#CTTechWeek Kick Off Party & Pitch Night @ The Village
Come celebrate the start of CT Tech Week and witness the unveiling of the most innovative startups in the industry with an opening night party and pitch night presented by Realist Lab!
The Schedule:
5:30 pm | Kickoff Party!
7:00 pm | Opening Remarks
7:15 pm | Realist Lab's Tech Founder Pitch Competition
8:30 pm | Event Concludes
The Venue / Attire
The celebration will take place at The Village, Stamford’s newest innovation hub. Our gathering will be located in "The Studio," a stunning space boasting expansive windows and stylish decor. Weather permitting, we'll also enjoy the outdoor patio area. Whether you prefer business casual or business attire, dress comfortably and confidently for the occasion.
This event is a part of #CTTechWeek - a series of events hosted by Non-Profits, The City of Stamford, VCs, and startups to bring together the CT tech ecosystem.
Meet The Judges
As part of the evening's festivities, attendees will witness tech founders pitch their groundbreaking ideas live before a distinguished panel of judges!
Get to know our panel below:
Malik Okoro, Ph.D, Senior Associate, Investments, Connecticut Innovations
Malik is a resident of New Haven. As a junior career investor with Connecticut Innovations, Malik brings the technical acumen of a multidisciplinary chemistry background and is an adaptable generalist in the broad-ranging space of business operations.
Prior to joining Connecticut Innovations, Malik was manager of business operations at the early-stage biotech EvolveImmune Therapeutics, where he delivered valuable insights on strategic workstreams in competitive intelligence and market analysis, coordinated the intellectual property strategy team, and managed the day-to-day of operationalizing discovery research. He also previously held roles in business development, in a local startup incubator, and as an operator for a startup consumer-packaged-goods company.
Malik earned his Ph.D. in chemistry from Howard University and his B.S. in chemistry from Boston College.
Qiana Patterson, Managing Partner, Nayah
Qiana Patterson is an experienced tech operator and investor, specializing in B2B SaaS in enterprise, fintech, healthtech, AI/ML and cloud. With her, she brings over 20 years of experience in the growth, operations, project/product management expertise in the technology industry.
She was the founding COO for Edlio, an LA-based K12 edtech company and prior to that she served as the Interim CEO and Vice President of Operations for Educational Networks, a leading content management software SaaS company. Additionally, she led strategic expansion for HopSkipDrive, a modern mobility tech company based in Los Angeles.
She is currently the Managing Partner at Nayah, leading operations and investments, focused on early stage founders who are building true community power, shared wealth and well-being. Some of her notable investments are in WickedSaints, Ellevest, Teal Health, ChargerHelp, Solv, Synctera, MoCafi, Exostellar, Lorals and Caylent. She is proudly a co-founding investment committee member of The Cap Table Coalition and a mentor and advisor for organizations like Black Ambition, Techstars and Good Scout Capital, a middle market private equity fund. A Seattle native she is a graduate of the University of Washington, and as a Los Angeles transplant, she is an alum of both UCLA and USC's Marshall School of Business.
Dr. Alana Ackerson, Investment Partner, Connecticut Innovations
Dr. Alana Ackerson is a technology entrepreneur & investor and is currently an Investment Partner with Connecticut Innovations, the strategic venture arm for the state of Connecticut. She provides strategic capital and expertise to CI’s portfolio companies and funds.
Alana was previously Founder and CEO of Digital Currency Group's subsidiary HQ Digital, a next-generation security and investment platform, where she worked with the world’s preeminent digital assets, blockchain, and DeFi entrepreneurs and investors. Prior to DCG, Alana co-founded Figure, a multi-billion dollar FinTech company, and Provenance Blockchain, the leading public Layer 1 for real world assets. As CEO of the Thiel Foundation, Alana led the organization's efforts to support the next generation of entrepreneurs and promote scientific and technological innovation.
Alana currently serves as a Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, having both joined the Independent Task Force on U.S. Innovation Strategy and National Security and spoken on "The Future of FinTech" at the Council's National Conference. She has served on the Board of Directors for Opportunity International, a global microfinance organization, and the Board of Trustees for SFTS. She is a Member of YPO.
Alana received a B.A. with Honors in Science, Technology and Society from Stanford University, an M.A. in Philosophical and Systematic Theology from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, and a Doctorate of Ministry with a focus on technology and faith from San Francisco Theological Seminary, where she also trained as a spiritual director.
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