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San Francisco, CA, Nov. 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —
Hacking IP: Considerations for Startups and Entrepreneurs is bound for the tech capital of the world, Silicon Valley! The third leg of the year-long multi-city IP education program presented by the Michelson Institute for Intellectual Property (MIIP) is taking place at Babson San Francisco this Thursday, November 15th. We invite all interested Bay area students, entrepreneurs, and community members to come and engage with an illustrious panel of IP specialists as we discuss the importance of a well-developed IP strategy when launching or operating a startup. Registration is free and open to the public.
Silicon Valley is at the center of innovation in today’s digital economy, as startups launched in dorm rooms and garages go on to disrupt long-established industries. The region attracts and cultivates an array of entrepreneurs whose technologies can serve as a powerful force for good in the world, provided these visionaries have a plan to protect all of their valuable intellectual property.
“For early-stage startups, IP is the primary driver of value,” says Deborah Kang, Director of Startup@BerkeleyLaw. “But we’ve learned that founders sometimes don’t always know all the ways to protect their IP. While patents are familiar, founders often forget or don’t realize that trademarks can be used to protect their company name and brand, and should be explored sooner than later. Trade secrets, if done right, can also be a cost-effective way to protect IP.”
San Francisco Hacking IP provides burgeoning founders with a wealth of insight on how to safeguard the entirety of their intellectual property so that their venture can achieve lift-off. The evening commences with a reception and networking hour, followed by a moderated panel of IP luminaries that includes:
- John Cabeca: John is the Director of the Silicon Valley United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). He has dedicated much of his career to the USPTO’s outreach and education programs focusing on small businesses, startups, and entrepreneurs.
- Aldo Carrascoso: Aldo is the Co-Founder and CEO of Venn Biosciences. His ventures have created ~$500M in value for investors.
- Rafa Gutierrez: Rafa is a Legal Director at Uber and is the head of its trademark, copyright and domains practice group.
- Deborah Kang (moderator): Deborah is the Director of Startup@BerkeleyLaw, where she educates and supports startups and early-stage investors in the legal, financial, and organizational aspects of starting and scaling a business.
- Shantel Williams: Shantel is IP Counsel at Facebook where she focuses primarily on IP matters in the intermediary liability space.
With its mission emphasis on entrepreneurship education, event co-host Babson College is the perfect partner in helping to raise intellectual property awareness among future business leaders. “Babson has distinguished itself as the nation’s premier college in entrepreneurship learning, making them an ideal collaborator to co-host our San Francisco event,” says Dr. Gary K. Michelson, founder of Michelson 20MM Foundation. “We are delighted to partner with an institution that has developed a long and illustrious history in fostering the next generation of innovators.”
MIIP also welcomes the support of event partners Hacker Dojo, Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), Runway, Startup@BerkeleyLaw, and Women in 3D Printing in helping to present San Francisco Hacking IP.
Register to attend the November 15th event, and join our mailing list for updates on when the Hacking IP: Considerations for Startups and Entrepreneurs program will visit a location near you.
About The Michelson Institute for Intellectual Property (MIIP)
The Michelson Institute for Intellectual Property, an initiative of the Michelson 20MM Foundation, addresses critical gaps in intellectual property education to empower the next generation of inventors by providing high-quality instructional content. Its library of free educational resources includes an interactive textbook, undergraduate IP curriculum, animated videos, and a self-paced online course.
Michelson 20MM was founded thanks to the generous support of renowned spinal surgeon Dr. Gary K. Michelson and his wife, Alya Michelson. To learn more, visit www.Michelson20mm.org.
About Hacker Dojo
Hacker Dojo is a community of almost 300 members and over 5,000 alumni who love technology, science, and building cool things. The majority of our space is used for co-working and collaboration. We have a maker space with tools such as a laser cutter, CNC router and 3D printer. Hacker Dojo is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week which is popular with our international crowd. Check out events.hackerdojo.com to learn about the latest events and workshops.
About The Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship
NFTE’s Entrepreneurship Pathway program integrates the development of an entrepreneurial mindset with academic and industry skills to ensure NFTE youth are career- and startup-ready. Through its nationwide network of U.S. offices, NFTE programs reached almost 35,000 students in 1,000 schools across the country last year. Partnerships in eight other countries allowed NFTE to serve an additional 40,000 young people internationally.
About Runway Innovation
Runway Innovation accelerates growth for Global 2000 companies and early stage startups through innovation advisory, investment and accelerator programs, and community workspaces and ecosystems. Founded in 2013 in the heart of San Francisco, Runway Innovation has worked with leading brands such as Lenovo, Fujitsu, ADT, KDDI, NRI, Skycatch, Duolingo, and hundreds more.
About Society of Women Engineers
For more than six decades, SWE has given women engineers a unique place and voice within the engineering industry. Our organization is centered around a passion for our members’ success and continues to evolve with the challenges and opportunities reflected in today’s exciting engineering and technology specialties.
About Startup@Berkeley
Startup@BerkeleyLaw is an institute of the Berkeley Center for Law and Business at the UC Berkeley School of Law. It serves law students, entrepreneurs, and investors by delivering educational programs and services on the core legal, financial, and organizational issues faced by early-stage companies. It serves entrepreneurs at UC Berkeley, Silicon Valley, and nationally through its Access to Entrepreneurship program.
About Women in 3D Printing
Women in 3D Printing is an organization dedicated to promoting, supporting and inspiring women who are using Additive Manufacturing technologies. Our mission is to increase the visibility of women in the Additive Manufacturing industry and encourage more women to use 3D Printing technologies.