
NAPEC Innovation Conference 2014
By: Jack Kastrati April 21, 2014
NAPEC Innovation Conference 2014 was held on Saturday, April the 12th in New York, bringing together entrepreneurs, academics, students, international experts, business support organization representative, stock exchange and financial institution executives, policy makers, and international agencies involved in small and medium-sized business development. This annual event showcases leaders in business growth and development. NAPEC Innovation Challenge, as the centerpiece of the NAPEC Conference, brings together student entrepreneurs from top universities to compete for over $20K in cash prizes.
This year’s NAPEC Innovation Conference presented six outstanding business ideas, selected out of over 100 applications. CardioGuard, Insight Neurologics, Lionano, Phizzbo, SolsticePower LLC and ZYMtronix Catalytic Systems Inc were the student entrepreneurial teams that were selected as the top six to present their ideas in NAPEC Innovation Conference this year. These student teams have all successfully conceptualized innovative products and services and created business plans for the products’ and services’ commercialization.
In addition to showcasing their ideas to entrepreneurs, the finalists received valuable feedback on their ventures by entrepreneurs, investors and venture capitalists. Among the guests was Chip Dempsey, Executive Director at Morgan Stanley. Mr. Demsey advised the young entrepreneurs to find the person or the company who needs them to succeed as bad you do. He emphasized the importance of strategic investor for sustainable growth and development for small and medium enterprises. Among the speakers were Blake Swensrud, Chairman at WorldCell Inc, Mustafa Baltacı, Executive Vice President at Borsa İstanbul and Gligor Tashkovich, Former Minister of Foreign Investment at Government of the Republic of Macedonia and Co-chair of NAPEC Innovation Conference.
The success of the organizers of the NAPEC Innovation Conference, Erdoan Shipoli, Lirida Kercelli and Ardian Istrefi has led to immense interest and further initiatives. As a result, the second NAPEC Innovation Conference in 2014 was held on April 18th, in Chicago.