Dr. Gunnar Weikert, chairman of Inventages Venture Capital Investments, will be the keynote speaker at the Big Bang! Business Plan Competition kickoff event at 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Davis on Wednesday, Oct. 26.
In a talk, titled "From Therapy to Prevention: The End of the Traditional Pharma Industry," Weikert will offer his perspective on the pharmaceutical industry's increasing focus on direct-to-consumer preventive medication. His venture capital firm makes investments in cutting-edge life sciences and health sciences research and technologies.
Weikert's talk will begin at 5 p.m. at the University Club, followed at 6 p.m. by the launch of the sixth annual Big Bang! Business Plan Competition.
The Big Bang! competition, organized by MBA students at the Graduate School of Management, promotes entrepreneurship, innovation and hands-on learning across the campus. During the next seven months, the competition will include workshops on finance, marketing, intellectual property and legal issues, and business-plan development. Finalists will present their plans in May, at which time $15,000 in prize money will be awarded.
Tuesday's event will include a mixer to help connect students, researchers and others interested in forming teams to enter the competition. For more information about Big Bang!, see .
Weikert's keynote lecture is presented by the 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Davis Office of Research, the management school and 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Davis CONNECT. Attendees and members of the media are asked to R.S.V.P. to ortia@ucdavis.edu.
Media Resources
Julia Ann Easley, General news (emphasis: business, K-12 outreach, education, law, government and student affairs), 530-752-8248, jaeasley@ucdavis.edu
Tim Akin, Graduate School of Management, 530-752-7362, tmakin@ucdavis.edu