From Concept to Commercialization



**Location: UCF, in the Engineering I Atrium. Park at Garage C**



Presented by Orlando Tech Association (https://www.meetup.com/Orlando-Tech/) in conjunction with Orlando IoT (https://www.meetup.com/iot-orlando/)



Come join four expert panelists for an evening’s discussion of how local companies are making waves in IoT, lasers, and photonics.. Each company has been impacted by UCF, whether that is by hiring UCF grads, participating in the UCF Business Incubation Program, or something else. This is your chance to learn about going from Concept to Commercialization from local experts who have put theory into practice.



There is no charge for this meetup; however, we gently encourage you to consider a donation at the door.



Roger Collins, VP, Flame Boss (https://www.flameboss.com/)

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rogercollins/



Roger started Flame Boss with his brother Michael, and have been helping backyard BBQ’ers make perfectly smoked meat with the help of connected temperature controllers for smokers since 2013. He’s the tech side, knowing the software inside and out, while Michael is the brains behind the business side of things.



Flame Boss is a client company of the UCF Business Incubation Program, and as Roger’s brother Michael said in an interview, “The coaching we’ve received has been invaluable, along with all the collaboration we’ve had with the other client companies.”



Scott Faris, CBO, Luminar Technologies (https://www.luminartech.com)

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottfaris/



If you are not familiar with LiDAR, it’s the eyes that allow autonomous cars to see. Luminar Technologies creates the hardware and software to make that happen, with over 150 team members in two locations: Silicon Valley, and you guessed it, Orlando. Some of those team members are right out of UCF.



Scott Faris, as CBO, helps keep the team moving forward by applying his expertise in strategic development and execution as well as problem-solving expertise.



Will Holderness, Head of Ecosystem, UniKey (http://www.unikey.com/)

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-holderness-a17b4312/



With a Masters of Science in Computer Engineering from UCF, Will joined UniKey in 2013 as the Embedded Software Engineering Team Lead. Now, as Head of Ecosystem, Will makes sure the varying products at UniKey play nicely together.



UniKey was founded to create a smart lock for consumers, but now they are growing to be much more. They are doing nothing short of revolutionizing the key. Expect to hear more about UniKey in industries as varying as hotels, cars, and residential with their CORE Platform.



Dr. Thomas O'Neal, Associate Vice President of Research & Commercialization, UCF

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-o-neal-b511a3/



Dr. Tom O'Neal is dedicated to creating and supporting successful and sustainable innovation ecosystems in Florida. Tom's efforts focus on building strong research programs at UCF and the transfer and commercialization of research results into the marketplace.



As a member of UCF's Office of Research & Commercialization team, Tom has worked to help UCF become a leading metropolitan research university since 2000. He also serves as a core member of the Florida High Tech Corridor Council.



Schedule:



6:00 p.m. – Mixer



6:30 p.m. – Speaker Presentations (5-8 minutes each)



7:10 p.m. – Panel discussion



7:30 p.m. – Audience Q&A



8:00 p.m. – Closing