The New York BizLab is a business accelerator that provides tech companies with a wide range of services, including the fastest Internet connection in the region. Accelerator companies will gain access to:

• Advisors - Some of our region's most seasoned and successful CEOs and executives
• Resources - Investors and service providers
• Coaching - Assistance with developing a pitch, public relations strategy and business plan development
• Connections - Introductions to potential customers, specifically in the education technology (edtech) space

RIck has been a journalist for more than 25 years for big chains Conde Nast, Gannett, Dow Jones & Co.; as well as family owned papers.  Before that, even, if you count the neighborhood newspaper he started in fourth grade. He's been blessed by Mother Teresa, gave a bounce pass to Celtic great Larry Bird. and has been in the same room as Nelson Mandela, Bill Clinton, Yasser Arafat and Fidel Castro when he covered the UN and landed on West Point's 50 yard line via helicopter. Rick covered crime and politics (sometimes one and the same), sports, education, breaking news (murders, fires, you know the drill) and finally, business - technology, entrepreneurs and startups, to be exact. Then something happened. It's an occupational hazard in journalism that sometimes reporters become what they cover. Education reporters become teachers, legal reporters go to law school and become lawyers. Crime reporters ... well, let's hope it doesn't go that far. But covering entrepreneurs the way he did for more than a dozen years led to his getting the itch to no longer be on the sidelines recording history but wanting instead to get in the game. In 2013, he got in the game and now, working as Managing Director of the New York BizLab with Transfinder CEO Antonio Civitella (where RIck's also the Director of Public Relations) they're looking to continue Schenectady's transformation efforts by helping the most promising companies grow fast and grow smart. What You'll Learn:

• The value of having good advisers (rather than people who tell you what you want to hear)

• Why there is such a thing as bad PR (combatting the adage that all PR is good PR)

• What makes a good story (and why you have one if you dig deep enough)

AGENDA

6:00PM - Networking and Food

7:00PM - Fireside Chat

8:00PM - Networking