People’s United Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship announces spring speaker series

February 22, 2021

The People’s United Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship announced its annual Speaker Series, which kicks off on March 10. The series features corporate innovators, entrepreneurs, Quinnipiac alumni, public and private sector support organizations and experts who focus on financing entrepreneurial startups.

The goal of the series is to create a vibrant, entrepreneurial, on-campus community, provide inspiration for Quinnipiac entrepreneurs (faculty, staff and students) and share information that will assist budding innovators in attaining their goals.

All sessions will run as virtual events on Wednesdays and Thursdays from noon to 1 p.m. Register with the link below.

***Wednesday,* *March 10***

Philanthropy & Social Entrepreneurship

Community Foundations have grown increasingly interested in promoting entrepreneurship, particularly in stressed communities, as a method of addressing societal problems that have been at the core of their missions. Ginsberg as president and CEO of The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven will address the foundation’s role in promoting entrepreneurial infrastructure in Greater New Haven.

***Wednesday,* *March 17***

Accelerators and Early-Stage Entrepreneurship

The mission of the Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale is to promote entrepreneurship and innovation among students, faculty and staff. Obiocha, managing director, will discuss how Yale views the role of university-led innovation and entrepreneurship.

***Wednesday,* *March 24***

Urban Entrepreneurship

Opportunity Hub was one of the first African American-based business accelerator. Based in Atlanta, GA, Sampson is one of the leaders at the intersection of technology, entrepreneurship and social change. Sampson is a national leader in working with urban-based innovators and entrepreneurs.

***Thursday,* *April 1***

Pharmaceutical and IT

Alexion Pharmaceuticals is an example of a university-spawned enterprise that is a leading innovator in health care. Llado, the chief information officer at Alexion, will talk about the role of innovation in the continuing success of Alexion and other early stage university-connected enterprises.

***Thursday,* *April 8***

Entrepreneurial Support and Chambers of Commerce

The Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce is one of the oldest continuously operating chambers of commerce in America. The chamber has supported business development in the greater New Haven region since 1794. Sheehan, president and CEO of the Chamber, will talk about how the organization is prioritizing the development of entrepreneurship in the region.

***Thursday,* *April 15***

Health Care & Entrepreneurship

Donna Lecky and Mary Howard are leaders of two organizations that support the development of entrepreneurs and innovators focused on health care. Lecky the co-founder of Health Ventures, helps early stage health care companies with strategic financial and executive advice. Howard, executive director of the Accelerator for Biosciences in Connecticut (ABCT), leads a quasigovernmental agency designed to support CT-based innovators in the health sciences.