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"Growing Tech in the Garden State"
 

Vol. 4 No. 40; Nov. 6, 2016

TechLaunch Re-Emerges, NJBIA Innovation Summit, Newark Lights Up Fiber For Commercial Buildings

  • TechLaunch, which ran an accelerator program in New Jersey from 2011 to 2014, is re-emerging as a way to prepare entrepreneurs for angel funding and a medium to improve the quality of deal-flow for investors.
  • Mario Casabona, TechLaunch founder, said that TechLaunch 2.0 will run a program called BullPen that will be based around the pitch.
Mario Casabona | Courtesy TechLaunch
  • Entrepreneurs who are selected through an application process will pitch their businesses to a panel of entrepreneurs, mentors and accredited investors and receive advice and mentoring.
  • Applications for the monthly sessions will be accepted on a rolling basis.
  • BullPen sessions will be held in various locations around the New Jersey and New York area.The first session will be held mid-January.
  • Casabona says his technology interest is the internet of things, but ultimately he is looking for early stage ventures with "experienced entrepreneurs, awesome ideas and potentially financially rewarding results."
  • The NJBIA held its Innovation Summit Nov. 2, featuring a keynote address by Bob Hugin, executive chairman of Celgene, a global pharmaceutical company based in Summit.

The NJBIA Innovation Summit | Esther Surden
  • If you want to have a great company, have aspirational goals, Hugin told the crowd.
  • He also urged individuals to lobby N.J. legislators to do more to encourage innovation.
  • Individuals, better than lobbying groups, can tell their stories in a way that can move a legislator, he said.
  • Also on Nov. 2, the City of Newark and office building 2 Gateway held a ribbon cutting for the launch of Newark Fiber.
  • At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said, "There's gold under these streets and it's called Newark Fiber!"
 
Ribbon-cutting ceremony for Newark Fiber | Esther Surden
  • Newark Fiber is a public-private partnership that offers ready-to-go high-speed internet at lower cost than private companies.
  • It uses a 10-gigabit fiber backbone and offers 1,000Mb and 10,000Mb connections to businesses.
  • While 2 Gateway is the first building to get the fiber connection, Newark will be bringing on a total of eight buildings in the near future.
  • Observers we talked to believe the availability of low-cost high-speed fiber will help attract tech and tech-enabled businesses to Newark.
Medina of Equal Space chats with Gerard Adams of Fownders at the Newark Tech Summit. | Esther Surden
  • After the ribbon cutting, the City held the Newark Tech Summit, a tech-focused trade show featuring various companies, non-profits and others.
  • Congratulations to Marcus Weldon of Bell Labs, former New Jersey Economic Development Authority CEO Caren Franzini, and Dr. Nariman Farvardin of Stevens Institute of Technology.
  • The trio received individual honors at the Research & Development Council's Edison Patent Awards Ceremony Nov. 3.
Events / Deadlines:

At Inaugural Jersey City Tech Meetup, Jay Shapiro Gives Advice To Aspiring App Builders

By Esther Surden
 
Jay Shapiro talking to the crowd at the Jersey City Tech Meetup | Esther Surden
 
The first Jersey City Tech Meetup took place on Monday, Oct. 24. Attendees listened to a talk by Jay Shapiro, cofounder and CEO of AppMakr (Glen Rock). More.
 

Let The Customer Drive The Bus, Dorf Tells Morris Tech Meetup

By Marc Weinstein
 
Bob Dorf at the Morris Tech Meetup | Marc Weinstein
 
Most high-flying startups quickly go down in flames because they follow business plans that have little or no relevance to their customers' needs, according to lean startup expert Bob Dorf. More.
 
 
 

South Jersey Startup Roundup: Trion Interactive, SimplFit And Talkr

By Johnathan Grzybowsky
 
SimplFit founders | Courtesy SimplFit
 
Trion Interactive has created a digital platform for rich-media mobile advertising. SimplFit is an online marketplace that lets fitness professionals connect with prospective clients through videos. Talkr allows users to create realistic talking pictures. More.
 

Roj Prasad Of Web Epoch Says His 20-Year-Old Parsippany Firm Is Just Like A Startup

By Esther Surden
 
Rajiv "Roj" Prasad, founder and CEO of Web Epoch Interactive | Courtesy Web Epoch

Web Epoch Interactive (Parsippany) is making a comeback. You could even say that this 20-year-old firm is acting like a startup. More.
 

Additonal Article:

Around New Jersey Roundup: LaunchNJ, GNEC, Vistage By Esther Surden
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