Venture Café Winston-Salem to Launch on May 4 in the Innovation Quarter

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., April 27, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Venture Café Winston-Salem will hold its inaugural Thursday Gathering on Thursday, May 4 in the Wake Forest Innovation Quarter at Inmar, kicking off a month-long city-wide tour.

"Innovating Together" will be the theme of the first Thursday Gathering, sponsored by NK Patent Law, with food and drink provided by Bibs Downtown. The event will feature programming and social connections designed to highlight the past, present and future of innovation in Winston-Salem and the Piedmont Triad.

"Winston-Salem and its region are buzzing with entrepreneurial energy and we're here to help local innovators grow their businesses by building relationships," said Karen Barnes, executive director of Venture Cafe Winston-Salem. "Bring your ideas and stories as you connect with others, learn their stories, share your own, and find ways to help each other succeed."

The schedule of events for the May 4 Thursday Gathering is as follows:

3 pm – 5 pm // Mentoring + Office Hours
Get free advice and mentoring from experts in fields like intellectual property protection, finance and more during these one-on-one sessions.

5 pm – 8 pm // Social Connections
Meet people who share your excitement around ideas, innovation and investing in our community.

6 pm – 8 pm // Programming
Learn from others' experiences during lively panel discussions, hands-on experiences and demonstrations.

Event sessions are as follows:

Past, Present, + Future of Innovation // 6:00 pm – 6:50 pm

Girls on Fire: Robotics Team Demo  //  6:00 pm – 6:50 pm

W-S MIXXER: Pop-up Maker Space  //  6:00 pm – 6:50 pm

Venture Cafe 101: Ways to Get Involved  //  6:30 pm – 6:50 pm

Entrepreneurship, Innovation, & Small Biz  //  7:00 pm – 7:50 pm

Drone On: Exploring Unmanned Flight Tech  //  7:00 pm – 7:50 pm

Virtual Reality: More Than Fun & Games  //  7:00 pm – 7:50 pm

W-S Robotics: Mini-UnConference  //  7:00 pm – 7:50 pm

David Mounts, chairman and CEO of Inmar, will also make a special announcement at 4 p.m. about education and entrepreneurship in Winston-Salem.

Announced in January of 2017, Venture Café Winston-Salem is part of the Venture Café Global Institute, with locations in St. Louis, Boston, Miami and Rotterdam, Netherlands.

At the weekly meetings of Venture Café, hundreds of members of the innovation and startup communities gather to connect, engage and learn from each other and from experts from across the region. These weekly Venture Café gatherings are free to attend and provide a full slate of topics for people interested in innovation and entrepreneurship. All Thursday Gatherings also feature free beer and wine for attendees.

After the inaugural Thursday Gathering in the Innovation Quarter, Venture Café will go on a "tour" of Winston-Salem, featuring stops at the following locations:

May 11: Growing Together – Becoming A True City of Innovation
SG Atkins Enterprise Center

May 18: Playing Together – How Sports and Entertainment Are Scoring Big
Bridger Field House, BB&T Field

May 25: Creating Together – Where Art and Innovation Collide
North Carolina School of the Arts

"The opportunity for Winston-Salem to join the global network of Venture Café cities is remarkable and affords our city access to ideas and experts from around the world," said Innovation Quarter president Eric Tomlinson. "Each Thursday Gathering is an opportunity to learn from one another and to build a stronger innovation ecosystem in the Piedmont Triad."

About Venture Cafe Winston-Salem
Venture Café Winston-Salem is a non-profit that help aligns, amplifies and accelerates the growth of innovation and entrepreneurship in our city through high-impact programming and events and by creating intentional spaces for individuals and organizations to gather, connect, and build relationships. Venture Café Winston-Salem is a member of a global network, with partner organizations in Boston/Cambridge, Massachusetts; St. Louis, Missouri; Miami, Florida; and Rotterdam, Netherlands. Venture Café Winston-Salem is funded by the DataMax Foundation, Wake Forest Innovation Quarter and the L. David Mounts Foundation.

About Wake Forest Innovation Quarter
Wake Forest Innovation Quarter (www.innovationquarter.com) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is a place for research, business and education in biomedical science, information technology, digital media, clinical services and advanced materials. The Innovation Quarter is a fast growing urban-based district for innovation with approximately 3,400 people working in over 120 companies and five academic institutions and with more than 6,700 students undertaking advanced education and workforce training annually. The Innovation Quarter currently comprises 1.9 million square feet of office, laboratory and educational space on its 330 acres. In addition, there are approximately 660 lofts and condominiums within or close by the Innovation Quarter

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/venture-cafe-winston-salem-to-launch-on-may-4-in-the-innovation-quarter-300447262.html

SOURCE Wake Forest Innovation Quarter

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