RALEIGH – Startup Summit, an event series that helps build connections among local entrepreneurs, is back this Thursday with another program—this time focused on collaboration between startups and corporations.

The organizers of Startup Summit teamed up with Innovate Raleigh for the half-day event, a partnership that fits the mission of both organizations as community connectors.

Innovate Raleigh’s executive director, Bridget Harrington, will moderate a panel with Triangle startup founders Doug Kauffman of Transloc, Monica Wood of Myxx and Rich Brancaccio of Revibe Technologies (formerly Fokus Labs).

Then, a corporate panel will include perspectives from MedFusion Executive Chairman and professional soccer North Carolina FC owner Steve Malik and (formerly president of Intuit Health), R/GA Ventures VP Partner Jonathan Bradley and Oracle Global Startup Ecosystem Vice President Jason Williamson.

The event also features keynotes from David Gardner, investor and founder of Cary VC firm Cofounders Capital, and Anil Chawla, founder and CEO of Durham-based Archive Social. Chawla’s company recently raised a whopping $53 million funding round. Gardner was one of the first investors in the social media archiving platform at its launch eight years ago. He’s now an advisor.

Following the panels and keynotes, there will be a happy hour with refreshments and snacks. Attendees can also check out demo tables from Republic Wireless, Four Score Law and TriNet.

Startup Summit Co-Founders Mark Bavisotto and Keith Washo were inspired to put on an event focused on corporate-startup collaboration after  Gardner wrote an op-ed for WRAL TechWire focused on this topic.

“I study Silicon Valley, New York City, Boston, Austin and Atlanta … In these markets, corporations play huge roles in the success of their ecosystems,” Bavisotto said. “If [Gardner] is talking about it, then it must be a hot topic among entrepreneurs. At that point, I reached out to [him] and we were off and running.”

David Gardner: Triangle corporates should be involved with local entrepreneurs, innovation – or else

When asked about long-term plans for the future of Startup Summit, Bavisotto said the organization is eying an expansion to both Charlotte and Buffalo, New York (Bavisotto’s home city).

“As we begin to expand our territory, we will focus on ‘rise of the rest’ markets, because the major hubs already have a ton of action and many of these smaller markets would benefit from having Startup Summit in their ecosystem,” Bavisotto added.

For now, Bavisotto says he and Washo are focused on building Startup Summit’s status as “the premier learning platform for startups in the world.” The annual Startup Summit conference is planned for October 11.

“Fostering Collaboration Between Startups & Corporations in the Triangle” will be held May 30 from 2-7 p.m. at the Archie K. Davis Conference Center. An audience of 100 people (the cap for the event) is expected.

https://wraltechwire.com/event/fostering-collaboration-between-startups-corporations-in-the-triangle/