Tough Tech Summit 2018

The Engine was founded with two goals: to invest in, and work with, founders creating the scientific breakthroughs and converging technologies that hold the potential to change the future. The second was to convene those who want to collaborate in helping these founders solve society’s most important problems.

Our first Tough Tech Summit helped us fulfill the latter of those goals. Over 366 attended, including 135 founders, 29 investors, 27 corporate leaders, and 20 academic leaders. Those attendees participated in two of of six possible tracks (listed below), listened to keynote talks from founders and members of the Tough Tech ecosystem, and connected over lunch, drinks, and a Tough Tech startup poster session.

Download a full recap of the day here.

Funding Tough Tech
At Every Stage

Building and Nurturing
Successful Strategic
Partnerships

Transforming Academic
Leaders into Leaders
in Business

Supply Chain Strategy
and Its Effects on
Commercialization

Managing the Tension
Between R&D and Market
Demands

Strategies That Inform a
Successful Product/
Market Fit

Working Sessions

The day was split into groups of working sessions, the first concentrated on company building, the second analyzed technology and product strategy case studies. Each track within these sessions was moderated by a Tough Tech leader or founder and designed to foster open and honest dialogue.

Keynote Talks

Founders, as well as leaders in business and academia, shared their perspectives on bringing Tough Tech companies to market and how others could do the same.