Second annual “DeepTechU” scheduled as virtual event in early May
The University of Chicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation is once again hosting “DeepTechU,” and one of the listed collaborators is the “Innovation Crossroads” program operated by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).
Scheduled as a virtual only event May 3, 4 and 5, the conference will feature quick pitches and discussions with industry experts, investors, and entrepreneurs. The “DeepTechU” goal is two-fold: (1) provide investors with early looks into cutting-edge deep tech innovation coming out of universities, national labs, and other organizations in the greater Midwest; and (2) educate faculty inventors and other researchers about how to successfully raise capital for their start-up.
“Last year’s inaugural ‘DeepTechU’ was the largest venture conference in the Midwest and demonstrated the breadth and heft of the region’s deep tech community,” said Jay Schrankler, Associate Vice President and Head of the Polsky Center. “The University of Chicago is thrilled to partner with more than a dozen research universities and national labs to showcase the latest deep tech startups coming out of our institutions.”
University of Chicago President Paul Alivisatos will deliver a keynote address on “Deep Tech and the Great Wave of Innovation.” Additional featured talks include a fireside chat between Megan Clifford, Associate Laboratory Director at Argonne National Laboratory, and Andrea Belz, Division Director of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships at the National Science Foundation, as well as a conversation between Kayla Lee, Product Manager for Strategic Alliances for IBM Quantum, and Brad Henderson, Chief Executive Officer of P33, a nonprofit focused on driving inclusive growth for Chicago’s tech sector.
In addition to “Innovation Crossroads” and ” Chain Reaction Innovations” at Argonne, other collaborators are Centrepolis Accelerator at Lawrence Technological University, Indiana University, The Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship at The Ohio State University, Purdue University, Northwestern University, Rutgers University, University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Iowa, University of Minnesota, and Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation.
Registration information can be found here. The three-day agenda can be found here.
