriguing those in the audience and fostering more in-depth discussions outside of the presentation. Those interested in presenting as champions must apply by March 29 at www.InnoVentureSoutheast.com. A team drawn from industry and academia will make selections and announce them in April.
Who should be in the audience at the event? Warner says anyone who wants to connect and do business with the most talented people in the Southeast should plan to be part of what he describes as two days of inspiration and energy. “We encourage everyone attending to be very clear about what they are looking for, but all to be open to unexpected opportunities,” he says.
The conference is about connecting people with great ideas to others who have access to resources, expertise, and customers. The format is designed to make those connections across the Southeast possible in a two-day time span.
Warner says the conference has been able to create talk that results in action. “High impact companies, like Selah Technologies and Hoowaki, formed out of direct contact made at the InnoVenture conference,” he says. “Major companies and universities like Milliken, Michelin, Clemson and the University of South Carolina have developed stronger relationships. Every year, attendees find customers, capital, talent and technology they need to succeed. Beyond that, everyone leaves inspired and energized to create the future here.”
A few years ago, Warner says, Michael Bolick attended InnoVenture and, hearing a presentation on Clemson technology, looked around to see who else was taking notes. Bolick formed Selah Technologies to commercialize the Clemson discoveries. Later the South Carolina Research Authority’s SC Launch initiative provided money, and investment partners, who learned about Bolick’s work through InnoVenture, came through with additional funding. In December of last year, Selah Technologies merged with Lab21, establishing Greenville as the North American headquarters of a UK pharmaceutical company and creating 65 new jobs in the Upstate.
Ralph Hulseman served as director of external research for Michelin North America, managing relationships with universities, labs, and companies. In that role, he learned about a manufacturing process developed by William King of the University of Illinois that allows the molding of microstructures and nanostructures on curved surfaces. Inspired by what Bolick had done with Selah Technologies, Hulseman left Michelin and established a firm called Hoowaki LLC to commercialize King’s research. His first customer for the technology, which can change the look, feel and performance of many everyday products, was Michelin.
The connections don’t end when the conference is over. “InnoVenture is a movement that exists year-round to develop a more creative culture here,” Warner says. “Success breeds success.”
To that end, six communities are being developed around the priorities of major anchors for the annual conference including the Milliken Research Corporation and the Michelin Americas Research Company. Forums will be held throughout the year on topics including the business of IT, models and methods for advanced materials, nanotechnology, and alternative energy. For more information on InnoVenture, go to www.InnoVentureSoutheast.com. GBM
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