James Delattre serves as Associate Vice President for Research and Director of the Office for Entrepreneurship and Commercialization where he leads entrepreneurship program development for the Invent Penn State initiative and leads commercialization strategy, resources and support for Penn State's startup pipeline and innovation hub program. He is an alumnus of the Professional Fellows Program of the American Councils for International Education and serves on the board of directors for the New Leaf Initiative. James is a member of the advisory board of the Center for Medical Innovation at the Penn State Hershey College of Medicine and executive committee of the Invent Penn State Venture & IP Conference. He also serves as secretary of the Penn State Research Foundation.

Prior to joining Penn State, Dr. Delattre worked in nanomaterials and semiconductor startups in central Pennsylvania and Silicon Valley. Dr. Delattre earned his PhD in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, and completed postdoctoral work at the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche at the University of Bari, Italy. Dr. Delattre received his BS with honors in Chemistry from Penn State, where he studied inorganic chemistry and Russian language.

Jonathan is a Partner in the Reed Smith's Global Corporate Group in Philadelphia, PA. Jonathan advises companies, funds and significant individuals regarding venture capital and growth equity transactions, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, private equity transactions, equity and debt offerings, corporate governance issues and general corporate law. In his practice, Jonathan regularly counsels clients focused in the healthcare, life sciences, financial services, energy and media and technology industries, among others. Jonathan is a 2002 graduate of the Penn State – University Park Smeal College of Business. He received his Juris Doctorate, with honors, from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey School of Law. He also holds his Masters of Business Administration from Temple University and Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées.

Derek Bowen, Vice President, Head of Business Development & Strategy @ Blackfynn, Inc. – Blackfynn is dedicated to further understanding and ultimately delivering effective, disease modifying therapeutics to patients in need impacted by neurological disease(s). Blackfynn’s unique access to data, experts and proprietary platform are beginning to establish data models across disease areas such as Parkinson’s, Dementia, Huntington’s, ALS, etc. Derek leads activities across strategy, finance and operations, and business development to establish collaborations across industry, foundations, advocacy and academia in line with overall corporate strategy and mission of Blackfynn.

Prior to Blackfynn, Derek was Director, Transaction Advisory and Investment Management within the Worldwide Business Development unit of GSK. In role his efforts included leading a focus on increased capital and resource commitment toward innovation as well as supporting traditional business development transactions including licensing, divestment and M&A activities. While at GSK, the Investment Management unit significantly increased capital and resource allocation to leading investment vehicles as well as innovative, strategic collaboration partners establishing a portfolio in excess of $1.5B, generating positive cash flows to the corporate balance sheet and improved engagement across the venture and financial communities. Prior to GSK, Derek was an Associate at DuPont Capital Management, a $30B+ institutional investor. As a member of the Private Markets Group, Derek supported private equity and venture investments, fundraising and client engagement efforts. Derek holds a BS from Lehigh University.

Anna Mason is a Partner on Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund. In this capacity, she leads the investment process for select deals in the fund across a variety of industries including the fund’s investments into Summersalt (St. Louis, MO), Pryon (Raleigh, NC), Stord (Atlanta, GA), Dispatch (Minneapolis, MN), and Collective Retreats (Denver, CO). Anna also leads strategy and execution for the Rise of the Rest Network and Platform, including the annual Rise of the Rest Road Trip and annual Network Summit. Her passion for this work is centered around two core beliefs: investing in startups sits at the intersection of realism and optimism; Rise of the Rest is a platform that helps us see the country through the eyes of the entrepreneurs who are reimagining its future.

Anna brings over 10 years of experience in finance, startup operations, and venture community programming to Revolution. Prior to joining Revolution, she co-founded a fitness-community app that was acquired by Beachbody in 2015. Before that, she began her career on Wall Street, where she spent seven years as a distressed bond and private equity trader, most recently as a Vice President at The Seaport Group.

Given her passion for helping early stage startups, since November 2015 Anna has volunteered as the Co-Director of the Washington Chapter of The Vinetta Project, a North-American organization that helps early-stage female founders in tech access capital and network connections. She is also on the advisory board of BEACON DC, a community-led campaign to make Washington, D.C. one of the most influential and supportive cities in the country for women entrepreneurs.

Anna received her BA in Government from Harvard College and her MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business. Anna is also a certified health coach. She serves on the Board of Trustees of the National Children’s Museum in Washington, D.C.

Matt Rhodes is the Founder and Managing Director of 1855 Capital, a State College based Venture Capital firm. Matt Rhodes comes to this role from a background as a senior executive with experience ranging from start-up funding and management to leading a $1B+ semiconductor business. He has a track record of leading product development teams and business organizations to profitable, market winning positions in hyper-competitive environments.

Matt garnered broad business experience as President of Conexant Systems, a then publicly-owned communication semiconductor solutions provider, where Matt managed an organization of over 2,000 employees, including Sales, Marketing, Engineering and Business Development. Subsequently, he was CEO of Teranetics, a 1st tier VC-backed bay area start-up focused on high-speed communication semiconductors. As CEO, he raised two rounds of funding totaling $45 Million and grew the company to more than 70 employees and establishing international presence. He also secured 1st tier design wins for the company’s products, establishing Teranetics as the clear leader in the space.

Matt holds a B.S in Physics from Penn State University, an MSEE from Lehigh University, and an MBA from UCLA.

Taylor Whitman is a Managing Director at Concord Health Partners, a healthcare focused investment firm. He joined in 2018 and is responsible for originating, underwrting and monitoring portfolio investments. He serves on the board of Flexwise Health, Inc. and Mivi Neurosciences, Inc.

Mr. Whitman was a Partner at Three Ocean Partners, a New York based Merchant Bank. He was responsible for day to day firm operations as well as sourcing and execution of Middle-Market transactions across the firm’s direct investment and M&A platforms.

Prior to Three Ocean Partners, Mr. Whitman was a senior banker at the cross-border focused boutique M&A advisory firm, BDA Partners. He led the firm’s efforts in sourcing and executing advisory assignments in the Healthcare sector for a broad group of Corporate and Private Equity clients, while managing day to day operations of the New York office.

Mr. Whitman began his career in finance as an Analyst at Citigroup Venture Capital Equity Partners (nka Court Square Capital Partners), a $2.5 billion multi-sector private equity firm.

He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College.

Matt is an attorney with extensive experience advising investors, companies and executive teams across all stages of the corporate lifecycle, with a specialization in guiding clients through important early-stage transactions that provide foundational and growth capital to emerging companies.

His clients operate in and/or invest in a diverse array of industries, ranging from robotics to the agricultural sciences, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, autonomous vehicles, digital media and beyond.

Prior to joining Cohen & Grigsby, Matt was assistant general counsel and senior investigator at the Mintz Group in New York, a corporate intelligence and investigations firm. Matt began his career in the project finance group at Chadbourne & Parke LLP in New York.

Fred Maroni, INDIGO’s President & CEO, responsible for setting the strategies to achieve profitability, and long term growth. INDIGO Biosciences, a recognized industry-leading provider of nuclear receptor products and services. Large Pharmaceutical and Biotech companies are part of the “who’s who” list of customers that INDIGO services.

Since joining INDIGO Biosciences, the Company has achieved profited in each of its past five (5) years, increase revenue by 150%, over-subscribed a successful fundraise, and relocated its facility. Indigo continues to grow its business through acquisition of technology, expansion of its global footprint and expanding into new markets. Now that the company has reached profitability, market expansion will be the key to long term viability.

Mr. Marroni is a successful entrepreneur with over 25 years of Executive Management and Engineering experience. His experiences span multiple industries, technologies, and organization stages including turn-around management. His attention to details, team motivational skills and operational experience were key factors in achieving 100% revenue growth in several companies. His experiences range from being the founding executive of several companies to senior management of a Fortune 1000 business. He has lead efforts in merger and acquisitions, contract negotiations and over the past 10 years has dedicated his effort to the evaluation and funding of early stage life science companies.

Mr. Marroni’s broad background includes technical development, technology licenses, development of business strategies, funding and regulatory matters. He has played a key role in the formation of eight (8) start-up science companies, six in the area of life sciences. Between 1997 and 2003, he held executive positions with 3 companies that resulted in successful exits.

He holds a B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering from Penn State University and completed an 18-month operational management program.

Maureen co-founded AMI on the entrepreneurial idea that an agile business could solve clinical needs using electronically controlled motion. Over the last 12 years, Maureen built a central Pennsylvania company that develops, manufactures and sells medical devices. By establishing an ‘internal’ start-up ecosystem, her team has the infrastructure to incubate creative ideas and quickly test. Those ideas that demonstrate market potential are developed to commercial exits.

Knowing that FDA cGMP is key to technology valuation, AMI’s process is ISO 13485:2016 certified. To endure the long timelines of medical device regulatory approvals and sales, AMI differentiates from others by using diverse financing model (e.g., SBIRs, sales revenue, Ben Franklin, debt, personal funds and Angel investment). Implementing a stringent hiring process has led to 20 dedicated and engaged team members that apply their skills to multiple projects resulting in 22 issued patents and over 40 pending patent applications, and 3 products generating early revenue.

With the greater visibility, medtech start-ups are coming to AMI for development assistance and/or IP out-licensing. AMI’s capital-efficient location in central Pennsylvania places AMI within driving distance of several top research and clinical facilities, making it possible to forge strong industry relationships. Within Pennsylvania, AMI is partnering with clinicians and researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), Penn State (PSU)-University Park, PSU-Hershey, PSU Children’s Hospital and University of Pittsburgh.

Maureen has been recognized over 34 times nationally and internationally for her entrepreneurial leadership. In 2017 she was a US delegate to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in India. Due to her experience growing a start-up, she was appointed to the AdvaMed Accel BOD to represent small emerging medical device companies. She is an alumni of the competitive Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business program. Maureen has advanced her CEO leadership skills under instruction of faculty from Babson College and Tuck School of Business of Dartmouth College. She received her Ph.D. from PSU.

Hunter founded Phospholutions, Inc. while completing his undergraduate degree at Penn State University. He graduated from Penn State with a B.S. in Plant Sciences, where he was recognized as Top Entrepreneur within the University. Hunter has been recognized by PA Business Central as Foremost under 40, Top 100 people, and has been featured as a finalist on the WPSU television series The Investment. Hunter sits on the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Advisory Board for the College of Agricultural Sciences at Penn State University.

Steve studied Finance, Economics & Mathematics at the University of Rochester where he built up a real estate investment portfolio with capital from his first online business. He then took a job with Goldman Sachs working on both their technology and real estate research teams. He left Goldman to explore investment opportunities in Madrid Spain later returning to the US to begin work on what would become Ikos with co-founder Patrick Paul. The company has raised $7 million and has nearly 60 employees.

Matt is a partner in the Intellectual Property Group of Reed Smith LLP whose practice covers a breadth of IP issues. He regularly counsels and represents clients in litigation matters, preparation and prosecution of patents and trademarks, portfolio management, and licensing.

Matt has also experienced the client side of Intellectual Property counseling, having been awarded three patents from the USPTO as an engineer before attending law school. Today, Matt handles projects covering a diverse range of technology including chemistry, chemical engineering, pharmaceuticals, environmental engineering, plastics and other specialty materials.

Dennis J. Butler focuses his practice on intellectual property and technology law, including representing clients before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and foreign patent offices. Dennis has extensive experience in preparation, filing and prosecution of patent applications as well as inter partes and ex parte reexaminations and reissued patent applications before the U.S. Patent Office. Dennis also has extensive in-person and remote interviews with U.S. patent examiners to expedite allowance of U.S. patents. His practice is concentrated in mechanical technologies, including medical implants, small appliances, automotive mechanisms, cleantech technologies, structural composite assemblies, bicycle technology, indoor games and electro/mechanical devices.

His practice also focuses on patent litigation on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants. Dennis has experience with preparation and conducting hearings, including claim construction, summary judgment and preliminary injunction hearings, depositions and discovery. He has worked on cases involving a wide variety of technologies, including medical devices, composite materials, firearm accessories, software, business methods and banking processes.

Prior to joining Panitch Schwarze Belisario & Nadel LLP, Dennis was patent counsel at a global medical device company, where he managed their patent portfolio, assisted with patent litigation, formulated business arrangements and analyzed mergers and acquisitions. He was previously an associate and patent agent at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP and an engineer with Boeing Defense and Space Group, Helicopters Division and United Technologies – Pratt & Whitney.

Dennis received his J.D. from Temple University’s Beasley School of Law while working full-time at Boeing Defense and Space Group and Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. He was an editor for the Temple Environmental Law and Technology Journal and won the TASA Prize for Outstanding Performance in the Field of Evidence. He received his B.S in Mechanical Engineering Technology and M.S. in Engineering Mechanics from the Pennsylvania State University.

Dennis is a member of the Delaware Bar, the Pennsylvania Bar, the Irish American Business Network and Chamber of Commerce, Penn State Alumni Association and the Nittany Lion Club. He is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and is admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, Eastern and Western Districts of Pennsylvania and Supreme Court of Delaware.

Rachel Herder is the Director of the Penn State Law Intellectual Property (IP) Clinic and an Asst. Prof. of Clinical Law. The IP Clinic is powered by amazing Penn State Law students and provides free legal services to Pennsylvania small businesses and startups, including: patent prosecution and searching; trademark clearance and registration; university licensing, copyright counseling, trade secret counseling, and general IP advice. Before coming to Penn State, Rachel practiced at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, in the firm’s patents and innovation practice in Silicon Valley and Boston. She advised startup life science clients on various aspects of intellectual property law, including patent prosecution and related business strategies especially in the fields of genome editing and gene diagnostics. Rachel holds her Ph.D. in Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology & Genetics and J.D. from the University of Minnesota.

She has led teams in patent infringement lawsuits involving agricultural chemicals, human and veterinary pharmaceuticals, high-performance liquid chromatography, biotechnology products, and networking technologies. In late 2012, Chambers USA Women in Law recognized Karen’s work by nominating her for its 2013 Up and Coming Intellectual Property Lawyer of the Year Award.

Karen also serves as a member of the Sedona Conference’s Patent Litigation Working Group 10 on Patent Litigation Best Practices and has been a faculty member for various corresponding Working Group Meetings. Karen served as the President of the Delaware Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, the primary liaison between the district court bench and the Delaware federal bar. In 2013, Karen was recognized for her service to the District of Delaware with the Judge Caleb R. Layton, III Service Award.

Taking on pro bono representations also is a regular part of Karen’s practice, including a civil rights action for discriminatory arrest in which the jury awarded compensatory and punitive damages. After the district court judge overturned the verdict on post-trial motions, Karen successfully argued the appeal to reinstate the jury’s original verdict. She has also successfully represented pro bono clients in family law matters and before the U.S. Court of Veterans Appeals.

Karen has a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from The Pennsylvania State University and worked at GlaxoSmithKline conducting drug discovery research. Karen prosecuted patent and trademark applications during law school and worked on other intellectual property litigation matters at an intellectual property boutique firm in Philadelphia and at one of Delaware’s largest law firms before founding Shaw Keller LLP in 2011.

Karen served on the Alumni Council of the Penn State Alumni Association and as an appointed member of the Executive Board. She is co-chair of the Penn State Eberly College of Science Millennium Society, a member of the Eberly College of Science Alumni Board, and is also active in LionLink Career Mentoring and the Lions Roar Alumni Admissions Committee.

Tom Sharbaugh is a Professor of Practice at Penn State Law at the University Park campus of Penn State. He is also the Director of Penn State Law’s Entrepreneur Assistance Clinic (the “EAC”), which is based at the Happy Valley LaunchBox in downtown State College. Using law students who are supervised by Tom and another licensed lawyer, the EAC provides a broad range of business-related legal services to startup and early-stage businesses throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, including formation of business entities and preparation of agreements among founders, equity compensation arrangements, seed investments and a wide range of operational contracts.

Before joining Penn State Law a few years ago, Tom was a business lawyer in Philadelphia for over 35 years, including almost 15 years as the firm-wide managing partner of operations at Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP, a global law firm based in Philadelphia and having more than 3,000 personnel. As a partner in the firm's Business & Finance Practice Group, he represented a wide variety of clients in transactional and corporate matters, including private equity funds in M&A and investment transactions. He has a particular interest in start-up and early stage businesses and their funding. He has written a number of articles and delivered many presentations on crowdfunding and the securities laws applicable to capital raising through unregistered offerings.

Tom has other duties with several educational and non-profit institutions. He is the chair of the Penn State Annual Giving Advisory Council, the chair of the President’s Club and a member of the Campaign Executive Committee of Penn State’s current capital campaign, A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence. In addition, he is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Penn Medicine Health System in Philadelphia and the chair of the Board of Managers of the Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia.

Lou Berneman is the founding partner emeritus of OUP, formerly Osage University Partners. OUP invests in startups developing pioneering technologies - across all sectors -- in partnership with the top research institutions in the US and abroad.

Since 2009, OUP has been the most active venture capital investor in university startups. Through a deep relationship with the Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) of over 100 universities, OUP has backed over 90 of the best and most exciting companies based on university research, which collectively have raised more than $7B in funding. OUP works with entrepreneurs, scientists, and students who are integral to the success of university startup ecosystems. OUP seeks to bring the discoveries of the world’s preeminent researchers to market. OUP has approximately $600M under management and is currently investing out of Fund III -- $273M -- launched in 2019.

Before founding OUP, Lou was managing director of the University of Pennsylvania TTO. He is a past president of the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM). In “retirement,” Lou serves as an expert witness in intellectual property litigation and has testified in federal and state courts and arbitrations. Lou has a BA from Penn State, a teaching credential from UCSB, and masters and doctoral degrees from Teachers College, Columbia University.

OUP is a venture fund that invests in university start-ups via affiliations with more than 100 academic research institutions in the U.S., Canada, Israel, Singapore, and England. OUP has almost $600 million under management. To date, has invested in more than 90 companies in both life sciences and tech sectors.

Previously, Lou was managing director of UPenn CTT and director of licensing and business development at Virginia’s Center for Innovative Technology. He is a past president of AUTM and former VP and Trustee of LES. He has been involved in licensing, business development, and entrepreneurial activities for 35+ years as a practitioner and educator. He has testified as an expert in intellectual property litigation in federal and state courts and arbitrations.

Lou is a CLP and RTTP. Lou has a BA from Penn State, a teaching credential from UCSB, and masters and doctoral degrees from Teachers College, Columbia University. Texelerate is a tech transfer consultancy. HCR is a private investment fund purchasing royalty interests in commercial and near-commercial stage healthcare products.