Clemson University

Clemson University is a public R1 research university in Clemson, South Carolina, whose commercialization path runs through the Clemson University Research Foundation and a portfolio that already includes active licenses, issued patents, and faculty startups.

Total research and development expenditures reached $368 million in fiscal year 2025, as reported to the NSF HERD survey. That was nearly a 9% increase from the prior year and double the figure reported in 2016. Competitive research awards were $237 million in fiscal year 2024.

Florida State University

Florida State University is a public research university in Tallahassee whose commercialization path runs through the Florida State University Research Foundation and a startup license built for faculty founders.

University of Alabama at Birmingham

The University of Alabama at Birmingham is a public research university whose commercialization path runs through the Heersink School of Medicine and a technology office that has put faculty startups on the Southeast Venture Showcase stage.

Renaissance Nashville Hotel

Located in the dynamic heart of downtown Nashville, Tennessee—Music City—the Renaissance Nashville Hotel offers an ideal setting for the Southeast Venture Showcase 2026 (SVS), blending modern sophistication with the city's vibrant energy. This premier 4-star Marriott, standing 31 floors tall since 1987, features 697 stylish guest rooms and suites with plush bedding, spacious workstations, and stunning views, perfect for entrepreneurs, investors, and innovators attending SVS.

Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech, a leading public land-grant research university in Blacksburg, Virginia, is renowned for its innovative integration of technology across all disciplines. With over 30,000 undergraduate students and a research portfolio exceeding $531 million, the university fosters a collaborative environment that drives impactful solutions for the commonwealth, nation, and world.

Brown Advisory

Brown Advisory, an independent investment management and strategic advisory firm with approximately $172 billion in client assets under management, empowers entrepreneurs, growth-stage companies, and venture investors across the Southeast and beyond to achieve sustainable success through tailored investment strategies and forward-thinking guidance.

Baker Donelson

Baker Donelson, a leading national law firm with deep roots in the Southeast, serves as a strategic partner for startups, emerging companies, and venture investors driving innovation across the region. Their specialized Emerging Companies team supports entrepreneurs from formation through funding, scaling, and exits, offering expert guidance in intellectual property, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, and regulatory matters tailored to high-growth sectors like technology and healthcare.

Alex Kopelyan

Image of Alex Kopelyan, Senior Director and Partner at SOSV

As Senior Director and Partner at IndieBio, Alex is responsible for managing all of the day-to-day operations associated with the program, demo day, and the alumni network. He works closely with teams during the program on customer discovery and sales, and with investors, press, and partners to build and sustain the IndieBio ecosystem.

Jennifer T Caldwell

Image of Jennifer T Caldwell, Director, Technology Transfer

Jennifer Caldwell is Director of Technology Transfer. Previously, Caldwell led the Technology Commercialization Group in the Partnerships Office at ORNL, which is operated and managed by UT-Battelle, LLC.  She manages the Technology Commercialization Group which is responsible for intellectual property portfolio management, licensing, and technology transfer.  Caldwell works closely with businesses in our community and nation-wide to bring emerging technologies from research institutions to the marketplace. 

Alan Bentley

Image of Alan Bentley, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Technology Transfer & Intellectual Property Development

Bentley joined CTTC in June 2011 and is responsible for directing all aspects of the office, focusing on faculty service and transactional efficiency. Prior to Vanderbilt, Bentley served for five years as the director of commercialization for Cleveland Clinic Innovations, that health care center’s technology commercialization function. Before the Cleveland Clinic, he served as the associate director of the University of Virginia’s Patent Foundation. Bentley received his M.S.

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