Events
The Innovation School
16 July 2023 – 20 July 2023 Optica Headquarters, Washington, USA, USA
Speakers, Judges and Mentors
Facilitator
Eric Koester
Georgetown University
Speakers
Holly Barrett
Marketing Director, NextCorps
Marisa Edmund
Chief Global Marketing & Sales Officer, Edmund Optics
Michael Edwards
President, Ocean Insight
Jason Eichenholz
Co-Founder and CTO, Luminar Technologies
Stuart Elby
Senior Vice President, Advanced Engineering, MSG Ventures
Debbie Gustafson
CEO, Energetiq Technology Inc.
Adam Wax
Founder, Lumedica Inc.
Judges
Jason Eichenholz
Co-Founder and CTO, Luminar Technologies
Debbie Gustafson
CEO, Energetiq Technology Inc.
Elizabeth Nolan
Deputy Executive Director and Chief Publishing Officer, Optica
Jose Pozo
Chief Technology Officer, Optica
Elizabeth Rogan
Chief Executive Officer, Optica
Mentors
Ashim Dhakal
Co-Founder & Chief Scientist, Phutung Research Institute
Remeredzai Joseph Kuhudzai
Head of Innovation and Partnerships, Distributed Power Africa
Kimberly Reichel
Lidar Scientist, 3DEO
Top
Schedule
Thursday, 22 June
09:00 - Breakthrough Ideas for Innovation Part 1: Eric Koester, Georgetown University
Thursday, 29 June
09:00 - Breakthrough Ideas for Innovation Part 2: Eric Koester, Georgetown University
Sunday, 16 July
07:00 - 16:30 -- Check-in at Courtyard Marriott, DC Dupont Circle
16:30 -17:00 -- Check-in at Optica, 2010 Massachusetts Ave, NW
17:00 - 17:30 -- Welcome Remarks/Setting the Stage, Eric Koester and John Taylor
17:30 - 18:30 -- Welcome Remarks from Holly Barrett, Managing Director, NextCorps
18:30 - 19:30 -- Dinner
Monday, 17 July
During the first day, you will come together with other attendees and focus on product/service concepts. You'll learn how to use the lean canvas model to quickly formulate and guide your concept. Through this process, you'll be placed on teams and begin exploring if your idea actually solves a potential customers problem. (All meals and coffee breaks will be included throughout the day.)
08:30 - 09:00 -- Breakfast at Optica Headquarters
09:00 - 09:30 -- Meet the Mentors
09:30 - 10:30 -- The Art of Recognizing Original Ideas
10:30 - 12:00 -- Tools for Innovation
12:00- 13:30 -- Industry Leader Keynote: Marisa Edmund, Chief Global Marketing and Sales Officer, Edmund Optics
13:30 - 15:30 -- Team Formation (Part 2)
15:30 - 16:30 -- How to Conduct Customer Discovery (Part 1)
16:30 - 17:30 -- How to Hypothesize & Build a Strategy (lean canvas model)
17:30 - 19:00 -- Dinner & FvS Team Exercise
Tuesday, 18 July
Today -- You will continue your customer discovery and pivoting your product/service to better align with potential customer service expectations and needs. Teams will start pitching their progress and receiving critical feedback to hone concepts for greater success. (All meals and coffee breaks will be included throughout the day.)
08:30 - 09:00 -- Breakfast at Optica Headquarters
09:00 - 12:00 -- Customer Discovery and Evidence Gathering (Part 2)
12:00 - 13:30 -- Lunch & Industry Leader Keynote: Michael Edwards, CEO, Ocean Insight
13:30 - 15:00 -- Pivoting Your Concept to Better Align with the Market and Your Customer
15:00 - 17:00 -- Team Pitches and Critiques (Round 1)
17:00 - 18:30 -- Industry Leader Keynote: Adam Wax, Founder, Lumedica, Inc.
18:30 - 19:00 - Dinner
19:00 -- (Optional) Bar Crawl
Wednesday, 19 July
Today -- Your team's main challenges will be honing in on a minimum viable product (MVP) and prototypes. You will be working on your key messages, tightening your understanding of the market, competition and your products/service potential. Time will be spent crafting your team's concept to determine potential. (All meals and coffee breaks will be included throughout the day.)
08:30 - 09:00 -- Breakfast at Optica Headquarters
09:00 - 10:30 -- How to Create MVP's and Prototypes (Part 1)
10:30 - 12:00 -- Team Focus
12:00 - 13:30 -- Lunch & Industry Leader Keynote: Debbie Gustafson, CEO, Energetiq Technology, Inc.
13:30 -14:30 -- How to Create MVP's and Prototypes (Part 2)
14:30 -16:00 -- Team Pitches and Critiques (Round 2)
16:00 - 17:00 -- Teamwork: More Research and Concept Refinement
17:00 - 18:30 -- Industry Leader Keynote: Jason Eichenholz, Co-Founder and CTO, Luminar Technologies
18:30 - 19:00 -- Dinner
Thursday, 20 July
Final Day -- The morning is spent putting the final touches on your pitch, tightening up your data, understanding who your customer is and your unique value proposition, your market and your competition. Teams will pitch their concepts to a panel of judges with the best presentations announced at end of program. (All meals and coffee breaks will be included throughout the day.)
08:30 - 09:00 -- Breakfast at Optica Headquarters
09:00 - 11:00 -- Best Practices for the Perfect Pitch
11:00 - 11:30 -- Lunch
11:30 - 13:30 -- Final Pitches and Judging
13:30 - 15:00 -- Industry Leader Keynote: Stuart Elby, AVP, Advanced Engineering, MSG Ventures
15:00 - 15:30 -- Pitch Panel Result
15:30 - 17:00 -- Celebration Reception
