Inspiring Hispanic Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Event description

Are you an innovator or aspiring entrepreneur? Don’t miss this chance to become inspired and learn from successful Hispanic innovators, business leaders, and start up experts. Every year Americans celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month by appreciating the community’s history, heritage, and the contributions of the ancestors of American citizens who came from Mexico, Spain, the Caribbean, and South and Central America. Learn how Hispanic commitment to innovation demonstrates the best of American values and explore how you can become a successful creator yourself.

This free event is open to all. Join us in person on October 31 at the San Juan Convention Center, 1-4:30 p.m. AT, for the English language program. We’ve created an exciting program for you with fireside chats by accomplished innovators, resources shared by business experts, and the opportunity to hear from successful entrepreneurs in your community. The Inspiring Hispanic Innovation and Entrepreneurship program will also feature:

• Insights from experts on what it takes to bring your idea to the market 
• Access to knowledge and resources from the USPTO and other organizations that are free and support entrepreneurs with intellectual property protections for their ideas
• In-person networking with the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) and the Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC)

Register today 

You can also register for the Spanish language program, which is on October 29. For more information, or if you have any questions or comments, please email us at InnovationOutreach@uspto.gov. 

Agenda (All times Atlantic Time, subject to change)

1 - 1:10 p.m. , Program welcome and overview, Carlos Gutierrez, Innovation Outreach Specialist, Innovation Outreach Division, USPTO

1:10 - 1:40 p.m., Inspiring innovation, A fireside chat with an inventor took their idea and turned it into a commercial product. Facel Casta Baez, Inventor and President at NYX, Inc.

1:40 - 2:30 p.m., What does it take to bring your idea to market?, Moderator: Gloria Viscasillas, Startup Executive Director, ECHAR PA'LANTE 

Panelists:  

• Dr. Manuel Lobato, Leader of the Center for the Support of Innovation and Commercialization, University of Puerto Rico
• Teresa Berrios, Director, Puerto Rico MBDA
• Lorena Molina-Irizarry, Senior Advisor for Puerto Rico & Data Equity, U.S. Census Bureau

2:40 - 3:20 p.m., Does my idea exist?, Use the Patent and Trademark Resource Centers (PTRC) to help in your search and find resources to protect your intellectual property, Gladys E. López, PTRC, University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez

3:20 - 3:45 p.m., Resources from the USPTO and closing remarks

Panelists:

• Paola Zaragoza Cardenales, Graduate Program Coordinator for the School of Law, University of Puerto Rico
• Ramon Mercado, SPE, Northeast Regional Outreach Office, USPTO

This program is presented by the USPTO's Innovation Outreach Division. You can contact InnovationOutreach@uspto.gov for more information.

Accessibility accommodation

If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request a reasonable accommodation, please submit your request to the contact information listed above.

This event is part of a series: Advancing Equity, Hispanic Innovation and Entrepreneurship