New York’s entrepreneurial eco-system and role
of The Accelerator
James H. Watson, Jr., Executive Director, The Central New York Biotech
Accelerator
ABSTRACT
The journey from idea to market entry to exit for a high-technology
company travels a long and “interesting” path. Every person who
chooses this journey will need a great deal of help along the way.
This talk will provide an overview of the range of stages of development
from the original “Brilliant Idea” through conceptualization, initial
assessment of the technology, the perceived market opportunity,
incubation, and development of a functioning company focused on moving a product or service to
market.
There is an established and growing “entrepreneurial support infrastructure” in Central New York
working to support new companies in a variety of areas. Particular attention will be paid to the role of
The CNY Biotech Accelerator in effecting the change from the initial R&D-driven phase to building a
company for success.
BIOGRAPHY
Mr. Watson has a long history in the formation, leadership and management of venture capital backed
entrepreneurial companies. For the Accelerator clients, he expertise in strategic and business plan
development; executive team formation and management; fund-raising, financing and financial
management; operations; and legal and corporate communications.
His experience was gained in the founding, leadership and development of Pathlight Technology, Inc, a
pioneer in the development of Storage Area Networking. Pathlight was sold to ADIC for $265 million in
publicly-traded stock. Since that successful exit, he has worked as a mentor and consultant to a number
of entrepreneurial companies developing a variety of technologies to address targeted market
segments.
Mr. Watson earned his BFA in Architecture and MBA with Concentrations in Finance and Professional
Accounting from Cornell University.