We discussed a number of things including: 

1. Kim and Abran's community leadership background 

2. State of the STEM talent pipeline 

3. What new initiatives are you excited about 

4. Trends and opportunities in 5G, AI, and VR/AR Kim Case is Vice-President of strategic communications firm, CN Communications. At CN, she provides consulting services in the areas of media relations, strategic communications, and association management. She also serves as Executive Director of the Research & Development Council of New Jersey, CN’s client. In this role, Kim sets the Council’s overall agenda, advises its leadership on issues related to the Council’s mission of advancing excellence in STEM education and innovation in the state, and runs the day-to-day operations of the organization. 

Kim spearheaded the development of the Council’s STEM education initiative, the Governor’s STEM Scholars Program, a public private partnership with the State of New Jersey, as well as created New Jersey STEM Month, in partnership with the Governor’s Office and New Jersey State Legislature, to highlight the state’s STEM achievements. Kim leads the New Jersey STEM Pathways Network, a statewide strategic alliance striving for excellence in STEM education and workforce development across New Jersey. 

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Abran is the cofounder of Create Labs, a social impact AI developer and a GPT-3 Ambassador for OpenAI. He cofounded Create Labs Ventures to create new opportunities for the underserved community to gain access to cutting-edge technologies and enter the tech and media industries. 

Abran is the creator of C.L.Ai.R.A. an autonomous AI woman of color along with other intelligent virtual beings. He also manages Verizon's 5G EdTech Program, expanding 5G VR/AR solutions to hundreds of schools across the nation.

This chat with Robert Van Varick notes how he and Michael Graves Architecture & Design approach the design process. 

He also highlighted a neat product he recently designed for the fast-growing BBQ cooking space. With the firm since 2003, Rob passionately believes design has the power to positively impact people’s lives. 

His mission is to apply the right blend of research, psychology, creativity and strategy so that root causes are identified, allowing the best solution to be designed. Well-rounded solutions require multi-disciplinary input and collaboration. 

As a partner at MGA&D, Rob works with architects, interior designers, product designers, graphic designers, researchers and strategists all focused on one goal: enhancing the human experience at every scale. Great design is humanistic, familiar, accessible and intuitive.

We discussed a number of things including: 

1. Mike and Dom's entrepreneurial journeys 

2. Their outlooks for the regional business/entrepreneurial community 

3. What they have learned during the pandemic 

4. Advice for entrepreneurs 

Mike founded Trajectify, a leadership and business growth coaching firm, in 2013 and has worked with dozens of companies, leaders and entrepreneurs. 

His career was one of growing eight companies, from tech to telecom to food to automotive, both products and services from pre-revenue to $150M+. His passion to partner with and learn from great visionaries helped start and operate some diverse (and pretty cool) businesses. He co-founded healthy food company (Real Food Works) and a business incubator (Novotorium). He developed the e-commerce technology and operations at online music pioneer, CDNOW, later becoming CEO. 

After a decade in Silicon Valley where he helped build Verity (a pioneer in search engines, IPO and sold to Autonomy/HP) and KnowledgeSet (one of the first companies to put data on a CD), he returned to the Northeast and worked with Infonautics and Knite. These companies have often pioneered and innovated what at first didn't seem obvious. The result is Mike's ability to find and operationalize hidden opportunities, create growing revenue streams and build the organizations and management that deliver them. 

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As the Founder + CEO of DotConnect™, Dom has a knack for uncovering talent. Within the core business of Talent Acquisition at DotConnect™, Dom leads our team through an introspective and thorough training course so that when they work with clients (like you!), they have the knowledge they need to execute the systems DotConnect™ is known for. 

As a Leader, Founder and Entrepreneur, Dom has an uncanny ability of uncovering talents’ potential -- and that’s why, after extensive personal development at the highest levels with thought leaders like Seth Godin, the women of Chief, and dozens of others, she has launched a professional certification program to help more Talent Advisors find their truest path through understanding their own growth, thereby accessing their fullest potential. 

The DotConnect™ Talent Acquisition Framework was developed by Dom to understand individuals’ values and help better align their professional lives with their personal passions so they can create a life that matters. 

Over the past 20 years, Dom has leveraged her passion for humans, her deep understanding of Talent Acquisition and combined the two to develop this strategic process that works wonders.

We discussed a number of things including: 

1. Linda and Andy's entrepreneurial journeys 

2. State of female and minority entrepreneurship in the region 

3. Advice for entrepreneurs 

Linda is the CEO of Leading Women Entrepreneurs and Force For Change NJ - initiatives created to commend entrepreneurs for their service, leadership, contribution to their communities and the state’s economic recovery. Linda has dedicated more than a decade of her career to the overall advancement of women and diversity efforts. Through Leading Women Entrepreneurs, Linda has created a national platform to showcase the efforts and accomplishments of some of the state’s most innovative and influential women entrepreneurs. She spent several years in publishing industry where she served as Vice President of Business Development and Associate Publisher for a professional women’s publication. 

In addition to writing feature articles on some of the most influential women in the state, her responsibilities focused on managing sales efforts, launching events and developing and implementing effective marketing campaigns. She has been recognized by many organizations, including 2019 NJBIZ Lifetime Achievement Award, the Boy Scouts of America and Fairleigh Dickinson University for her work for women.

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 Eustacio (Andy) Saldaña is the Executive Director of NY Tech Alliance, a non-profit organization that runs the largest Meetup group in the world, the NY Tech Meetup (NYTM). With over 60,000 members and a mission to build a more sustainable, diverse, and equitable technology industry for all New Yorkers, the organization sits at the center of the NY Tech ecosystem. He is also a co-founder of QueerTech, a non-profit based in Montreal focused on empowering, connecting, and increasing the visibility of LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs and technologists. 

Most recently, Andy was named to Crain’s New York Business 2020 Notable LGBTQ Leaders and Executives list, and in 2019, was named to the Tech Power 50 in New York’s technology community by City & State, the leading media company covering government and politics in New York. He is a strong advocate for increased diversity, access, and all-around inclusion in tech, but above all, he enjoys cultivating connections and all of the conversations that evolve.

We discussed a number of things including: 

1. Ryan's entrepreneurial journey 

2. Wunderkind vision and the outlook in the sector 

3. What he has learned during pandemic 

4. Advice for entrepreneurs 

Ryan is the Co-Founder and CEO at Wunderkind, formerly known as BounceX – the leader in cloud-based behavioral marketing and the fastest growing software company in America. In 2015 he was named an EY Entrepreneur of the Year finalist. 

In the same year, under his leadership, Bounce Exchange was ranked number one overall for both employee retention and career development by ComputerWorld, named one of the best places to work in NYC by Crain’s New York and honored as one of Fortune’s best places to work. 

A veteran of the ecommerce space, Ryan was formerly Director of Acquisition at Bonobos and prior to that, Brickhouse Security. He has served on the advisory boards of both BabyAge.com and Bonobos. 

Ryan holds an MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University and spends most of his free time working on the behavior of his dog – Telemundo.

We discussed a number of things including: 

1. The state of the nonprofit sector 

2. The state of the news and media sector 

3. What innovations have occurred due to the pandemic 

4. Resources and post pandemic forecasts for communities and economy 

John co-founded the non-profit news site NJ Spotlight in 2009 on the belief that New Jersey needed an independent news and information source that focused on public policy and politics. NJ Spotlight has since grown to be among New Jersey’s most respected public affairs news sites, partnering with much of the major media in the state and winning state, national and international awards for journalistic excellence. 

In 2019, it was acquired by WNET Public Media and joined forces with the former NJTV News to become NJ Spotlight News. Before NJ Spotlight, John covered education in New Jersey for 15 years as a reporter for The Newark Star-Ledger and The Bergen Record and as a contributing writer for The New York Times. 

He continues to be a regular guest on New Jersey public media, including WHYY and WNYC public radio. He himself has won numerous state and national awards, including honors from the Education Writers Association and the American Society of News Editors. John speaks regularly at conferences and other events regarding new media, education, and politics. 

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Linda is President & CEO of the Center for Non-Profits, New Jersey's statewide umbrella association for the charitable community. The Center strengthens charities individually and collectively through advocacy, public education, management and compliance assistance, and membership services. Linda’s non-profit sector experience spans over 30 years, and includes expertise in public policy, analysis, research, compliance and management. 

She speaks frequently to the media, non-profit, philanthropic and business leaders, and government officials regarding the size, strength, economic and social contributions of New Jersey’s non-profit sector and current and emerging trends facing the non-profit community; and has successfully mobilized broad-based coalitions of non-profits around numerous advocacy issues. 

She is a public policy committee member and former board treasurer of the National Council of Nonprofits, and also serves on the New Jersey Commission on National and Community Service, and the Leadership and Policy Committee of the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers.

Jeff is an award-winning global entrepreneur, proven CEO, worldwide motivational speaker, bestselling author, Hollywood film producer, a producer of a Grammy Award winning jazz album, and executive producer of an Emmy Award winning television show. In his career, he has been the founder of multiple startups, he has been the CEO of both public and private companies, and he has served as a senior executive in many capacities. Jeff has been part of a number of well-known successful startups, including Priceline.com/Booking.com, uBid.com and more. Jeff is the CEO of Driving Force Enterprises, a strategic consulting firm that teaches exponential growth to business owners and entrepreneurs, as well as teaching innovation strategies to corporations and governments worldwide. 

Jeff serves on the boards of companies in the US, Europe, the Middle East, South America, Africa, and Asia. He supports entrepreneurs and small businesses worldwide. He is the Chairman of the Global Entrepreneurship Network, which works with entrepreneurs in 180 countries, as well as being a founding board member of The Unreasonable Group, whose startup companies have operations in 185 countries and have raised over $4 billion in funding. He is also the Global Chairman of Dream Tank, a worldwide youth problem solving network. Jeff supports the White House, the State Department, United Nations, and similar organizations internationally on economic growth initiatives and entrepreneurship programs. 

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Sean is the founder and managing partner of SOSV which has invested in over 900 startups, investing about $65 million per year in the 150 startups that go through its global accelerators annually which help create over $2 billion in new market capitalization every year. Recognized in 2017 as the world’s #1 most active global early stage investor and the #2 most active global seed investor*, SOSV’s accelerator model takes a small initial stake in startups and provides a framework and community where startups get further and faster than they could on their own. SOSV runs the world’s most active accelerators in hardware (HAX), life sciences (IndieBio/RebelBio), disruptive food (Food-X), and Asia cross-border startups (Chinaccelerator/MOX). As of 2019, SOSV is in the top 6% of venture capitalists globally based on return an investment (returns over 20 years average 38% Net IRR). 

O’Sullivan’s first company, MapInfo, grew to a $200 million public company with over 1,000 employees, and popularized street mapping on computers. His first internet company, NetCentric, developed many concepts in internet computing, and he is credited as the co-creator of the term “cloud computing”. Sean founded JumpStart International, a leading humanitarian organization in conflict zones, in the 2000s, where he oversaw over 3,500 staff at the height of the organization during the Iraq conflict. He is also a primary supporter of such organizations such as Coderdojo (a global network of coding clubs that 50,000 kids attend every week) and Khan Academy (used by 15 million students to learn every month). He’s on the board Khan Academy, I-ASC, and a number of private companies. 
 

We discussed a number of things including: 

1. How the entrepreneurial community is faring 

2. Investment outlook in the short and medium term 

3. Advice for entrepreneurs in these unprecedented and challenging times 

Joanne is a Principal at Newark Venture Partners, an early-stage venture fund that invests in Pre-seed to Series A stage B2B technology companies. A core mission of the fund is to establish Newark as an emerging tech hub. As Principal, Joanne leads the fund’s direct investment strategy focusing on the sourcing and diligence of potential deals and on-going portfolio management. 

She is also co-founder of a Newark-based social enterprise, called Locus Labs, aimed at expanding community access to digital manufacturing technology. Joanne was previously an investment banking Associate at JPMorgan, and a TeachForAmerica corps member in NYC. Joanne has a M. Ed from Hunter College and a BA in Economics from Barnard. 

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Rudy has served as a senior executive, entrepreneur, educator and investor. He is the founder and CEO of the consulting firm, Valmar & Associates, LLC which provides management advisory services in sustainability, business development and strategy. He has over 30 years of experience in diverse management and consulting roles with large global firms (IBM, Ernst &Young, and Accenture) as well as guiding multiple entrepreneurial start-ups. 

Rudy retired as a partner with the global professional services firm, Accenture. His consulting clients have included major corporations in the Communications and Hi-Tech Industry. More recently, Rudy has developed entrepreneurial opportunities in Brazil. Rudy has also advised multiple emerging companies and non-profits on informal boards and foundations.

We discussed:

1. Loneliness and related health issues

2. How much has it increased during pandemic? What demographics have been affected?

3. What the effect is on our economy and society

4. Programs and resources available

5. Answers to your questions

Dr. Julie Ancis is Professor and Director of Cyberpsychology at NJIT. Prior to this position, she served as the AVP for Institute Diversity at the Georgia Tech and faculty member at the School of Psychology. She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (Divisions 17 and 35). Her extensive scholarly publications include four books, over 100 journal articles, book chapters, and technical reports, and hundreds of professional presentations focused on issues of diversity, psychology and technology, multicultural competence, and the legal system. In addition, she has received 6 million dollars in grant funding.

Dr. Julie Ancis is an internationally known expert in the area of diversity. She has developed and conducts workshops on implicit bias, intercultural and multicultural competence and women’s leadership programs. Dr. Ancis has presented at conferences and forums around the world.

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Amy Hoch, Psy.D. is a licensed psychologist in New Jersey and New York. She is the Associate Director of the Wellness Center at Rowan University where she oversees clinical services; facilitates staff development and training and continues to provide individual and group therapy to students and supervision to staff. She is co-chair of the Sexual Violence Prevention Committee on campus and an advocate for violence awareness and prevention in the community.

Dr. Hoch is a past Chairperson of the American College Health Association’s (ACHA) Safety and Violence Coalition and sat on their Sexual Violence Prevention Task Force. In addition, she is a certified Trauma Focused CBT trainer and provides training, consultation and supervision on trauma-related issues both nationally and internationally.

* WSJ - Pandemic Loneliness Is Hitting Young Adults Especially Hard

New research shows rampant loneliness among Americans, with young adults and mothers among the most vulnerable. Here are ways to help.

The coronavirus pandemic has caused another kind of pervasive affliction, Harvard researchers say: loneliness.

More than one-third of 950 Americans reported feeling lonely at least “frequently” in the previous four weeks, according to a newly released survey by researchers at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, conducted in October. That’s higher than the quarter of respondents who recalled feeling serious loneliness in the two months before the pandemic, and 28% of respondents said they had experienced increases in the frequency of their loneliness. Young adults and mothers felt especially isolated, the survey reported.

Social disruption has hit people in myriad ways: A college student living back at home may feel disconnected from their normal social life, while an overworked parent may feel detached from their usual support system. And even people managing to cultivate an active Zoom-led social life may still feel disconnected.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/pandemic-loneliness-is-hitting-young-adults-especially-hard-11614104792

We discussed a number of things including: 

1. The state of the cleantech and renewables sectors 

2. The WeSolar story and outlook 

3. Funding programs/resources available from the state and federal levels 

4. Guidance for entrepreneurs and innovators in these challenging times 

Judith is the Executive Director of the New Jersey Commission of Science, Innovation and Technology. The Commission's mission is to accelerate economic development in New Jersey through science, innovation and technology including stimulating academic-industrial collaboration and encouraging and supporting entrepreneurs and inventors. Previously she was involved with regional economic and cluster development having responsibilities at the NJII @ NJIT for the HealthIT Connections entrepreneurial cluster development program and the NJIT I-Corps Site. She is a member of the NJ –Israel Commission and serves on the Board of Greater Newark Enterprise Corporation, StartUp Newark, Women’s Center for Entrepreneurship Corporation, Einstein’s Alley, SheTek and NJEDA Tech Advisory Board, working to assist early stage tech and life sciences entrepreneurs foster regional economic growth. 

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Steve is the co-founder and chief executive of WeSolar CSP Inc. and is a thought leading voice in today's renewable energy industry. He has used his experience having spent decades on WallStreet as a business leader to impact and help reduce the global carbon footprint. His experience gives him the natural ability to manage complex initiatives from concept to funding including successful product launches. Steve has worked with global heads, governments and industry to develop disruptive , transformational energy solutions. He has held various leadership positions at JPMorgan, UBS, GE Capital, DTC, Wipro Technologies and Virtusa Inc. Steve earned an Executive MBA from Rutgers University Business School.