Joe Runge, JD, associate director and co-founder of the UNeTech Institute, was announced Friday as one of the speakers for TEDxOmaha 2024 event.
The theme of the conference is “Unveiling the Power of Connections.”
Runge said his speech, on how innovation needs connection, will be a personal discussion of his experiences in tech transfer. UNeTech is Omaha’s only university-affiliated entrepreneurial support organization, housed jointly under UNMC and the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
See complete list of speakers here.
Connection, Runge said, is an integral part of the UNeTech mission, which seeks to connect inventors with investors and entrepreneurs.
Runge said he hoped to convey to the audience the sense of urgency, frustration and even anger that arise from grappling with the often blasé or skeptical reactions to innovation.
He also said that when he applied to be a TEDx speaker, he’d decided the presentation would be a personal message.
“I’ve been a representative of UNMC since I was a teenager,” he said. “I wanted an opportunity to reflect on those experiences as a private citizen. I love the medical center, and this is a wonderful opportunity to look at my work here from a different perspective and reflect on what those experiences mean after 20 years.”
In addition to his UNeTech roles, Runge serves on UNeMed’s Science and Technology Advisory Committee, where he lends his decades of experience to help evaluate new inventions.
A practicing patent lawyer and published scientist, Runge is the principal investigator on multiple Economic Development and Entrepreneurship grants. Through his work at UNeTech, he was a founding partner in a coalition that includes the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Metro Community College and many other community partners, which aims to launch and nurture technology startups.