Workshop Materials Archives

Find presentation decks and other useful materials from past CONNECTS seminar series speakers.

• A Tale of Two Startups – The Best Strategies, The Worst Strategies - Michael Glenn, 9/16/19 - [pdf]

• Accelerating Your Startup via Corporate Partnerships - Sean Ammirati, 1/25/22 - [pdf]

• Accounting for Start-Ups - A Beginner's Guide - Christine S. Ferguson-Rau, 2/8/22 -[pdf]

• Acting and Thinking Like an Entrepreneur – More Important Now than Ever! - Rebecca Harris, 9/14/21 - [pdf]

• Addressing common questions surrounding Patent Law - John Powers, 3/24/22 - [pdf]

• Advance Your Selling Power in 2019 - Laurie Barkman, 2/28/19 - [pdf]
• Agile Product Development - Sean Ammirati, 10/5/23 - [pdf]

• An Entrepreneurs' Guide to Managing Legal - Dave Mawhinney and Craig Markovitz, 1/23/25 - [pdf]

• Angel Investing for Women Entrepreneurs - Christine Ferguson, 11/19/20 - [pdf]
• Art of the Pitch - Desmond O'Connor, 10/24/17 - [pdf]
• Art of Pitching Your Invention or New Business Venture - Andy Hannah, 1/21/15 - [pdf]

• Avoiding Mentor Whiplash: How to Manage Conflicting Advice - Jim Jen, 11/6/24 - [pdf]

• B2B Product Marketing - Suzy Teele, 10/30/19 - [pdf]
• Building and Growing an Entrepreneurial Team - Arthur A. Boni, 2/20/15 - [pdf]

• Building a startup from 0 to 1: Operations and Fundraising - Mar Hershenson, 2/7/23 - [pdf]

• Building a Succesful Team - Kit Needham, 2/3/22 - [pdf]
• The Business Model Canvas - Will Kaigler, 10/5/21 - [pdf]
• Business Model Canvas - A Practical Guide - Craig Markovitz, 9/17/24 - [pdf]

• Career Building: Introduction to Networking - Will Sanders, 10/21/20 - [pdf]

• The Challenge of Innovation in Healthcare - Ginny Pribanic, 1/19/22 - [pdf]

• Common Sense Tips That Are Not Commonly Used For Working With Early Stage VCs - Peter Stern, 11/11/2021 - [pdf]

• Convertible Promissory Note: Understanding the Key Terms - Peter Papagianakis, 4/5/17 - [pdf]
  • Discount Example
  • Valuation Cap - Example
• Converting Patents from Concrete Shoes to Lifelines - Sreekar Gadde and Jason Somma, 11/7/18 - [pdf]

• Cost Efficient IP Strategies that lead to Massive Exits - Sreekar Gadde and Jason Somma, 2/27/25 - [pdf]

• Creating an Effective Landing Page for Your Business - Will Lutz, 9/30/15 - [pdf]

• Creating a Successful Student Business Team - Kit Needham and Bill Courtright, 10/15/19 - [pdf]
• Creating a Successful Video - Ralph Vituccio, 11/7/14 - [pdf]
• Creating a Successful Video Pitch - Brian Staszel, 11/9/22 - [pdf]
• Creative Entrepreneurship - Taylor Davidson, 2/14/14 - [pdf]
• Customer and Competitor Discovery via Database Research - Ryan Splenda, 1/18/18 - [ppt]
• Customer Discovery  -Emily Moquin, Schmidt Market Research, 9/18/24 - [pdf]
• Customer Discovery: Is My Idea a Good One? - Kit Needham, 9/26/23 - [pdf]

• Customer Enchantment through Design Thinking - Brad Eiben, 9/15/21 - [pdf]

• Cybersecurity - Earl Crane, 9/13/17 - [pdf]

• Deciphering Google Analytics - Marta DePaul Dalton, 10/30/15 - [pdf]

• Design for Manufacturability - Elijah Wiegmann, 10/16/18 - [pdf]
• Design Thinking Through Understanding People - Dan Lockton, 9/20/17 - [pdf]
• Design Thinking Through New Metaphors - Dan Lockton, 9/16/20 - [pdf]

• Designing a Product Culture - Brad Eiben, 9/10/24 - [pdf]

• Digital Health and Healthcare Technology - Nick Shapiro, 4/3/25 - [pdf]

• Dividing Startup Equity - 4/24/18 [pdf]
• Do It Right the First Time (Setting Up Your Back Office) - Sisterson & Co., 2/4/21 - [pdf]
• Do's and Don'ts of Student Business Teams - Kit Needham, 9/26/14 - [pdf]

• Early Stage Fundraising from Silicon Valley Investors: Terminology, Milestones, Expectations - Kelly Coyne, 11/2/22 - [pdf]

• Early Stage User Acquisition and Marketing - Matt Spettel (CEO) and John LaGue (COO), CoPilot, 2/18/25 [pdf]

• Effective Investor Presentations - Jim Jen, 11/6/18 - [pdf]
• Elevator Pitch - Eagle Ventures, 3/3/17 - [pdf]
• Employment / Employee Matters - K&L Gates, 4/14/15 - [pdf]
• Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition - Len Caric, 9/11/24 - [pdf]
• Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition - Eric Close, 9/12/19 - [pdf]
• Exploring Four Types of Entrepreneurship - Laurie Barkman, 9/22/20 - [pdf]

• Equity Crowdfunding - Maggie Zheng, Wefunder, 1/25/23 - [pdf]

• Exploring Eight Types of Entrepreneurship - Laurie Barkman, 10/3/23 - [pdf]

• Federal SBIR/STTR Process and How Startups Can Take Advantage of Free Money - Ralph Hershberger, 9/23/21 [pdf]

• Financial Modeling- Phil Compton, 2/25/25 - [.pdf]
  Cap Table Example- Phil Compton, 2/25/25 - [.xls]
  Financial Model Template- Phil Compton, 2/25/25 - [.xls]

• Financing - Latham & Watkins, 10/2/14 - [pdf]
• Financing Your Startup -  Brian Goncher & Joe Krolczyk, 11/2/12 -[pdf]
• Finding Follow-On Capital -  Ben Garber, 2/12/25 -[pdf]
  SPGlobal CMU - Ben Garber, 2/12/25 - [.xls]
  SPGlobal Open Field - Ben Garber, 2/12/25 - [.xls]
• Formation & Founder Issues - Latham & Watkins, 10/2/14 - [pdf]
• Franchise Opportunities - Chris Cynkar, FranChoice, 2/12/25 - [pdf]

• From Classroom to Boardroom: Turning a Class Project into a Fully Fledged Corporation - Alison Alvarez, BlastPoint, 3/15/22 - [pdf]

• Fundamentals of Board Governance - Marion Lewis, BoardBookit, Inc., 2/13/19 - [pdf]
• Fundraising for Entrepreneurs - Taylor Davidson, 10/3/14 - [pdf]

• Get Ready to Raise Investment Capital for your Startup - Christine S. Ferguson-Rau, 1/22/25 - [pdf]

• Getting Dirty with Product Design - Brad Eiben, 9/13/22 - [pdf]
• Getting Started with Sales - Bruce Smith, 2/1/18 - [pdf]

• Growth Hacking Tactics in 2022 -  Joey Rahimi, 2/1/22 - [pdf]

• How COVID Impacts The Future of Work: Which B2B Software Segments will Accelerate? - Cindy Padnos, 10/13/20 - [pdf]

• How do you get investment with supply-chain management from Japan? - Nobuhiro Seki, 10/18/18 - [pdf]

• How to Access Resources from the Government - Tim McNulty, 3/8/17 - [pdf]

• How to come up with ideas worth pursuing - Mar Hershenson, 3/13/25 - [pdf]
• How to Conduct Patent Research - K&L Gates, 3/29/15 - [pdf]

• How To Design For Production At Super Speed - Elijah Wiegmann, 2/22/24 - [pdf]

• How to Win Friends and Influence Judges: the lost art of the Question & Answer experience - Adam Paulisick, 11/7/24 - [pdf]

• How Innovation Can Help to Heal Healthcare - Ginny Pribanic, 2/21/23 - [pdf]

• How Innovation Can Help to Heal Healthcare - Jay Srini, 2/14/24 - [pdf]

• How to Know That You are Ready for an Investment -  Christine S. Ferguson-Rau, 1/30/24 - [pdf]

• How to Pitch to Angels - BlueTree Allied Angels, 2/15/18 - [pdf]
• How to Shop for a Lawyer - Kit Needham & Stephanie Dangel, 10/9/14 - [pdf]
• How to Handle Your (And Other's) IP [pdfs] - George Dickos & Lauren Murray, 10/30/18
  Intellectual Property - [pdf]
  LSM Patent and Trademark Search - [pdf]
• The Hustlenomics Way - Damola Idowu, 2/29/24 - [pdf]
• The Hustlenomics Way Presents Superhero Avatars Personified - Damola Idowu, 2/26/25 - [pdf]

• Hustlenomics Way Presents Superwomen - Damola Idowu, 3/4/21 - [pdf]

• Hustlenomics Way Presents Superhero Designers - Damola Idowu, 2/24/22 - [pdf]

• I'll fix it in Post! Editing Your Pitch Video - Brian Staszel, 10/26/23 - YouTube

• Importance of Cash Flow - Kelley Lynch, 3/23/22 - [pdf]
  Importance of Cash Flow Spreadsheet - [xlsx]
• Improv Sales - Acting for a Customer Audience - Adam Paulisick, 10/28/15 - [pdf]
• Innovate Today: Starting Your Startup [pdfs] - 3/27/15 : 3/28/15
  Communicating Your Idea - Kyle Henson - [pdf]
  Customer Research - Will Lutz - [pdf]
  Understanding and Assessing Your Competition - Hayden Cardiff - [pdf]
  Revenue Models - Ryan Bowe - [pdf]
  Sales and Marketing - Dan Bishop - [pdf]
• Innovation and Entrepreneurship at CMU: Something for Everyone - Kit Needham, 8/23/16 - [pdf]
• Innovation Partnership Presentation - Cynthia Laurash - [pdf]
• Insurance for Startups - Laurie Kuzneski, 1/16/25 - [pdf]
• Insurance for Startups - Paul Malone, Tyler Smelko & Erin Terpack, 10/22/18 - [pdf]
• Insurance for Startups: What Do I Need and When? -Sean Ruppert, 2/27/18 - [pdf]

• Intellectual Property Crash-Course - Shane Rumbaugh, Steptoe & Johnson, 2/19/25 - [pdf]

• Intellectual Property for Business Strategies/Workbook - Meg Brindle, 11/2/17 - [pdf]

• IP Fundamentals 101 - K&L Gates, 3/19/15 - [pdf]
• IP Management from the Entrepreneur Perspective - Will Kaigler, 10/17/18 [ppt]

• IP: What Is It and How Should You Protect It - Alicia Palladino, J.D.,Ph.D and Martin Gomez, Goodwin, 2/5/25 [pdf]

• Investor Presentations – Beyond the Pitch - Jim Jen, 11/3/21 [pdf]

• Keys to Building a Successful & Sellable Startup: Cashflow Forecasting & Digital Organization - Kelley Lynch, 1/29/25 [pdf]

  • Weekly Cashflow
  • EBITDA Cashflow

• Landing Your First Five Customers - Alex Salazar, Neotribe Ventures , 1/18/23 - [pdf]

• Launching Hardware Startups with Monozukuri, The Art of Making Things in a Creative Way, Nobuhiro Seki, Monozukuri Ventures, 3/23/23 - [pdf]

• The Lean Startup - Dave Mawwhinney, 10/8/24 - [pdf]
  • Eric Ries - The Lean Startup: Innovation Through Experimentation
  • 4Moms: Product Description and Detail
  • 4Moms: Importance of Research
  • 4Moms: Consumer Research Methods
  • 4Moms: Channel Research Methods
  • 4Moms:Product Development Research
  • 4Moms: Keeping Marketing Research Costs Low
  • No Wait: Customer Discovery
  • MedSage Technologies Part 1
  • MedSage Technologies Part 2
  • MedSage Technologies Part 3
  • MedSage Technologies Part 4
  • Consumer Research Module 1 - Part 1
  • Consumer Research Module 1 - Part 2
  • Consumer Research Module 1 - Part 3
  • Consumer Research Module 2 - How to Approach Consumer Research
  • Consumer Research Methods Module 3 Part 1
  • Consumer Research Methods Module 3 Part 2
  • CPS - Customer Empathy Map (Personas)
  • CPS Hypothesis - Kiss Metrics
  • Customer Validation Techniques

• Legal Considerations for Social Entrepreneurs - Eryn Correa, 1/26/23 - [pdf]

• Leverage IP to Drive Business Value - Sreekar Gadde & Jason Somma, 2/1/23 - [pdf]

• Leveraging Compliance-focused Infrastructure to Build Faster - Jason Cahill, AWS, 4/5/22 - [pdf]

  • AWS Security, Identity and Compliance Presentation

  • Leveraging AWS to Build Faster Presentation

  • AWS Getting Started

  • In depth Tutorials based on subject

• Leveraging Partnerships with FDA: Advice for Startups - Elora Gupta & Courtney Williamson, 4/2/19 - [pdf]

• Leveraging Partnerships with FDA during and after COVID-19 : Advice for Startups - Elora Gupta & Courtney Williamson, 2/16/221 - [pdf]

• Making Things Here - Afshan Khan, 1/30/18 - [pdf]
• Media Coverage & How to Get It - Project Olympus, 6/28/17 - [pdf]

• Nonprofit Finance and Funding - Kim McCormick, 10/30/24 - [pdf]

• The Nuts and Bolts of Angel Investing - Sreekar Gadde, 2/10/22 - [pdf]
  • Guide for Scoring Companies for "Screenings" - Catherine Mott, 3//9/21 - [pdf]
• Online Marketing for Startups in 2021 - Joey Rahimi, 2/16/21 - [pdf]

• Outcome & Impact Measurement - Bob Blattberg, 11/13/24 - [pdf]

• Overcoming Fear, Finding Success, and Building a More Women-Friendly Startup Community - Lynn Yanyo, 9/30/20 - [pdf]

• Patent Trolls and Patent Protection - Khurram Naik, 11/16/20 - [pdf]

• Pitch with Production Value - Brian Staszel, 10/29/24 - [pdf]

• Pitching: An Investors Perspective - Catherine Mott & Sreekar Gadde, BlueTree Venture Fund, 2/1/24 - [pdf]

• Pitching Innovation to the C-Suite - Melissa Murphy, 10/4/23 - [pdf]

• Planning and Designing a Workplace Environment that Promotes Creativity and Innovation - Samara Wheaton & Jonathan Lusin, ikm
, 3/25/21 - [pdf]

• Practical Business Negotiation for the Early Stage Company - Eric Kline, 2/4/25 - [pdf]

• Public Relations Primer: How to Earn Media Coverage - Emma Gielata, 11/17/20 - [pdf]

• Recent Trends in Venture Capital and B2B AI -  Cindy Padnos, 11/8/23 - [pdf]

• Sales Prospecting & Process - Bryan Whittington, 3/20/15 - [pdf]
• SBA Paycheck Protection Program Info Session - Phil Compton, 4/9/20 - [pdf]
• SBIR (Pennsylvania's Premiere SBIR/STTR & Federal Funding Assistance Program) - Paul J. Petrovich, 2/3/16 - [pdf]

• Scaling from Scratch: Launching Network-based Startups - Allison Braund-Harris, 3/14/23 - [pdf]

• Science vs. Art in Pricing and Revenue - Laura Forth, 10/2/24- [pdf]

• Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning - Bob Blattberg, 10/1/24 [pdf]

• Setting Up Your Back Office - William Richardson & Carissa Habsburg, Sisterson & Co. LLP, 2/12/19 - [pdf]
  Take Away Points

• Show Me the Money:  Monetizing IP via Licenses - Matt Kirmayer & Daphne Higgs, Perkins Coie, 9/29/21 - [pdf]

• Software May Eat the World, But You Still Need a Fork - Matt Verlinich
, Innovation Works,2/23/22 - [pdf]

• Smart Gate VC - 11/28/23 - [pdf]
• Splitting the Equity Pie - Frank Demmler, 1/30/25 - [pdf's]
  Founder Share Vesting
  Founder's Pie Calculator
  Cutting the Founder's Pie

• Start Smart Law: Accelerating Growth Through Third Party Relationships/Contracts - K&L Gates, 3/4/21- [pdf]

• START SMART LAW: Building and Leveraging Your Professional Team - 2/20/25 - [pdf]

• Start Smart: Business Formation - K&L Gates - [pdf]
• Start Smart: Company Formation - K&L Gates, 2/1/18- [pdf]
• Start Smart: Contract Basics - K&L Gates, 9/28/17 - [pdf]
• Start Smart: Contracts Part II - K&L Gates, 10/17/17 - [pdf]

• Start Smart: Cryptocurrency – The Regulatory Landscape - Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, LLP, 4/23/18 - [pdf]

• Start Smart Law: Employment/Employee Matters - K&L Gates, 4/23/19 - [pdf]
• Start Smart: Finding the Right Lawyer for your Startup - K&L Gates, 10/31/17 - [pdf]

• START SMART Law: Good News for F-1 Students Starting a Business! - 6/22/21 - [pdf]

• START SMART LAW: How to Start a Business on an F-1 Student Visa - 1/23/24 - [pdf]

• START SMART LAW: Hiring and Firing - K&L Gates, 2/28/23 - [pdf]

• Start Smart Law: How to Form Your Startup Company - Part 1 - The Basics - K&L Gates, 10/26/23 - [pdf]
• Start Smart Law: How to Form Your Startup Company - Part 2 - Legal Roadmap - K&L Gates, 11/10/22- [pdf]

• Start Smart Law: How to Form Your Startup Company – Part 2 – Workshop - K&L Gates, 11/2/23 - [pdf]

  • Startup Corporate Formation Legal Roadmap Worksheet
  • Founders Pie
  • Choice of Entity Chart
• Start Smart: How to Structure Your Business Entity - David Lehman, K&L Gates [ppt]
• Start Smart: How to Structure Your Capital Raise - David Lehman, K&L Gates, 2/14/19 - [pdf]

• START SMART LAW: How to Structure Your Capital Raise - Part 1 - The Fundamentals - David Lehman, K&L Gates, 3/20/25 - [pdf]

• START SMART LAW: International Entrepreneur Parole - 6/22/21 - [pdf]

• START SMART LAW: Introduction to Startup Law: Get the Answers to YOUR Legal Questions! Part 1 - 9/22/20 [pdf]

• START SMART LAW: Introduction to Startup Law: Get the Answers to YOUR Legal Questions! Part 2 - 9/22/20 [pdf]

• START SMART LAW:  The Legal Complexities of Social Enterprises - 3/29/22 - [pdf]

• Start Smart: LSM Patent and Trademark Search - K&L Gates, 4/1/21 - [pdf]

• START SMART LAW: Overview of Startup Legal Issues - K&L Gates, 9/11/18 - [pdf]

• Start Smart: Preparing for an Exit - K&L Gates, 4/2/19 - [pdf]
• Start Smart: Protecting Your IP - K&L Gates, 4/1/21 - [pdf]
• Start Smart: Protecting Your IP and Unraveling Student IP - K&L Gates, 9/14/17 - [pdf]
• Start Smart: Raising Capital - K&L Gates, 2/8/18 - [pdf]
• Start Smart: Social Enterprise - K&L Gates - [pdf]
• Start Smart: Start Smart: Starting a Business with an F-1 Visa - Denton & Grigsby, 2/25/21 - [pdf]
• Start Smart: Structuring 3rd Party Relationships - K&L Gates, 4/23/19 - [pdf]

• Startup Funding: Prizes, PRIs, Philanthropy - Leah Lizarondo, CMU Swartz Center, 1/16/24 - [pdf]

• Startup Law 101 for Entrepreneurs - Formation
  Startup Law 101 for Entrepreneurs - Financing

• Startups’ Option to Manage Supply-Chain from Japan - Nobuhiro "Nob" Seki, FabFoundry, 10/31/17 [pdf]

• Tactical Steps to Launching Sales - Bryan Whittington, 1/18/22 [pdf]

• Tax, Business and Accounting Issues for Startups - Bill Richardson and Carissa Habsburg, Sisterson & Co, LLP, 2/8/18 [pdf]

• To Trust or Not to Trust: What Every Startup Needs to Know about Privacy and Cybersecurity - John Funge, 1/21/25 [pdf]

• Today’s MBA Student is Tomorrow’s Entrepreneur - Cindy Padnos, 10/13/21 [pdf]

• Top Ten Tech Trends Driving M&A - Ivan Ruzic, Corum Group Ltd., 9/26/17 [pdf]

• The Transatlantic Divide: Investigating the Differences in Investment Practices Between European and US Venture Capital Firms - Dr Keith Arundale, Henley Business School, UK
, 11/25/19 [pdf]

• Uncovering Ideas with Strategic Design - Megan Guidi, 9/19/24 [pdf]

• Unique Selling Proposition - Bob Blattberg, 9/24/24 [pdf]

• Using Digital to Achieve Business Goals - Laura Kelly, Dick’s Sporting Goods
, 2/14/23 [pdf]

• Valuation and Capitalization: It’s Not Fake News - Matt Kirmayer, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, 9/19/23 [pdf]

• WeSpeke.com - 2/20/15 - [pdf]
• What Entrepreneurs Need to Know for their Banking Relationship - Justin Krauss, Chase, 10/11/18 [pdf]
• What to Think About When Joining a Startup - Maria Palma, RRE Ventures, 2/15/17 - [pdf]
• Who Knew? The Mismatch Between How VCs and Entrepreneurs Think About What It Takes to Succeed - Cindy Padnos, Illuminate Ventures, 4/24/19 - [pdf]

• Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Creating Value with IP - Matt Kirmayer & Pete Gutsche, Perkins Coie, 10/12/22 [pdf]

• Why Everyone Must Think and Act Like an Entrepreneur! - Rebecca Harris, Chatham University
, 9/10/19 - [pdf]