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Startup Accelerator Panel (BIEN Event)

Wondering whether an accelerator is right for you and your start-up? Come hear first hand from program leaders of the prominent accelerators; Techstars, MassChallenge, Y Combinator, Greentowne Labs and Founder Institute.

We will discuss topics like the best time to participate in an accelerator, pros and cons of accelerators, and best practices for accelerator applications.  And of course, bring your questions!

Date: Thursday, October 4, 2018 

Time: 6:30 - 8:00 pm 

Venue: MIT Sloan, Building E62, Room 262  

On-Campus Free Parking:  Due to the never-ending construction, Sloan's Hermann Garage is only accessable via Main Street. It is a small garage without a gate, and directly under the Sloan library. Another option is the Amherst Street/E51 lot. These parking lots are free after 5pm. The closest public parking is Kendall Center Green Garage, next to the Marriott Hotel. The entrance is 90 Broadway Street. For other suggesions, click here. 

Panelists Bios

  • Julia Travaglini – Greentown Labs: Ms. Travaglini is Senior Director of Marketing, Chief of Staff of Greentown Labs. As Senior Director of Marketing, Ms. Travaglini drives the development and execution of the incubator’s overall marketing, communications, and public relations strategy. She leads and oversees the incubator’s events strategy and liaises between Greentown Labs and its vast network of strategic partners for all marketing-related activities.  As Chief of Staff, she works closely with Greentown Labs’ CEO and senior leadership team to ensure Greentown Labs has the people, culture, financing, processes and tools to execute against an ambitious growth strategy. Prior to Greentown Labs, Ms. Travaglini worked at HB, a B2B marketing firm focused on energy and technology clientele. During her time at HB, she helped organizations share their stories through marketing campaigns, messaging and branding, and public relations activities. She serves on the City of Somerville’s Innovation and Opportunity Lab Advisory Committee and is committed to helping build an inclusive innovation ecosystem in Somerville. 
  • Kat Manalac - Y Combinator: Ms. Manalac is a Partner at Y Combinator where she participates in choosing and funding nearly 300 companies every year. Kat is specifically focused on outreach -- reaching out to communities of potential founders, and helping find the next Airbnb. Previously, she was Chief of Staff to,,,,, investor and co-founder of reddit. Prior to that Kat was at WIRED Magazine.
  • Leo Guyshan - MassChallenge: Mr. Guyshan is the Program Director at MassChallenge Boston. He helps design and support MC Boston’s accelerator program and helps streamline processes and operations for the Boston accelerator and site. Previously, he worked at the Harvard Business School Rock Center for Entrepreneurship where he managed the HBS Entrepreneur-in-Residence program, supported the New Venture Competition and Rock Accelerator, and developed alumni entrepreneurship programming. Prior to HBS, Leo worked in operations at Brandeis University and with early stage startups. Leo graduated from Brandeis University with a B.A. in Politics and Russia.
  • Clement Cazalot - Techstars: Mr. Cazalot is currently Managing Director of Techstars Boston. Previously he served as VP Technology at Intralinks (NYSE: IL), until its acquisition by Synchronoss (NASDAQ: SNCR). Before Intralinks, Cazalot was the co-founder and CEO of docTrackr (accelerated by TechStars Boston in 2012) that was acquired by Intralinks in 2014, after having partnered with industry leaders among which Microsoft, Adobe, Autodesk, and Box. Mr. Cazalot has been featured in a number of publications, conferences and recognized by peers and media alike for his information security expertise. He holds a both Master of Science in Intelligence & Innovation from Universite Aix-Marseille (France) and a Master of Business Administration and Management from Ecole de Management de Marseille (France).
  • Ignacio Castro - Founder Institute: Mr. Castro is Managing Director of the Founder Institute, and Head of Lending Technology at Santander Bank. The Founder Institute is a global network of startups and mentors that helps entrepreneurs launch great technology companies around the globe. He received his MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management in 2011, and got involved in FI's Boston program in 2013. During his career, he has worked for global organizations like Chiquita Brands, PanAmerican Health Organization, Intel Corporation, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and World Vision International. Ignacio also founded a non-profit called Startup Costa Rica with the goal of supporting entrepreneurs from Costa Rica with their business development efforts, as well as specific initiatives in the country to promote entrepreneurship. 

    Eventbrite - Start up Accelerator Panel

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