The Delaware Small Business Development Center (DSBDC), in partnership with the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce and Delaware Technology Park are presenting seminars for those thinking about starting their own company.
The series is geared toward former DuPont employees, following news of layoffs affecting a quarter of the company’s Delaware workforce.
The first event in the series, “What It Really Takes to Become an Entrepreneur” is slated for Tuesday, Feb. 16th at the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce from 8 a.m. to noon. This event is free, but registration is required.
Three panels of entrepreneurs and local resource personnel will be on hand.
The first panel, “Evaluating the Opportunity,” will feature the stories of three entrepreneurs: Harry Li, Eric Teather and Brian Pryor. Harry spun Wilmington PharmaTech, a fully integrated CRO/CMO service company, out of DuPont in 2003 and has grown the business into a multi-million dollar, global venture.
Teather and his business partner started WhiteOptics, a company focused on providing materials to the lighting industry, after leaving DuPont in 2009 and have secured major deals with organizations like Walmart. Brian founded LiteCure, a medical device manufacturer specialized in therapeutic laser technologies, in 2006 and provides services to professional athletic teams and veterinary professionals.
The second panel, “What Does It Take to Get Started,” will cover various business models, what to look for when hiring a team, how to balance being both a researcher and a businessperson and more. Panelists include John Currie of Iterate Ventures, Tracy Shickel of Green Kite Marketing, John Rabolt of PAIR Technologies and the Karl W and Renate Boer Professor of Materials Science at the University of Delaware, and Vincent DiFelice of University of Delaware’s Horn Program.
The final panel will feature local resources available to assist entrepreneurs across the State. Resources include the University of Delaware’s Office of Economic Innovation and Partnerships (OEIP), along with DSBDC and the Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC). The Small Business Administration and Delaware Economic Development Office will present on behalf of the federal and state governments. The local technology community will be represented by Delaware BioScience Association, Delaware Sustainable Chemistry Alliance and the Technology Forum of Delaware.
This event is the first in a series targeted to those going through their transition in their career who are considering starting their own business.
The next events will be “How to Structure, Finance and Protect the Intellectual Property of a Tech-Based Business” on March 16th and “Planning for a Sustainable and Scalable Business” on April 20th at the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce.
For more information and to register, please visit www.delawaresbdc.org or call (302) 831-1555.
