30 Spotlights for 30 Years

How did VentureWell contribute to your leadership development and your professional trajectory?

VentureWell helped me strengthen my strategic leadership skills and see my work not only from a scientific perspective, but also from the perspective of its real impact on patients and communities. The experience gave me more confidence to lead multidisciplinary teams and communicate a clear vision to investors and partners.

What’s a key learning or takeaway from the VentureWell program you participated in, and how did it impact your journey?

The most valuable lesson was understanding the importance of actively listening to end users and strategic partners from the early stages. This approach, focused on real needs, allowed me to guide product development and business decisions with greater clarity, accelerating our ability to validate the product clinically and attract partners.

What’s the biggest change or milestone your institution or venture has experienced since participating in VentureWell programming?

Since our participation, Samay has gone from an initial prototype to third-generation hardware and clinical validations with more than 450 patients, secured strategic agreements with a pharmaceutical company and an insurance company, and secured more than $6.7 million in dilutive, non-dilutive, and strategic capital.

Looking back, what advice would you give yourself at the start of your journey?

I would say that resilience is just as important as innovation: Every obstacle—regulatory, financial, or technical—is a learning opportunity, and trusting your team and asking for support early on makes all the difference.

Read more about Maria’s innovation journey.

How did VentureWell contribute to your leadership development and your professional trajectory?

VentureWell pushed me to think like both a scientist and an entrepreneur. It gave me the tools to translate research into impact and taught me how to build a team, validate a market, and communicate with stakeholders outside of academia. Just as importantly, it connected me with a community of founders tackling tough problems in healthcare, which shaped how I lead medara^™️ today, with a focus on collaboration, resilience, and long-term impact.

Looking back, what advice would you give yourself at the start of your journey?

I’d remind myself to focus early on building the right partnerships. In healthcare, credibility and access come from trusted collaborations with clinicians, researchers, and health systems. I’d also tell myself not to underestimate the importance of patience. Innovation in medicine takes time, but if you stay close to patients’ needs and keep the long view in mind, the impact is worth it.

Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?

I see medara^™️’s technology integrated into routine care, helping clinicians identify cancer risk early and giving patients the clarity they need to take action sooner. Personally, I hope to still be building at the intersection of science, technology, and healthcare and continuing to turn breakthroughs into tools that make a real difference in people’s lives.

How did VentureWell contribute to your leadership development and your professional trajectory?

The VentureWell community has had an outsized impact on so many aspects of how I work, how I teach, and how I strive to lead. Whether it’s the exceptional colleagues I meet and learn from at VentureWell conferences and workshops, the NSF I-Corps™ National Faculty Training I went through, or the inspirational mix of professionalism, fun, and camaraderie I’ve witnessed with so many VentureWell team members, these are all formative pieces I’ve gleaned and incorporated into my life today!

What’s the biggest change or milestone your institution or venture has experienced since participating in VentureWell programming?

At VentureWell conferences, I found myself fully engaged in sessions that actively got me up and about and that were truly interactive, collaborative, and all about maximizing everyone’s sharing and learning. That drastically better conference experience started me on an ongoing journey to continually strive to find ways to raise the bar even higher for collaborative gatherings by constantly listening and observing and by constantly experimenting and iterating.

Looking back, what advice would you give yourself at the start of your journey?

In 2003, David Barbe made University of Maryland (UMD) one of the original partners in VentureWell’s Invention to Venture workshops for students, faculty, and regional entrepreneurs and investors. From that fruitful collaboration, UMD steadily grew its innovation & entrepreneurship (I&E) ecosystem with campus-wide programs. Today, half of all undergraduates enroll in an I&E course each year, and UMD has been a Top 10 College for Entrepreneurship for 10 straight years.

How did VentureWell contribute to your leadership development and your professional trajectory?

“Catalytic” is the word I think of when I think of VentureWell. VentureWell was catalytic in forming my entrepreneur mindset as an engineering student; it was catalytic in my financing journey, and ultimately allowed me to see that there are different pathways on the founder’s journey—including coming full circle to join the Ventures team [at VentureWell] and be a catalyst in our innovators’ journeys.

What’s the biggest change or milestone your institution or venture has experienced since participating in VentureWell programming?

There are many! After participating in an E-Team Program hosted at Penn State in 2009, I kept in touch with the VentureWell program team, who mentored and advised me. They supported me in taking the leap to incorporate DayOne Response in 2010 following an OPEN conference, helped me develop my 12-18 month roadmap, and advised me on my first pre-seed investment, including participating in the financing round.

Looking back, what advice would you give yourself at the start of your journey?

It’s hard to choose—I keep coming back to this article I worked on [with The Lemelson Foundation] that highlights my entrepreneurship journey.

Learn more about Tricia’s innovation journey.

How did VentureWell contribute to your leadership development and your professional trajectory?

VentureWell came in at a critical time in Promethean Power Systems’ journey to support the development and refinement of our rapid milk chiller product, along with business development support, which has helped us reach over 100,000 smallholder farmers in India across 3,000+ villages.

What’s the biggest change or milestone your institution or venture has experienced since participating in VentureWell programming?

Initial market testing, selection of local manufacturers, building a robust supply chain, and developing an effective sales and marketing strategy. Since then, we have evolved our business model to reach more smallholder farmers directly through our cooling-as-a-service platform model.

Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?

We expect to scale up our cooling-as-service platform from impacting 100,000+ farmers across 3,000 villages in India to 1,000,000+ farmers across 30,000 villages in India and other emerging markets.

How did VentureWell contribute to your leadership development and your professional trajectory?

The VentureWell Ocean Enterprise Accelerator program shaped my leadership by helping me recognize and act on timing—showing me how advances in cloud computing and AI opened a window for real change. With mentor guidance, I learned to communicate not only what CargoCheck builds, but why now is the right moment to help ports and industry accelerate data-driven safety and efficiency gains.

What’s a key learning or takeaway from the VentureWell program you participated in, and how did it impact your journey?

VentureWell reinforced that effective leadership starts with curiosity. The reminder that customer discovery is a continuous process—not a milestone—helped me organize my time around what matters most: solving real problems for real people.

Looking back, what advice would you give yourself at the start of your journey?

Start where you are, connect with others who care, and aim anyway. I recently gave a TEDx talk on how to move forward in the face of uncertainty, because I wanted my kids to understand what I wish I’d known when I was younger: Progress isn’t about perfect plans or static values; it’s about living with good character and taking imperfect steps to keep learning together.

How did VentureWell contribute to your leadership development and your professional trajectory?

VentureWell was a catalyst for my leadership growth and our organization’s evolution. The [VentureWell Ocean Enterprise Accelerator] program helped us to think strategically about scaling impact, balancing science with entrepreneurship, and leading with clarity. Through coaching and peer collaboration, I gained tools to communicate our mission effectively and turn ideas into action. VentureWell also guided us through the patenting process, prompting us to file our first provisional patent, an exciting milestone that positioned [Blue Latitudes’ web-based platform] FishLAT for future growth and investment.

What’s the biggest change or milestone your institution or venture has experienced since participating in VentureWell programming?

Meeting with our cohort was an incredible opportunity to connect with peers facing similar challenges. The feedback and encouragement from our coaches and fellow members pushed us to reflect, refine our strategy, and ultimately take the leap to launch our first prototype website for FishLAT.

Looking back, what advice would you give yourself at the start of your journey?

The highs and lows are equally important parts of the journey; while the highs are exhilarating, you learn the most from the low periods. Those are the periods that force you to think creatively about how to pivot and pursue new opportunities.

What’s the biggest change or milestone your institution or venture has experienced since participating in VentureWell programming?

SunCulture has scaled significantly, now serving farmers across multiple African markets. The company has over 70% market share for smallholder farmer solar irrigation systems in sub-Saharan Africa, and we were selected by the World Economic Forum as a Technology Pioneer and by Fast Company as one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies.

Looking back, what advice would you give yourself at the start of your journey?

Solving big problems takes time. Stay focused, even when the path gets hard. Always listen to the customer, co-create solutions with them, and stay focused on solving the root problem, not just offering a quick fix. Build trust, deliver real value, and the growth will follow.

Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?

In 10 years, we envision SunCulture as the world’s leading productivity platform for smallholder farmers—driving food security across Africa and beyond. By unlocking agricultural potential through cleantech, finance, and farmer services, we aim to be a global force in climate adaptation, mitigation, and rural economic empowerment.

What’s a key learning or takeaway from the VentureWell program you participated in, and how did it impact your journey?

The biggest takeaway for me was the community. [During the Ecosystem Futures Fellowship workshop], VentureWell put me in a room with people asking the same kinds of questions and testing new ideas at their schools. It showed me different ways of approaching things, and I brought a lot of that energy back to Old Dominion University. Even now, I find myself drawing on those conversations when I’m building something new.

Looking back, what advice would you give yourself at the start of your journey?

I’d tell myself not to hold back waiting for everything to line up perfectly. At the start, I was hesitant to put ideas out there because I thought they weren’t “ready enough.” What I’ve learned is that the act of sharing an idea—whether in a grant proposal, a pilot project, or even a classroom activity—creates momentum and brings people alongside you. I’d remind myself that progress comes from taking small, imperfect steps and building on them.

Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?

In 10 years, I see myself leading major initiatives that shape how engineering education integrates sustainability, innovation, and entrepreneurship. My goal is to drive change at a national scale, working across universities and with partners in industry and government to make these approaches the norm rather than the exception.

Learn more about Dalya’s innovation journey.

How did VentureWell contribute to your leadership development and your professional trajectory?

My leadership growth and professional journey were positively impacted by my participation in the Sprint for Women’s Health with ARPA-H and the Investor Catalyst Hub. The support and guidance I received allowed me to properly communicate and cross-collaborate with our partners and internal team to ensure success. We crossed many project milestones in a structured and organized manner because of the framework the program provided.

What’s the biggest change or milestone your institution or venture has experienced since participating in VentureWell programming?

Participating in the Sprint for Women’s Health has allowed our organization, Nura Health, to reach new heights in technical planning, project planning, and the overall quality of deliverables.

Looking back, what advice would you give yourself at the start of your journey?

Proper project planning down to the nuts and bolts of an operation is key in securing the high-level wins along the way. The Sprint for Women’s Health allowed us to appreciate the technical rigor required on a frequent reporting basis, and we learned and grew as a team over time to meet goals. Looking back, our ability to maximize efficiency and proper prioritization would be further enhanced with best-in-class project planning and timeline development for even small milestones that lead to the grand checkpoints along the way.

How did VentureWell contribute to your leadership development and your professional trajectory?

Learning from and observing other founders in our VentureWell cohort helped me to be a stronger strategist and lean into new opportunities.

What’s a key learning or takeaway from the VentureWell program you participated in, and how did it impact your journey?

VentureWell encouraged us to explore adjacent uses for our technology, which led Aloft Systems to develop a sensor suite. We cast a wide net and found that several industries need the data we collect. This experience reinforced the significance of seizing opportunities, combined with the hard work of following through.

What’s the biggest change or milestone your institution or venture has experienced since participating in VentureWell programming?

In the VentureWell program, we installed our first hardware with a customer, which has led to another install and a new, data-oriented side of the business that we didn’t know existed.

Read more about Miles’ innovation journey.

How did VentureWell contribute to your leadership development and your professional trajectory?

VentureWell gave me the foundation for understanding the entrepreneurial/venture capitalist (VC)–backed founder journey. Participating in [each of the] three phases of VentureWell’s accelerator programming and learning about different challenges we might face helped me be more confident in building and leading MITO^® Material Solutions as a recent college graduate. Now, I have an established career and the ability to grow professionally in different areas.

What’s a key learning or takeaway from the VentureWell program you participated in, and how did it impact your journey?

File organization and stress tests. We still use the VentureWell Google Drive outline for our internal filing. It has helped me raise and close multiple funding rounds, and I always know where to find things. The stress tests at the beginning helped set a temperature gauge of reaction to different scenarios throughout my entrepreneurial journey. While you can never imagine which scenarios you will face, these test experiences helped me and my co-founders understand what areas of the business we were better at handling and how to come up with a proper response plan for unexpected events.

What’s the biggest change or milestone your institution or venture has experienced since participating in VentureWell programming?

The macro environment has made funding quite difficult in recent years, and when you pair that with climate and materials-based companies having fewer VCs investing in the space, our biggest challenge was finding investors who could do more than just add funds to the company, which prevented proper investment in growth activities.

Read more about Haley’s innovation journey.

What’s a key learning or takeaway from the VentureWell program you participated in, and how did it impact your journey?

“Go and talk to your customers”—that is step one, and realizing this fact is crucial for every startup founder. VentureWell really hammered it into our heads—well, at least mine—and now I’m hammering it into the heads of young and fresh startup founders.

What’s the biggest change or milestone your institution or venture has experienced since participating in VentureWell programming?

The path towards Elven Technologies’ major pivot originated from the VentureWell training, because we went and talked with firefighters in over 20 departments in several states, which gave us crucial insight that would have been impossible to gather otherwise. This led us to understand that we were on the wrong path—this realization, and the pivot that followed, raised us the first seed investment, and we’ve been rocking since.

Looking back, what advice would you give yourself at the start of your journey?

I would not. I’m sorry. If I did, I wouldn’t walk the path I walked, and I’m quite happy with the path I walked until now.

What’s the biggest change or milestone your institution or venture has experienced since participating in VentureWell programming?

My company, Medtric, is commercializing an antimicrobial platform technology that employs botanical actives. Our primary shift was pivoting away from a medical device-focused sector to more consumer-oriented, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency–regulated product offerings. The medical space was too crowded, and there were some U.S. Food and Drug Administration–related rule changes (in addition to a high bar to market entry) that made pursuing health/medical products difficult in the United States. As a result, we looked at overseas markets (over-the-counter segment) and ended up licensing to a foreign partner.

Looking back, what advice would you give yourself at the start of your journey?

We came into easy, non-dilutive money when we first started. While not frivolous, we spent that money on expenses and consultants that ultimately did not provide the value or the type of de-risking that we wanted. We could have been more deliberate in maximizing return on the dollar. Having mentors with our best interests in mind and who have similar lived experiences would have been very helpful. You learn hard lessons along the way, and some things you just don’t fully understand (whether technical or business-wise) until you are older and have more grey hairs. Such wisdom only comes with age.

Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?

With VentureWell, of course! For Medtric, I’d like to see our business expand into the domestic market. It’s been a real desire and dream to be able to have our own products in the consumer space and be able to purchase our technology off the shelf. We’d really like to find the ideal business/commercialization partner that is aligned with our values and mission and can deliver best-in-class products to the customers. We’re still working on developing new technology variations and use cases.

What’s the biggest change or milestone your institution or venture has experienced since participating in VentureWell programming?

The biggest milestone since participating in VentureWell programming has been moving from a research concept into a fully validated device platform, with T33 Dental’s first commercial product scheduled for launch this fall. VentureWell’s support helped us clarify our regulatory pathway, strengthen our technical validation, and accelerate toward manufacturing readiness.

Looking back, what advice would you give yourself at the start of your journey?

I would remind myself to stay focused on the core problem we’re solving and not get distracted by side opportunities. Clarity of purpose makes it easier to make tough decisions and keep momentum.

Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?

In 10 years, my team and I see ourselves leading a thriving company that has set new standards of preventive and restorative care to dentistry, while continuing to mentor other founders building impactful health technologies.

Read more about Daniel’s innovation journey.

How did VentureWell contribute to your leadership development and your professional trajectory?

Twenty years ago, I received my first VentureWell grant to build a windmill-based enterprise in rural Kenya. That grant lit the spark. It launched me into a rewarding journey building rigorous academic programs in social innovation and enterprise, first at Penn State, and now at Lehigh University. Along the way, I’ve racked up plenty of spectacular failures, 20+ modest entrepreneurial successes across different global regions, worked side-by-side with 1,000+ students (many of whom went on to become successful entrepreneurs), published 200+ papers, and traveled to 99 countries. It all started with that one grant and my first VentureWell conference. I’m deeply grateful.

What’s a key learning or takeaway from the VentureWell program you participated in, and how did it impact your journey?

My biggest lesson is simple yet profound: You just have to start. Don’t wait for the perfect plan, partner, or timing—they never come. VentureWell taught me that momentum matters more than perfection. Once you begin, the key is to stay humble and curious: Keep listening to the people you’re trying to serve, keep learning from your missteps and mentors, and keep pivoting when reality doesn’t match your assumptions. That mindset has shaped every step of my journey and is what I try to instill in my students—impact comes not from waiting, but from starting and staying in the fight.

Looking back, what advice would you give yourself at the start of your journey?

Be patient with the process but relentless with the mission. Surround yourself with people smarter than you, lean into discomfort, and don’t let setbacks define you—they’re where the real growth happens.

Read more about Khanjan’s innovation journey.

How did VentureWell contribute to your leadership development and your professional trajectory?

I was the principal investigator for two E-Team Program teams. VentureWell gave me a taste of true partnership, alignment in values, complementarity of skills and resources, a similar work ethos, and an extension of the resources available at the university so my students could have a longer runway. From this partnership, I went on to co-create the E3 partnership with CodePath, which we piloted at Georgia State University three years ago, and is now deployed in 18 universities across 14 states—and growing—training thousands of students every year and connecting them to bigger opportunities.

What’s a key learning or takeaway from the VentureWell program you participated in, and how did it impact your journey?

The value of early funding and external validation for teams of students who may not yet believe in the commercial potential of their venture.

What’s the biggest change or milestone your institution or venture has experienced since participating in VentureWell programming?

The DelivHer venture [which participated in the E-Team Program] has gotten more patents, completed the design, and contracted with manufacturers, which included multiple rounds of designs, testing multiple materials, and getting molds produced, etc. We are ready for distribution. [This fall] we launched the pre-sale, followed by the Kickstarter; they were among the finalists of the Black Ambition prize (founded by Pharrell Williams) at Demo Day in Miami, hopefully getting the funding and national visibility to amplify the launch and secure distribution deals.

Looking back, what advice would you give yourself at the start of your journey?

I would remind myself that it takes 10 years to create an overnight success. #WorthIt

Read more about Isabelle’s innovation journey.

How did VentureWell contribute to your leadership development and your professional trajectory?

Participating in VentureWell’s Aspire Medtech program came at a formative stage in Coredio’s journey. As first-time founders, we had the clinical insight and technical innovation, but we needed structure to communicate our value clearly. VentureWell helped sharpen my leadership mindset—from being focused primarily on building technology to leading a venture with clarity, priorities, and external alignment.

What’s a key learning or takeaway from the VentureWell program you participated in, and how did it impact your journey?

The importance of narrative discipline: being able to express a complex innovation clearly to different audiences—clinicians, investors, regulators, and health systems—without diluting scientific rigor. VentureWell’s mentorship helped us refine our pitch deck, data room structure, and scientific storytelling in a way that resonated with decision-makers. That clarity had a direct impact on our subsequent fundraising discussions, strategic partnerships, and clinical advisory recruitment.

What’s the biggest change or milestone your institution or venture has experienced since participating in VentureWell programming?

Since the program, our company has completed multiple Institutional Review Board (IRB)–approved clinical validation studies, built our digital twin–based non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring platform, and secured foundational partnerships with leading cardiology centers. We raised our pre-seed round, expanded our advisory board with nationally recognized cardiologists and regulatory experts, and advanced toward U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Breakthrough designation.

What’s a key learning or takeaway from the VentureWell program you participated in, and how did it impact your journey?

I often think back to two key learnings from the E-Team Program: One, value stream mapping in the program gave me insight into the overall landscape that had not been clear to me until that point. Second, peer influence—sharing opportunities and insights with other startup founders—can amplify mutual success. A rising tide truly lifts all boats.

What’s the biggest change or milestone your institution or venture has experienced since participating in VentureWell programming?

After participating in VentureWell programming, we went on to be selected to participate in Chain Reaction Innovations, win several SBIR awards, and demonstrate commercial viability with customers.

Looking back, what advice would you give yourself at the start of your journey?

Keep talking to people and get obsessed with seeing how they solve the problem you think they have.

How did VentureWell contribute to your leadership development and your professional trajectory?

VentureWell was a great training program that taught me a great deal about developing an enterprise as co-founder of Hazel Technologies. It also introduced me to potential advisors and investors, as well as founders of other enterprises with whom I could collaborate and who could benefit from my expertise.

What’s a key learning or takeaway from the VentureWell program you participated in, and how did it impact your journey?

The analogy of the fundraising ladder came from VentureWell. At each step of the ladder, one has to assess what led to it and what it leads to next. That’s the tale of capitalization, market approach and growth, customer acquisition, partnership development, and more.

What’s the biggest change or milestone your institution or venture has experienced since participating in VentureWell programming?

I successfully raised Series Seed through Series C venture rounds, and was exploring international business development in a dozen countries. I exited my enterprise on family leave, but I was already stepping up to international growth modes with corporate partners, well beyond venture capitalist (VC) fundraises, when that occurred. This was after a couple of hundred million dollars in funds raised.

Read more about Aidan’s innovation journey.

How did VentureWell contribute to your leadership development and your professional trajectory?

I have collaborated with many people across a number of initiatives over the years. The communities of practice that developed from these projects have been invaluable to growing my network and developing practical methods for engaging students in the Padnos College of Engineering at Grand Valley State University at the intersection of innovation, entrepreneurial thinking, and sustainability. It has enabled me to tell a coherent story of a vision for a comprehensive approach to modern engineering education.

What’s a key learning or takeaway from the VentureWell program you participated in, and how did it impact your journey?

Over time and working with people from a wide range of disciplines, I realized that an entrepreneurial approach to problem-solving that fosters value creation in a broad sense can be a critical component of solving sustainability challenges.

Looking back, what advice would you give yourself at the start of your journey?

Keep going. You are in for a wild ride!

Read more about Adebayo’s innovation journey.

How did VentureWell contribute to your leadership development and your professional trajectory?

Working with VentureWell through the RADx^® program gave me a much deeper understanding of government contracting and technology due diligence. Those experiences have been invaluable as Novel Microdevices, Inc. enters the commercialization phase and we navigate the complexities of scaling a federally funded diagnostics company.

What’s a key learning or takeaway from the VentureWell program you participated in, and how did it impact your journey?

I learned how important structured diligence and milestone-driven project management can be—not just for accountability, but for keeping innovation moving forward efficiently. That mindset has carried through everything we do at Novel, from research and development to regulatory planning.

What’s the biggest change or milestone your institution or venture has experienced since participating in VentureWell programming?

Novel has moved from early development into late-stage verification and manufacturing scale-up. We’re now preparing to launch our first multiplex respiratory test for influenza A, influenza B, RSV, and COVID-19—a big step toward getting rapid molecular diagnostics into real-world use.

How did VentureWell contribute to your leadership development and your professional trajectory?

VentureWell opened the door for me to connect with a national community of innovators during the pandemic, when isolation could have stalled progress. Attending OPEN 2020 connected me with like-minded faculty seeking to solve complex, real-life problems. From there, my role expanded—as a grantee, community of practice participant, OPEN conference presenter, and grant reviewer—each experience strengthening my leadership as an educator and advocate for underrepresented innovators. VentureWell empowered me to view entrepreneurship not only as business creation but as a pathway for sustainable and inclusive impact.

What’s the biggest change or milestone your institution or venture has experienced since participating in VentureWell programming?

The most moving milestone has been witnessing my students at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley—many of whom are first-generation and underserved—launch ventures such as chemical-free skincare products and cancer patient meal preparation, proving that with support, they can innovate in ways others once thought impossible.

Looking back, what advice would you give yourself at the start of your journey?

I would tell myself: “Trust that your challenges will become your strength.” When VentureWell recognized me for the Sustainable Practice Impact Award, I was also undergoing cancer treatment and teaching classes from the chemo chair. At the time, it felt like a burden, but it became a testimony to resilience for my students. I’d advise myself to lean wholly into community, because it is through collaboration—with students, colleagues, and networks like VentureWell—that fundamental transformation happens.

Read more about Sylvia’s innovation journey.

How did VentureWell contribute to your leadership development and your professional trajectory?

I received three VentureWell faculty grants. The first one was a $7,500 planning grant when VentureWell was still the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA). This allowed us to prepare a submission for a $21,000 grant the following year. The grant was seed money for what has become the Office of Academic Innovation at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona! This office curates experiential learning opportunities for Cal Poly Pomona students, faculty, staff, and industry and community partners. We grew from a staff of two in the Student Innovation Idea Lab (iLab) to a team of over 40 focused on student success. My leadership growth from inaugural director of the iLab to associate VP of Academic Innovation can be directly attributed to these grants.

What’s a key learning or takeaway from the VentureWell program you participated in, and how did it impact your journey?

Compared to a recently awarded $7.5 million National Science Foundation grant, a $24,050 VentureWell grant seems small. But the funding enabled us to grow the entrepreneurial ecosystem on our campus into what it is now. Now we can get large grants, but we started with faculty grants from VentureWell that allowed us to conduct small experiments, develop minimum viable products, and create and expand our entrepreneurial ecosystem. I learned not to despise the days of small things. We started small and changed the DNA of a campus!

How did VentureWell contribute to your leadership development and your professional trajectory?

VentureWell helped me pilot a unique new professional development course that functioned exactly as it was designed: It helped students build critical professional networks, while also building new relationships for the university. One of those relationships resulted in Penn State being selected to host a prestigious United Nations (U.N.) youth innovation program, the World Food Forum Youth Food Lab, for all of North America, and I was selected to lead it.

What’s the biggest change or milestone your institution or venture has experienced since participating in VentureWell programming?

The critical mass that came with the U.N. World Food Forum Youth Food Lab designation has enabled us to start building an Innovation Gap program where we’re working to help young innovators scale and de-risk new technologies. This program will build trusted networks that both companies and students can interface with in support of the world’s most compelling new agri-food system technologies.

Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?

In 10 years, hopefully, I’m looking back on how many impactful technologies I was some small part of helping along. And if I’m really lucky, former students and colleagues will think of me as someone who helped them find their way to impact that’s meaningful to them and to the world.

How did VentureWell contribute to your leadership development and your professional trajectory?

As first-time founders, it gave us access to an amazing network of mentors who helped us confidently make strategic decisions. It is easy to get distracted by things that don’t push the business forward. VentureWell helped us ask hard questions and make key pivots, which ultimately led to TRIC Robotics’ success with early customers.

What’s the biggest change or milestone your institution or venture has experienced since participating in VentureWell programming?

The team at VentureWell helped us understand how to articulate our messaging to different stakeholders, pick the right early customers, and even how to raise funding from the right kind of investors. Knowing some of the challenges we would encounter beforehand made it much easier when we ran into them along the way. Some examples include: how to talk about value-based pricing with customers, how to understand the negotiation dials you can turn during your fundraising rounds, and even how to build out a data room for investors.

Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?

I hope that I have learned enough to help other founders achieve amazing things.

Learn more about Adam’s innovation journey.

How did VentureWell contribute to your leadership development and your professional trajectory?

I first connected with VentureWell about 10 years ago as an undergraduate in the University Innovation Fellows program, where I assessed my university’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. That experience taught me the value of collaboration, connection, and interdisciplinary work. It gave me the tools to design solutions, lead the student entrepreneurship movement, and later explore entrepreneurship myself through the I-Corps™ Customer Discovery program. VentureWell programs have deepened my curiosity, strengthened my empathetic mindset, and taught me to be intentional about building bridges between people, ideas, and resources that might not otherwise connect.

What’s a key learning or takeaway from the VentureWell program you participated in, and how did it impact your journey?

One of my biggest takeaways was realizing the power of trusting students to co-design the entrepreneurial university they want and need. Like any good design thinking process, when you give people ownership and the space to experiment, you can make a lasting impact.

What’s the biggest change or milestone your institution or venture has experienced since participating in VentureWell programming?

Since participating in these programs and graduating, I’ve seen how the seeds of that early work have continued to grow. The entrepreneurial ecosystem at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez campus has evolved into a more connected and visible network. Concrete initiatives born from those programs—like the creation of the campus’ first makerspace—continue to add value to students’ learning journeys. One of the biggest accomplishments has been seeing the ecosystem’s stakeholders and programs expand their reach beyond the campus, becoming key drivers of innovation in the community.

How did VentureWell contribute to your leadership development and your professional trajectory?

In 2019, a VentureWell faculty grant application initiated a collaboration between Dr. Zen Parry, then a business department faculty member at Salish Kootenai College (SKC), and me, then a life sciences faculty member at SKC. Working with Zen, I learned grant writing hands-on and began viewing biomedical research through a new lens: how it solves problems and creates societal impact. We both loved VentureWell’s mission and found ways to become more involved with the organization. We presented at the virtual 2020 OPEN conference, and I later reviewed faculty grants. Those experiences grew my confidence, expanded my network, and led me to my current role; since May 2023, I’ve been a development officer at VentureWell!

What’s a key learning or takeaway from the VentureWell program you participated in, and how did it impact your journey?

I learned to think about research differently: Start with a real community need and build the science with partners, not in silos. At SKC, this meant framing life sciences work in a Tribal context and weaving in entrepreneurship to connect biomedical ideas to problems worth solving in Tribal communities. I also learned to stay involved with organizations whose mission and vision resonate. This mindset guided how I designed projects, taught, and chose my next steps, and it continues to shape my journey every day.

Looking back, what advice would you give yourself at the start of your journey?

I’d tell my early-career self: Step out of the silo from day one. Collaborate beyond the biomedical community. Work with business, social science, and community partners early and aim your research at solving real problems, not just satisfying academic curiosity. I made that shift later, and it transformed my mindset; I just wish I’d done it much sooner.

Read more about Wendy’s innovation journey.

How did VentureWell contribute to your leadership development and your professional trajectory?

VentureWell’s faculty grant strengthened my leadership in entrepreneurship education by expanding the New Venture Design Experience at my university, the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, and funding student prototypes. Dr. José E. Lugo and I recruited students across disciplines, impacted more minds, and created a unique space where theory and practice merged. Attending VentureWell’s OPEN conference also allowed me to connect with peers nationwide, leading to collaborations on presentations and workshops with universities I would not have otherwise reached.

What’s the biggest change or milestone your institution or venture has experienced since participating in VentureWell programming?

The biggest change at my university has been the surge of faculty and student involvement in entrepreneurship across diverse fields. Beyond business administration and engineering, we saw participants from food sciences, humanities, agriculture, biology, aerospace, and political science embrace entrepreneurial thinking. This shift led many to integrate entrepreneurship into their courses, research, and projects, while also engaging with the Business and Economic Development Center and other related programs.

Looking back, what advice would you give yourself at the start of your journey?

The biggest advice I would give myself is to not be shy; engage fully, attend every workshop, network widely, ask questions, and take advantage of every opportunity. The VentureWell program is open, supportive, and rich in possibilities, and I’m grateful I pushed past fear and immersed myself in it as much as I could.

Read more about Mari Luz’s innovation journey.

How did VentureWell contribute to your leadership development and your professional trajectory?

I first became involved with VentureWell as a graduate student, attending the OPEN conference while evaluating Penn State’s engineering entrepreneurship minor. I was struck by how discussions of innovation and creativity were framed in such practical, applied ways, sparking my lasting interest in entrepreneurship education. VentureWell and the connections I built through [that community] shaped my trajectory as a leader in entrepreneurship education.

Looking back, what advice would you give yourself at the start of your journey?

Looking back, I would tell myself that the field not only welcomes but needs the interdisciplinary perspectives psychologists bring. Instead of doubting my place, I should have embraced that difference as a strength. And I’d add: Just wait—20 years later, you’ll not only be an expert in entrepreneurship education but an entrepreneur yourself!

Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?

It’s hard to believe, but in 10 years I’ll likely be retired or near retirement from my academic “day job.” My hope is to step fully into an entrepreneurial lifestyle, supported by my own ventures. While my primary relationship with VentureWell has been through research, and OPEN and the community I found there, which gave me the confidence to see myself as more than an evaluator, I can be an entrepreneur too! I’ve embraced the very attributes I have studied, especially opportunity recognition, and now constantly look for ways to advance my entrepreneurial goals.

Read more about Sarah’s innovation journey.