Add to Google Calendar
Date:  Wed, November 18, 2015
Time:  6:30PM to 8PM
Location:  Holmes Hall 244
Speaker:  Dr. Jonas Vibell, Pipeline Development, Energy Excelerator

Sponsored by:
University of Hawaii IEEE Student Branch and IEEE Hawaii Section

Commercializing hi-tech in Hawaii has been a difficult proposition. Some of Hawaii's biggest claims to fame, such as AOL and Ebay, where not invented here. Support in Hawaii for hi-tech commercialization has varied over the years. Act 221 saw generous research tax credits unleash a flood of technologies. That model came to an abrupt halt leaving a vacuum. Federal funds have supported a lot of hi-tech research in Hawaii but have been less successful commercializing those technologies. Current hi-tech support organizations have focused on niches such as energy, travel and fashion. We are currently observing a burgeoning wave of new tech companies in Hawaii. Jonas will discuss various approaches to commercialization and will outline ways to successful commercialization without moving your hi-tech business to the mainland.

Bio:
Dr. Jonas Vibell is a serial entrepreneur and spun out his first company while at Oxford University. As a senior scientist at Archinoetics, Jonas helped to spin out two companies, Fatigue Science and Vivonoetics, and laid the foundation for several others. He has successfully fundraised from state, federal and international sources. Jonas recently helped evaluate over 200 companies for up to $1M each in grant funding to deploy their technologies in Hawaii. He has lectured at Oxford University, University College London and guest lectured at Hawaii Pacific University and University of Hawaii. For his efforts in hi-tech entrepreneurship, Jonas was nominated as a Pacific Century Fellow in Hawaii and as a Fellow of the Royal Society in England.