Thursday, January 28, 2010

NAE Grand Challenge Summit in Raleigh, March 2010

National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenge Summit
Raleigh, NC March 3-5, 2010

Event Website: http://www.grandchallengesummit.org/raleigh-summit
Registration: http://www.grandchallengesummit.org/raleigh-registration
Hosts: North Carolina State University and Duke University

Entrepreneurship and technology innovation have the potential to raise our nation out of its economic downturn. Making this happen requires everyone to step outside traditional roles. In particular, centers of higher education have a responsibility to cultivate better marry technical fields with those of business and entrepreneurship.

With this in mind, Duke's Pratt School of Engineering and NC State's College of Engineering invite you to a high profile event designed to help prepare the next generation leaders to address the "grand challenge" level issues that will shape the 21st century. The Summit will touch on all fourteen NAE Grand Challenges through a discussion of American innovation and competitiveness and will be of interest to all disciplines. Participants should leave the Summit with a heightened awareness of the link between technology innovation and public policy on the world stage.

Why YOU should attend this conference:

Jeff Immelt, CEO of GE, will open the Summit with a call to action on the NAE Grand Challenges. Immelt has been named one of the "World's Best CEOs" three times by Barron's, while GE was named "America's Most Admired Company" by Fortune magazine and listed as one of the "World's Most Respected Companies" in polls by Barron's and the Financial Times.

John Chambers, CEO of Cisco, will present a keynote address on American innovation and competitiveness and will then lead a panel discussion. Chambers has been recognized as one of Time Magazine's "100 Most Influential People," one of Barron's "World's Most Respected CEOs," the "Best Boss in America" by 20/20, and one of BusinessWeek's "Top 25 Executives Worldwide," among many other awards.

Senator Ted Kaufman will discuss Congress' response to the Grand Challenges. Kaufman is the junior U.S. Senator from Delaware, appointed for two years to fill the term of former U.S. Senator Joe Biden. As the only serving U.S. Senator who worked as an engineer, Kaufman has advocated for a renewed emphasis on science, engineering, and innovation to meet the increasing challenges of a competitive global economy.

Jeffrey Wadsworth, the president and Chief Executive Officer of Battelle Memorial Institute, will also participate in a broad ranging discussion on American economic competitiveness and innovation. During his Battelle career, Wadsworth has led a period of rapid growth as Laboratory Director of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where he presided over the Lab's emergence as the world's leader in neutron science, nanoscience, and high-performance computing. In 2005 he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in recognition of his scientific contributions to their literature and for scientific leadership supporting national security.

The cost to attend the Summit is $20 for Duke students and faculty.

The Grand Challenge Summit Series (http://www.grandchallengesummit.org/) represents a commitment to sustain critical dialogue and engagement with grand challenge problems and to change the way we educate our students in order to better prepare them for the challenges ahead.

Come join in this important endeavor.

NAE Grand Challenge Summit Series
c/o Duke University
dahill@duke.edu




--
Howie Rhee, MBA
Managing Director, Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Fuqua School of Business, Duke University
Office A236
919-617-1123 mobile

Learn more about Entrepreneurship at Duke - www.EntrepreneurshipAtDuke.com
and read our Duke Entrepreneurship Manual - www.dukeven.com.
Twitter: @EshipAtDuke

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

NextJump job posting for Duke MBA students

From Greg Kunkel, Fuqua '04


-Howie



Next Jump, Inc. (www.nextjump.com)

TITLE: Product Manager Internet Applications (Full time)

LOCATION: New York City

 

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Next Jump is seeking the best and brightest Product Managers to own strategy creation and product delivery of our next generation E-commerce, Advertising and Analytics systems.  Product Managers at Next Jump are empowered with product ownership and work alongside some of the brightest software engineers with the goal of truly revolutionizing the shopping/advertising space.   In addition to working closely with our senior management team, you will have unique opportunities to work with senior teams from some of the most cutting edge Technology companies and a majority of the FORTUNE 500. 

 

RESPONSIBILITIES:

* Create, analyze, and promote solutions for Next Jump's business clients including retailers, corporations, member groups, and strategic partners

* Define product vision, scope product requirements, articulate design concepts, and develop metrics

* Maintain industry expertise on competitors' product lines, including products in development or testing

* Work closely with our engineering teams to test, improve, and release solutions into production

* Manage design and development across the execution process

* Develop compelling product offerings, feature sets, and monetization strategies

* Gather and analyze feedback from users, as well as marketing, development and product teams

* Drive product decisions, especially concept development and feature prioritization

* Facilitate small and large groups during meetings and in workshop settings

 

REQUIREMENTS:

* MBA required

* Understanding of web/UI design principles.

* Ability to give constructive input during design meetings and make wireframes that communicate your ideas

* Experience in internet technology, product development/management, or consulting

* Experience coordinating multiple projects across internal teams and client relationships

* Interest in analyzing products, partners' needs and market dynamics

* Excellent written, oral, presentation and communication skills

* Experience with agile product development philosophies and processes a plus

* An end-to-end understanding of the e-commerce shopping experience

* Proven track record driving cross-functional teams to deliver projects on time and within budget

* Ability to effectively influence multiple teams to drive internal consensus and common goals

* Proven creative problem solving and innovative mindset

* Experience with data and metrics-driven decision making

* Up-to-date with the latest consumer technology and web trends

* Highly organized, self-motivated worker with entrepreneurial passion and ability to effectively multi-task

* Clear and concise written and verbal communications for internal and external audiences

* Strong experience with PowerPoint and Excel

 

COMPANY SUMMARY:

Headquartered in New York City, Next Jump is building the next generation of e-commerce and advertising technology, and revolutionizing the way consumers and marketers interact online. The company has created the most powerful technology engine for sales, achieving the highest conversion rates of browsers to buyers. Over 28,000 merchant partners, both retailers and manufacturers, leverage Next Jump's technology to create the most targeted, cost-effective and measurable campaigns to reach more than 100 million users. Next Jump acquires its users through a B2B model, with over 90,000 corporations, affinity groups, and institutions including more than 84% of the FORTUNE 100 and nearly 60% of FORTUNE 500 companies. Next Jump has offices in New York City, Cambridge, MA and London. For more information on Next Jump visit www.nextjump.com.


--
Howie Rhee, MBA
Managing Director, Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Fuqua School of Business, Duke University
Office A236
919-617-1123 mobile

Learn more about Entrepreneurship at Duke - www.EntrepreneurshipAtDuke.com
and read our Duke Entrepreneurship Manual - www.dukeven.com.
Twitter: @EshipAtDuke

Fwd: Company co-founded by Duke Law Professor wins US Dept. of Energy Grant

Nice win for Bill Brown.  Congrats Bill!

Howie



Howie,

I thought you might be interested in this news about the company co-founded by Duke's own Bill Brown. Please pass it along to whomever else you think appropriate.

 

Best,

Bob

 

 

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

 

 

PALMER LABS AWARDED U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY FUNDING FOR ALGAE BIOFUEL RESEARCH

Durham, NC company is member of consortium awarded $44 million to turn

algae into renewable energy

 

Durham, NC January 14, 2010 – U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Steven Chu announced Wednesday the award of $44 million in federal stimulus funds to The National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts (NAABB), a consortium including Palmer Labs, LLC, of Durham, NC.

 

The DOE funds will support enhanced research by Palmer Labs of its patent-pending algae technology addressing both energy and nutritional applications. "Our goal is highly focused," said Dr. Miles Palmer, company president.   "We take the biggest problems—currently in energy and food resources—and find cheaper and better solutions through innovative combinations of proven technologies. The DOE stimulus funds provide timely support of this pressing goal to us and our consortium partners."

 

"We are very excited about this announcement," said N.C. Department of Commerce Secretary J. Keith Crisco. "Palmer Labs is a great example of the innovation and creativity that are driving North Carolina's future, especially in the energy/green jobs sector, which Governor Perdue has emphasized as one of her top priorities for economic development."

 

"North Carolina is fortunate to have Palmer Labs consolidating its business here," said Lanty Smith, Chairman of Tippet Capital. "It is precisely the kind of firm which North Carolina needs to attract in today's business climate.  They have reached out to take on-board some of the best and brightest local talent and to make an important impact on the development of new technologies in the Research Triangle." 

 

Researchers at Palmer Labs are developing innovative methods for harnessing algae to "close the carbon cycle," said Bill Brown, Chairman of Palmer Labs and Duke Law School faculty member. "Our unique approach to algae will help provide a solution to the problem of CO2 emissions and, at the same time, provide algae for both food and energy production." 

 

Palmer Labs engineers are also designing and testing systems to burn algae to make renewable electricity. "This power system allows us to use algae to turn sunlight—the ultimate renewable resource—into electricity," said Dr. Palmer.  "Our system is designed to use biomass, natural gas or coal while capturing virtually all the CO2 emissions at a cost lower than present commercial systems."

 

"We formed Palmer Labs to help address many of the world's problems," said Prof. Brown.  "As we have seen with the recent U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, policy makers are struggling to devise the solutions to the environmental challenges that engulf us.  We believe that technology both delivers and is a powerful, democratizing force." 

 

DOE announcement: http://www.energy.gov/news2009/8519.htm

 

For more information, please call 919-667-1800.

About Palmer Labs

Palmer Labs, LLC (www.palmerlabs.com) provides innovative scientists and technologists with the resources to transform their ideas into realizable applications in the marketplace. Palmer Labs focuses on technologies and innovations that address the critical challenges of our complex world. Palmer Labs focuses on solutions with positive environmental impacts including reduced fuel consumption, emissions, and greenhouse gases.  Palmer Labs is an affiliate of 8 Rivers Capital, LLC (www.8riverscapital.com).

 

About NAABB

National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts (NAABB) - Led by the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center (St. Louis, MO), NAABB will develop a systems approach for sustainable commercialization of algal biofuel (such as renewable gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel) and bioproducts. NAABB will integrate resources from companies, universities, and national laboratories to overcome the critical barriers of cost, resource use and efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions, and commercial viability. It will develop and demonstrate the science and technology necessary to significantly increase production of algal biomass and lipids, efficiently harvest and extract algae and algal products, and establish valuable certified co-products that scale with renewable fuel production. Co-products include animal feed, industrial feedstocks, and additional energy generation. Multiple test sites will cover diverse environmental regions to facilitate broad deployment.

###

 

 

 

Bob Walker

 

8 Rivers Capital, LLC where new ideas come to market

 

700 West Main Street, Suite 108

Durham, NC 27701

www.8RiversCapital.com

919-667-1800

 

 




--
Howie Rhee, MBA
Managing Director, Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Fuqua School of Business, Duke University
Office A236
919-617-1123 mobile

Learn more about Entrepreneurship at Duke - www.EntrepreneurshipAtDuke.com
and read our Duke Entrepreneurship Manual - www.dukeven.com.
Twitter: @EshipAtDuke

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Fwd: 2010 Rice Business Plan Competition



---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Lea.A.Lueck <Lea.A.Lueck@rice.edu>
Date: Fri, Jan 8, 2010 at 5:39 PM
Subject: 2010 Rice Business Plan Competition
To: hwr2@duke.edu


2010 Logo with blue and green.png

Important Deadlines

 

Friday, February 5, 2010

5:00 pm CST

Intent to Compete Due

 

Friday, February 26, 2010

5:00 pm CST

Executive Summaries Due

 

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Qualifying Teams Announced

 

Friday, March 15, 2010

Teams Confirm Participation

 

Friday, March 19, 2010

5:00 pm CST

Written Business Plans Due

April 15-17, 2010

Competition Held
Rice University, Houston, TX

 

Schools may submit an unlimited number of entries, but a maximum of 2 teams per school will be invited to compete, as selected by the RBPC.

There is no cost to apply to or to compete.

For more information

Contact:

Lea Aden Lueck

RBPC Director

lalueck@rice.edu

713.348.3190

www.alliance.rice.edu/rbpc

 

April 15-17, 2010

More than $800,000 in

CASH and PRIZES

42 of the top MBA and graduate schools from around the world will compete at Rice University in Houston for more than $800,000 in prizes.

      $325,000 Grand Prize – including

Ø  $125,000 equity investment from The GOOSE Society of Texas

Ø  $100,000 investment sponsored by Opportunity Houston and Greater Houston Partnership

Ø  $20,000 cash sponsored by Kenda Capital  and Shell

Ø  $80,000 + in-kind services

Ø  Ringing the bell at NASDAQ in New York City

      EVERY team accepted into the Rice competition is guaranteed to win at least one cash prize

      More than $600,000 in total cash prizes, plus $200,000 in services awarded


Special Cash Prize Categories include:

      $100,000 Life Science Investment prize

      $100,000 Technology Investment prize

      $100,000 Tech Transfer Investment prize

      $50,000 NASA Commercial Space Innovation award

      $20,000 NASA Life Science Innovation award

      $20,000 NASA Engineering Innovation awards (2)

      $10,000 Social Venture award

      $5,000 Sustainability award

      $2,500 Information Technology award

      $2,500 Energy/Clean Technology award

      $2,500 Medical Device award

      $2,500 Life Science award 

      $2,500 Nanotechnology award

      $2,500 Intellectual Property award  

      $2,500 Hispanic Business Plan award

      $2,500 International Team award

 

 

To learn more about these prizes, please visit our website and review the 2010 Official Rules Document – Guidelines for Prizes.

Don't miss your opportunity to compete at the World's Richest and Largest Business Plan Competition!

 

Click here to submit your Intent to compete and receive your free copy of Business Plan Pro from Palo Alto Software.

 

The Rice Business Plan Competition is hosted by the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship and the Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University and is open to all graduate students from any university.

 




--
Howie Rhee, MBA
Managing Director, Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Fuqua School of Business, Duke University
Office A236
919-617-1123 mobile

Learn more about Entrepreneurship at Duke - www.EntrepreneurshipAtDuke.com
and read our Duke Entrepreneurship Manual - www.dukeven.com.
Twitter: @EshipAtDuke

Fwd: Business Plan Competition Best of Biotech 2010 awards ~ USD 65,000

For those with medical technology ideas.

Howie

Begin forwarded message:

From: Philipp Marxgut <scientist@ostina.org>
Date: January 13, 2010 10:31:32 AM EST
To: Larry Moneta <larry.moneta@duke.edu>
Subject: Business Plan Competition Best of Biotech 2010 awards ~ USD 65,000
Reply-To: scientist@ostina.org

Dear Dr. Moneta,

The Office of Science & Technology (http://www.ostina.org ) at the
Embassy of Austria in Washington, DC, would like to draw your attention
to the 'Best of Biotech - get your business started' (BOB) announcement
of the Austria Wirtschaftsservice that might be of interest to your
faculty or students:

BOB is awarding a total of EUR 44,500 (~ USD 65,000) for the best
business plans, the best medical technology business plan and the best
three business ideas in 2010. It is open to individuals and teams from
all countries. The official language of the competition is English.

Students, post-graduates, experienced scientists and other creative
individuals who wish to translate their promising and marketable life
science innovation into a business idea and a professional business
plan are encouraged to participate.

Registration for Phase 1 is open February 1 - 22, 2010
(http://www.bestofbiotech.at/competition/schedule/ ).

Further information on BOB and on registration procedures and project
phases is available at http://www.bestofbiotech.at/ .

The BOB team is glad to answer any questions you may have at
bob@bestofbiotech.at .

The international life science business plan competition BOB is
organized by Life Science Austria (LISA), a program run by the Austria
Wirtschaftsservice on behalf of the Austrian Federal Ministry for
Economy, Family and Youth.

We hope that this announcement is of interest to your faculty and their
students.

With best regards,

Philipp Marxgut


--
Philipp Marxgut
Director & Attaché for Science and Technology

Office of Science & Technology
Embassy of Austria

3524 International Court, NW
Washington, DC 20008-3027 USA

Tel:    +1 (202)895-6754
Fax:    +1 (202)895-6750
URL:    http://ostina.org

bridges - The OST's Magazine on S&T Policy
http://bridges.ostina.org

OST Scientist Network
http://www.ostina.org/scientists

E-Mail Disclaimer OST
http://www.ostina.org/downloads/pdfs/Email_Disclaimer_OST.pdf







--
Howie Rhee, MBA
Managing Director, Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Fuqua School of Business, Duke University
Office A236
919-617-1123 mobile

Learn more about Entrepreneurship at Duke - www.EntrepreneurshipAtDuke.com
and read our Duke Entrepreneurship Manual - www.dukeven.com.
Twitter: @EshipAtDuke

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Fwd: FW: More innovation competition opportunities!

Wireless Innovation Project. 

From: Barksdale, Stephanie B
Sent: Tuesday, January 05, 2010 10:08 AM
To: 'socent-L@tulane.edu'
Subject: More innovation competition opportunities!

 

Please feel free to pass on this info and good luck!!  Deadline is Feb 1st, 2010 and you can win up to $300,000!!!

 Wireless Innovation Project™

The Vodafone Americas Foundation™ designed the Wireless Innovation Project™ as a competition to promote innovation and increase implementation of wireless related technology for a better world. To that end, Vodafone Americas Foundation's Wireless Innovation Project™ is providing up to $600,000 in awards to support projects of exceptional promise that meet the criteria described in the Eligibility Criteria section. After successful completion of the Project last year, we are excited to launch the second Vodafone Wireless Innovation Project™. We will be accepting proposals from October 5, 2009 through February 1, 2010.

Best,

 

Stephanie Barksdale

Special Assistant to the President

Social Entrepreneurship Initiatives

Tulane University

 (504) 862-3361

http://tulane.edu/socialentrepreneurship/

 

 




--
Howie Rhee, MBA
Managing Director, Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Fuqua School of Business, Duke University
Office A236
919-617-1123 mobile

Learn more about Entrepreneurship at Duke - www.EntrepreneurshipAtDuke.com
and read our Duke Entrepreneurship Manual - www.dukeven.com.
Twitter: @EshipAtDuke

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Fwd: First Round of Presenting Companies Announced

This is a good place to find companies that might be interesting internship opportunities.

Howie

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Southeast Venture Conference <mailer@seventure.org>
Date: Wed, Jan 6, 2010 at 12:05 PM
Subject: First Round of Presenting Companies Announced
To: howrhee@alum.mit.edu


 
 
 
 
 

 
  
 
 
Presented by:
First Round of Presenting Companies Announced for 2010 Southeast Venture Conference
 
The 2010 Southeast Venture Conference (SEVC) today announced the first round of companies selected to present at its upcoming conference scheduled for February 24-25th at the Ritz-Carlton in Tysons Corner, Virginia.
 
An expected 60 showcase companies from the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions will present at SEVC 2010. Showcase companies will range from the NASDAQ sponsored late stage showcase firms to earlier stage high growth firms. The presenting companies highlight the present and future of the innovation economy, representing some of the most promising technologies in the region from a diverse range of technology industries, including energy, clean tech, mobile, IT, med tech, security, defense and Internet among others.

SEVC 2010 showcase companies will present to a national audience of venture capitalists, private equity investors, angel investors, investment bankers and senior technology executives.

The first round of announced showcase companies includes:  
"It's a great time for technology companies and venture capital investors to come together," said Steve Keeler, a partner with McGuireWoods and the SEVC 2010 Planning Chair.  "Fourth quarter 2009 brought an upswing in venture investor optimism and activity - particularly in IT, health care and clean tech - and other industries that can leverage government stimulus."
  
"With a stabilizing economy, the stock market holding up and talk of a potential reopening of the IPO window,  venture funds are telling us that 2010 could be one of the best years ever to invest," added Keeler. 
 
In addition to showcase company presentations, the conference will feature a number of market-driven topical panels, featured speakers and exclusive networking opportunities. Current keynotes for SEVC 2010 include Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia; Mark Heesen, President of the National Venture Capital Association and technologist Vint Cerf, currently the Chief Internet Evangelist at Google and often referred to as "Father of the Internet".

 
 
About Southeast Venture Conference 2010
The Southeast Venture Conference, one of the largest venture capital forums on the east coast, takes place February 24-25th at the Ritz Carlton in Tysons Corner, Virginia. The mission of the SEVC is to help support the innovation and entrepreneurial activity of emerging high growth technology companies and the resulting economic growth in the greater Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. As part of that goal, the SEVC understands the importance of investment capital to this equation and provides a key forum to facilitate the infusion of growth to the technology community. The 2010 conference features dozens of presenting companies, venture and entrepreneurial oriented panels, keynotes and numerous networking opportunities.
 
 
 


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--
Howie Rhee, MBA
Managing Director, Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Fuqua School of Business, Duke University
Office A236
919-617-1123 mobile

Learn more about Entrepreneurship at Duke - www.EntrepreneurshipAtDuke.com
and read our Duke Entrepreneurship Manual - www.dukeven.com

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Fwd: Triangle Mobile App Panel - Thursday, January 14

Interesting event for those of you interested in Mobile Apps.

Howie
 
appseminarfinal.JPG

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                         Invitation RSVP link

 

                                                                                                       Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP link

 

                                                                                                                       Buckhead Saloon link

 




--
Howie Rhee, MBA
Managing Director, Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Fuqua School of Business, Duke University
Office A236
919-617-1123 mobile

Learn more about Entrepreneurship at Duke - www.EntrepreneurshipAtDuke.com
and read our Duke Entrepreneurship Manual - www.dukeven.com