The Lally School of Management, the business school at Rensselaer, started 50 years ago. On Tuesday, Oct. 21, as part of a series of special events marking major anniversaries at the Institute, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and Internet pioneer Steve Case will be the featured speaker. Case will participate in the concluding session of a daylong showcase titled “Investing in Entrepreneurship” at the Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC).
Steve Case
Steve Case is one of America’s best-known and most accomplished entrepreneurs and philanthropists, and a pioneer in making the Internet part of everyday life. He is chairman and CEO of the venture capital firm Revolution, and chairman of the Case Foundation, both of which invest “in people and ideas that can change the world.” Prior to starting Revolution, he was the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of America Online Inc. (AOL) and, later, the chairman of AOL Time Warner.
“At Rensselaer, we challenge and motivate our students to change the world, and Steve Case is doing just that every day,” said President Shirley Ann Jackson. She will lead a conversation with Case, titled “Cultivating Data-Driven Entrepreneurship.” The program will be held in the EMPAC Theater from 3 to 4:30 p.m.
President Jackson has called for a new way—that she describes as the “new polytechnic”—of learning and working across disciplines and sectors, using new tools and technologies and our global interconnectivity. Using them, particularly in the arenas of big data, high performance computing, and web science, we are able to develop new approaches to the challenges of energy, food, water, health, and national security, climate change, and natural resource allocation, which are fundamental to our daily lives and to the long-term viability of the planet.
“Data is the new natural resource of the 21st century,” President Jackson said. “The ways we generate it and mine, manage, preserve, and connect it, by harnessing powerful new analytical and computational capacities, will shape and change our world. We will discuss cultivating entrepreneurs and growing an innovation ecosystem that uses data to unlock potential solutions to the grand global challenges.”
Lally School of Management Dean Thomas Begley said, “Steve Case’s work and vision is in sync with the Lally School’s rich tradition of technological entrepreneurship. Now more than ever, we are focused on bridging management and technology to create global business leaders who will guide their organizations toward innovative products, processes, and businesses.”
The celebration also will feature a panel discussion and workshop titled “Angel Investors and Entrepreneurs—How To Speak the Same Language,” along with a pitch session showcasing several leading area startup companies in search of venture capital. Additional event highlights include networking opportunities, educational sessions, and an exhibit featuring startup companies.
“We are proud to be part of the bridge to the bicentennial anniversary of Rensselaer,” Dean Begley said. “As we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Lally School, we also highlight important milestones of how the world has been transformed by the achievements of Rensselaer people past and present.”
The events are open to the campus community, alumni and alumnae, and the general public. Registration is encouraged.