Engage 2020
Princeton's new innovation and entrepreneurship conference
Engage 2020
It happened November 4-6!
Now watch the videos and explore the virtual booths.
(You will be asked to create an account/sign in.)
Innovate. Collaborate. Impact.
We hope you were able to join us for Princeton's inaugural innovation and entrepreneurship conference November 4-6.
Many thanks to the thousands of you whose participation and collaboration helped make this landmark event useful, thought-provoking and inspiring!
With more than 50 sessions and 170 speakers, Engage 2020 was designed to bring together Princeton researchers, innovators and entrepreneurs with those who can accelerate their work and its impact.
But Engage 2020 isn't over. You can watch all sessions!
Hear from Princeton’s researchers, inventors and entrepreneurs in fields such as energy and sustainability, bioengineering, art and architecture, and social impact. Discover the possibilities for your company to engage with Princeton. Learn about Princeton-related innovations and startup companies, New Jersey scientific research facilities, and Princeton Innovation campus partners. Connect with the innovation ecosystem.
And reach out to us so we can start working together!
On the Agenda
Among the featured speakers
The Future of Collaboration and Inclusive Innovation: Microsoft + Princeton
Microsoft President Brad Smith '81 will frame a session about the collaborative relationship of Princeton and Microsoft with a review from around the world on the nature of innovation in the 21st century, the issues it is raising, and the opportunities for Princeton both on campus and in partnership with others. A live Q&A with Smith and Vice Dean for Innovation Rod Priestley will lead into a faculty panel focused on Princeton's work with Microsoft in biology, computer science and public affairs.
Uncover the Invisible: A Supercharged Playbook for Investing with Impact
Artist, investor, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and sought-after speaker, Kwanza Jones '93 will deliver the keynote address. As the co-founder and CEO of the Kwanza Jones & José E. Feliciano SUPERCHARGED Initiative (KJSI), she has created numerous opportunities by committing more than $75 million to founders, fund managers, and educational organizations. It's all part of her mission to boost a billion lives for the better. Think of her as your billionaire #boostfriend.
Tackling COVID-19: Princeton Pandemic Research and Solutions
Dean for Research Pablo Debenedetti will lead a faculty panel discussing four Princeton-funded research projects focused on Covid-19 and the value of academic research as a driver of innovation and entrepreneurship.
Partnership Perspective from the National Science Foundation: Invention to Impact
Learn directly from Andrea Belz, Division Director of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships (IIP) at the National Science Foundation, how angel investors and their portfolios can benefit from and support more opportunities for all. The IIP manages America’s Seed Fund powered by the NSF, the NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps™), Partnerships for Innovation and Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers (IUCRC).
Educator-Entrepreneur: A Personal Journey
Hear Princeton's Andrea Goldsmith, new dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the Arthur LeGrand Doty Professor of Electrical Engineering, talk about her personal experience as both a faculty member and technology entrepreneur and share her perspectives on innovation, entrepreneurship and leading Princeton's engineering school.
Partnering for Patients: An Industry & Academia Collaboration Case Study
Learn how to create a successful collaboration, from two very different laboratories pursuing the same critical goal: developing treatments for severe unmet medical needs through science. Bonnie Bassler, the Squibb Professor and Chair, Department of Molecular Biology, will talk in-depth about her lab's partnership with HotSpot Therapeutics and their joint pursuit of potential antimicrobial therapeutics targeting bacterial cell-cell communication.
Diversity in Innovation: Perspectives from Africa
As universities grapple with inequity and the lack of underrepresented researchers in STEM fields, they rarely look beyond the United States. Leonard Wantchekon, Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University and founder of the African School of Economics in Benin, will discuss with colleagues the rich innovation in Africa and by Africans in the U.S., in fields such as applied mathematics, statistics, biomedicine and economics.
Empowering Citizens: The Princeton Gerrymandering Project
Less than 48 hours after Election Day, Professor of Neuroscience Sam Wang and the Princeton student founders of Representable.org, a grassroots initiative that supports efforts to eliminate partisan gerrymandering at the state and federal levels, will discuss how their work provides tools to empower citizens to weigh in and become full partners in the process. The data tools of Representable.org started as a project for a Princeton class.
Featured Tracks
For the entrepreneurially-minded
A robust slate of webinars, skill-building workshops and Princeton-related startup showcases will offer entrepreneurs and those who work with them an abundance of thought-provoking opportunities.
For faculty, researchers, companies, government, foundations and external partners
Get practical ideas from case studies and in-depth discussions of how Princeton researchers are working with external partners to advance research and have impact beyond campus in science, technology, social science, humanities and social action.
Celebrate Princeton Innovation
This year, our annual event goes virtual, becomes part of Engage 2020, and features deep dives on seven faculty innovations and a Princeton-related company.
New Jersey Core Facilities Showcase
Now in its second year, the Showcase sessions and virtual exhibit booths will highlight research services and equipment offered by academic institutions from around the Garden State.
Data Science in Oncology and Immunology
In this in-depth workshop, industry partners and academic researchers will explore areas of mutual interest and identify potential collaboration in the areas of biomedical data science, computational oncology and computational immunology.
Among the sessions you'll want to dive into
Emerging Investment Trends and Opportunities
Fundraising for Early Stage Startups
Jim Cohen ’86 and Mark Poag ’93, Fitz Gate Ventures
Funding My Clean Energy Startup
Andrew Hsieh *14, Feasible; Steph Speirs *14, Solstice; Angelo Campus '16, BoxPower; Elizabeth Washburn Surti '08 (moderator), Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation
Succeeding at Securing Non-dilutive SBIR/STTR Funding for University Spinoffs and Advanced Technology Startups
Kirk Macolini, InteliSpark
The Path from Innovation to Entrepreneurship
In collaboration with the Keller Center
Arts, Media & Social Justice
Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri '01
In collaboration with the Lewis Center for the Arts
Changing the Game: Innovations in Professional Sports in Response to COVID-19
In collaboration with Princeton University Athletics
Smart Cities: Water System Resilience
Environmental Resiliency: Sea Water Rise
In collaboration with the High Meadows Environmental Institute
Message from the Vice Dean for Innovation
Thank you for your interest in Engage 2020. As Princeton’s Vice Dean for Innovation, and with wonderful colleagues across campus, I’m dedicated to helping advance the University’s mission of research and teaching through innovation.
As educators and innovators, we understand the value of partnerships and a strong network of resources. We welcome collaboration with partners in industry, education and the government. We also facilitate valuable connections that enable innovators to help transform ideas and discoveries into real-world applications.
I’m continually inspired by the innovation and entrepreneurship culture in our University community, and I invite and encourage you to experience it firsthand at Engage 2020. Our hope is that Engage 2020 will spark your creativity, generate productive connections, and advance your journey of innovation. Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you in November.
Conference Co-Chairs
Watch
All Engage 2020 sessions were recorded. Please visit the conference playlist.
Building a better future
Engage 2020 is presented by Princeton Innovation, an initiative of the Office of the Dean for Research, and was organized by the Princeton Entrepreneurship Council and the Office of Corporate Engagement and Foundation Relations.
Programming support was provided by Princeton Innovation Campus Partners, including: The Office of Technology Licensing, the Keller Center for Innovation in Engineering Education, Princeton Innovation Center Biolabs, gradFUTURES, the Princeton Catalysis Initiative and the Office of the Provost Institutional Equity & Diversity.