Through a federal competitive awards-based program, the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)/Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs provide non-dilutive funding to small businesses conducting research and development. Join us to learn how SBIR/STTR may fit into your company’s larger commercialization strategy, how to increase the quality of your proposal, and how the Launch Tennessee SBIR/STTR Matching Fund is supporting startup growth across the state.

Breakfast & coffee provided. 

Speaker bio: Jim Stefansic is the Director of Corporate Development at Cumberland Emerging Technologies (CET). His responsibilities include sourcing, evaluating, and negotiating for new biopharmaceutical product and technology opportunities especially with academic institutions, in addition to project fundraising and product commercialization. 

Dr. Stefansic was previously COO of Pathfinder Therapeutics, Inc., a company he co-founded, where he led FDA regulatory submissions and business development activities. While there, he raised more than $17 million in venture capital and Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding. He also previously served as the Director of Commercialization at Launch Tennessee, where he was instrumental in leading the acquisition of funding to develop and support the statewide SBIR program.  He earned an undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering from Johns Hopkins University, a doctorate from Vanderbilt, and his MBA from Belmont University's Jack C. Massey Graduate School of Business, where he currently serves as an Adjunct Professor of Business and was named the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year in 2011. Dr. Stefansic started his career as a Research Assistant Professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and has patented several technologies. He also serves as a Director at Raiven Healthcare, a company he co-founded.