WATERVILLE — Derek Myska, of Winslow, will be the next speaker of Pardon the Innovation scheduled from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 1, in the Spann Student Commons Summit Room at Thomas College, 180 West River Road.

Those who attend can how Myska took an idea from his college dorm room all the way to the venture capital firms of California and to the halls of Facebook and Google.

Myska’s story will take the audience on a journey through the trials and tribulations of being an entrepreneur in the cutting edge world of high technology and social media platforms, according to a news release from Thomas College.

According to the release, Myska grew up in Winslow, and graduated from Winslow High School. He then attended the University of Maine, where he developed a particular interest and skill in digital media and computer programming.

After graduating from the University of Maine in May 2007, with a degree in New Media, a concentration in Information Design and a minor in Computer Science, Myska took a position as a software developer with the company InforME. It was from this combination of skill, interest and experience that Myska would then begin to form the origins of a company called ‘PingTank’.

The event is sponsored by the Harold Alfond Institute for Business Innovation and co-hosted by KV Connect and Synergy, Waterville and Augusta’s young professional groups respectively. The event is free and open to the public.

To RSVP visit the Facebook or email Josh Devou at haibicoor@thomas.edu.