How a research background can be a strategic asset for building a company
Dr. Diego Macrini, Founder & CEO, Proximify, Ottawa, Canada
Dr. D. Macrini |
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What |
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When |
Nov 17, 2017
from 10:00 AM to 12:15 PM |
Where | Arts Building, Arts Council Room 160 |
Attendees |
All CREATE-MIA Trainees |
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Abstract
There are many opportunities for capitalizing on one’s research background when creating a new company. In order to be successful, one must identify what part of that background is functional to managing a business, and what part is counterproductive. This presentation will discuss some of the main issues faced by a computer scientist when taking the role of startup CEO. Anecdotes and introspection will be used to identify patterns and devise strategies to increase the chances of success for new companies run by researchers. The presentation will include discussions on obtaining funding, team management, strategic R&D, and lessons learned.
Biography
Diego Macrini has a background in computer vision and image processing. He received his M.Sc. and Ph.D. from the University of Toronto, and held postdoctoral fellowships at Queen’s University and the University of Ottawa. He is the founder and CEO of Proximify, a five-year-old, Ottawa-based company that offers software solutions for collaboration and workflow automation.
His young company has relied on government funding and organic sales to grow and be profitable. The first product of the company, UNIWeb, is the leading research information system across Canadian universities. In 2018, the company will unveil a new product for the general consumer market.