Summer 2010
New AoA Fellow Swoops in to Work with Investors and Entrepreneurs
Our signature program to support entrepreneurial investment, Alliance of Angels, recently welcomed a new face to the team who counts among her various skills “the ability to maneuver potholed roads carrying live chickens on a motorcycle.”
Intrigued? So were we.
Meet second-year MBA student Alissa Johnson, our 2010-2011 William H. Gates Sr. Fellow in Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
Alissa is pursuing a concentration in marketing and entrepreneurship at the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business. In addition to engaging with the investor and entrepreneur communities through AoA, she is in the middle of a summer-long internship in digital video application product management at Adobe Systems in Seattle.
Prior to enrolling in the MBA program, Alissa spent six years managing various projects at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, including global HIV vaccine trials and the creation of innovative research collaboration platforms.
Alissa previously spent a year in Burkina Faso on a Fulbright grant, where she researched production partnerships in the West African film industry and analyzed the impact of media campaigns on public perception of issues relating to education, politics, and HIV/AIDS. She also taught English courses at the University of Ouagadougou, and it was in Burkina Faso that she acquired her special chicken-wrangling skills.
Closer to home, Alissa will have an opportunity to develop an entirely different skill set, this one around entrepreneurial excellence and investing in innovation.
“I am thrilled to be leveraging my unique background to help passionate local entrepreneurs clarify the market opportunity and communicate the value of their businesses,” said Alissa. “Every day at AoA is unique – bringing talented people with innovative ideas through our door.”
“It’s an exciting challenge and learning opportunity to consistently present our investor community with the region’s most promising early-stage companies.”
Alissa graduated from Whitworth University with a Bachelor’s degree in French and Cross-Cultural Studies. While an undergraduate she spent a year studying abroad at the Université de la Réunion, on a French island in the Indian Ocean. She is a member of the World Affairs Council and mentors applicants to the Fulbright program.
The William H. Gates Sr. Fellowship in Innovation & Entrepreneurship was created to honor the Technology Alliance’s founding chair. Each year, the fellowship offers a Master’s level student at the University of Washington the opportunity to interact with investors and entrepreneurs and to work on projects that support the growth of innovative young companies in Washington State.
Tomorrow’s Companies Today: July 13th Innovation Showcase to Highlight New Crop of Medical and Green Technologies Ready for Commercialization
A disposable card that enables physicians to perform common screening tests in a single patient visit. A material used to build low cost, virtually maintenance-free “green” roadways. A new kind of glass that will reduce the energy consumed to heat and cool buildings.
These are just a few of the exciting innovations that will be featured at the next Innovation Showcase on July 13th.
Innovation and Impact: New Technology Alliance Report Measures the Vital Contributions of Technology-based Industries to the Washington Economy
Just how important are Washington’s innovative industries to our statewide economy?
Very, judging by the results of the Technology Alliance’s latest study. With 381,546 direct employees, wages and other compensation totaling more than $42 billion, and $133 billion in sales, innovation’s impact is felt throughout The Evergreen State.
The New Industrial Revolution: Alliance of Angels Recognizes Modumetal as 2010 Company of the Year
Imagine if you could grow metal that is stronger but lighter than steel. Imagine creating new materials and coatings that are more durable than conventional metals, using a cost-effective, green manufacturing process. Imagine what you could build – and build better – from armor and airplanes, to bridges and pipelines.
The team at Modumetal dared not only to dream it, but to do it. Welcome to the new industrial revolution.
Technology Alliance Elects Five Outstanding Business Leaders to Board
The Technology Alliance was pleased to welcome new board members Ewan Duncan, Doug Francisco, Sean McLeod, Susan Sigl, and Scott Silver during the first half of 2010. They are the latest in a long line of forward-thinking business and community leaders to devote their considerable talents to advance our organization’s vision of a vibrant innovation economy for Washington and its citizens.
Aquatic Oil Spill Expert Usha Varanasi to Open the 2010-2011 Season of the Science & Technology Discovery Series
The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill off the coast of Alaska left a lasting impression in our minds, and a lasting impact on the environment and livelihood of our neighbors to the north. The memory of that fateful day in Prince William Sound is recalled, two decades later, by distressing images of oil gushing unchecked from an undersea well in the Gulf of Mexico; of pristine sandy beaches marred by pools of sludge, of floating fish carcasses and slick-coated birds, and of entire communities wondering how they will recover, so soon after rebuilding in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
What did we learn 20 years ago that can help us respond to the devastation wreaked today?
On September 10th, Dr. Usha Varanasi, director of the Northwest Fisheries Science Center, will examine the legacy of Exxon Valdez and the effects of oil spills on aquatic ecosystems to kick off the new season of our Science & Technology Discovery Series.
Extra! Extra! Read All About It!
It has been a busy Spring for the TA. In case you missed out, here is a selection of media coverage of our recent events and activities:
- High-tech Employment Growing in Whatcom County
- Bellingham Herald, 7/4/10
- Tech Alliance's Susannah Malarkey on Four Things Seattle Could Learn from Boston, and One Big Northwest Advantage
- Xconomy, 6/29/10
- Clay Christensen Speaks at Technology Alliance on Disruptive Innovations in Education, Health, VC
- Xconomy, 5/18/10
- Why the Seattle Tech Community Gets the Mt. Rainier Treatment
- TechFlash, 5/17/10
- Harvard's Clayton Christensen on the Economics of Disruption
- TechFlash, 5/17/10
- Tech Alliance: Tech Companies Provide 13% of State Jobs
- Seattle Times, 5/17/10
- Technology Alliance Showcases Five Companies in Sensors, Mobile Displays, and Drug Therapies: Investors Take Notice
- Xconomy, 4/22/10
New on the Web
Check out our State of Technology Luncheon photo gallery, featuring keynote speaker Clay Christensen, TA Chair Jeremy Jaech, AoA Company of the Year honoree Christina Lomasney, and more.
Our complete economic impact report, which provides a detailed analysis of Washington's increasingly innovation-driven economy, is available for download from our Publications & Policy page.
Important Dates
- July 13
- Innovation Showcase
- 3:30 pm - 6:30 pm
- Rainier Square Conference Center, Seattle
- July 30
- Alliance of Angels 10 Minute Pitch Clinic
- 1:30 pm - 4:30 pm
- 1301 5th Avenue #2500, Seattle
- September 10
- Science & Technology Discovery Series
- Featuring: Usha Varanasi, Northwest Fisheries Science Center
- 7:30 am - 9:00 am
- Rainier Club, Seattle
- September 16
- Technology Alliance Board Meeting
- 8:00 am - 12:00 pm
- Location TBA
- September 23
- Community Leadership: Advocate, Resource & Partner in Advancing STEM Education
- Co-presented by Institute for Systems Biology and the Technology Alliance
- 3:30 pm - 6:30 pm
- Town Hall, Seattle
- October 8
- Science & Technology Discovery Series
- Featuring: Andy McShea, Theo Chocolate
- 7:30 am - 9:00 am
- Rainier Club, Seattle
