5Q: Larry Larson
Chairman, Slater Technology Fund
Sorensen family dean of engineering and professor of engineering, Brown University
1. What are your priorities as the new chair of the Slater Technology Fund’s board of directors, and what drew you to the organization?
I’ve been in academia for most of my career, but I was involved in several startups when I lived in California, so I know how critical early-stage funding is. … My initial focus as chair of the Slater board is on strengthening ties to the university communities and building awareness among faculty, researchers, alumni and others who feel like we do about innovation and startups.
2. How do you envision the recently launched RightHill Ventures fitting into the overall vision of the Slater Technology Fund?
RightHill Ventures was launched to give mentors and investors who are attracted to dynamic young companies in Rhode Island … the opportunity to learn about and contribute to these startups in a variety of ways.
3. What do you see as some of the signs that a startup has the “high-growth promise” that the fund looks for?
From my experience at Brown, we have corporations engage with us to try to help faculty focus on their important scientific problems, and that’s a good sign of opportunity. … What we want to see with the entrepreneurs associated with Slater and RightHill Ventures is the next step in this food chain: entrepreneurs thinking about opportunities, hustling and being creative.
4. What are the biggest obstacles facing R.I. startups and entrepreneurs? How has the pandemic impacted growth challenges?
I do think local risk capital is limited, which is why Slater is so important. But it’s also the entrepreneurs who attract the investment. We’re a smaller community here, so we naturally have fewer large local tech companies, and fewer experienced entrepreneurs. But that’s ultimately a very solvable problem. Business growth and capital investment sputtered at the start of the pandemic, but entrepreneurs quickly innovated to meet the moment, and venture capital investment has soared since.
5. Are there any other areas, or specific types of university research, you hope to see Slater further invest in during your tenure?
The areas of particular interest include life sciences, including therapeutics, medical devices, diagnostics, research tools and services; digital health, materials, health care and health care services; clean technology and information technology.
