The community-focused Arrowhead Accelerator Program will be the topic of MVEDA’s June Business in the NM Borderplex Forum. The goal of this program is to accelerate New Mexico startups to drive economic growth.
The Forum will feature a panel discussion on the tools and resources that are provided by the program to break down barriers that stand in the way of starting and growing businesses. The panel will include Zetdi Sloan of the Arrowhead Center at New Mexico State University, Melissa Silverstein of Melissa Silverstein Law PLLC, Maeve Garrigan, Founder and CEO of Reap, LLC, and Neda Sanatkaran, Founder of Prosthetic Sleeve Liner.
The meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 5, 2018 from 11:30 AM until 1:00 PM at the Hotel Encanto de Las Cruces, 705 S. Telshor. It will begin with a hot entree buffet followed by a brief update by MVEDA staff.
Advance registration is $25.00 per person, payable by major credit card via the secure PayPal portal on the registration form. Payment at the door with cash, check or credit card is $30.00 per person. Reservations are required. Registration closes Thursday, May 31, 2018.
About the Speakers
Zetdi Sloan, Director of Arrowhead Accelerator Programs at New Mexico State University (NMSU)
Zetdi Sloan serves as Director for Arrowhead Accelerator Programs, a suite of venture-backed accelerators in agtech, digital health, and high-tech. She is responsible for overall program operations, including the development and implementation of business support programs and industry ecosystems to help startups maximize growth and success. Zetdi also oversees the EDA University Center for Regional Commercialization, which provides technical assistance and focuses on diversity and inclusion initiatives, and the NM FAST Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)/ Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Proposal Development Assistance programs.
She is a current board member for the Coronado Ventures Forum, Community Action Agency of Southern New Mexico and the Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals. Zetdi was recently invited to join the Startup Network Champions, a small national network of professional ecosystem builders. She earned a BA in Mass Communication and Journalism from NMSU, a Masters of International Business Certification from Université d’Angers, Angers, France and an MBA from NMSU.
Melissa Silverstein, Melissa Silverstein Law, PLLC
Melissa is a registered patent lawyer with 10 years of experience in intellectual property law and technology commercialization in academia and private practice. She’s founded three startups: two law firms and a patent marketing company. Melissa recently launched Melissa Silverstein Law PLLC, an El Paso-based Intellectual Property Management and Technology Commercialization Law Firm, focusing on intellectual property protection, marketing, and licensing. Melissa has extensive experience in intellectual property contract drafting and negotiation, including patent license agreements, term sheets, options, collaboration agreements, sponsored research agreements, and Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program agreements. She also launched TechXfer ToGo LLC, a patent marketing company that promotes small businesses and universities patent portfolio around the world to locate licensees.
As Director of the University of Texas at El Paso’s Office of Technology Commercialization, she managed UTEP’s patent portfolio, including protecting, marketing, and licensing 150+ UTEP inventions in six technology fields. Prior to joining UTEP, she practiced as a patent attorney with the Albuquerque-based patent law firm Ortiz & Lopez, where she drafted and prosecuted patent applicants for clients including Honeywell, Xerox, IBM, Clear Channel, Los Alamos National Labs, Fermilab, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Coast Guard. Melissa drafts and prosecutes patents in diverse technology areas in the chemical, biological, nanotechnology, mechanical, electrical, computer hardware and software realms.
Melissa frequently guest lectures on intellectual property, commercialization, and entrepreneurship at a variety of organizations including the El Paso Greater Chamber of Commerce, El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM).
Maeve Garrigan, Founder and CEO of Reap, LLC
Maeve Garigan is the founder and CEO of Reap LLC, an agtech startup based in Las Cruces, NM. Reap’s flagship product is a mobile app which uses data mining to provide farmers and other ag professionals with highly accurate and customized crop plans, predictions and reports.
Maeve is a technical leader with 20 years in research and development of novel technologies and creative solutions. She has served as a technology advisor and engineering manager for several US military commands, with a focus in robotics, sensors, artificial intelligence, and mobility systems.
Maeve earned an MA in International Economics and Strategic Studies from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University, and is an ISO 9001 certified project manager. She holds two patents for personal protective equipment, and has completed extensive coursework in explosive ordnance disposal, tactical driving, and anti-terrorism/force protection.
Neda Sanatkaran, Founder of Prosthetic Sleeve Liner
Dr. Sanatkaran holds a B.S., a M.S., and Ph.D. in chemical engineering. Dr. Sanatkaran earned her Ph.D. in 2015, and she started her current postdoctoral position in Soft Matter Research & Technology Group at New Mexico State University (NMSU), Las Cruces, NM in 2016. Dr. Sanatkaran has extensively worked on designing, building, and evaluating the performance of emulsions and emulsion-based polymer products with application in water treatment membrane technology and tissue engineering. She has also worked in the industrial sector as an economic analyst and project manager in multidisciplinary environments where she has gained leadership and management skills. Dr. Sanatkaran, as the founder of prosthetic sleeve liner technology, has used her expertise in polymer science, in conjunction with her management skills to ensure the team’s success in commercializing the technology.
