Going Global with an International Team

Immigrant employees bring certain advantages to your business: a deep knowledge of foreign markets, cultural and linguistic competency, and a fresh perspective to growth and expansion. The longstanding immigrant gateway of Boston has for centuries benefited from its international pool of expertise and experiences. You can too. Learn from industry experts how foreign-born and foreign-educated workers can help guide the growth of your business and broaden your market’s horizons.

Agenda:

6:00-7:00 PM – Registration & Networking

7:00-7:10 PM – ENET Chairman’s Announcements

7:10-7:25 PM – eMinute PITCH – up to 3 startups give a 90-second elevator pitch

7:25-8:15 PM – Expert speakers on the night’s topic

8:15-8:30 PM – Q & A

8:30-9:00 PM – Final networking, including meeting speakers

Panel:

Elad Shoushan founded Ready4

Elad Shoushan founded Ready4 in 2013, a top tech consumer mobile platform with B2C and B2B business models, and led it from inception to exit. Along with an international team, in 3.5 years, he grew Ready4 to more than 2 million learners across 195 countries with more than 100 university clients and public education companies that partnered with Ready4 to connect with students worldwide. Ready4 was selected by EdTech20 as one of the world’s 20 most innovative educational technology companies in 2016 and earned the prestigious 2016 ASU GSV award. Elad has also served as an entrepreneur in residence at MIT where he advised students and fellow entrepreneurs. Elad received an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management and BSc in Information Systems Engineering Cum Laude from The Technion.

Dr. Qichao Hu is the founder and CEO of SolidEnergy Systems

Dr. Qichao Hu is the founder and CEO of SolidEnergy Systems which develops the lightest rechargeable cells in the world, disrupting transportation both on land and in air. Qichao started SolidEnergy in 2012 from renowned MIT Prof. Donald Sadoway’s lab to commercialize his research in rechargeable lithium metal battery technology at MIT. He recruited a world-class team from top universities and Fortune 100 companies, raised three financing rounds, and built strategic partnerships worldwide. SolidEnergy won a worldwide exclusive license on the MIT patent, Series A venture investment, became the first startup to form a strategic partnership with A123 Venture Technologies, and developed outstanding prototypes in less than one year.

Qichao received a PhD in Applied Physics from Harvard, a BS in Physics from MIT, and was named to Forbes’s 30 Under 30.

Dr. Abigail Barrow is the Founder and Managing Partner of Cambridge Innovation Partners

Thirty years of experience in the support of tech innovation and innovation ecosystems. Trained in mechanical engineering (B.Sc.) and in economic development/technology transfer (Ph.D.)– both degrees from the University of Edinburgh (UK).  Previous positions include:  UCSD CONNECT at the University of California, San Diego (1990-2001): various roles, including Director of Programs (assisting early-stage tech companies and collaborating in the development of the San Diego area as a leading tech ecosystem).  The von Liebig Center, Jacobs School of Engineering, UCSD: Founding Managing Director (2001-2004).  Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center (MTTC), University of Massachusetts, President’s Office, Boston: Founding Director (2004-2018).  Office of Technology Commercialization and Ventures (OTCV), University of Massachusetts, President’s Office, Boston: Interim Executive Director (2015-2018). In other capacities, Dr. Barrow is on the Board and is Chair of VentureWell (formerly the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance), encouraging and assisting student inventors. Further affiliations include the Program Committee of BIO (the Biotechnology Industry Organization); New York State Energy Research Agency’s Advisory Board for Proof of Concept Centers; reviewer for state and federal agencies for major commercialization program funding awards, as well as for technology development and prototyping grants.

Moderator:

Denzil Mohammed, Director, Public Education Institute, The Immigrant Learning Center, Inc., Malden, MA

Denzil works to build understanding across boundaries utilizing an asset-based approach. He believes immigrants’ success is a crucial component of America’s economic and social well-being. As director of the Public Education Institute at The Immigrant Learning Center, Inc. in Malden, MA, he manages specialized online education, a variety of research initiatives, New England’s only Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards, and collaborative public events that promote immigrants as economic and social assets to America. On immigration, he has appeared in The Boston Globe and the New England Journal of Higher Education. Denzil is a frequent speaker at education, workforce development and immigrant integration webinars and conferences nationwide.