2020 June 9 Newsletter
Summer of Opportunity Continues:
Check Out the Next Sessions
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What do Venmo, WhatsApp, Groupon, and Airbnb have in common? They were all inspired by the problems highlighted by the 2008 economic recession.
How can you proactively respond to the problems highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic? This is your opportunity to use your skillset to meaningfully solve these problems.
Only you know what you are capable of. We are here to help you identify a viable business idea and bring that to life. In each speaker session, you will have the opportunity to present your idea and receive feedback from startup experts.
Speakers will share their expertise from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Tuesday June 23. There will be a virtual networking event on June 30th.
Upcoming Events
Bozhanka Vitanova ‘16, MA - Building a Startup Team
5:30-6:30 p.m. June 9, 2020
Learn the process of building the people skills you need to transition from a Founder to a CEO. In this workshop, you’ll learn tips on finding the right people and building the skills and cognitive diversity balance for your team.
Bozhanka Vitanova is the NSF I-Corps Instructor at Brandeis University and Co-Founder and Managing Director of EML Solutions on a mission to build a collaborative future of work. EML’s solution TeamLift provides a data driven approach to manage collaboration inside large organizations. Vitanova is a Fulbright scholar, Global Shaper with the Boston Hub, and One Young World Ambassador.
Fundraising for a Startup ‘84, BA-Dan Scheinman
5:30-6:30 p.m. June 16, 2020
Dan Scheinman will go over how to raise funding for a startup and what investors look for.
Scheinman is an angel investor deploying his own capital. Scheinman has invested in over 15 tech companies since 2011, and has been part of well over $50B of value creation. Scheinman has been through 2 IPOs (Arista and Zoom) where he was an early investor and board member, and one near unicorn sale (Treasure Data sold to ARM). Scheinman has also invested in 2 other unicorns (SentinelOne and Tango.me). Prior to launching his investment business, Scheinman was a long time executive at Cisco Systems, where he ran Corporate Development among other roles.
Building a Brand - Derrick Duplessy
5:30-6:30 p.m. June 23, 2020
Derrick Duplessy is the founder of the Duplessy Foundation. Through his non-profit organization he mentors entrepreneurs, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds, through the sales process. In his workshop, he will lead the group through a sales exercise that will help people refine their value proposition and build a better foundation for making sales online. To prepare for this interactive class, fill out this survey before the class.
Virtual Networking Event with Entrepreneurs
5:30-6:30 p.m. June 30, 2020
From the Blog: SARS-CoV-2 Testing: Demystifying the Terminology
Media extensively covers issues like the spread and impacts of COVID-19. Less often covered is how exactly some of the science behind the pandemic works. Understanding the fundamentals of testing methods is helpful in understanding conversations about testing and responses to COVID-19. Rajnish Kaushik, a trained virologist, and Professor Emeritus Lawrence Wangh, a world-renowned expert on polymerase chain reaction (PCR), sat down with us to describe the science behind testing methods.
Knowing the meaning of many of the scientific terms we see in the media can help us to better understand coverage. In this week’s blog, we talked with our own scientists to find out what many of the words the public is learning for the first time really mean.
Mentor Spotlight:
William Rosenberg, PhD '69
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Brandeis Startup TeamLift Awarded Place in MassChallenge 2020 Boston Cohort
TeamLift, the startup founded by Brandeis Innovator and National Science Foundation I-Corps Instructor Bozhanka Vitanova, MS '16, has been accepted into the 2020 Boston cohort of MassChallenge, one of the world's largest startup accelerators.
Based on Bozhanka's original research, TeamLift work to activate the collaborative power of organizations. They quantify and visualize collaboration, helping you use it as a strategic asset.
TeamLift's "collaboration maps" identify key collaborators, highlight their strengths and visualize the interactions that shape organizations. TeamLift gives leaders a clear picture of how employees collaborate, communicate and create.
Headquartered in the United States with locations in Boston, Israel, Mexico, Rhode Island, Switzerland, and Texas, MassChallenge strengthens the global innovation ecosystem by accelerating high-potential startups across all industries, from anywhere in the world for zero-equity taken.
Brandeis Startup WorkingWell to Present at MassChallenge 2020 HealthTech Demo Day
WorkingWell , an app developed by Prof. Joanne Nicholson and Chris Burns of Fort Point Design, was a participant in the 2020 healthtech cohort of MassChallenge. The app, which helps workers on the autism spectrum succeed better at work, as well as help managers of neurodiverse workers better support their staff, has already partnered with workforce development programs to increase the participation of people with neurological and mental disabilities in the workforce. Previously, the team participated in the Brandeis I-Corps program and received a SPROUT grant.
They will be demoing the app as part of the MassChallenge HealthTech Demo Week on June 11. Join them to learn about how this app promises to bring new opportunities to the neurodiverse community, and learn about their progress at MassChallenge.
Save the Dates: HackMyPhD Goes Month-long in July
Our popular event on PhD career paths inside and outside of academia is back for its fourth year. This time, join us for a month-long series of practical events designed to help graduate students forge innovative careers, understand and leverage their unique skillsets, and take advantage of available opportunities. Save the dates for online workshops in these relevant topics:
- 5-6 p.m. July 8: Your PhD skills that can help you thrive in an economic downturn
- 5-6 p.m. July 15: How do industry academia partnerships work?
- 5-6 p.m. July 22: How to start an interdisciplinary research project?
- 5-6 p.m. July 29: How to build your network outside academia
External Funding Opportunities for Your Startup
Summer is a great time to apply for funding or to join an accelerator. Many funding opportunities from organizations around the globe are still open, though the school year has ended. Here are a variety of funding and growth opportunities for all types of startups. Check them out and learn more on our External Funding Opportunities resource page.