Are you working on getting “Investment Ready?” It’s time to prep for a conversation with an early stage investor if you have achieved many of the milestones in the Blackstone LaunchPad Syracuse Toolkit. Learn what early stage funders are looking for, and how to approach investors at office hours with David Eilers, Entrepreneur in Residence for Launch NY. Eilers will be hosting “Launch Hours” on January 24, February 21, March 21 and April 18 from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Blackstone LaunchPad in Bird Library.
Launch NY is a venture development organization with a mission to identify, support and invest in high-growth, high-impact companies, and catalyze the entrepreneurial culture to drive job and wealth creation in Upstate New York. Launch NY provides startup clients with pro bono mentoring services combined with access to early stage capital. The Launch NY Seed Fund is fueled by grants and donations, with all returns coming back to the fund to support investments in future startups in what is known as an “evergreen cycle.” The Fund is built upon successful models of other venture development organizations in comparable communities of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and other states around the country who have used a combined approach of mentoring and seed capital for as much as two decades to drive their economy through entrepreneurship. The Fund is designed to provide $25,000 to $100,000 in investment capital to companies who meet Launch NY’s criteria and have been working with a Launch NY Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIRs) for at least three months. EIRs work with client companies before, during, and after Launch NY’s rigorous investment process that prepares entrepreneurs not only for achieving key milestones in their business but also for raising follow-on funding from other investors.
Eilers is an enterprise leader focused on the convergence of technology development, innovation process and user engagement. Over the course of his career Eilers has pioneered new products, opened new international markets and developed new business models in the healthcare industry through his work with the Marmon Group of companies and InterV Medical Group/ Roundtable Healthcare Partners, resulting in a $785 Million acquisition. In 2008, Eilers applied his interest in Open Innovation to the co-founding of Blue Highway, LLC; a technology accelerator focused on creating early diagnosis of adverse health conditions. In 2013, he helped launch the Life Reimagined Institute for AARP, focused on improving the social determinants of health for people 50+ through millions of digital interactions and thousands of live in-person seminars. Most recently, he was asked by leaders at the American Hospital Association (AHA) to co-develop and teach a practical innovation curriculum for AHA’s member hospitals which can prototype novel concepts in a ninety-day period.
Eilers is also an adjunct faculty member in Syracuse University’s Online MBA program, serves on the Board of Directors for Lexington Wellness Holdings, and is a volunteer Board Member for the Lwala Community Alliance which creates health and wellness programs in rural Kenya. He often speaks to innovation communities and universities interested in the design thinking process and commercialization of emerging technologies.
If you would like to schedule an appointment with Eilers, please e-mail: LaunchPad@syr.edu