What
The Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) Venture Forum will feature a keynote address by Ken Rapp, founder, president, and CEO of Hopkinton, Mass.-based VelQuest Corp. Rapp will address how to take an idea for the “next big thing” and transform it into a successful business with a commercially viable product or service. He will focus on the many obstacles that ventures must overcome. Rapp will explain how he identified a major bottleneck in the pharmaceutical industry that delayed the process of bringing new medicine to market, and how he successfully built a company and products that offer innovative solutions to the problem. A case presentation will also be made featuring Cambridge, Mass.-based Vigix Inc. CEO Steve Pytka ’68, and President and Founder Eduardo Alvarez.
Who
Rapp launched VelQuest in 1999. Prior to founding the company, he held a variety of technology and management positions with Zymark Corp from 1984 through 1999. To date, VelQuest has developed two products that automatically and effectively gather, store, and retrieve data -- all in compliance with applicable regulations, and in a manner that frees up a lab’s limited resources to spend more time researching and less time doing tedious paperwork.
When
Tuesday, Oct. 14: Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for networking; 6:30-8:30 p.m., program
Where
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Campus Center Odeum Room
100 Institute Road
Worcester, Mass.
Note
$15 members; $25 non-members; register/pay online before 3 p.m. to get a pre-printed nametag.
