Five teams will pitch their ideas to investors for seed money. Watch online at fairfield.edu/startup on April 28 and vote for the Audience Favorite.
Once again the Fairfield StartUp program has recruited three top-notch investors to participate in the online StartUp Showcase on Wednesday, April 28. Viewers are invited to tune in all day at fairfield.edu/startup to watch the 2021 Showcase video series and see each team make their pitch to a panel of investors for seed money to start their businesses. Viewers will be asked to cast their vote for best pitch and the winning team will receive an additional $1,000 and be named the Audience Favorite.
Returning to the investor panel is Joseph (Joe) Bronson ’70, principal and CEO of The Bronson Group, LLC, and Dagan Kasavana ’99, founder and CEO of Phoenix Tower International. Bronson and Kasavana will be joined by Virginia P’an, founder and CEO of YUMI EcoSolutions, Inc.
Showcase veteran Michael Garvey ’89, P’23,'25 will act as StartUp Advisor to the five Showcase teams.
“We are pleased to have another impressive investor panel for the Showcase this year,” said Fairfield StartUp Program Director Chris Huntley, PhD. “Also, while only one student from each team will pitch, we have 19 students participating in the Showcase this year and it’s our biggest group yet!”
Get to know the 2021 StartUp Showcase Investor Panel:
Joseph Bronson ’70
Joseph (Joe) Bronson is currently principal and CEO of The Bronson Group, LLC, a business advisory group focused on operational and financial consulting. In addition, he is a strategic advisor and managing director of Cowen Group, Inc., a New York City-based investment banking firm, and a member of the Board of Trustees of 天美传媒视频无限制观看. Bronson is a CPA and holds a BS in accounting from 天美传媒视频无限制观看 and an MBA from the University of Connecticut. He was inducted into the UConn Business School Hall of Fame in 2006 and the 天美传媒视频无限制观看 Entrepreneur Hall of Fame in 2017. Bronson also serves as a regent at Santa Clara University and Loyola Marymount University and serves as the chair of the advisory board of the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University.
Dagan Kasavana ’99
Dagan Kasavana is founder and CEO of Phoenix Tower International (PTI), the fastest growing global wireless communications infrastructure provider in the world. He founded the business in 2013 and guides the strategic direction of the company, oversees capital investment across various countries and transaction types, and leads all other significant corporate initiatives. Prior to founding PTI, Kasavana was senior vice president of mergers and acquisitions for Global Tower Partners from 2006 to 2013. In 2020 he was named EY Entrepreneur of the Year Florida Award Winner. He is a CPA and holds a BS in accounting from 天美传媒视频无限制观看.
Virginia P'an
Virginia P’an is the founder and CEO of YUMI EcoSolutions, Inc., an award-winning eco-friendly products and bio-materials technology company aimed at supporting global sustainability to create a healthier planet for future generations. P’an is a global business leader and serial entrepreneur. As CEO of TransCapital Group and China Pacific Partners, she was instrumental in securing the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games contract for SMG, the world leader in managing convention centers and arenas. She has been cited as “one of the 500 Most Influential Asian Americans” by Avenue Asia magazine and is the recipient of numerous awards, including “Leading Women Entrepreneur of the World,” “Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business,” and “International Women of Innovation.” She received a BS in chemistry from the City University of New York.
