Hershey Center for Applied Research to Host Summit on Public and Private Investment Opportunities for Technology Companies in Pennsylvania

From 10:00am to 11:30am the summit will focus on public sector investment opportunities via a panel discussion followed by a question and answer period. A networking lunch will take place from 11:30am to 12:30pm. Private sector investment opportunities will be highlighted from 12:30pm to 2:00pm via a panel discussion and question and answer period.

Brief overviews will be provided by each of the funding organizations regarding their investment criteria. Specific summit topics will include stage of investment, targeted industry sectors, typical investment size, and processes for evaluating investment opportunities. Examples of private/public sector co-investments will be highlighted, as well as anticipated trends over the next 12 months. Discussions will be targeted to various technology sectors including clean technology, information technology, life sciences, manufacturing, and nanotechnology, among others.

The featured speaker will be John Sider, Deputy Secretary for Technology Investment at the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. Other speakers include Eric Heil, Analyst, Domain Associates LLC, Mike March, Pennsylvania Angel Network board member and Chair, Investors Circle of York, Brenda Gavin, Founding Partner, Quaker BioVentures, Steve Brawley, President and CEO, Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Central and Northern PA, Linda Goldstein, Vice President and COO, Capital Regional Economic Development Corp., and Dr. Mel Billingsley, President and CEO, Life Sciences Greenhouse of Central PA. The panel discussions will be moderated by Eric Brossman Esq., Managing Partner, Saul Ewing LLC, Harrisburg.

"We are thrilled to bring together investors, entrepreneurs and government officials from all parts of the Commonwealth to discuss the continuum of public and private investment opportunities available to technology companies in Pennsylvania," said Laura Butcher, Executive Director of HCAR. "Innovation will continue to be central to our economic recovery, making access to different types of capital resources increasingly important. Our objective in hosting this summit is connect the dots between investors and companies and showcase that Pennsylvania is a great place to build a technology company.”

Pennsylvania life sciences companies have access to the various programs that are part of Pennsylvania's $2 billion-plus Biosciences Enterprise Commitment which is fueling research & development, attracting venture capital, and supporting early-stage investment. In addition, $850 million has been made available by the Commonwealth to support the Energy Independence Strategy which is making grants, loans and tax credits available to clean technology companies.

About the Hershey Center for Applied Research

Hershey Center for Applied Research (HCAR) provides resident organizations with state-of–the-art facilities and high-value business and research resources that enable growth escalation. In addition to its wet and dry lab facilities and office space in a campus-like setting in Hershey, PA, HCAR provides facilitated access to research expertise, especially in the areas of research discovery, development and commercialization; access to Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and College of Medicine, a major research institution with amenities that include core facilities, clinical trial participation, researcher sponsorship and research advisors; and assistance in obtaining necessary business resources, like venture capital, human resources, including Penn State M.D.s and Ph.D.s, and access to business advisors. For more information, go to www.hersheyresearch.com.

Hershey Center for Applied Research (HCAR)
Media Contact:
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