At Engage 2022’s keynote session, Material Impact’s Carmichael Roberts and Elyse Winer will have a fireside chat to answer this question and discuss how their company-building blueprint takes academia-originated technologies from emerging to enduring. 

Roberts, a serial entrepreneur turned renowned venture capitalist, is the co-founder and managing partner of Material Impact. Throughout his career, he honed a unique business model of licensing university tech and commercializing it through targeted partnerships with Fortune 500 companies. Prior to co-founding Material Impact, he was a general partner at North Bridge Venture Partners, where he financed and built several successful companies that leveraged material science. Winer, a partner at Material Impact, has performed many roles during her startup career including fundraising, marketing, brand, communications, business development, sales, strategy, and general management. 

Their fireside chat at Engage 2022, “From Science Fiction to Reality: Translating Academic Tech into Successful Startups” will begin at 9:15 am ET on November 3, immediately following opening remarks from Princeton’s Vice Dean for Innovation Craig B. Arnold and Assistant Director of Innovation Christina Pellicane. 

The all-day Engage conference builds connections among university researchers, government partners, accelerators, investors, industry partners, entrepreneurs and stakeholders to turn research into impact. Following the keynote session will be 16 panel discussions, lightning talks, a fireside chat and a startup showcase all focused on translating academic research into real-world benefits. For more information about the agenda and speakers at Engage, visit innovation.princeton.edu/engage2022. 

Registration for Engage 2022 is free and open to the public.