Famed investor & philanthropist Sean O'Sullivan, to keynote our April 7 relaunch

We are so happy to announce the relaunch of the Makers Meetup, April 7th, in-person at the Science Center. This important event is sponsored by Microchip Technology Inc. and the law firm of Royer Cooper Cohen Braunfeld, with further generous support from the Quorum, Venture Cafe and the NextFab Incubator Program.

The program will include a keynote by Sean O'Sullivan of SOSV, a venture capital firm with over $1.2 Billion in assets under management. SOSV specializes in programs for very early stage, deep-tech startups and is one of the most active venture investors in the world.

We will also be featuring a startup Showcase including AlgaSci, ANAONO, Avisi Technologies, Ben Franklin Technology Partners, Bia, Biorealize, Calico Sol, Epoch Boats, FlashPCB, Groov, HAX, Heavys, Kinetic Ceramics, Koi Charging, Lokal Artisan Foods, MedVision, Metal Light, MicroChip Neuralert, NextFab, Oasis X, Outernets, Pippysips, Portable DX, Pression, RCCB Law, Strados Labs, TheraV, Thrivo Salon, XoomFoods.

As is our custom, the event is free – both to attend as well as to show. Also, in our tradition, we will offer outstanding and plentiful food and beverages (soft drinks plus beer and wine). The applicable City of Philadelphia Covid safety protocols will be in effect.

The Showcase will begin at 4pm with the Keynote at 6pm, to be held in the Quorum event space, on the second floor. Following his presentation, Sean will be joined by the CEO's of Strados Labs, Wazer and (fresh off Shark Tank) Simply Good Jars - all Philly alumnae of SOSV. They will engage in a broad give and take with the audience.

Breakout sessions will start at 3pm, also on the second floor. Programs include a session on Advanced Arduino Debugging, led by Bob Martin – the “Wizard of Make” - from MicroChip. This intensive 3-hour course will include free eval boards.

We will also present a seminar conducted by Dylan Crow and Garrett Winther who lead the new $50 million SOSV HAX Program for early stage Hard Tech startups. This 30,000 square foot facility, to be based in Newark, NJ, will be open to entrepreneurs from across the nation. They are already accepting applications - for their $250k investment- on a rolling basis.

Additionally, attorneys Tim Levy and Matt Brinker from our sponsor, RCCB Law, will conduct a session entitled "What's on your Legal Mind: Office Hours with Two Emerging Company Lawyers".

Space is limited to 25 attendees for each of these breakout sessions and Pre-Registration is required.

Sean got his entrepreneurial start in 1985 as a founder of MapInfo, bringing street mapping technology to personal computers. MapInfo grew to a $200 million revenue public company with over 1,000 employees worldwide. His next company, NetCentric, developed many concepts in internet computing, and he is credited as the co-creator of the term “cloud computing”.

Sean continued as an entrepreneur and investor, creating and supporting a range of business, humanitarian and educational endeavors. A major promoter of economic and social development, he founded JumpStart International in 2003, a leading humanitarian organization in conflict zones and oversaw 3,500 staff at the height of the Iraq conflict. Sean has also been a primary funder of organizations such as the Khan Academy, Mathletes and CoderDojo.

SOSV is a global venture fund with more than 110 staff, supporting investments in over 150 new startups every year. SOSV runs the world’s most active startup development programs in HAX (hardware), IndiBio (life sciences), ChinaAccelerator and MOX (Asia cross-border startups) and DLab (blockchain). Major offices are located in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Taipei, San Francisco, New York, Cork, and Tokyo.

As of January 2022, SOSV had more than 1,000 portfolio companies, including their Climate Tech 100 and (just released) Human Health 100.

Sean holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Master of Fine Arts in Film Production from the University of Southern California.
Click here to RSVP.

Marvin Weinberger
marvin (at) innovationfactory (dot) com

P.S.: In addition to my volunteer work with the Makers Meetup, I am personally committed to a range of charitable activities. This year, I will again be participating in the 75-mile City-to-Shore Ride to Fight MS and would value your generous support. Please click here to make a donation.