Join us on October 30th for an inspiring day with keynote speaker David S. Rose, a visionary Inc. 500 CEO, serial entrepreneur, real estate developer, and fintech investor. This is a unique opportunity to gain insights from a leader who’s shaped multiple industries. Don’t miss out! RSVP now and fuel your startup journey

David is well known in the business startup community for discovering and mentoring high-potential entrepreneurs. BusinessWeek has profiled him as “The Pitch Coach” for his ability to help CEOs perfect their fundraising skills.

He is a regular speaker at TED conferences, and his TED talk on “How to Pitch a VC” has garnered more than a million views.

David is a Top Writer on Quora, the knowledge-based website, on which his more than 11,000+ answers to questions about entrepreneurship and investing have attracted over 100,000 followers.

At this precursor event to UF Innovate’s Standing InnOvation, David will speak on Finances 101 and How to Pitch Your Startup in two keynotes. Enjoy a coffee break and book signing in between sessions.

(Up to 50 attendees will receive a free copy of David’s The Startup Checklist: 25 Steps to a Scalable, High-Growth Business.)

Standing InnOvation is UF Innovate’s annual event to recognize the achievements of the hundreds of innovators who have disclosed, optioned or licensed, or been issued a patent in FY24. The event — which we like to bill as a “standing ovation” for innovators along with a “standing invitation” to work with our offices (as well as a nod to the fact that the networking event lends itself to a lot of standing vs. sitting) — is celebrating its 7th year. 

The event is largely a reception celebrating the newest innovations coming out of UF and is the perfect place for colleges to showcase their latest and applaud their inventors. While some innovators receive recognition from the stage — six “inventions of the year” and one “innovator of the year” — most will receive a gift bag containing symbols of their accomplishments in FY24: 

• a commemorative glass for those who have disclosed a technology
• a certificate for those who have optioned a technology
• a license plate for those who have licensed a technology
• a patent mug for each technology issued a patent

Whether you’re joining us because we’re honoring you or because you want to join us in encouraging others, we’re glad you’ve chosen to be a part of Standing InnOvation. 

If you haven’t yet registered, do so here. 

If every invited guest brought a “plus one,” we’d run out of space (and Bang Bang chicken). So, let’s leave it at this: If you won’t come alone but would come if you could bring a significant other or a fellow researcher, please bring a guest. We’d love to have both of you. No children, please, unless they’re children 18 or older.

We’ll open the doors at 3:45 p.m. If you want the best parking space — more on parking in the next FAQ — it may be better to arrive earlier rather than later, but we think we’ve got enough space for all of our guests. We’ll start serving food and beverages at 4.

Print and place this parking pass on your dashboard. You can find parking for the event in these lots:

1. The usual UF Innovate | The Hub lot immediately east of the building (entrance on SW 7th Terrace) – Lot G.
2. The lot located immediately behind UF Innovate | The Hub (entrance on SW 3rd Avenue) – Lot F.
3. The lots on the blocks immediately south of our building, accessible from SW 7^th Terrace and SW 4^th
4. All lots offer handicapped parking spaces. If you arrive and need assistance getting to the building, please call or text Sara Dagen at (352) 215-4039.
5. Look for “event parking” signs that will indicate additional spaces.
6. Limited metered parking and city parking are available on the roads bordering UF Innovate | The Hub.

Clothes, please. And comfortable shoes. I suspect most people will be arriving from work, so your work clothes are likely fine. Many guests will stand during most of the event, although we will have some seating. We will be inside and outside for much of the event, walking on patio concrete or tile floors. We want you to be comfortable – maybe not pajamas and slippers comfy – and prepared for heat or cold or humidity. Whichever variable Florida weather provides that afternoon and evening.

This year, all guests should enter through the front door. We’ll be there in force to get you checked-in and inside for the big event. 

Well, yes. Please print the parking pass mentioned above. You do not have to print your registration confirmation, but if people often have difficulty spelling or understanding your name when you say it, a printed registration with your name might help. We will have name badges pre-printed at the check-in tables. (If you forget to print your parking pass, request one at the check-in table. You’ll need to return to your car to place it on your dashboard.)

We will have alcoholic drinks at the event, and if you don’t look like my grandmother or her father, you might be asked for proof of age when you request beer or wine. Otherwise, no ID is needed.

Yes, of course! The more time at Standing InnOvation, the merrier you! We’re presenting awards at 5:30, but colleges will have kiosks where they’ll present the latest and greatest innovations of all time. We’ll start serving hearty appetizers and beverages at 4 p.m., and you don’t want to miss the spring rolls.

Ah! We were hoping to keep something a surprise for you, but here’s the lowdown:

1. Check-in, get a nametag, get a beverage, and some appetizers.
2. Tour the building and the outside patios to engage with the different technologies presented by the colleges at their kiosks, oooh and aaah over the (multitude) of “standing ovation” gift bags our innovators will receive, and network with old and new friends.
3. A little before 5:30, find a place to stand near the stage. (We will have some chairs available. Otherwise, choose your spot to stand.) You might get the best view of the stage on the second floor or third floor (and you might find the caterer has hidden a table of appetizers or maybe even some dessert up there, too).
4. Listen and watch the short program welcoming our prolific UF innovators and honoring six inventions of the year and one innovator of the year. Be ready to applaud (without spilling your beverage, if possible).
5. Enjoy more of our international menu – stations around the building, inside and out, plus servers walking around with trays. Visit our beverage stations.
6. Network with colleagues and make new friends. (And say “thank you” to our three sponsors, Wolf Greenfield, Alston Bird, and Thomas | Horstemeyer, all intellectual property attorneys who serve our innovators and us well.)
7. If you’re an innovator who worked with our office this year, pick up your award gift bags – grouped alphabetically by colleges – around the lobby.

No, no but also yes. If you are an innovator who disclosed, licensed or optioned technologies or received an issued U.S. patent in FY24, you do need to accept an award, but we won’t make you come up on stage or give a speech to receive it.

At a magical moment during the evening, we will invite you to pick up your award(s) in a gift bag (located in alphabetical order with your main college) on display in the lobby.

We will invite the one selected Innovator of the Year to the stage to speak and will bring the teams receiving an Invention of the Year award to the stage to receive their awards, but the other recipients can stay on solid ground. (All of those special awardees already are aware they have won the award.)

Most of the event is intended for enjoying refreshments and each other in a lovely space. But if you’re an innovator who has worked with us in FY24, you won’t leave empty-handed.

We are not livestreaming the event this year because we’re trying to provide an equitable experience for all our guests, and video and in-person events are not created equal. (For example, livestreamers can’t taste the meatballs or see what’s happening on the porch or under the tent if the camera’s only in the lobby.) You who are present, however, can visit all areas and try our caterer’s fabulous fare. (It’s better than alliterative; it’s delicious!) We’ll have a take-home token too (more alliteration – and also delicious).

Pretty much, but you’ll select what and how much you’ll eat. We’ll have hearty appetizers from all over the world – a variety that will include some vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options for those with dietary restrictions. We’ll have a variety of beer, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages. 

You should receive an email reminder prior to the event meant to remind you of the event and any last-minute instructions. You can save this web address to check back for information as well – such as updates on weather that could affect our event. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Sara Dagen, our fearless leader, at saradagen@ufl.edu or (352) 294-0998.