UF Innovate | Sid Martin Biotech is pleased to announce a new board of advisors to provide mentorship for client companies at the business incubator, which is celebrating its 25^th anniversary in 2020. The Advisory Board will further Sid Martin Biotech’s mission to facilitate the growth of its biotech companies.

“In our continuing efforts to support our resident clients, we are bringing more local expertise to our Advisory Board,” said Mark Long, director of Sid Martin Biotech. “These volunteers provide advisement, networking and support to our clients, enhancing the ability of Sid Martin to build, grow and support companies who fuel, feed and heal the world around us!”

The six board members include seafood industry expert LeeAnn Applewhite, who cofounded Applied Food Technologies, Inc., a Sid Martin alumni company; incubation expert Jim Bowie, associate director of UF Innovate | The Hub, the second of UF’s business incubators; and entrepreneur John Engels, who cofounded AxoGen, a leading med tech company dedicated to nerve repair that graduated from Sid Martin.

The board also includes mergers and acquisition expert Rupa Lloyd, a shareholder at Gray|Robinson, P.A. with nearly two decades of experience in health law; bioscience attorney Dan O’Korn, a partner with Hutchison PLLC focusing on issues related to pharma and biotech companies; and mechanobiology engineer Chelsey Simmons, who is also a serial entrepreneur.

“These individuals voluntarily give their time and expertise to assist our startups,” said Merrie Shaw, assistant director at Sid Martin Biotech. “Each one brings a different ’specialty‘ that our companies find extremely beneficial.”

The board’s varied experiences and expertise offer a width and breadth of knowledge to meet the individual needs of the nearly 20 biotech companies residing in the 40,000 square feet of labs and offices the world-renown incubator offers.

The Advisory Board, which will meet quarterly, holds its first meeting Thursday, February 27. These individuals will critique pitches, offer advice to CEOs and make networking connections to assist with company growth.

By Sara Dagen, Marketing & Communications Manager, UF Innovate

About UF Innovate | Sid Martin Biotech

UF Innovate | Sid Martin Biotech is a world-recognized leader in bioscience incubation. The incubator program has well-equipped wet labs, specialized equipment, greenhouses, and offices, as well as seminars, pitching opportunities, management training, and introductions to investors and attorneys. Located in Progress Park in Alachua, Sid Martin Biotech is surrounded by 40 other bioscience companies – many that have graduated from its program. Along with its sister facility The Hub, located between the University of Florida and downtown Gainesville, the incubators offer more than 140,000 square feet of space for local startups and growth companies.

Meda contact:

Sara Dagen, (352) 294-099, saradagen@ufl.edu

Indeed, in its outlook on top technology trends for 2020, global research and advisory company Gartner listed hyperautomation as No. 1. It claims advanced technologies, such as AI, will increasingly automate processes and augment humans as the technology becomes more sophisticated.

The appealing and enduring drive to work smarter – not harder – may be driving these advancements, mused Mark Long, director of incubation services at the University of Florida (UF), which includes Sid Martin Biotech and The Hub, the two business incubators under the UF Innovate umbrella that have generated over $6.4 billion in private investments and created more than 7,600 jobs since inception.

With his talk titled “How to Build a Large-Scale Incubator/Accelerator Ecosystem: Lessons from UF Innovate,” Long shared success stories from University of Florida commercialization arm, UF Innovate.

This change will allow for improved strategic alignment between the cutting-edge research, technology and incubation services provided by UF Innovate and the long-term vision for Innovation Square.  The Innovation District is strategically located between the University of Florida campus and downtown Gainesville.

O’Connell currently leads Tech Licensing operations at UF and previously directed the University of Miami’s tech transfer office as well as directed the Michigan Venture Center at the University of Michigan. He will be assisted in leading Innovation Square by Mark Long, who currently oversees business incubator operations at both UF Innovate | The Hub and UF Innovate | Sid Martin Biotech. 

Long has also previously served as the President and CEO of the Indiana University Research and Technology Corporation and has led the development of multiple research parks across the United States.   

UF’s Office of Real Estate will continue to manage real estate activities for the university, under the leadership of Trevor Schneider.  Please join us in offering O’Connell and his team the best wishes for success as they take on this new role.

The building — including both the old and new sections — is more than 75 percent full, incubating about 50 companies.

Learn more about Resource Rich: UF Innovate | The Hub Offers Even More After Doubling in Size.

My mother used to tell me the magic words were “please” and “thank you.” But when you’re an entrepreneur, you learn the real magic words are “cash flow.” Period.

Many business publications tell us eight out of 10 entrepreneurs crash and burn within the first 12 to 18 months of starting their company, and most fail primarily due to becoming cash poor.

Comprehending cash flow management, understanding where your cash has been spent and knowing if spending that cash has moved you closer to market (or helped you better identify your market) are keys to success.

But where does a company get money in the first place?

Learn more about Venturing Out? Here’s How to Find Funding.

“This research is focused on founder learning behaviors, the role of entrepreneur coachability, and how startups can gain commitment from that first employee. We are unaware that this type of research exists,” said Matthew R. Marvel, Director, of Entrepreneurship Center, Ball State University and Principal Investigator.

The Tech Startup Readiness Research Project is led by a team of thought leaders in entrepreneurship research and venture acceleration, including Marvel; Donald F. Kuratko (Dr. K), Jack M. Gill Chair of Entrepreneurship, Professor of Entrepreneurship, Executive & Academic Director of Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, and Director, Entrepreneurial Innovation Academy; Karl R. LaPan, President & CEO, The NIIC; and Mark S. Long, Director of Incubation Services, University of Florida.

Learn more about Research Will Power Accelerated Learning for Technology Entrepreneurs.