March Meeting

Abstract: Have you ever thought of creating a chemistry startup? Have you ever had a research idea that you thought had commercial potential? Dr. Pavone, the director of the Minnesota Innovation Corps (MIN-Corps), will discuss what it takes to go from idea to impact. She will provide a general overview of the path to commercialization, along with success stories for a range of chemical technologies created by scientists with diverse backgrounds and in different stages of their careers. Dr. Pavone will also provide resources (including those available through MN-Corps) to help understand key steps like how to develop a value proposition, how to research the market potential, and how to create a business model. The goal of this seminar is to encourage scientists and engineers to think entrepreneurially!

Bio: Carla Pavone is Program Director of MIN-Corps (the University of Minnesota site of the NSF-funded National Innovation Corps or I-Corps), where facilitates technology commercialization and entrepreneurship by developing and administering educational and coaching programs for STEM students, post-docs, research staff and faculty. She also is the Associate Director of the Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship at the Carlson School of Management, where she teaches entrepreneurship, strategy, and leadership to MBA students. In addition, she serves on the advisory boards of the SBA Minnesota Women’s Business Development Center and the Minnesota Center for Financial & Actuarial Mathematics. Prior to becoming an academic, Dr. Pavone worked in publishing and tech startups, and in financial services (mainly leading internal corporate start-ups, change initiatives and turnarounds).  She has a BA in biology from the University of Pennsylvania, an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a PhD in business administration from the University of Minnesota.