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Innovation:
Keynote Presentation, “Charlottesville As a Start-up Hub”
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What if Charlottesville were the next Silicon Valley?
Could Charlottesville become a start-up hub?
This town is a fantastic place to live, with natural beauty and culture that attract an engaged populous, and is home to a world-class university. Because of some forward thinking urban planning in the 1970's, Charlottesville also has a central campus in the Downtown Mall, where ideas percolate over coffee and everyone knows someone who you need to meet.
The conditions are ripe, but what is the next step to truly having a culture where innovation and entrepreneurship flourish?
The opening event for the festival weekend is a keynote presentation and panel discussion that concludes our place-based innovation series and asks that very question. The first panel highlights a local success story, Relay Foods, with a compelling case study of how Charlottesville helped form a successful enterprise. The keynote panel will look broadly at the future of innovation in Charlottesville. Bringing together a group of stakeholders from the state of Virginia, the University of Virginia, Albemarle County and Charlottesville we will explore the efforts ongoing to spur innovation in Central Virginia.
Relay Foods Case Study
Zach Buckner, CEO and Founder of Relay Foods
Dr. John Elder, CEO of Elder Research, Inc and adjunct professor at the University of Virginia
Stein Kretsinger, Serial Entrepreneur and co-founder of Advertising.com
Brendan Richardson, Venture Capitalist and Faculty at the McIntire School of Commerce
Charlottesville as a Canvas for Innovation
Jim Cheng, Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade
Tom Skalak, Vice President for research at the University of Virginia
Ann Malek, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, Albemarle County
Philippe L. Sommer, Director of Entrepreneurship Programs, Darden School of Business