Downtown Brooklyn
  • Shop + Dine
    Directory
  • Arts + Culture
    Brooklyn Cultural District Arts + Culture Map Downtown Brooklyn Public Art + Placemaking Fund Downtown Brooklyn Rehearsal Residency Initiative
  • Events
    Calendar Venues Activate Our Plazas
  • Do Business Here
    Overview Why Downtown Brooklyn Bring Your Business Here Research + Statistics
  • Make It in Brooklyn
    Events Living Lab Talent Connect
  • Big Ideas
    Public Realm Vision Plan Shared Streets Brooklyn Strand Brooklyn Cultural District Brooklyn Queens Connector
  • News
  • About
    About DBP Visit Our Board Our Staff Sponsorship Opportunities
  • Shop + Dine
    • Shop + Dine
      Directory
    • Deals
  • Arts + Culture
    • Arts + Culture
    • Brooklyn Cultural District
    • Arts + Culture Map
    • Downtown Brooklyn Public Art + Placemaking Fund
    • Downtown Brooklyn Rehearsal Residency Initiative
  • Events
    • Events
    • Calendar
    • Venues
    • Activate Our Plazas
  • Do Business
    • Do Business
      Overview
    • Why Downtown Brooklyn
    • Bring Your Business Here
    • Research + Statistics
  • Make It in Brooklyn
    • Make It in Brooklyn
    • Events
    • Living Lab
    • Talent Connect
  • Big Ideas
    • Big Ideas
    • Public Realm Vision Plan
    • Shared Streets
    • Brooklyn Strand
    • Brooklyn Cultural District
    • Brooklyn Queens Connector
  • News
  • About
    • About
      About DBP
    • Visit
    • Our Board
    • Our Staff
    • Sponsorship Opportunities

Make It In Brooklyn

Meet the Founders: Biotech + Engineering

Featured industry leaders explore innovation and recent growth in tech + creative sectors

December 23, 2020

DBP’s virtual series, Meet the Founders, launched last month with a webinar featuring Jelena Kovačević, Dean of the NYU Tandon School of Engineering and Will Canine, co-founder and CPO of biotech startup Opentrons.

During the live-streamed conversation, Canine shared his journey from political activism to working in biotech and building robots for biologists. “It was really with a goal to learn a new way of having an impact on the world,” he said. “Biotech is increasingly important for human civilization, but it’s also the least accessible technology to most individuals.”

He also spoke about his experience cofounding Opentrons, which now runs the largest COVID-19 diagnostics lab in NYC. Canine saw an opportunity in the market to empower scientists and help democratize lab technology through automation. He explained the company’s open source approach, and how it has helped to add value to the product and build credibility and momentum in users’ research projects.

Dean Kovačević guided the conversation with thoughtful questions about Canine’s professional journey, key moments in Opentrons’ development to date, the company’s process for honing and refining its product, and expectations for future growth. Kovačević also offered her perspective as an industry expert on the strong potential for biotech innovation and collaboration with the health sector in research, training, and product development – particularly during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Curious to learn more? Watch the conversation here.

The Make It in Brooklyn Meet the Founders webinar series is a new DBP program that highlights Brooklyn’s entrepreneurial spirit. The series focuses on diverse industry sectors – from fintech to fashion – and brings together Brooklyn-based founders and established industry experts for candid conversations on founding stories, pathways to business growth, and contributions to the sector.

Subscribe to the Make It in Brooklyn Minutes e-newsletter to hear about the next events in this series, coming early next year.

More in Make It In Brooklyn

Dec 18, 2020

Vote for the Nominees in the 2020 Make It in Brooklyn Innovation Awards

Aug 26, 2020

LIU Brooklyn + Roc Nation Launching New School for Music, Sports, and Entertainment

Apr 14, 2020

The lighthouse wants to help you figure out your career

Subscribe to Updates

Downtown Brooklyn

Explore

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Our Board
  • Events
  • News
  • Partner With Us
  • Careers
  • Big Ideas
  • Shop + Dine
  • Arts + Culture
  • Make It in Brooklyn
  • Do Business Here

1 MetroTech Center North, Suite 1003 Brooklyn, NY 11201 (718) 403-1600

©2021 Downtown Brooklyn Partnership