Conference Links Investment Capital with Knowledge Capital

More than 160 participants convened at The Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center in October for Virginia's Technology Capital Access Forum. The objective of the statewide annual event is to advance Virginia's innovation economy by putting technology and innovative entrepreneurs in touch with capital providers throughout the mid-Atlantic region. This year's conference featured Rich Karlgaard (top photo), publisher of Forbes magazine and author of the bestseller, Life 2.0. Daniel Barchi (right, bottom photo), president and CEO of Carilion Biomedical Institute, presents the best business plan award to Keith Ignotz, CEO and president of Diakine Therapeutics, Inc. The leading sponsors of the conference were Virginia Tech, Carilion, and Third Security.