TechUnited: New Jersey is launching a new Innovation Committee — and it has landed some of the biggest names in tech, including Onyx Equities co-founder and Managing Partner Jonathan Schultz, who will serve as chairman.
TechUnited, the state’s largest technology and entrepreneurial community, said its aim is to galvanize the visionaries of the region to help advance the broader strategic and practical perspective and support entrepreneurship for the TechUnited community and officials.
Aaron Price, the CEO of TechUnited, said the committee aligns with the group’s mission to confront an evolving economic environment that is bringing a surge in high-tech entrepreneurial and corporate activity to the state.
“The TechUnited Innovation Committee surrounds our organization with leaders who can guide New Jersey’s technology community through the evolution of the economy and the inevitabile technology-led market disruption,” Price said. “We want members to capitalize on New Jersey’s inherent advantages and create growth and advancement at the very edge of technology development.
“For entrepreneurs and tech leaders big and small, this added value represents a critical component of our renewed mission, to empower entrepreneurs, innovators and instigators to build a better future for all.”
The Innovation Committee is comprised of a blend of tech and corporate leaders in New Jersey who reflect the changing composition of the tech community, including:
- Joel Bloom, president, New Jersey Institute of Technology;
- Nariman Farvardin, president, Stevens Institute of Technology;
- Ralph Izzo, chairman and CEO, Public Service Enterprise Group;
- Ari Rabban, CEO, Phone.com;
- Sampath Sowmyanarayan, chief revenue officer, Verizon Business;
- Chris Sullens, CEO, CentralReach.
Schultz said the makeup of the committee is first-rate.
“Each of our Innovation Committee members can point to a specific recent instance where our technology exposure enabled an opportunity that generated benefits to the broader business community,” he said. “Technology evolutions are the most exciting aspect of all business today, whether it be changes on our services to tenants or emerging enterprises or corporate intrapreneurism — every layer of the business community touches technology.”
Schultz said the committee can help spur economic development.
“What some tech entrepreneurs fail to recognize is how to create advantages utilizing the many tiers of support New Jersey already has in place for them,” he said. “With this committee, we will be there to identify opportunities and guide decisions for many innovators and entrepreneurs in the TechUnited community.”
TechUnited:NJ has a strong history of bringing together innovators, including with its upcoming Propelify Innovation Festival, which unites thousands of entrepreneurs and innovators from both the region and the globe for talks, tech, exhibitors, investors, demos, food, drinks and more.
