Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the Lally School of Management will host Invest Capital Region: Life Sciences + Healthcare to showcase emerging startups, invite investors to the Capital Region, and build connections within and across the investment, research, and entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Please join us on Wednesday, April 26, for an afternoon of thought leadership and engaging conversation at Pat’s Barn in Troy, New York, from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. 

Please note that this is the rescheduled event from March’s snowstorm and some programming has been added, including regional collaborations between higher education institutions and universities.

The following topics will be highlighted during the event:

• The Future of Research and Commercialization at Rensselaer
• Presentations Showcasing Regional Translational Research and Investment-Ready Startups
• How to Build the Life Sciences Ecosystem in the Capital Region

Vikram Agrawal
President, CEO, & Co-Founder, Levrx

Vikram Agrawal serves as president, CEO, and cofounder of Levrx. In his role, Agrawal is responsible for the vision, product strategy, and business development. Agrawal’s previous experience in business and information technology fields are critical to the success of Levrx.

Prior to Levrx, Agrawal served as president and CEO of Etransmedia, a software company that provided solutions for electronic health records, patient engagement, practice management, and revenue cycles. Before Etransmedia, Vikram worked as program manager at Indian Telephone Industries and Groupe Bull, India. He served as director of business development for R.K. Enterprises in Cochin, India.

Agrawal earned his master’s degree in computer science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and he holds a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from the University of Bangalore in India.

Martin A. Schmidt
President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 

Martin A. Schmidt, the 19th president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), took office on July 1, 2022. Prior to coming to RPI, Schmidt served as the provost of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) since 2014 and was also MIT's senior academic and budget officer. He was responsible for the Institute’s educational programs, as well as for the recruitment, promotion, and tenuring of faculty. As provost, he worked closely with MIT’s deans to establish academic priorities, and with other members of the Institute’s senior team to manage financial planning and research support. He also had oversight of MIT’s international engagements. 

Schmidt was a member of MIT's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science faculty since 1988, and also served as director of MIT’s Microsystems Technology Laboratories from 1999 to 2006 and as associate provost from 2008 to 2013. He was also the Ray and Maria Stata Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and is a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), an international organization aimed at advancing technology. 

Schmidt earned his B.S degree in electrical engineering from RPI in 1981. He earned his S.M. in 1983 — largely for research conducted at Lincoln Laboratory — and his Ph.D. in 1988, both in electrical engineering and computer science (EECS) from MIT. 

Robert Hull
Vice President of Research, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Robert Hull is the Henry Burlage Professor, director for the Center of Materials, Devices, and Integrated Systems, and vice president for research at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, which he joined in January 2008.

He received a Ph.D. in materials science from Oxford University in 1983. He then spent 10 years at AT&T Laboratories in the Physics Research Division. He next joined the faculty of the MSE Department at the University of Virginia, where he was the Charles Henderson Professor of Engineering, director of the NSF-MRSEC Center on “Nanoscopic Materials Design,” and director of the university’s Institute for Nanoscale and Quantum Engineering, Science and Technology. He has published about 250 journal and conference papers, and has given about 300 invited talks and seminars at international conferences, universities, and government and industrial laboratories. His current research at Rensselaer focuses on new techniques for nanoscale assembly, fabrication, and characterization using focused ion and electron beams for electronic, electrochemical, energy, and structural materials. He is a member of multiple editorial and advisory boards. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society and of the Materials Research Society. He has served as president of the Materials Research Society, and is a past chair of the University Materials Council.

Silvia Garcia Codony
Senior Director, Empire State Development's New York Ventures

Silvia Garcia Codony is Empire State Development's New York Ventures senior director for life sciences with experience in medical devices, drug development, and digital technology. Codony is a proven leader in entrepreneurial environments with a successful track record at forging internal teams, creating external collaborations, and leading turnarounds. She combines expertise in clinical and regulatory science with business credentials, critical thinking, and an entrepreneurial spirit.