WE Hatch- Skills for Implementing Innovation

100 Discovery Boulevard,Newark DE 19713

07 April, 2022

Description

This professional development workshop addresses disadvantages experienced by innovative women, startup founders and corporate innovators. This workshop series will focus on the development of skills crucial for taking your ideas from infancy to implementation, with an emphasis on the challenges specific to female founders and innovators. First, we explore how to identify risks and learn skills to maximize the likelihood of pursuing the best ideas. Then, we focus on pitching, persuading, and building trust in initial interactions with stakeholders. Finally, we practice skills for implementing and inspiring innovation, such as storytelling, mentorship, and leadership. Agenda 8:00 a.m. Registration and coffee 8:30 - 10:00 a.m. How to Assess Risk and De-Risk your Ideas Workshop led by Alisa Moen, moderated by Professor Laura Gasiorowski 10:15 - 11:45 a.m. Creating a Village - Effective network building strategies for Innovators. Workshop led by Gina Wilson, moderated by Laura Gasiorowski 12:00 p.m. Luncheon including a Fireside Chat with last year’s WE Hatch special award winners: Debra Brenner, Cheryl Ecton, Sharon Kelly Hake and Martha Hall 1:45 - 3:15 p.m. Pitching like a Girl: How to pitch any idea to maximize success Workshop led by Holly Flanagan moderated by Laura Gasiorowski 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. Leadership and Trust Building Workshop led by Lynn Evans 5:00 p.m. Networking Reception 6:00 p.m. Honor Circle Dinner How to Assess Risk and De-Risk Your Ideas Led by UD Assistant Professor Laura Gasiorowski with Alisa Moen, General Counsel, Managing Partner and Founder of Moen Law, a trusted advisory practice. In the early stages, two big obstacles to innovation are risk and networks. This session focuses on the first - risk. Women are less likely to pursue innovation because of a lower tolerance for risk (Eckel and Grossman, 2008; Yu and Chen, 2016; Klyer and Terjesen, 2007). In this session , we explore skills necessary for early-stage innovation, such as how to analyze your ideas and reduce the risk associated with pursuing them. Creating a Village: Effective Network-Building Strategies for InnovatorsLed by UD Assistant Professor Laura Gasiorowski with Gina Wilson, “Author of Skills that Build”. This workshop addresses the second big obstacle to innovation - networks. Women are less likely to build effective networks (Eckel and Grossman, 2008; Yu and Chen, 2016; Klyer and Terjesen, 2007). In this session, we explore effective strategies for building networks to maximize success. Pitching Like a Girl: How to pitch any idea to maximize success Led by UD Assistant Professor Laura Gasiorowski with Holly Flanagan, Managing Director Gabriel Investments Pitching is a more complex art for females because they don’t match up to the masculine stereotype of an entrepreneur or innovator that investors and decision-makers visualize (Balachandra et al., 2019). Yet, overcompensating with overly masculine signals doesn’t work and can actually hurt your ability to gain buy-in (Balachandra et al., 2021). Behavior in initial interactions can either build or violate trust, which can impact the outcome of your pitch (Maxwell and Levesque, 2014). This workshop will explore key trust-building behaviors to use in initial interactions and several trust-destroying behaviors to avoid, and how to craft an effective pitch to maximize persuasion. Leadership and Trust BuildingLed by Lynn Evans Director of Women's Leadership Initiative, Lerner College Beyond initial interactions, innovators also need to hone long-term skills to successfully execute ideas. However, women are less likely to be in leadership positions to promote innovation and face biases in traditionally innovative leadership styles (Zuraik et al., 2020; Reuvers et al., 2008). In this workshop, we focus on the skills needed to carry ideas over the finish line and inspire your team to innovate. Workshop Series LeaderDr. Laura Gasiorowski is an Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Delaware. She serves as the faculty director of the Delaware Innovation Fellows program and the coordinator for the WE Hatch professional development workshops. Laura joined UD in Fall 2018, after receiving her Ph.D. from Temple University. She is a former entrepreneur herself; she launched a startup in the music-tech industry while she was in college. Her research focuses on entrepreneurial learning, venture capital, and women’s entrepreneurship, and has been recognized by the Academy of Management, Korean Association of Business Education, and the Strategic Management Society. Thank you to Breakwater Advisory, Capital One, Delaware Business Times, Delaware Prosperity Partnership, Discover Bank, First Founders, Fox Rothschild LLP, The Siegfried Group and TD Bank for supporting the WE Hatch Workshop Series.