URI is set to host showcase for entrepreneurs and inventors, Sept. 23
KINGSTON, R.I. – Sept. 12, 2025 – The University of Rhode Island is set to ignite the region’s innovation ecosystem with a first-of-its-kind technology showcase on Tuesday, Sept. 23 at 4 p.m., inside the Fascitelli Center for Advanced Engineering.
The showcase is free and open to the public however those planning to attend are encouraged to register. The showcase is a collaboration that’s spearheaded by the URI Research Foundation (URIRF) and RIHub. The College of Business and the College of Engineering are also serving as the primary sponsors.
“We haven’t done a campus-wide showcase to highlight the innovations coming out of URI,” says Joe Loberti ’88,’MBA ’90, consultant, URI Research Foundation. “The trend now is to try to commercialize those product innovations and build startups that can scale, as opposed to just licensing them out to industry.”
Through the showcase, the foundation aims to create connections between the URI community and industry. A central goal is to offer aspiring inventors and entrepreneurs a platform to engage directly with seasoned professionals, investors, and thought leaders.
The showcase will feature nearly a dozen pitch sessions during which participants will present their ideas to potential investors and strategic industry partners. In addition, 15 exhibition tables will display prototypes, products, and research that could be used as the basis for a startup that could help advance the entrepreneurial and startup environment in Rhode Island.
“We’ll have different constituents on stage, with many of them asking for some sort of industry partnership all the way through to financial investments,” says Loberti. “The showcase will demonstrate both licensable opportunities as well as what’s happening within homegrown startups here at URI.”
Jon Soderstrom renowned for his leadership in technology commercialization and faculty innovation at Yale University will serve as a keynote speaker and kick off the pitch session. He will be joined by URI President Marc Parlange and URIRF’s Chief Business Development Officer Pete Rumsey.
Two special breakout sessions are also on the docket—one on strategies for securing funding from angel investors and venture capitalists; and another on product commercialization and IP management.
The technology showcase is part of the broader slate of RI Startup Week events, with the URI Research Foundation playing a pivotal role in amplifying entrepreneurial momentum across the state. A schedule of events is available at Rhode Island Startup Week.
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