16 - 20 July, 2023
Optica Global Headquarters
Washington, District of Columbia USA
Program Agenda & Speakers
INNOVATION IDEAS SESSIONS (Pre-School Optional - pick one)
#1 Tuesday - 30 March, 10:00 EDT (-4 UTC)
#2 Wednesday - 31 March, 14:00 EDT (-4 UTC)
#3 Friday, 2 April, 12:00 EDT (-4 UTC)
SUNDAY – 4 April
15:00 EDT........Pitch Assembly (presentations due)
17:00 EDT........Rock the Vote: Voting Must be Submitted By End of Day
MONDAY – 5 April
10:00 EDT........Welcome, Meet the Mentors and Make Some Waves
11:00 EDT........Ideas, Ideas, Ideas…the Art of Recognizing Original Ideas
12:00 EDT……..Lab Snack Time & Group Networking
12:30 EDT……..Coffee with the Expert: Caroline Connolly, CEO, OptoTest
13:00 EDT……..A Random Walk on the Tightrope: Forming Teams
14:00 EDT……..Out on a Limb: How to Conduct Customer Research
16:00 EDT……..Mentor Power Hour + lunch, dinner or nightcap
17:00 EDT……..The Road Less Traveled; How to Hypothesize and Build a Strategy
18:30 EDT……..Venture Capital Happy Hour!
TUESDAY – 6 April
10:00 EDT........Make Some Waves; Team Break Outs
11:00 EDT........Fools Rush In: Customers and Evidence Gathering
12:00 EDT……..Lab Snack Time & Group Networking
12:30 EDT........Coffee with the Expert: Debbie Gustafson, CEO, Energetiq Technology, Inc.
13:00 EDT……..Born to Rebel: How to Shake Things Up
14:00 EDT……..Preparing for the Marathon: Patience & Attitude to Help you Lead a Start-Up
16:00 EDT……..Mentor Power Hour (team check in’s) + lunch, dinner or nightcap
17:00 EDT……..Drinks with the Expert: Julie Eng, Senior Vice President, Optoelectronics and RF Devices BU, II-VI Incorporated
WEDNESDAY – 7 April
10:00 EDT.......Making Waves: Team Presentations & Feedback
11:00 EDT…….A Bolt of Energy: How to Create MVP’s, + Prototypes
12:00 EDT …….Lab Snack Time and Groupthink Time
12:30 EDT…….Coffee with the Expert: Darius Sankey, Managing Director, Innovation Acceleration Capital
13:00 EDT…….Cont. A Bolt of Energy: MVP’s and Prototypes
14:00 EDT…….Growing Pains: Team Presentations and Feedback
15:30 EDT…….Movers & Shapers: Innovation as a Career
16:30 EDT…….Mentor Power Hour (team check in’s) + lunch, dinner or nightcap
17:30 EDT…….Strength in Small Numbers: The Science of Innovation Teams
18:30 EDT…….Drinks with the Expert: Jack Jewell, Entrepreneur, Green VCSEL
THURSDAY – 8 April
10:00 EDT.......Making Waves: Team Presentations & Feedback
11:00 EDT…….Give and Take: Best Practices for the Perfect Pitch
12:00 EDT…….Lab Snack Time and Groupthink time
13:00 EDT…….Meet with the Designer
14:30 EDT…….Coffee with the Expert: Aleksandra Boskovic, Optics, Surfaces and Integration Technologies Director, Corning Incorporated
Jeff Ferner, Innovation Director, Corning Incorporated
15:00 EDT…….Mentor Power Hour (team check in’s) + lunch, dinner or nightcap
16:30 EDT……Pitch Perfect: Finalizing Your Winning Pitch
18:30 EDT……Venture Capital Happy Hour (Design time will run concurrent with the happy hour)
FRIDAY – 9 April
10:00 EDT........Making Waves: Final Team Preparation + Rehearsal
12:00 EDT........Final Pitches + Judging
13:00 EDT........Coffee with the Expert: Frank Lerch, Managing Director, OpTecBB
13:30 EDT........Cont. Final Pitches and Judging
14:30EDT.........Lab Snack Time + Group Networking
15:15 EDT........Pitch Panel Results
15:30 EDT........Closing
09:00 - Breakthrough Ideas for Innovation Part 1: Eric Koester, Georgetown University
09:00 - Breakthrough Ideas for Innovation Part 2: Eric Koester, Georgetown University
07:00 - 16:30 -- Check-in at Courtyard Marriott, DC Dupont Circle
16:30 -17:00 -- Check-in at Optica, 2010 Massachusetts Ave, NW
17:00 - 17:30 -- Welcome Remarks/Setting the Stage, Eric Koester and John Taylor
17:30 - 18:30 -- Welcome Remarks from Holly Barrett, Managing Director, NextCorps
18:30 - 19:30 -- Dinner
During the first day, you will come together with other attendees and focus on product/service concepts. You'll learn how to use the lean canvas model to quickly formulate and guide your concept. Through this process, you'll be placed on teams and begin exploring if your idea actually solves a potential customers problem. (All meals and coffee breaks will be included throughout the day.)
08:30 - 09:00 -- Breakfast at Optica Headquarters
09:00 - 09:30 -- Meet the Mentors
09:30 - 10:30 -- The Art of Recognizing Original Ideas
10:30 - 12:00 -- Tools for Innovation
12:00- 13:30 -- Industry Leader Keynote: Marisa Edmund, Chief Global Marketing and Sales Officer, Edmund Optics
13:30 - 15:30 -- Team Formation (Part 2)
15:30 - 16:30 -- How to Conduct Customer Discovery (Part 1)
16:30 - 17:30 -- How to Hypothesize & Build a Strategy (lean canvas model)
17:30 - 19:00 -- Dinner & FvS Team Exercise
Today -- You will continue your customer discovery and pivoting your product/service to better align with potential customer service expectations and needs. Teams will start pitching their progress and receiving critical feedback to hone concepts for greater success. (All meals and coffee breaks will be included throughout the day.)
08:30 - 09:00 -- Breakfast at Optica Headquarters
09:00 - 12:00 -- Customer Discovery and Evidence Gathering (Part 2)
12:00 - 13:30 -- Lunch & Industry Leader Keynote: Michael Edwards, CEO, Ocean Insight
13:30 - 15:00 -- Pivoting Your Concept to Better Align with the Market and Your Customer
15:00 - 17:00 -- Team Pitches and Critiques (Round 1)
17:00 - 18:30 -- Industry Leader Keynote: Adam Wax, Founder, Lumedica, Inc.
18:30 - 19:00 - Dinner
19:00 -- (Optional) Bar Crawl
Today -- Your team's main challenges will be honing in on a minimum viable product (MVP) and prototypes. You will be working on your key messages, tightening your understanding of the market, competition and your products/service potential. Time will be spent crafting your team's concept to determine potential. (All meals and coffee breaks will be included throughout the day.)
08:30 - 09:00 -- Breakfast at Optica Headquarters
09:00 - 10:30 -- How to Create MVP's and Prototypes (Part 1)
10:30 - 12:00 -- Team Focus
12:00 - 13:30 -- Lunch & Industry Leader Keynote: Debbie Gustafson, CEO, Energetiq Technology, Inc.
13:30 -14:30 -- How to Create MVP's and Prototypes (Part 2)
14:30 -16:00 -- Team Pitches and Critiques (Round 2)
16:00 - 17:00 -- Teamwork: More Research and Concept Refinement
17:00 - 18:30 -- Industry Leader Keynote: Jason Eichenholz, Co-Founder and CTO, Luminar Technologies
18:30 - 19:00 -- Dinner
Final Day -- The morning is spent putting the final touches on your pitch, tightening up your data, understanding who your customer is and your unique value proposition, your market and your competition. Teams will pitch their concepts to a panel of judges with the best presentations announced at end of program. (All meals and coffee breaks will be included throughout the day.)
08:30 - 09:00 -- Breakfast at Optica Headquarters
09:00 - 11:00 -- Best Practices for the Perfect Pitch
11:00 - 11:30 -- Lunch
11:30 - 13:30 -- Final Pitches and Judging
13:30 - 15:00 -- Industry Leader Keynote: Stuart Elby, AVP, Advanced Engineering, MSG Ventures
15:00 - 15:30 -- Pitch Panel Result
15:30 - 17:00 -- Celebration Reception
