I-Corps Hispanic Innovation Forum

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM), the NSF I-Corps Hub: Mid-Atlantic Region is proud to present the I-Corps Hispanic Innovation Forum, a virtual event featuring presentations by Hispanic leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs and educators involved in I-Corps.

Date: Thursday, October 12
Time: 9 a.m.-noon
Location: Online via Zoom
Registration: Eventbrite (onine)‍

Hispanic Heritage Month Profiles

Dorn Carranza

Director of Innovation & Partnerships, Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, FDA

Camilo Rojas

CEO, ProjectUs.ai

Joel Acevedo

Scientist-Entrepreneur

Reinaldo Franqui

D.C. Patent Attorney

Margia A. Argüello

Health and Life Sciences Consulting, Strategy, and Business Development

Ivelisse Cruz-Torres

Scientific Investigator at GSK

Juan Carlos Ramos

Senior R&D Engineer Manager, HP, Inc.

Lydia Villa-Komaroff

Scientist, Businesswoman, Diversity Advocate

Juan Meza

Professor, UC Merced

Robert S. Keynton

Dean, The William States Lee College of Engineering at University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Luis Martinez

Sr. Venture Associate, Capital Factory

Alex Sanchez

CTO, Power 3D

Orlando Lopez

Small Business (SBIR/STTR) Program Lead, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)

Maria Artunduaga

CEO, Samay

Aaron Cervantes

Director of Operations, Mike Loya Center for Innovation and Commerce at The University of Texas at El Paso

Adam Pardes

COO and Co-Founder, NeuroFlow

Adriana Vazquez Ortiz

CEO, Lilu

Tomás Isakowitz

Manager, PCI Fellows and Penn I-Corps at Penn Center for Innovation, University of Pennsylvania

Mireya McKee

Director, KickStart Venture Services, UNC I-Corps Site Director

Agenda

9-9:10 a.m.

Welcome Message: Hispanic representation in Science and Innovation

Mireya McKee, Director, KickStart Venture Services, UNC I-Corps Site Director (Moderator)
Tomas Isakowitz, Program Manager, I-Corps, University of Pennsylvania

9:10-9:25 a.m.

Keynote Speaker: Latinos: Driving Prosperity, Power, and Progress in America, Mark Madrid, Associate Administrator for the Office of Entrepreneurial Development at the U.S. Small Business Administration

9:30-9:45 a.m.

Introduction to I-Corps, Ruth Shuman, Program Director, National Science Foundation

9:45-10:00 a.m.

NeuroFlow: from Lab to Market, Adam Pardes, Co-Founder and COO, Neuroflow; Tomás Isakowitz (facilitator)

9:50-10:25 a.m.

Hispanic Entrepreneurs Panel: Mireya McKee, Director, KickStart Venture Services, UNC I-Corps Site Director (Moderator)

Maria Artunduaga, CEO, Samay (Panelist)
Alex Sanchez, CTO Power 3D (Panelist)
Javier Atencia, CEO, Pathotrak Inc. (Panelist)
Adriana Catalina Vázquez, CEO at Lilu (Panelist)

10:30-10:45 a.m.

Break

10:50-11:15 a.m.

Government Agencies Panel: Dorn Carranza, Director of Innovation & Partnerships, Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, FDA (Moderator)

Carolina Villacis, Commercialization Program Manager, Office of Technology Transitions, DOE (Panelist)
Orlando Lopez, Director of the Dental Materials and Biomaterials Program and Coordinator of the Small Business Program at (NIDCR/NIH) (Panelist)
Jesus Soriano, Program Director, Division of Translational Impacts, NSF (Panelist)

11:15-11:30 a.m.

Spanish I-Corps Program and Connections to Latin America: Aaron Cervantes, Director of Operations, Mike Loya Center for Innovation and Commerce at The University of Texas at El Paso

11:30-11:50 a.m.

Breakout Sessions:

Getting Involved as Hispanic Mentors: led by Glen Hellman, head of the Mentor program at MidAtlantic I-Cops HUB
SBIR/STTR Funding: led by Edmund Pendelton, lead instructor at Mid Atlantic I-Corps HUB
Investment for Hispanic innovators: led by Jean-Luc Park, Senior Director Social Impact Funds at TEDCO
Mid-Atlantic I-Corps Hub Programs and Resources: led by David Jefrey Steele, Program Manager at Mid-Atlantic I-Corps Hub

11:55 a.m.-Noon

Closing Remarks: Mireya McKee and Tomas Isakowitz

Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM) takes place from September 15 to October 15 every year as a time to recognize and celebrate the many contributions, diverse cultures, and extensive histories of the American Latino community.

This year, we focus on the themes of prosperity, power, and progress, recognizing the significant strides of Hispanics in the economic, technological, and social growth of the U.S. under the theme “Latinos: Driving Prosperity, Power, and Progress in America.”

The NSF I-Corps Hub: Mid-Atlantic Region is proud to present a series of activities to recognize and celebrate Hispanics in the National Innovation Network (NIN), starting with the I-Corps Hispanic Innovation Forum.