Crystal Callahan is an entrepreneur-in-residence and co-lead for Launch NY’s new underrepresented founders pilot program, Founders Go Big (FGB). She provides mentorship from her experience in Main Street and high-growth entrepreneurship, both as a founder and as a mentor, which includes her work in the Buffalo entrepreneurial ecosystem from 2013 to 2015. Ms. Callahan began her startup, The Worldwide App Inc., while living on the West Coast, then returned to Buffalo to build the business through assistance from Z80 Labs and others. Worldwide was a mobile app platform that helped rising filmmakers get discovered; as its founder, Ms. Callahan became recognized as one of the first women to own her own mobile app company — and the first woman of color to do so. In 2016, she co-founded Makeur, a startup studio helping entrepreneurs launch and grow new businesses.
A Brighter Future
Event Overview
Now, as the world’s largest economies renew legislative focus on reducing greenhouse gases and funding cleantech innovation, potential startup founders have fresh opportunities. For diverse founders — including women and BIPOC — the timing is particularly ripe. With the expansion of designated venture funds, accelerators, and mentorship programs, diverse founders have a firmer foundation for launching and growing successful cleantech startups. Most importantly, diverse founders are ready to incorporate underserved communities into their innovation, ensuring that all people benefit from cleantech solutions.
In this session, you will hear from our panel of Cornell faculty and experienced startup founders about fast-moving opportunities in cleantech. They will dive deep into several specific initiatives focused on developing and supporting diverse founders in the industry.
What You'll Learn
- The opportunities and business climate factors that make cleantech a good investment for new innovation
- The unique challenges facing cleantech founders, such as patent ROI and educating new markets
- Programs and tools to support diverse founders on their startup journeys
- How to get involved with a cleantech startup led by a diverse team, as an investor, mentor, potential partner, or employee
Speakers
Elisa Miller-Out is an experienced serial tech entrepreneur, investor, board director, and community builder. She is currently Managing Partner at Chloe Capital, a seed-stage venture capital firm investing in women-led innovation companies. Ms. Miller-Out is also an instructor with the National Science Foundation Innovation Corps and a guest lecturer at Cornell University and Columbia University. She is a board director at Women 2.0 and GatheringUs, as well as chair of the board at Singlebrook, the custom software services firm she co-founded and led for over 10 years. Ms. Miller-Out has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, Forbes magazine, and other publications, and she speaks about technology and entrepreneurship at events across the country. She also serves as a mentor, advisor, and entrepreneur-in-residence with several organizations, including NYSERDA, the Center for Regional Economic Advancement at Cornell University, Launch NY, and 76West.
Emily Urban is a Ph.D. student in the Soil and Crop Sciences Section of the Cornell School of Integrative Plant Science. Her research focuses on using data-driven approaches and technologies to address complex agricultural and environmental sustainability challenges at both the farm and regional levels. Ms. Urban is particularly interested in research questions aimed at enhancing the resilience, productivity, and environmental sustainability of cropping systems across multiple scales. She is currently building a startup company that pursues agriculture-based climate solutions.
Erica Iannotti is Technology-to-Market Project Manager and Growth Strategist for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). At NYSERDA, Ms. Iannotti helps mentor 150+ hardware-focused cleantech startup companies as they land early adopters, scale up manufacturing, engage investors, grow their teams, and transform business operations. She is a serial entrepreneur, engineer, mentor, and investor with nearly 20 years of experience in commercializing innovation. Ms. Iannotti co-founded the THINQubator, an EdTech makerspace located in Troy, New York, and has launched, grown, and exited from multiple startups, including EdTech-focused CompuChild and cleantech-focused ThermoReference. She also serves on the Investment Committee at LaunchNY and as an MBA Team Coach at Cornell Tech, coaching emerging founders on team health, customer discovery, product-market fit, and pitch prep. Ms. Iannotti earned her MBA from Cornell University and holds a B.S. degree in Technical Leadership from SUNY Empire State College.
SaLisa Berrien is founder and CEO of COI Energy, a climate-friendly energy tech company. From working at electric utilities to smart grid, cleantech, and big data analytics, Ms. Berrien has over 25 years of experience in the electric power and smart grid space. She also is passionate about mentorship and paying it forward. In 1995, Ms. Berrien founded STRIVE Inc. to assist with developing young people into community-conscious leaders that positively impact the world. In 2004, she established the Karl H. Lewis Engineering Impact Alumni Endowment at the University of Pittsburgh for minority students enrolled in Engineering. Ms. Berrien is currently a cohort member at the NASDAQ Entrepreneurial Center and a University of Pittsburgh Board Trustee. She holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and an Executive MBA from Saint Joseph’s University.
Crystal Callahan is an entrepreneur-in-residence and co-lead for Launch NY’s new underrepresented founders pilot program, Founders Go Big (FGB). She provides mentorship from her experience in Main Street and high-growth entrepreneurship, both as a founder and as a mentor, which includes her work in the Buffalo entrepreneurial ecosystem from 2013 to 2015. Ms. Callahan began her startup, The Worldwide App Inc., while living on the West Coast, then returned to Buffalo to build the business through assistance from Z80 Labs and others. Worldwide was a mobile app platform that helped rising filmmakers get discovered; as its founder, Ms. Callahan became recognized as one of the first women to own her own mobile app company — and the first woman of color to do so. In 2016, she co-founded Makeur, a startup studio helping entrepreneurs launch and grow new businesses.
Elisa Miller-Out is an experienced serial tech entrepreneur, investor, board director, and community builder. She is currently Managing Partner at Chloe Capital, a seed-stage venture capital firm investing in women-led innovation companies. Ms. Miller-Out is also an instructor with the National Science Foundation Innovation Corps and a guest lecturer at Cornell University and Columbia University. She is a board director at Women 2.0 and GatheringUs, as well as chair of the board at Singlebrook, the custom software services firm she co-founded and led for over 10 years. Ms. Miller-Out has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, Forbes magazine, and other publications, and she speaks about technology and entrepreneurship at events across the country. She also serves as a mentor, advisor, and entrepreneur-in-residence with several organizations, including NYSERDA, the Center for Regional Economic Advancement at Cornell University, Launch NY, and 76West.
Emily Urban is a Ph.D. student in the Soil and Crop Sciences Section of the Cornell School of Integrative Plant Science. Her research focuses on using data-driven approaches and technologies to address complex agricultural and environmental sustainability challenges at both the farm and regional levels. Ms. Urban is particularly interested in research questions aimed at enhancing the resilience, productivity, and environmental sustainability of cropping systems across multiple scales. She is currently building a startup company that pursues agriculture-based climate solutions.
Erica Iannotti is Technology-to-Market Project Manager and Growth Strategist for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). At NYSERDA, Ms. Iannotti helps mentor 150+ hardware-focused cleantech startup companies as they land early adopters, scale up manufacturing, engage investors, grow their teams, and transform business operations. She is a serial entrepreneur, engineer, mentor, and investor with nearly 20 years of experience in commercializing innovation. Ms. Iannotti co-founded the THINQubator, an EdTech makerspace located in Troy, New York, and has launched, grown, and exited from multiple startups, including EdTech-focused CompuChild and cleantech-focused ThermoReference. She also serves on the Investment Committee at LaunchNY and as an MBA Team Coach at Cornell Tech, coaching emerging founders on team health, customer discovery, product-market fit, and pitch prep. Ms. Iannotti earned her MBA from Cornell University and holds a B.S. degree in Technical Leadership from SUNY Empire State College.
SaLisa Berrien is founder and CEO of COI Energy, a climate-friendly energy tech company. From working at electric utilities to smart grid, cleantech, and big data analytics, Ms. Berrien has over 25 years of experience in the electric power and smart grid space. She also is passionate about mentorship and paying it forward. In 1995, Ms. Berrien founded STRIVE Inc. to assist with developing young people into community-conscious leaders that positively impact the world. In 2004, she established the Karl H. Lewis Engineering Impact Alumni Endowment at the University of Pittsburgh for minority students enrolled in Engineering. Ms. Berrien is currently a cohort member at the NASDAQ Entrepreneurial Center and a University of Pittsburgh Board Trustee. She holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and an Executive MBA from Saint Joseph’s University.