Florida Cleantech Acceleration Network (FL-CAN), MegaWatt Ventures and Igniting Innovation (I2) Capital Acceleration Network introduce a two-day special event, Cleantech to Spacetech: Accelerating Florida Entrepreneurship.
This new initiative will help encourage partnerships between students, entrepreneurs, investors, industry veterans and manufacturing partners. Participants will be informed about the recent cleantech initiatives, entrepreneurial endeavors and programs, and promising startup entrepreneurs will be awarded $200,000 in grant money.
Thomas O'Neal, UCF’s associate vice president for research and commercialization and the leading researcher on the FL-CAN project, explained that this initiative is the first multi-showcase event in the state of Florida. He also stated that clean technologies, space related technologies and life sciences are very significant sectors to the economic future of Florida and it is necessary to not only uncover new initiatives on the horizon, but suggest participants a chance to connect with each other and investigate partnership ventures that can altogether generate opportunities for the cleantech industry.
Cleantech to Spacetech: Accelerating Florida Entrepreneurship will take place at The Florida Hotel in Orlando on 20-21 September 2012. This two-day showcase event will highlight cleantech entrepreneurial endeavors in Florida and celebrate their success.
The FL-CAN Showcase / exhibit hall will feature exciting presentations from cleantech startup companies, cleantech inventions, intellectual property and the winners and finalists of the I2 Capital Acceleration Showcase as well as the MegaWatt Ventures competitions.
The I2 Capital Acceleration Showcase will include business presentations from 10 venture-ready and growth-oriented technology companies contending for a $100,000 reward sponsored by Space Florida. Other participants from I2 will exhibit their business undertakings in the Exhibit Hall.
Furthermore, MegaWatt Ventures will award an additional $100,000 grant to a finalist who has been already chosen to display a business and prototype plan to judges, consisting of industry veterans, technical experts and venture capitalists. The 10 finalists will be given mentorship and seed funding in the six months resulting in the Cleantech to Spacetech event.
Source: http://www.flcleantech.com/