Crowdfunding, a money-raising tool that has become a popular option for inventors and entrepreneurs, will be discussed at a free and public event at Fairfield University, on Monday, August 25, 2014, at 7 p.m. The event - "Crowdfunding as a Doorway to Licensing" - will feature Michael Carpanzano, a crowdfunding veteran, entrepreneur, and inventor of the award-winning, nuplug. He'll discuss how crowdfunding has offered participants financial support unavailable through other avenues.

The event is co-sponsored by Fairfield University's School of Engineering and the Charles F. Dolan School of Business, in collaboration with the Inventors Association of Connecticut (IACT). It will take place in the Dolan School of Business Dining Room.

The presentation will focus on how inventors should get organized, which entails seven basic steps to get an idea out of one's head and onto a store shelf. The discussion will address key questions such as, "Is licensing right for you?" and "Is crowdfunding right for you to raise capital?"

Carpanzano created a successful business plan for his invention, nuplug, an outlet for smart devices. Doug Lyon, Ph.D., professor of computer engineering at Fairfield and IACT president, said Carpanzano's nuplug plan won him a first place award at the Connecticut business model competition in 2012, and another first place award at a national business competition in 2013. The competitions served as a preamble to a successful crowdfunding campaign through which he raised more than $85,000 in pre-sales capital for nuplug. He has since partnered with a licensee for further development and commercialization.

For more information about Fairfield University, and for directions to campus, visit www.fairfield.edu . For more details about this event, visit http://www.inventus.org .

Posted On: 08-15-2014 03:08 PM

Volume: 47 Number: $num