Release Date: Friday, February 6, 2009

Entrepreneurs and Innovation Summit: All-star panel and presenters to give insight and practical advice on Feb. 12 in Atlanta

ATHENS, Ga. — The Terry College of Business and UGA Alumni Association will host the Entrepreneurs and Innovation Summit on Thursday, Feb. 12, at the UGA Atlanta Alumni Association Alumni Center.

The summit will run from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and feature a panel discussion, two presentations and a luncheon that will provide attendees insights into the innovation process, practical advice about raising capital, protecting intellectual property and creating a culture that promotes innovative thinking.

"In this economy entrepreneurs have such little margin for error," said Chris Hanks, director of the Terry Entrepreneurship Program and one of the event's panelists. "And this is an opportunity for people to spend a day getting advice and seasoned mentorship from some heavy hitters who are all-stars when it comes to innovation and entrepreneurship."

The expert panel will begin the summit with the discussion topic, "Seizing the Moment: How Entrepreneurs Can Win with Innovation." In addition to Hanks, the panelists will include Beyond Z Interactive Media CEO Karen Lennon, the first-ever Emmy Award winner for interactive television; Alan Koenning, a corporate venture capitalist with UPS and manager of its Strategic Enterprise Fund; and the panel moderator, UGA alumus Keith Herndon, president of Internet Decisions LLC and editor of the book Entrepreneurs and Innovation: Creating Value with Emerging Technologies.

Following the panel discussion, John R. Harris, partner of the intellectual property group at Morris, Manning and Martin LLP, will present "Protecting Intellectual Property — Insights into the Legal Process" and UGA Eminent Scholar and entrepreneur Steven Stice will present "Creating the Future as a Scientist and Entrepreneur" as the luncheon speaker. Stice, the first scientist to successfully clone calves, is director of the UGA Regenerative Bioscience Center and chief scientific officer of Aruna Biomedical.

The UGA Entrepreneurs and Innovation Summit is free for UGA students, $20 for UGA Alumni Association members and $30 for the general public.

The Entrepreneurship Program was established by the Terry College of Business to provide an outstanding entrepreneurship curriculum, mentoring by the most seasoned entrepreneurs in the Southeast, networking opportunities, practical seminars and an array of other resources designed to inspire, teach and serve entrepreneurs and those who hope to be.

###