The backbone of Venture Café – come meet the community and make connections with all different kinds of innovators. How will you make your serendipitous moment come true?
ITR Laboratories is a leading Contract Research Organization (CRO) offering comprehensive preclinical study services to the global biopharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. ITR’s capabilities cover a broad spectrum of GLP-compliant toxicology and laboratory services, including general, genetic, ocular, dermal, inhalation, infusion, juvenile, and immunotoxicology studies, as well as in-vitro models and in-silico predictive toxicology. With over 30 years of experience and nearly 6,000 studies conducted, ITR is an ideal partner for companies seeking expert, flexible, and timely support in drug safety assessment—from discovery to first-in-human readiness to regulatory submissions.
Start your night with this quick overview of Venture Café, what we do as a community, and how you can make the most of our weekly Thursday Gathering! Bring a friend, grab a drink, and plug in to the ecosystem - it's time to connect, learn, and share.
CIC and Venture Café Cambridge welcome a delegation from Taiwan for an afternoon of partnership-building with Boston's robotics ecosystem. The delegation includes representatives from the Taiwan Unmanned Vehicle System Industry Development Association (TUVIDA), the Taiwan-United States Sister Relations Alliance (TUSA), the Industrial Development Administration, and Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), alongside 10 companies and institutions with deep expertise in fabrication, prototyping, supply chain, robotics, drones, and unmanned vehicles. Together, they're exploring how to scale advanced manufacturing partnerships with U.S. startups, from prototype through mass production.
The session opens with remarks from both delegations, followed by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding formalizing the partnership between CIC and TUVIDA. Boston-based robotics and drone startups will then present their technology and manufacturing needs directly to the visiting delegation, highlighting opportunities for collaboration from prototype through mass production.
Join us as we take this next step in growing a U.S. hub for advanced manufacturing, together.
Featured startups include, but are not limited to:
Let’s talk about how to distinguish your creation in a world of full of lies.
How can you get people to pay attention when their default is to ignore you and everyone else? When we’re all the targets of a non-stop barrage of 30,000 messages every day?
How can you convince anyone you’re worthy of their attention?
You can show them something real. Marketing gets ignored because of the default assumption that it’s based on lies.
When everything else is deception, manipulation, deceit, you have an opportunity to create something worthy of your buyers’ attention by being honest.
Truth is magic.
Let’s look at some beautiful examples of this, talk about how they came to their message, and how we can use this kind of honest thinking to attract the people who deserve what we create.
If a founder can't pick up their phone right now and text five investors - "Hey, I'm thinking about opening a round. Can we grab coffee to talk about it?" - they need Capital Fluency.
Most first-time founders try to meet investors during their raise. They’re refining their pitch and learning about term sheets. At the same time, they’re asking the super connectors to make intros. By that point, their fundraising process is doomed to be transactional, because we know fundraising runs on relationships, built and nurtured over time.
Capital Fluency teaches founders to build these relationships before they need them with three workshops that cover investor psychology, getting the first meeting, and nurturing a capital network.
Session 1: Investor Psychology
- How investors at different stages think and what they're looking for
- The differences between angels and institutional investors
- What makes a company interesting to the venture market
Session 2: Getting the first meeting
- The etiquette of asking for warm intros
- How to research and qualify investors
- How to run the first meeting without pitching or selling Session 3: Nurturing the network
- Best practices for staying in touch over months and years
- How communication shifts as a founder moves closer to opening a round
Capital Fluency helps first-time founders build a capital network like serial entrepreneurs.
Stop by the Octave Room this week to connect with a visiting delegation of advanced manufacturing leaders from Taiwan. This is a rare opportunity to hear directly from innovators shaping the future of semiconductor production, robotics, and industrial technology, and to explore how Cambridge's innovation ecosystem can collaborate with one of the world's most influential manufacturing hubs. Come with questions, ideas, or simply curiosity, and join the conversation.
Join us for a fireside conversation exploring Oman's evolving technology and innovation landscape, featuring Abdullah Al Badi, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Terminal 11, in dialogue with CIC's Tim Rowe. This conversation will bring together two perspectives on building thriving innovation ecosystems: one rooted in Kendall Square's decades of experience convening founders and investors, and one shaping the next chapter of digital transformation in the Gulf region. Terminal 11 is Oman's national innovation hub and venture platform.
This conversation comes at a pivotal moment for Oman's innovation economy. Oman rose five places in the 2025 Global Innovation Index, published by the World Intellectual Property Organization, climbing to 69th out of 139 economies worldwide. The country now ranks among the global top ten in several indicators tied directly to investment and ecosystem growth, including 9th in the development of economic clusters and 10th in policy stability for doing business, alongside continued backing from the Oman Investment Authority, which has invested 187 million OMR in support of more than 8,000 SMEs and startups.
Topics include investment strategy, the conditions that allow technology ecosystems to take root and grow, and what the future may hold for founders and enterprises building at the intersection of Oman and the broader global innovation landscape. Whether you are curious about international innovation hubs, investment approaches across emerging markets, or simply want to hear two experienced ecosystem builders in candid discussion, this conversation is not to be missed.
The backbone of Venture Café – come meet the community and make connections with all different kinds of innovators. How will you make your serendipitous moment come true?
ITR Laboratories is a leading Contract Research Organization (CRO) offering comprehensive preclinical study services to the global biopharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. ITR’s capabilities cover a broad spectrum of GLP-compliant toxicology and laboratory services, including general, genetic, ocular, dermal, inhalation, infusion, juvenile, and immunotoxicology studies, as well as in-vitro models and in-silico predictive toxicology. With over 30 years of experience and nearly 6,000 studies conducted, ITR is an ideal partner for companies seeking expert, flexible, and timely support in drug safety assessment—from discovery to first-in-human readiness to regulatory submissions.
Start your night with this quick overview of Venture Café, what we do as a community, and how you can make the most of our weekly Thursday Gathering! Bring a friend, grab a drink, and plug in to the ecosystem - it's time to connect, learn, and share.
CIC and Venture Café Cambridge welcome a delegation from Taiwan for an afternoon of partnership-building with Boston's robotics ecosystem. The delegation includes representatives from the Taiwan Unmanned Vehicle System Industry Development Association (TUVIDA), the Taiwan-United States Sister Relations Alliance (TUSA), the Industrial Development Administration, and Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), alongside 10 companies and institutions with deep expertise in fabrication, prototyping, supply chain, robotics, drones, and unmanned vehicles. Together, they're exploring how to scale advanced manufacturing partnerships with U.S. startups, from prototype through mass production.
The session opens with remarks from both delegations, followed by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding formalizing the partnership between CIC and TUVIDA. Boston-based robotics and drone startups will then present their technology and manufacturing needs directly to the visiting delegation, highlighting opportunities for collaboration from prototype through mass production.
Join us as we take this next step in growing a U.S. hub for advanced manufacturing, together.
Featured startups include, but are not limited to:
Let’s talk about how to distinguish your creation in a world of full of lies.
How can you get people to pay attention when their default is to ignore you and everyone else? When we’re all the targets of a non-stop barrage of 30,000 messages every day?
How can you convince anyone you’re worthy of their attention?
You can show them something real. Marketing gets ignored because of the default assumption that it’s based on lies.
When everything else is deception, manipulation, deceit, you have an opportunity to create something worthy of your buyers’ attention by being honest.
Truth is magic.
Let’s look at some beautiful examples of this, talk about how they came to their message, and how we can use this kind of honest thinking to attract the people who deserve what we create.
If a founder can't pick up their phone right now and text five investors - "Hey, I'm thinking about opening a round. Can we grab coffee to talk about it?" - they need Capital Fluency.
Most first-time founders try to meet investors during their raise. They’re refining their pitch and learning about term sheets. At the same time, they’re asking the super connectors to make intros. By that point, their fundraising process is doomed to be transactional, because we know fundraising runs on relationships, built and nurtured over time.
Capital Fluency teaches founders to build these relationships before they need them with three workshops that cover investor psychology, getting the first meeting, and nurturing a capital network.
Session 1: Investor Psychology
- How investors at different stages think and what they're looking for
- The differences between angels and institutional investors
- What makes a company interesting to the venture market
Session 2: Getting the first meeting
- The etiquette of asking for warm intros
- How to research and qualify investors
- How to run the first meeting without pitching or selling Session 3: Nurturing the network
- Best practices for staying in touch over months and years
- How communication shifts as a founder moves closer to opening a round
Capital Fluency helps first-time founders build a capital network like serial entrepreneurs.
Stop by the Octave Room this week to connect with a visiting delegation of advanced manufacturing leaders from Taiwan. This is a rare opportunity to hear directly from innovators shaping the future of semiconductor production, robotics, and industrial technology, and to explore how Cambridge's innovation ecosystem can collaborate with one of the world's most influential manufacturing hubs. Come with questions, ideas, or simply curiosity, and join the conversation.
Join us for a fireside conversation exploring Oman's evolving technology and innovation landscape, featuring Abdullah Al Badi, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Terminal 11, in dialogue with CIC's Tim Rowe. This conversation will bring together two perspectives on building thriving innovation ecosystems: one rooted in Kendall Square's decades of experience convening founders and investors, and one shaping the next chapter of digital transformation in the Gulf region. Terminal 11 is Oman's national innovation hub and venture platform.
This conversation comes at a pivotal moment for Oman's innovation economy. Oman rose five places in the 2025 Global Innovation Index, published by the World Intellectual Property Organization, climbing to 69th out of 139 economies worldwide. The country now ranks among the global top ten in several indicators tied directly to investment and ecosystem growth, including 9th in the development of economic clusters and 10th in policy stability for doing business, alongside continued backing from the Oman Investment Authority, which has invested 187 million OMR in support of more than 8,000 SMEs and startups.
Topics include investment strategy, the conditions that allow technology ecosystems to take root and grow, and what the future may hold for founders and enterprises building at the intersection of Oman and the broader global innovation landscape. Whether you are curious about international innovation hubs, investment approaches across emerging markets, or simply want to hear two experienced ecosystem builders in candid discussion, this conversation is not to be missed.