N.J. is getting its first tech accelerator, called TechLaunch, funded by a partnership between the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) and private equity and founded by tech industry veteran and angel investor Mario Casabona. Casabona’s proposal was selected from a field of six prospects interested in starting a tech accelerator in N.J. after the EDA announced last year it would be seeking proposals. A competitive solicitation for a fund manager was released in October 2011. While the field was narrowed to two competitive bids, Casabona’s proposal was the only one deemed complete, EDA CEO Caren Franzini said in a memo to the board. Casabona’s company, “addressed all evaluation criteria and was the highest-scoring application,” she added.

Hosted by TechLaunch, the LaunchPad intensive business boot camp-type program is prepared to sponsor its initial class later this year at Montclair State University. The accelerator expects to mentor 12 companies in its first year, making average investments of $18,000 per company. The EDA is contributing $150,000 annually for three years, while TechLaunch will add $300,000 in matching funds each year. In exchange for its investment, TechLaunch will receive a 10 percent equity position in the fledgling companies.

A conference will be held to introduce the 12 company teams to the entrepreneurial community, then the 12-week LaunchPad boot camp will provide the selected startups with business training, networking with mentors and potential strategic partners, talks by guest speakers, exposure to panel discussions and professional development and technical help to develop their products. After the three months, the companies will demonstrate their products and make an investor pitch for potential follow-up funding. TechLaunch will follow the successful model of other tech accelerators, such as Dreamit Ventures, TechStars and Y Combinator.

While there is no requirement for LaunchPad graduate companies to remain in N.J., it is clearly the state’s hope that they will settle here. Franzini said, “We are embarking on a competition for innovation to reveal N.J.’s entrepreneurial strengths, using a model that provides a potential return on the EDA’s investment and allows N.J. to compete with neighboring states to maintain and attract technology talent.” Casabona said entrepreneurs with great ideas who want to compete for an accelerator spot do not have to come from the Garden State, “but we want them to be in N.J. and will try to provide incentives for them to stay.”

In an interview with NJTechWeekly.com Casabona was extremely enthusiastic about this new project, pointing out that he came out of retirement to take it on. He successfully sold his own company, Electro-Radiation (Fairfield), to Honeywell in 2004 and then continued on at Honeywell until 2007. Since his retirement, he has been involved in angel investing through Casabona Ventures (Kinnelon) and is chairman of Jumpstart NJ Angel Network.

Source

TRENTON, N.J. (Feb. 22, 2011) – New Jersey is looking for the next Google. With an eye toward nurturing the next generation of technology pioneers, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) this week approved entering into a partnership with TechLaunch, LLC to create the state’s first Technology Accelerator.

“This is an opportunity for the state to partner with the private sector to fill a market need in New Jersey by helping promising entrepreneurs achieve success,” said EDA Chief Executive Officer Caren Franzini. “We are embarking on a competition for innovation to reveal New Jersey’s entrepreneurial strengths, using a model that provides a potential return on the EDA’s investment and allows New Jersey to compete with neighboring states in maintaining and attracting technology talent.”

The accelerator model has achieved notable success in other states by offering technology-focused entrepreneurs an opportunity to showcase their products and ideas in a highly intensive, mentor driven and boot camp-style environment in return for an opportunity to receive funding. While building on this successful model, New Jersey’s initiative will be unique due to the first-rate talent associated with the state’s large enterprise businesses, the considerable intellectual property assets of these businesses and the ensuing acquisition pipeline from these same industries.

“I share in the EDA’s optimistic vision for the future of entrepreneurial innovation within the State of New Jersey,” said Mario Casabona, Founder and CEO of TechLaunch.

“TechLaunch was created to provide entrepreneurs the training and resources to de-risk start-up challenges and assure quicker and higher returns for both the entrepreneur and investors. As part of the TechLaunch business model, a twelve week LaunchPad business boot-camp program will provide the training, networking with mentors and potential strategic partners to increase the value of the enterprise and likelihood of follow-on funding. The program will culminate in a demonstration and an investor pitch from each company,” Casabona said. “I look forward to an exhilarating collaboration between public, private, and academic resources with two goals in mind: to accelerate the commercialization of technology and strengthen entrepreneurial development within the State of New Jersey.”

Upon final execution of the agreement with EDA, TechLaunch intends to run its inaugural class later this year at the initial host campus, Montclair State University. TechLaunch expects to host 12 companies in the first year, making average investments of $18,000 per company. The companies will be chosen by TechLaunch through a competitive selection process. To support this effort, the EDA has agreed to make an annual investment of $150,000 over three years. EDA’s investment requires $300,000 private sector matching funds annually.

Franzini noted that New Jersey is especially suited to launch a successful Technology Accelerator given the state’s ecosystem of resources and long history of technological innovation.
“From world class research universities and innovative, global companies to state-of-the-art infrastructure and a highly educated workforce, New Jersey is the ‘innovation’ state,” Franzini said. “TechLaunch will leverage New Jersey’s technology-based assets and create an environment that allows our most promising entrepreneurs to grow and ultimately deliver products to market.”

February’s approval of the agreement with TechLaunch follows the Board’s January authorization of a $2 million investment in New Jersey-based Edison Venture Fund VII, which targets financial, healthcare information, interactive marketing and enterprise 2.0 technology companies. The fund, which has obtained nearly $206 million in committed capital to date, is seeking to invest in 25 to 30 expansion stage companies with a $300 million target size for the fund. To date, the EDA has approved investments in eight venture capital funds totaling $31.5 million; the funds have leveraged EDA’s investment by more than 25 times.

To learn more about opportunities for business growth throughout New Jersey, visit the state’s business portal at www.NewJerseyBusiness.gov.

To learn more about TechLaunch or to apply, please visit www.TechLaunch.com or contact Mario Casabona at mario@TechLaunch.com.

Source

March 20, 2012

ChemPharma Professional Association
Morris County Library – Whippany, NJ

February 15, 2012

SCORE – Northwestern NJ Meeting
Morris County Library – Whippany, NJ

Friday, February 10, 2012
8:30 am – 10:30 am
675 US Highway One (use 681 for GPS)

Sponsored by:
-New Jersey Small Business Development Centers
-EisnerAmper LLP
-Lowenstein Sandler PC

Hosted by: NJEDA Commercialization Center, North Brunswick

The NJ Small Business Development Centers (NJSBDC) headquartered at the Rutgers University Business School is pleased to announce its plans to sponsor 4 quarterly meetings during 2012 to determine the interest among recent SBIR and STTR awardees in meeting together to network and address various common technology commercialization issues and challenges. The planned agenda for this initial breakfast meeting is as follows:

7:45 – 8:30 am Breakfast
8:30 – 9:00 am Introductions by attendees
9:00 – 10:00 am Moving Beyond SBIR Funding to Successful Commercialization-
Mario M. Casabona Successful Entrepreneur, Tibbetts awardee, Angel investor
10:00 – 10:30 am Moderated discussion – Current issues and topics for future meetings

This initiative is targeted to recent Phase I and Phase II awardees. NJSBDC’s goal is to support and facilitate the commercialization of SBIR and STTR developed technologies leading to job creation and economic impact. Following this initial meeting, attendees will be able to request to present their business plans and commercialization strategies and challenges to a Commercialization Mentoring Team. The team(s) will be comprised of seasoned venture development professionals including a business attorney, accountant, successful entrepreneur, investor, marketing professional and one or two others. Presenting companies will interact with team members and receive guidance and feedback on their plans and strategies, as well as suggestions for moving forward. Mentoring sessions will begin by early spring. Registration for the February 10 meeting is $15 in advance and $30 after 12:00 pm 2/9/12. For more information contact Randy Harmon, rgharmon@njsbdc.com

The New Jersey Small Business Development Centers network offers this specialized training and counseling as a result of financial support from the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010, awarded by the U.S. Small Business Administration through appropriations made by the US Congress to further promote job creation and retention.

Date: November 9, 2011

Time: 4:30 PM – 7:30 PM

Location
New York Internet
999 Frontier Road
Bridgewater, NJ 08807

Sponsors
BDO USA, LLP
Edison Ventures
Stevens & Lee

Join us for our annual Top Ten Technology Trends session. A group of corporate executives and venture capitalists will participate in an interactive discussion focusing on top technology trends that will affect all of us in the next 12 to 24 months. Panelists will discuss the technologies with the best potential for being the “next big thing.” Audience members will have the opportunity to agree or disagree with the panel’s predictions.

Presentation from NJTC’s Cool Products/Services Competition -

Winners include:
Communications/Media Subcategory – Berkeley Varitronics
Electronics/Advanced Materials Subcategory – Watts Lots
Information Technology Subcategory – ISpeech
Life Sciences Subcategory – (tie) Glen Mills, Inc. and Lingraphica

Top Ten Technology Trend Panelists include:
James Erik Abels, Founder, Three Minute Media
Darren Hammell, Co-Founder & EVP, Princeton Power Systems
Tom Penn, Partner, MVP Ventures
Aaron Price, Entrepreneur in Residence, DFJ Gotham Ventures
Jo Anne Saitta, Senior Vice President, Information Technologies, PDI, Inc.

Moderated by: Mario Casabona, President, Casabona Ventures

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Pfizer Auditorium, NYU Poly, Brooklyn, NY

http://ewh.ieee.org/reg/1/innovation_day/index.html

IEEE Innovation Day brings the local engineers, researchers, industry leaders, educators, and students under one roof for the advancement of engineering innovation, networking and knowledge sharing leading to the efficient realizations of engineering innovation, such as cell phones, mobile internet devices and embedded systems which have profound effect on society.

There will be a session on Industry and Technology in innovation, a session on Innovation for globalization as well as a panel/workshop on innovation in professional Advancement and Enrichment. Students, researchers, faculty, and industry professionals engaged in the disciplines of electrical engineering, computer science, computer engineering, electronics engineering, and communication engineering will be substantially benefited.

This event will give a opportunity to network with your peers, meet people from new and varied industries, academic institutions and government. The best part, it is FREE for unemployed and Life IEEE member registrants and non-members can choose to apply registration cost towards IEEE membership option. One may also be eligible for CEU credits. Lunch, refreshment breaks, and evening reception are included.

Register Today at www.NJInnovates.com

“Successful Entrepreneurs Turned Angel Investors”

Moderated by Malcolm Kahn, Vice President, Enterprise Development & Licensing

Panel of three highly successful entrepreneurs who will explain the keys to their success and how their perspective about entrepreneurship was changed once they became angel investors. Panelist will include:

Tad Martin, former COO of Overstock.com
Mario M. Casabona, Chairman of Jumpstart NJ Angel Network
Anne Shehab, Managing Director Golden Seeds Fund LP

“The Diversity of New Jersey Entrepreneurship”

Moderated by Dr. Ron Cook, Rider University, Professor, Entrepreneurial Studies Director, Rider Center for Entrepreneurial Studies and Small Business Institute

A cross sectional panel of the New Jersey entrepreneurial community reflective of the changing demographics
of the US who will share their perspectives as entrepreneurs, their unique roads to success, the challenges they
faced, the help they received, and their views of the future.

Panelists:

Dr. Carol Christine Skipper, Founder of Premium Family Health Care LLC
Dr. Huailing Zhong, Co-Founder of U-Pharm Laboratories LLC
Priti Pandya-Patel, CEO and Co-Founder, International Sleep Network and Global Life Enterprises

Key Note Addresses

Jorge Silva-Puras, US SBA Regional Administrator
Lori Matheus, NJEDA Vice President Regional Business Development

Following Ballroom Panels

Industry Break-Out: “Entrepreneurial Opportunities in Green & Alternative Energy”
Hosted by New Jersey Green Association & Sustainable Business Incubator

Attend this Break-Out Panel that will help you learn the steps that successful executives have taken to seize opportunities in one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy. Jonathan Cloud of the Sustainable Business Incubator will moderate.
Panelists:
Michele N. Siekerka, Esq. Assistant Commissioner Economic Growth and Green Energy, NJ DEP
Valerie Montecalvo, CEO Bayshore Recycling Corp.

WORKSHOPS

Opportunities in the US Hispanic Market Open to All
Book Signing by Author Barry Cohen, Start-Up Smarts, “5 Musts For A Successful Startup”
Expo Area of 30 Exhibitors with

Special Expo Guest: Dave Fall, Clickable.com Exec. & Former Google Product Manager ”Search Engines and More”

Register Today at www.NJInnovates.com

Sponsors: NJEntrepreneur.com, Law Firm of OlenderFeldman LLP, NJ-BIN, NJEDA, US SBA

Supporting Organizations: African American Chamber of Commerce, Asian Indian Chamber of Commerce, North America Chinese Entrepreneur Association, Statewide Hispanic Chamber of New Jersey, Middlesex County Regional Chamber of Commerce

Workshop Sponsors: The Intersect Fund, Sustainable Business Incubator, New Jersey Green Association, NJIT Business Accelerator