Hadley, Massachusetts, June 26, 2025—We are pleased to announce that Phil Weilerstein, president and CEO of VentureWell, was recognized with a 2025 Sentinel Award at the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) annual conference, which took place June 23-26 in Atlanta, Georgia. The award was presented by Dr. Paul Sandberg, president and founder of NAI.
The NAI Sentinel Award is a distinguished honor, established in 2022, that spotlights individuals and organizations whose dedicated actions and unwavering support significantly advance the NAI’s mission: to recognize innovators, elevate the visibility of academic technology, and foster innovation leadership. Awardees are celebrated not only for their professional achievements but also for their mentorship, advocacy, and sustained efforts to promote inventive discovery within academic and research communities.
“The National Academy of Inventors plays a unique role in advancing innovation and recognizing the contributions of academic inventors,” said Weilerstein. “I’m deeply honored to receive the Sentinel Award and to be recognized by an organization that so powerfully champions innovation and discovery. This award is a reflection of the incredible work of our partners, the VentureWell team, and the inspiring innovators we’ve had the privilege to support. Together, we are building a stronger, more inclusive innovation ecosystem—one that brings bold ideas to life and drives lasting impact.”
Weilerstein has led VentureWell since its founding in 1996. By developing and expanding VentureWell’s programs on a national and global scale, he has helped advance the organization’s mission to solve the world’s most significant challenges through science- and technology-driven innovation and entrepreneurship. He has achieved this by designing and overseeing programs that encourage and support deeper engagement from higher education and research institutions in curricular innovation, as well as by developing and strengthening innovation communities.
Under Weilerstein’s leadership, VentureWell has collaborated with key science funding agencies including the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health; major philanthropies including The Lemelson Foundation, Qualcomm, The Gates Foundation, and Microsoft; and hundreds of higher education institutions nationwide to train and support thousands of emerging students, researchers, and faculty innovators.