Innovation Week ’13 begins Tuesday, Feb. 26, with a kick-off breakfast and brown bag lunch. Both events are free and open to the public.
Kick-off breakfast
The kick-off breakfast is scheduled for 7:30-9 a.m. at the Technology Incubator. The event will include networking and table discussions led by NDSU Research and Technology Park start-up clients.
Ergologistics will lead “It Takes a Village to Develop at Start-up.” Ergologistics developed the Lift n’ Buddy, a mobile lifting device designed to reduce wear and tear on the bodies of workers who lift and carry heavy or bulky materials. Lift n’ Buddy has won several innovation awards, including a gold 2012 Edison Award in the industrial design tools category.
Triton Systems will lead “Product Development through Government Contracts.” Triton Systems is an advanced materials and systems engineering product development firm headquartered near Boston. Triton Systems selectively combines U.S. Government funds with private equity investments to transition ideas to the marketplace.
WoWiWe will lead “Transitioning from Development to Commercialization.” WoWiWe is as a commercial continuation of a software research group at NDSU whose mission is to pursue research and development of educational software based on three principles: immersive virtual environments, authentic instruction and scenario-based assessment.
Register for the breakfast at www.ndsuresearchpark.com/about/Pages/Events.aspx.
Brown bag seminar
James Burgum, co-founder of Arthur Ventures Growth Fund, and Jim Buus, president of the Fargo-Moorhead Angel Investment Fund, will give a brown bag seminar, titled “Show Me the Money.” The presentation is scheduled for 12:15-1 p.m. in the Memorial Union Century Theater. Bring your own brown bag lunch.
Burgum was previously president of Advenio Partners LLC, a small private equity firm that invested in turnaround projects as well as regional seed and early-stage investments. Burgum worked at the North Dakota Trade Office, where his work with that team increased North Dakota’s annual exports 225 percent to more than $2 billion, the fastest export growth among all 50 states for 2007. Before joining the North Dakota Trade Office, Burgum spent three years advising the North Dakota governor and legislature on youth policy and international trade. Burgum holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from NDSU.
Buus is part owner and managing broker of Fargo-based Goldmark Schlossman Commercial Real Estate Services, the largest commercial real estate firm in the region. He joined Goldmark Commercial in 1996 after spending nearly five years with the Fargo Chamber of Commerce where he was manager of public affairs and business development. At Goldmark Commercial he was promoted to sales manager in 2002 and to his current position as managing broker in 2005 after leading the merger with Schlossman Commercial. In addition to running day-to-day operations of Goldmark Schlossman, Buus specializes in consulting, sales and leasing of office and industrial properties. He is an active “angel investor” and real estate developer with ownership interests in a variety of emerging companies and commercial property. He is an NDSU graduate.
See the full schedule of Innovation Week events at www.ndsuresearchpark.com/about/Pages/Events.aspx.