NC SBTDC: Laying the Foundation for Your Innovation Journey

This afternoon training session is designed for UNC-Charlotte affiliated faculty members seeking to advance innovative ideas from concept to market. The program provides a practical overview of key funding pathways, including non-dilutive SBIR/STTR opportunities and equity-based financing, along with essential legal considerations for business development. Participants will also gain insights into intellectual property strategy and technology commercialization through an expert panel discussion.

Whether you are exploring early-stage funding or preparing to scale your commercialization efforts, this session offers actionable guidance from experienced practitioners to help move your innovation forward.

Location

PORTAL Building, UNC Charlotte
9319 Robert D. Snyder Rd, Charlotte, NC 28223

Agenda

Coming soon!

12:30 PM – 12:40 PM	Introduction Brad Fach, UNC-Charlotte Devin Collins, UNC-Charlotte
12:40 PM – 1:30 PM	SBIR/STTR Non-Dilutive Funding John Ujvari, SBIR/STTR Specialist and Director, SBTDC
1:30 PM – 2:20 PM	Equity / Dilutive Funding Andrea Giska, Equity Funding Specialist, SBTDC
2:20 PM – 2:40 PM	Break
2:40 PM – 3:15 PM	Business Development Legal Planning John Rudd, Hutchison Law
3:15 PM – 4:00 PM	Panel – IP and Technology Commercialization

Devin Collins: UNC-Charlotte

Bio coming soon.

Brad Fach: UNC-Charlotte

Bio coming soon.

Andrea Giska: NC SBTDC

Andrea is a seasoned professional with a diverse background spanning academia, startup ventures, and corporate innovation. She excels at navigating the intersection of technology, business, and market dynamics. Currently serving as a Small Business Equity Funding Specialist at the Small Business and Technology Development Center, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, she leverages her expertise in technology commercialization, market research, customer development, and fundraising to nurture emerging startups. Andrea’s professional journey includes co-founding a hard-tech startup, consulting for startups, spinoffs from research institutions and nonprofits, and serving as an Early-Stage Opportunities Manager (Innovation Manager) at Corning Incorporated. Holding a PhD in Materials Physics from Goethe University in Germany, alongside an MBA from Cornell University, she brings a unique blend of analytical acumen, entrepreneurial spirit, and cross-disciplinary insight to drive innovation and growth in every endeavor.

John Rudd: Hutchison Law

John advises life science and technology companies in all stages of a company’s life cycle. John typically acts as outside general counsel working closely with founders, management teams and boards of directors on company startups and formations, licensing of intellectual property, venture capital financing, commercial transactions, mergers and acquisitions and other strategic transactions. Prior to joining Hutchison, John was an associate in the mergers and acquisitions group of Jones Day’s Tokyo office, where he advised public companies and private equity clients on various types of cross-border transactions, including acquisitions, divestitures, licenses, and strategic partnerships.

John Ujvari, MBA: NC SBTDC

John Ujvari is Director of the Technology Commercialization program at the NC SBTDC and statewide SBIR/STTR Program specialist based at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. John works with clients for over two decades on the effective use of non-dilutive federal funding toward the commercialization of innovative technologies. His work has been recognized at both the state and national levels. As a frequent guest speaker, training program coordinator and business advisor, he has helped to guide clients with innovative technologies through significant fund raising and commercial successes since 2001. John also founded and continues to lead the SBTDC’s Technology Commercialization Graduate Summer Consulting program. This unique program has placed nearly 200 graduate business students from top tier universities with close to 400 early stage, commercialization-driven high-tech companies in NC. John earned his MBA degree from Wake Forest University’s Babcock Graduate School of Management with a concentration in entrepreneurship and received a BS degree from the University of Virginia.