Jeff Friedman and I will be speaking at the RAIN conference, Science Center, Thursday

My colleague. Jeff Friedman will be giving a brief talk on what he does at the Director of eGov in the Philadelphia region, and I will also be giving a talk on what Technical Evangelism is, and on what Microsoft is doing to innovate its practices, products and operations and how you can leverage the region’s innovation community.

To give you some background, RAIN is a loosely woven group of business incubators and research parks in PA, NJ and Delaware that launched in 2009. The 2016 RAIN program, titled Size Matters: How Large Enterprises Are Leveraging the Startup Community, will take a deep dive into how large enterprises in the region can leverage the innovation community as a resource for growth and competitiveness.

The conference will also highlight startups that have built relationships with large companies. For example, who are the existing players and how were the relationships built? Most importantly, how can our region build on these relationships and establish new ones so the silos of the startup community and industry are no longer barriers but opportunities. The RAIN Conference typically attracts about 150 members of the Greater Philadelphia’s innovation ecosystem.

Here is a link to the event.

July 14, 2016 Quorum @ University City Science Center 3711 Market Street, 8th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19104
1:00 p.m. Conference Registration & Networking
1:30 p.m. Welcoming Remarks – Anthony Maher, Co-founder & CEO, Benjamin’s Desk
1:30 p.m. Sponsor Remarks – Jay Weinstein, Partner, EisnerAmper
1:35 p.m. Keynote Remarks – Tim Rowe, Founder & CEO, CIC
1:50 p.m. Panel – Big & Small: Paths & Pitfalls in Developing Relationships Across the Business Spectrum Douglas Baldasare, CEO and Founder, ChargeItSpot Susan Lowry, Vice President, Marketing Director, JLL Rick Nucci, Co-founder & CEO, Guru Danielle Cohn, Senior Director, Entrepreneurial Engagement, Comcast MODERATOR: Lori F. Reiner, Partner-in-Charge, EisnerAmper

3:00 p.m. Remarks – Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney
3:10 p.m. Break
3:35 p.m. Remarks – Pru Ashby, Vice President, Business Development, North America, London & Partners
3:45 p.m. Reverse Pitches –These Philly-based Corporations Want the Startup Community’s Help Minas Apelian, Vice President R&D, Quality, and External Venturing, Saint Gobain Jeff Friedman, Director of Modern Government & Dave Voyles, Tech Evangelist, Microsoft Neil Gomes, Vice President for Technology Innovation and Consumer Experience, Thomas Jefferson University Brian Smyth, Managing Director, Global Technology, JPMorgan Chase MODERATOR: Archna Sahay, Director, Entrepreneurial Investment at City of Philadelphia

4:00 p.m. Reverse Pitch Q&A
4:35 p.m. Cocktail Reception – Sponsored by Fisher Scientific