Life science entrepreneurs and startups from both academia and the Boston ecosystem are invited to a special workshop on “Collisions of Value,” to be conducted by M2D2 and MPR Associates at the upcoming Deshpande Symposium on June 12 from 11:15 am to 12:30 pm.

The 7^th Annual Deshpande Symposium for Innovation & Entrepreneurship in Higher Education will take place June 11-13 in downtown Lowell at the UMass Inn & Conference Center. For life sciences startups, it presents a priceless opportunity for learning, networking, and idea-sharing—and perhaps no more so than at this workshop.

Register for the Deshpande Symposium

What are “collisions of value?”

The concept of creating “collisions of value” is about high-potential startup companies interacting with valuable partners along their journey. These companies could be large strategic partners, payers, OEMs, investors, and others. “Collisions of value” can be planned or serendipitous.

Planned collisions include a formal email introduction or a business development director reaching out to mentor a startup on how to get funded. It could be a startup’s presentation to an industry group that sparks interest from a scout sitting in the audience.

Serendipitous collisions are similar interactions that happen more by chance (but not by luck). This type of collision happens by putting yourself in the right place at the right time, and being fortunate enough to meet a new mentor or potential investor. Participating in an industry event where the world’s experts in a niche market gather, listening to a few of them speak, and then introducing your startup to the speaker to get their reaction to the value propositions you are building into your business model is a great way to sharpen an entrepreneur’s tools.

Workshop Preview

During this two-part panel session and pitch round, M2D2 and MPR Associates will lead a discussion with real-world examples of how these “collisions” have resulted in mutually beneficial partnerships from executives themselves.

You will hear best practices on how to navigate a partnership from both the big- and small-company perspectives from some of the people who have successfully executed these agreements. Then in part two, startups will present elevator pitches specifically aimed at creating partnerships with strategic investors.

Workshop Moderators:

Mary Ann Picard, M2D2

Jeff Champagne, MPR Associates

Confirmed Workshop Panelists:

Ibraheem Badejo, Senior Director of New Ventures, Johnson & Johnson Innovation

Jim Petisce, Associate Principal Scientist, Becton Dickinson

Ray Chen, Business Development Manager, Waters Corp.

Ron Dorenbos, Associate Director Materials & Innovation, Takeda

Luis Romo, Founder & CEO, PurpleSun

Eric Feinstein, Manager, Northwell Ventures

What is the Deshpande Symposium?

Co-founded by the Deshpande Foundation and the University of Massachusetts Lowell in 2012, the Deshpande Symposium on Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Higher Education brings together academics, policy planners and practitioners to discuss best practices in integrating entrepreneurship throughout their college and university communities.

The Symposium offers more than 28 panel discussions and draws hundreds of faculty, administrators, students, and business people to discuss an array of topics, including entrepreneurial culture and ecosystems, innovative entrepreneurship curricula, research commercialization, startups, and emerging trends.

Learn more about the symposium.

This year’s keynote speakers:

Julie Lenzer, Associate Vice President, Innovation and Economic Development Co-Director, UM Ventures

Jonathan Ortmans, President, Global Entrepreneurship Network

Full keynote speaker bios.

The Deshpande Symposium is an outstanding opportunity for life sciences entrepreneurs to meet attendees from a wide range of experiences; gain wider exposure for their ideas, and collaborate of activities that build innovation and entrepreneurship.

Plan to attend, and start out your summer with fresh ideas for your start-up!