Innovation Incubator Business Profiles Presentations

Discover your next product or opportunity for partnering, acquisition or investment. Hear the participants of the Innovation Incubator Program give a short introduction to their innovative idea, product or service for the K-12 or postsecondary market.

Innovation Showcase and Welcome Reception

Meet your colleagues and the Innovation Incubator participants at this opening reception. R&D entities and pre-revenue companies will showcase innovative solutions they've developed for the K-12 and postsecondary markets. Especially useful for first-time attendees for meeting the seasoned execs and for all attendees to catch up with colleagues.

Registration, Breakfast, & Networking

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Karen Billings, Vice President, Education Division, SIIA

Kevin Custer, Founding Principal, Arc Capital Development

Ken Wasch, President, SIIA

Embracing the Global Opportunities....Before It's Too Late

It's not IF or WHEN you can take advantage of global opportunities; it is Happening NOW. Hear about the key global trends in classrooms and the market place and how they will affect the U.S. education technology business. Discover what new products are likely to come into the U.S. and why global companies are entering the U.S. market. Find out where your new opportunities are and how you can embrace them, take advantage and benefit from them - before they become a liability.

Moderator:

William Kelly, CEO and Founder, Learning.com

Panelists:

Steven Dowling, Senior Vice President of Development, President , Pearson Inc

Michael Doyle, Managing Director, Quayle Munro, Inc.

Robert Martellacci, President, MindShare Learning

Networking and Refreshment Break

What does the Current Ed Tech Market Look Like?

Find out the preliminary results of SIIA's first annual U.S. Education Technology Industry Market Watch: PreK-12 Survey. This survey was sent to companies that sell ed tech products and services to the US PreK-12 market to provide comprehensive, accurate sales data on the size of the education technology software, content, and services market in the U.S.

Presenter:

John Richards, President, Consulting Services for Education

Where are the Investment Dollars for Ed Tech Companies? Is this the Best of Times or the Worst of Times?

How can companies better position themselves to raise capital? Find out from an industry/security analyst, a private equity fund manager and a corporate development executive. Together, they'll provide a review of the current venture capital and private equity markets, the opportunities for an M&A exit and finding strategic capital globally.

Moderator:

George Cigale, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Tutor.com

Panelists:

Michael Marchesano, Managing Director, The Jordan, Edmiston Group, Inc.

Nina Rees, Senior Vice President For Strategic Initiatives, Knowledge Universe

Kylie Sachs, Principal, Ascend Venture Group LLC

What Does a Post-Stimulus World Look Like?

How will ed tech companies generate revenue in two years? What will be the sources of post-stimulus money, given that the education market lags in recovering from a recession? Hear ed tech leader predictions on what the customers will buy, what will motivate them to spend money in a predicted, resource-constrained world and how K-20 education institutions may change their budgets and priorities in efforts to be more productive and cost-effective.

Dr. Richard Sims, Chief Economist, National Education Association

Moderator:

Kevin Custer, Founding Principal, Arc Capital Development

Reactor:

Chad Johnson, Managing Director, Cherry Tree & Associates, LLC

Eileen M. Lento, Ph.D., Government and Education Strategist, Intel Americas

Lunch and Special Presentations

Remarks from the new Education Technology Director at the U.S. Department of Education

Highlights from the Innovation Incubator Program
Where Are They Now: The Innovators from Years Past
Business Profiles Review: Vote for the Innovation Incubator Awards

Keynote:

Karen Cator, Director, Office of Education Technology, U.S. Department of Education

Lessons Learned: Building Global Partnerships and Business Alliances

What are examples of the strategies and tactics used by companies to build a global partner ecosystem? The session offers practical perspectives from both a large and emerging company who have accomplished this. What are the lessons learned? What kind of time and resource investment should be expected? What would you NEVER do again?

Facilitator:

Richard Casabonne, Education Advisor, Whitestone Communications

Presenter:

Malik Aborashid, president, EduRabia

Mimi Jett, General Manager, netTrekker

Outsourcing Development: Lowering Costs While Maintaining Quality

Case studies from U.S. companies who have created materials using international companies. Where is the best leverage? What needs to be kept in-house? How do you manage across time zones, cultures, and expectations?

Facilitator:

Mark Hammer, DEL, Vice President, Marketing, CompassLearning

Presenter:

Todd Brekhus, President, Digital Solutions, Capstone Digital

Tij Nerurkar, President-North American, Tata Interactive Systems

Sudhir Singh, President and CEO, Q2A Media

Educational Gaming: Reaching and Teaching the 21st Century Student

Imagine a world where educational games help solve the toughest problems facing us today by fully engaging global students on the most pressing issues. Learn how schools are using games to prepare our 21st century students to compete in a Global Workforce. How can educational games move from a niche product to mainstream, delivering education to thousands of students simultaneously?

Facilitator:

Paul Skiera, Director of Business Development, Adaptive Curricu, Sebit, LLC

Presenter:

Joy Smith, Chief Development Officer, Florida Virtual

Bert Snow, Vice Presdent, Design, Muzzy Lane, Inc.

Victoria Van Voorhis, Chief Executive Officer, Second Avenue Software

One-to-One Business Connections Meetings

Connect with potential business partners to discuss business opportunities and strategic objectives. "Presenting companies" who are seeking financial, business or strategic partnerships will meet one-on-one in fast-paced sessions with "Listening Companies" such as venture investors, strategic investors, publishers, and other sources of capital, distribution or revenue

Case Studies: Utilizing Global Research, Resources and Initiatives

Hear from and interact with researchers and/or participants involved in K-20 global research efforts and initiatives. Understand the challenges of either localizing research for a specific geography or managing a multi-country project. Discover examples of different types of research models and the trade-offs required.

Facilitator:

Kathy Hurley, Senior Vice President, Strategic Partnerships, Pearson Foundation

Presenter:

Bob Longo, President, SchoolOne

James Teicher, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, The CyberSmart! Education Company

Developing Cost-effective Sales Strategies: Making Every Dollar Count

Whether you're a start-up, mid-size or a large, established organization, you need to have a cost-effective sales strategy. In this economic climate, you need to make sure every dollar is working for you. Hear a variety of tactics to help you make the decisions for determining the right channel mix, sizing the investment, designing the right organization and evaluating your results. Learn what works/what doesn't from others' experiences, to attract new customers and expand business with current customers.

Facilitator:

Brenda Raker, President, The Greaves Group LLC

Presenter:

Rita Ferrandino, Founding Principal and Government Relations Practi, Arc Capital Development

Karina LeBlanc, Vice President, Virtual Expert Clinics, Inc.

Emerging Technologies: Reaching and Teaching the Global Student

What are some of the access and equity issues that are being resolved with an innovative use of technology? This session will provide an opportunity to learn about initiatives and next generation products that are being used to address global problems in education. Is your company positioned as a solution to the problems facing the world of education? How can your products and services serve as an agent of change and be profitable, too?

Facilitator:

Kelly Hamilton, Senior Manager, Product Marketing, Blackboard, Inc.

Presenter:

Holly De Leon, Vice President, K-12 sales, Livescribe Inc.

Vineet Madan, Senior Vice President, New Ventures & Strategic Services, McGraw-Hill Education

Patrik Zackrisson, VP, Business Development North America, Fronter International

More than IP: Understanding the Critical Issues Global Companies Must Consider

Listen to intellectual property and licensing experts discuss how to proactively protect your creations whether they are technology, methodology or content. Hear company warriors describe their "war stories" and "battle scars". Find out who and what is out there that can support you in the effort to secure your value-add.

Facilitator:

Michael Johnson, President Chief Potential Officer, Full Potential Associates

Presenter:

Susan Adelmann, Director, Partnerships and Business Development, Follett Software Company

Sarah Robertson, Partner, Trademark and Creative Industries , Dorsey and Whitney, LLP

Building Relevant Products: Putting Customers First in the Development Cycle

How do you know that the products and services you develop are relevant to the market you have targeted? You want to stay in touch with your target customer base or understand how to tailor an existing product to make it relevant in other markets. Hear success stories of companies who have focused on target customers first and products second to grow their business.

Facilitator:

Andy Frost, Director, Product Management, PLATO Learning

Presenter:

Ntiedo Etuk, Co-Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer, Tabula Digita, Inc.

Donald Greenberg, DEL, COO, Red Apple Digital, Inc.

Social Media: Reaching the Connected Customer and End User

Description: Today's social media technology enables users to form and join communities of common interest to learn and share information. This session will provide an opportunity to learn about different social media technologies and their uses in education. Learn how companies can leverage these sites to learn more about their customers.

Facilitator:

Charlene Blohm, President, C. Blohm & Associates, Inc.

Presenter:

Sandra Fivecoat, Chief Executive Officer & Founder, WeAreTeachers

Robert Iskander, Chief Executive Officer & Founder, VIP Tone, Inc.

Lisa Schmucki, President, edWeb

Closing Reception