Listen to SSTI's Interview with Peter Longo of Connecticut Innovations

SSTI has an effective new learning tool for TBED policymakers and practitioners seeking guidance in approaches to building and sustaining tech-based economies. Through exclusive interviews with Excellence in TBED Award recipients, find out first-hand how these award winning initiatives successfully responded to a critical need by applying innovative approaches to generate substantial economic gains for their region.

Connecticut Innovations Eli Whitney Fund

2007 Winner for the Increasing Access to Capital category

Listen to a nine-minute clip of SSTI's interview with Peter Longo.

Connecticut Innovations, through its Eli Whitney Fund, provides critical early-stage funding of up to $1 million to support research, development and marketing efforts in emerging technology companies. Applying private sector practices to achieve public sector goals, Connecticut Innovations has become a successful, self-sustaining entity that uses its investment returns to launch other initiatives, including seed and pre-seed funds.

Since 1995, Connecticut Innovations has invested $125 million in 87 emerging Connecticut technology companies. Connecticut Innovations has leveraged more than $1 billion of additional investment into Connecticut from more than 60 private investors, generated more than $500 million in additional income (Gross State Profit), and generated more than 5,000 additional job-years in the state.

Listen to an exclusive interview with Connecticut Innovation's President and Executive Director, Peter Longo, to learn more about how instituting private sector practices has contributed to the success of the program.

Listen to the nine-minute condensed version of the interview or the full conversation (22 minutes).

SSTI will be posting podcast interviews with all of the 2007 and 2008 Excellence in TBED Award winners in the coming months.

For more information about the SSTI Excellence in TBED Awards, visit: http://www.ssti.org/Awards/overview.htm. View this page on the web at: http://www.ssti.org/media/longo.html.