Without getting to Jargon-ey,  our guest Gregory Thomas and yours truly explored where and how we in the private sector and within institutions can support the journey from on-the-shelf research to marketplace success.

Gregory is The Executive Director and Lecturer for the Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship, Isenberg School University of Massachusetts Amherst.

UMASS is a leader in cutting edge research for a number of Massachusetts tech sectors. The UMASS system which includes campuses in Lowell, Dartmouth, Boston and the Chan Medical School in Worcester offers a robust set of innovation-driven resources for students and community members. 

How can the private sector better interact with programs like those at Berthiaume? How do we build a more robust, diverse and resource rich Pioneer Valley tech sector? How do we best access ideas in financial modeling, management and tech transfer so, in the end, we’re building an economy that is better at creating well-paying, meaningful work?  These are the themes of our conversation this hour.

At SMGraves Associates, we’ve joined up with Living Local 413 to develop a series of mixed-use properties in the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts as desirable locations for tech and tech enabled entrepreneurs to live, work and find important resources through our programming including access to venture capital, accelerators and top-tier mentors. We’re eager to work with and help our private sector partners leverage relationships with the region’s best institutions like UMASS.