SCHWARTZ CROSSROADS

The XSITEment Returns on June 17 to Explore "Building the Next Economy"

On June 17, Xconomy will once again bring out the New England revolutionaries in business, academia and technology for XSITE 2010. XSITE has become one of New England’s most anticipated conferences. This year’s theme is “Building the Next Economy,” reflecting the region’s obsession with inventing products. It will offer the perfect venue to explore the realities of the startup life cycle and the obstacles entrepreneurs must overcome to succeed in frontier fields like wireless health services, smart grid technologies, biotech, and even the design and manufacturing cluster. Schwartz Communications is eXITEd to sponsor this event for the second year. This year’s host is Babson College, with support from the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering in Wellesley.

The day will begin with opening remarks from Babson College President Len Schlesinger and Olin College President Rick Miller. Keynote appearances will include Rodney Brooks, co-founder, chairman and CTO, Heartland Robotics; Peter Hecht, CEO, Ironwood Pharmaceuticals; Peter Diamandis, chairman and CEO, X Prize Foundation; and Richard Pops, chairman and CEO of Alkermes.

Throughout the day, Innovator Profile presentations will highlight the efforts of new and exciting companies in New England. Massachusetts continues to be at forefront of technological advances. According to a recent study from the Index of the Massachusetts Innovation Economy by Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, on a per capita basis, Massachusetts inventors were granted more patents than any other state or nation.

Plenary sessions will include “Innovation After Acquisition” featuring IBM and Schwartz client E Ink and “Is Venture Dead?”, which brings together leading investors from around the U.S., including Vulcan Capital, Intel Capital, and Boston Millennia Partners. During the afternoon, attendees will participate in breakout sessions on life sciences, energy/cleantech, health IT, and information technology, and hear firsthand how New England’s startups, large companies, and academic leaders are driving dynamic change.

Finally, a dozen of the region’s most promising emerging firms in IT, life sciences, and energy will strut their stuff at XSITE Xpo, a rapid fire session with audience voting on which companies will be the most transformative.

XSITE 2010 will take place on June 17 from 8:15 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., with a networking reception to follow. For information about the agenda and registration, go to http://xsite2010.eventbrite.com/. You can also follow and participate in the Twitter chatter using the hash tag #xsite10.

We look forward to seeing you there!