By Liza Wilson Durant, PhD, Associate Provost, Strategic Initiatives and Community Engagement, and Professor and Associate Dean, Strategic Initiatives and Community Engagement, College of Engineering and Computing, George Mason University
Placemaking is critical to the development of innovation ecosystems. It is the diversity of perspectives that fuels innovation. How we bring people together to exchange ideas and collaborate is as important as the state-of the art facilities that enable the technology advances. The idea of convening has never been more important than it is today as we struggle to be less physically distant while safeguarding our wellbeing.
Placemaking is critical to the development of innovation ecosystems. It is the diversity of perspectives that fuels innovation. How we bring people together to exchange ideas and collaborate is as important as the state-of the art facilities that enable the technology advances. The idea of convening has never been more important than it is today as we struggle to be less physically distant while safeguarding our wellbeing.
It is a challenge George Mason University took on this year as we conceived and hosted the University’s inaugural Accelerate 2022 conference which attracted 300 attendees and awarded cash prizes to innovation pitch competition winners and finalists. Accelerate 2022, held at the George Mason University Arlington Campus on October 19-20, 2021, focused on showcasing up-and-coming startups throughout the greater Washington, D.C., region. Four panels explored trends in investment and future technology development, with an overlay of global policy and national health, security, and infrastructure needs.
The pitch competition drew attendees from across the country and received applications from startups offering solutions in biohealth, software, and sustainability. Winners were awarded cash prizes at a gala featuring keynote speakers Paul Misener, Amazon’s vice president of global innovation policy and communications and a Mason alum, and Bobby Franklin, president of the National Venture Capital Association.
We look forward to continuing the collaboration with Arlington businesses, the community and local government, and economic partners to support the growth of the Arlington innovation ecosystem. Your perspectives and leadership are critical to supporting Arlington as a regional hub of innovation that will catalyze the transformation of Northern Virginia’s economy into a diverse innovation economy that provides opportunities for all. Drop by Virginia Square soon, and bring your experience and perspective!
The pitch competition drew attendees from across the country and received applications from startups offering solutions in biohealth, software, and sustainability. Winners were awarded cash prizes at a gala featuring keynote speakers Paul Misener, Amazon’s vice president of global innovation policy and communications and a Mason alum, and Bobby Franklin, president of the National Venture Capital Association.
We look forward to continuing the collaboration with Arlington businesses, the community and local government, and economic partners to support the growth of the Arlington innovation ecosystem. Your perspectives and leadership are critical to supporting Arlington as a regional hub of innovation that will catalyze the transformation of Northern Virginia’s economy into a diverse innovation economy that provides opportunities for all. Drop by Virginia Square soon, and bring your experience and perspective!
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