Crowdfunding, a new, exciting way to fund inventions via the Internet, will be the subject of a talk at Fairfield University, on Tuesday, July 31 at 7 p.m. in the Dolan School of Business Dining Room.

Mark Nowotarski, president of Darien, Conn.-based Markets, Patents & Alliances, LLC, will return to campus to revisit this fascinating process at the free, public event: "Crowdfunding Your Invention: One Year Later, the Update." He'll present three case studies of successful crowdfunding projects for patent pending inventions that were hosted on kickstarter.com . He will also discuss what it takes to succeed in this revolutionary world of socially funded inventions.

In addition to explaining the crowdfunding process, Nowotarski will discuss what projects qualify for it. Social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter, and influential weblogs, including Gizmodo and Wired, are key to this new avenue for inventors to find backers. Backers commit to different funding levels in exchange for associated awards, such as one or more versions of the invention.

Sponsored by Fairfield University's School of Engineering and the Inventors Association of Connecticut (IACT), the event will try to bring together not only tinkerers and inventors, but people working in marketing, venture capitalists, intellectual property attorneys, and entrepreneurs as getting an invention off the ground requires a business team effort.

For more information, contact Dr. Douglas Lyon, professor of computer engineering and IACT president, at dlyon@fairfield.edu . For more information about the School of Engineering, and directions to campus, visit www.fairfield.edu or see http://www.inventus.org .

Posted On: 07-03-2012 11:07 AM

Volume: 45 Number: 1