Innovation and music may not be an obvious connection, but it created perfect harmony at Penn State’s latest Innovation Cafe, a networking program organized by the Penn State College of Medicine’s Office of Technology Development. The quarterly Innovation Cafe encourages collaboration between investors, entrepreneurial faculty, students and industry professionals committed to building a vibrant startup community in central Pennsylvania.
Offering a variety of topics, like Innovations in Music, helps attract diverse backgrounds and disciplines, which can lead to much needed connections.
“You never know when you are going to meet that one person that will help you advance your idea, your invention or your business to the next level,” said Erika Swift, associate director of research innovation at the College of Medicine. “Our goal is to create a forum where people can share their work with others and help make the connections that lead to new collaborations. It’s our hope that Innovation Cafe encourages this type of relationship building.”
By merging education and networking, Innovation Cafe is fun, interactive and engaging. Most importantly, it gets people talking. For example, the March program was segmented into short five-to-seven minute presentations followed by the crowd being released to interact with the speakers and each other.
“We want to intrigue people’s sense of curiosity with relevant topics,” Swift said. “To facilitate this goal, the theme of music was chosen for March because, by its very nature, it infuses energy and excitement.”
Learn more about Innovation Café in this Penn State Medicine article.