Organizers
Danny Briere
@startupctBio: Serial entrepreneur who brought Startup America to Connecticut; current liaison with Startup America.
Derek Koch
@derekkochBio: Founder of Independent Software (product development services, products, and community), executive team for Startup Connecticut and Lead Organizer, Startup Weekend New Haven.
John Shemo
@jjdangerouslyBio: John has worked in economic development for the past 25 years. His current assignments at the MetroHartford Alliance include entrepreneur support and talent attraction and retention initiatives.
Eric Knight
@i_ericBio: Eric is a serial inventor, serial entrepreneur, author, futurist, and business and Internet pioneer. In his spare time, he has launched rockets into space. (Really!)
Brien Buckman
@BrienBuckmanBio: Brien is a Co-Founder of FounderMatchUp.org and is currently serving on the Board of Trustees of the University of Connecticut. He has attended two Startup Weekend events previously. Brien is interested in connecting potential co-founders and supporting growing companies.
Christopher Levesque
Bio: Chris currently serves as executive director of the Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CCEI) at the University of Connecticut School of Business, charged with overseeing experiential learning programs and facilitating creative economic enterprise throughout the state. The CCEI’s experiential programs include the Innovation Accelerator, a semester-long, graduate-level consulting initiative for entrepreneurial clients, as well as a new, corresponding course for undergraduates and students from diverse academic backgrounds.
Mike Roer
Bio: Mike Roer is the president of the Entrepreneurship Foundation. Previously, Roer was Executive Director of the Connecticut Venture Group for fifteen years and manager of the Crossroads Venture Fair.
