FLORIDA TECHNOLOGY SEED CAPITAL FUND - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Administrative Support Assistant I
Addy graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's in forest resources and conservation. Following graduation, Addy completed a service year through AmeriCorps, where she worked to eradicate invasive species, collaborated with the team members to focus on habitat restoration, and improved professional expertise and knowledge by completing chainsaw, wildland fire, and CPR/First Aid certifications. Before joining the UF Innovate | Accelerate team in 2022, Addy worked in customer service and property management.
Job Titles:
- Contracts Administrator
- Financial Analyst
As Financial Analyst/Contracts Administrator Adrienne provides pertinent metrics for the Tech Licensing office to the UF Board of Trustees, the State University System Board of Governors, to departments and colleges across campus, as well as to AUTM, the professional organization that completes an annual licensing survey of universities before issuing a fiscal year ranking. Adrienne also monitors the financial progress of the office budget throughout the fiscal year. She works with the UFRF business office on a daily basis to ensure that all financial terms of Agreements remain in compliance.
In addition to her role as Financial Analyst/Contracts Administrator, Adrienne also manages the database, streamlining processes for the tech licensing office. Prior to this role, she served as a licensing associate for John Byatt and as an administrative assistant.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director at the Procter & Gamble Company
- P & G Ventures
Alan is a managing director at The Procter & Gamble Company, with the role of identifying and establishing partnerships for our P&G Ventures organization. His mission is to create $B businesses in new areas for P&G, allowing him to have an expansive global network within the start-up and investment comminutes. Alan, an alum of UF, is a passionate innovator in a relentless pursuit to deliver game-changing consumer experiences. He has almost 30 years of experience delivering disruptive and consumer product innovations.
Alan's sustainable track record of delivering new-to-the-world innovations across P&G businesses has included the creation of new brands such as Febreze, Swiffer, and Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. He currently leads several areas within P&G Ventures, developing new businesses with an emphasis on external partnerships. Alan has more than 30 granted patents.
Job Titles:
- Maintenance Specialist II
Allen provides maintenance services for both UF Innovate | Accelerate facilities, The Hub and Sid Martin Biotech. He maintains and repairs each building in order to support our innovation ecosystem. Allen obtains proposals from private vendors and coordinates with UF Facilities Services, PD&C, contractors, and program clients on a wide range of building projects. He prepares offices and labs for new startups, manages bio-hazard waste activities, performs water and autoclave testing, and resolves various building issues.
Before joining UF Innovate | Accelerate, Allen worked at the UF Warrington College of Business. He has also been a business owner and was the facilities maintenance engineer for Le Triomphe Golf Club, a private golf club that hosts the PGA Tour's Louisiana Open each year.
Job Titles:
- Marketing and Communications Specialist
Andrea serves as a marketing and communications specialist, supporting all UF Innovate entities. In her role, Andrea is the tech editor for UF Innovate | Tech Licensing, working closely with the licensing teams and interns to write and edit non-confidential summaries for technologies and conduct prior searches. In addition, she also specializes in social media, curating news briefs, photographing happenings at UF Innovate, and managing the content going out on the Tech Licensing social channels, with the support of a social media intern.
Andrea got her start in tech transfer when she joined UF Innovate | Tech Licensing as a marketing intern in 2018. She quickly transitioned out of that role and moved into that of a social media intern, handling the content going out on the Tech Licensing social channels until her graduation from the University of Florida in 2020. Andrea gained industry experience working for a digital marketing agency as a social media specialist and digital marketing coordinator, furthering her passion for social media, communications, and customer service. She returned to UF Innovate in 2022, ready to make the world a better place, an innovation at a time.
Andrea holds a B.S. in agricultural education and communication, with a specialization in communication and leadership development (CLD), and a minor in mass communications from the University of Florida. In her free time, you can find Andrea cooking, baking, and discovering everything Gainesville has to offer.
Job Titles:
- Licensing Officer
- Program Director, Pathways
Job Titles:
- Licensing Associate for Rick Croley
Autumn Arranz joined UF Innovate in March of 2019 as a Licensing Associate working with Richard Croley in the fields of electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and software. They review invention disclosures to determine patentability or commercial potential by meeting with innovators to determine if a patent, trademark or copyright should be filed She manages all aspects of the patenting process, including implementation of all federal reporting obligations as required under the Bayh-Dole Act, comply with all federal and state grants and regulations.
Bill Gurley has spent nearly 20 years as a General Partner at Benchmark, joining in 1999. Before entering the venture capital business, Bill spent four years on Wall Street as a top-ranked research analyst, including three years at CS First Boston.
Job Titles:
- Technical Services Manager
Birk is responsible for managing technical services and laboratory areas at UF Innovate | Accelerate @ Sid Martin Biotech. As an experienced chemist, Birk assists startup companies with technical questions, shared equipment training, and maintenance of shared scientific instruments. He also ensures regulatory compliance, assists with facility operations and improvement initiatives, and acts as an IT liaison, ensuring seamless operations and a safe environment, fostering an atmosphere conducive to innovation and research.
Birk grew up in Iowa and graduated with a B.S. in chemistry from the University of Northern Iowa. Post-graduation, he moved to Gainesville to help plant a church, utilizing his skills in event production and music, while also working at the University of Florida. He began at the UF College of Pharmacy in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry as a laboratory technician responsible for managing the department's shared lab spaces and scientific equipment, ensuring safe research activities. Before joining the UF Innovate | Accelerate team in 2023, he worked at the UF Clinical and Translational Science Institute's Translational Drug Development Core. There, he developed LCMS methods for core projects, assisted with drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics studies, and performed timely data analysis to report high-quality results to the clients.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director of the BrightEdge Venture Fund
- Venture Capitalist
Bob Crutchfield is the managing director of the BrightEdge Venture Fund. BrightEdge is the American Cancer Society's strategic venture philanthropy platform, targeting investments in advanced therapies to treat, detect, and prevent all types of cancer. Prior to the BrightEdge Fund, Bob was a Sr. Partner at Harbert Growth Partners where he led the healthcare practice. While there, he served as a board member or board observer on Shipt - acquired by Target in 2017, Wellcentive - acquired by Royal Philips in 2016, nContact - acquired by Atricure in 2014 and Novamin - acquired by GSK in 2009.
BrightEdge has made four investments to date. Great Point Ventures - an institutional venture capital fund, Castle Biosciences - a provider of a diagnostic test for uveal and cutaneous melanoma that also identifies patients with the highest risk for metastasis, Freenome - a blood-based, multi-analyte screening test for colorectal cancer, Navigating Cancer - a healthcare IT company focused on helping cancer patients remain compliant and adherent to their oncology treatment programs and Tmunity - a CART-T immuno-oncology company. He served as a board observer to Castle Biosciences prior to their NASDAQ listing in July, and currently services as a board observer for Freenome, Navigating Cancer and Tmunity.
He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Georgia Research Alliance, the boards of South East Life Sciences, the Southern Capital Forum, the Atlanta Global Center for Medical Innovation and HealthSouth Connect.
Most recently, he was the executive director of Innovate Birmingham, an 18-month initiative in which he led a team to assess, evaluate and recommend to Birmingham's economic development organizations strategies for accelerating the growth of that market's technology-based economy. During this time, he also served as an operating advisor to Harbert Growth Partners, after stepping down as the senior partner and healthcare practice leader in 2017. Prior to Harbert he was vice president/general manager of the Pharmacy Services Division at US Oncology, a privately held, vertically integrated cancer care provider network, that sold to McKesson in 2010. Prior to US Oncology, he was a senior executive at Cardinal Health where he served as vice president/general manager of New Ventures. Prior to Cardinal he was the founder and CEO of Surgical Innovations & Services, Inc. (SIS).
Bob is a graduate of the University of Georgia and holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Political Science and Chemistry.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Support Assistant
Brittany provides general administrative functions for UF Innovate | Accelerate at Sid Martin Biotech, including handling reception, scheduling meetings, coordinating calendars, preparing correspondence, and providing routine office support.
Before joining the team at Sid Martin, Brittany worked in customer service and multiple medical environments.
Brittany has earned two A.S. degrees from Santa Fe College, one in health information technology and the other in cardiovascular technology.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Support Assistant
Job Titles:
- Entrepreneur in Residence
Chris Carter of Ponte Vedra Beach is an angel investor and advocate for entrepreneurship and innovation, having served in a variety of mentorship, advisory, consulting and venture development roles in support of entrepreneurs and their visions. He has been actively involved in the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Northeast Florida, serving on, and moderating, several panels at innovation conferences and events, as well as judging entrepreneur pitch competitions in the region. He has proactively developed relationships with innovation communities and universities throughout Florida, local and regional government officials, and state organizations like the Florida Venture Forum and Launch Florida, a consortium of entrepreneur organizations and accelerators throughout the state formed to promote entrepreneurship and innovation in Florida.
Most recently Chris served as President of One Spark Ventures (OSV), the Florida Social Purpose Corporation formed to identify and develop ventures with talented teams and scalable ideas that participate in One Spark sponsored programs. Chris has worked with the One Spark's Board to restructure and rebrand the organization away from its broad focus and crowdfunding roots to a focus on high caliber teams with scalable business ideas in targeted market segments that could, potentially, create new businesses and jobs in the region and provide a source of deal flow to the local investment community. Chris has worked closely to mentor and advise several portfolio teams on strategy, operational, business planning and funding issues, several of whom have now raised equity rounds and are scaling to launch, or that have launched, commercially.
Prior to this Chris was principal of a boutique consulting firm that provided venture development, strategic business advisory, and interim management services to corporations and VC-backed enterprises. He previously led strategic venture and business development initiatives for divisions of Fortune 500 companies, including Panasonic, CBS, and the former Bell Atlantic Corporation.
Chris earned his MBA in finance at the Sellinger School of Business and Management, Loyola University and a bachelor's degree in economics and business administration at McDaniel College.
Chris Walker was asked to join the UF Strategic Early Stage Investment Committee in 2019 given his extensive background within private equity.
Chris is currently a principal at HarbourVest Partners where he joined in 1998 in the primary partnership group and has focused most of his efforts on US venture capital and buyout fund investments. Chris also has extensive experience working in the healthcare sector, as well as primary partnerships in Canada. He chairs the ESG Committee at HarbourVest and currently serves on the advisory committees for multiple partnerships in Canada and the United States.
Previously, Chris served as a pilot in the United States Navy for 11 years, flying the P-3 Orion aircraft, and achieved the rank of Lieutenant Commander.
He received a bachelor's degree in finance from Providence College in 1986 where he played lacrosse all four years and a master's degree in finance from the Carroll School of Management Program at Boston College in 1998.
Chris is also a member of the Providence College Investment Committee and is a former chairman of the Boston President's counsel for Providence College. He met his wife Susan while at college and currently resides in Scituate, MA, with his three children.
Courtney oversees the maintenance, housekeeping, and general upkeep of the almost 100,000 square-foot technology incubator, UF Innovate | Accelerate at The Hub. She manages the inventory of building assets, space allocation, as well as accounts payable approver. She also serves as the liaison between the resident clients at The Hub and UF departments such as Information Technology, Facilities Services, and Environmental Health and Safety. Courtney interfaces with clients on a daily basis to solve problems, manage space, and create growth opportunities. She also handles event management, including room layouts, catering management, and scheduling. She manages data input and data management for the contact management system for The Hub.
Before joining UF Innovate in 2017, Courtney was the Facilities and Administration Manager at Naylor Association Solutions located in Gainesville. She was responsible for a 60,000 square foot commercial building, served as executive assistant to the CEO, as well as coordinated events. Prior to relocating to Gainesville, Courtney worked for 13 years in the print media industry in a variety of roles including media buying, sales, and production.
Courtney earned her B.S in advertising from the University of Florida.
Job Titles:
- Principal at Weatherford Capital
- Venture Capitalist
David Seider is a principal at Weatherford Capital, a Tampa-based growth equity firm with over $650 million in committed capital since inception. He leads the firm's investment analysis, transaction execution, and portfolio management activities. David serves on the board of directors of SOMA Global and HDVI and is a board observer at The Zebra.
Prior to joining Weatherford Capital, David led merger and acquisition execution for Roper Technologies (NYSE: ROP). Previously, David worked as a senior associate at Ballast Point Ventures, executing late-stage venture investments in healthcare and technology companies in the Southeast and Texas. David started his career as an investment banking analyst at Raymond James & Associates, focusing on mergers, acquisitions, and capital raising efforts.
David earned his B.S. in business administration from the University of Florida and is a member of the Florida Blue Key leadership honorary. He earned his M.B.A. degree from Duke's Fuqua School of Business and was a Fuqua Scholar.
Dawn supervises three administrative support assistants who, in turn, support 13 Tech Licensing staff members. She assists Jim O'Connell, who directs Tech Licensing and the umbrella organization, UF Innovate. And in those ways (and many more), Dawn assists all members of the organization.
She schedules and prepares agendas and handouts, coordinates internal meetings as well as meetings with high-level visitors. She coordinates travel, arranges for business meals, prepares reports and presentations, handles the office budget, reconciles expenditures, assists in planning and implementing investor and innovator events, maintains the UF Innovate van, keeps office and break room supplies ordered and available, and otherwise keeps the office running like a well-oiled machine.
Before joining UF Innovate | Tech Licensing in 2003, Dawn worked as a legal secretary for a law office and as a bank accounting clerk.
Dawn studied accounting at East Stroudsberg University and Northampton County Community College in Pennsylvania.
Before joining UF Innovate, Jackson was the CEO and executive director of the Florida Technology Seed Capital Fund, a seed-stage venture fund investing in companies commercializing technologies developed at Florida universities, colleges or research institutes. Under his direction, the fund created more than 50 companies with private investment matching Florida state funding at a 9:1 ratio. Jackson also served as the CEO of Banyan Biomarkers, a UF startup commercializing the first-ever blood test for traumatic brain injury that received FDA clearance in early 2018. Jackson also founded and served as CEO for PhotoThera, Inc., where he raised more than $120M in private capital and designed and managed five U.S. and international clinical trials for the treatment of stroke. He also co-founded American Veterinary Laser, which was acquired in a private transaction.
Jackson is the inventor of more than 20 patented technologies and the author on multiple scientific publications.
He earned his B.S. degree in biology from the University of Nevada Reno and his M.D. from the University of Nevada School of Medicine. He served as an officer in the U.S. Navy, completing a general surgery internship at Naval Regional Medical Center in Portsmouth, Virginia, and then primary flight school at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola. During his military service, he was the first naval flight surgeon selected as a Top Gun staff instructor, served on several overseas deployments, and was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal and the Navy Commendation Medal.
Job Titles:
- Elliott Welker Assistant Director
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director, Licensing Officer
Hera joined UF Innovate | Tech Licensing in March 2019 as a licensing officer, mostly working in the medical and biomedical disciplines. She works closely with faculty to help protect and license their innovations.
Before joining UF Innovate, Hera worked for almost 20 years in industry, most recently in Program Management at ThermoFisher (former BrammerBio) and Lonza. She also worked at Dyax Corp (now Shire PLC ) and in various roles at start-up companies. She gained her previous experience as a licensing officer in The Netherlands at the University of Maastricht.
Hera received her Ph.D. in Cancer Biology from the University of Maastricht (Netherlands) and completed her postdoctoral training at St. Mary's Hospital/Imperial College, London (UK), and MGH/Harvard Medical School where she also had a faculty instructor position.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director, the Hub
Jennifer is a dedicated professional based in Gainesville, Florida, holding a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Florida. With a strong educational background, she has earned additional certifications, including the lnBIA Incubator Manager Certificate, We Love Mentors Certified Startup Mentor, and Entrepreneurial Mindset Certified Entrepreneur Coach.
A printable version of Jennifer's bio sketch is available here.
Jennifer is the driving force behind UF Innovate | Accelerate at The Hub, one of the largest single-use incubator facilities in the US. Since joining The Hub in 2016, she has excelled in maintaining occupancy and revenue goals, implementing innovative client-centric programs, and spearheading new initiatives and special projects. Her commitment and leadership were pivotal in The Hub receiving the 2018 International Business Innovation Association (lnBIA) Global Mixed-Use Incubator of the Year award.
Jennifer is a seasoned professional, bringing a wealth of experience from diverse sectors, including sales, hospitality, real estate law, finance, and accounting. Her proficiency extends to finance, operations, strategic planning, project management, data analysis, problem-solving, and leadership.
Outside her professional endeavors, Jennifer is active in the community. She proudly serves as a board member for the Alachua Junior Achievement and the Florida Business Incubator Association. A graduate of Leadership Gainesville (Go Green!), she exemplifies values such as compassion, respect, resilience, courage, passion, and imagination.
In her personal life, Jennifer's journey started in some of the finest restaurants in South Florida and Atlanta before transitioning to a successful career in business. Her ultimate goal is to foster a safe, encouraging, and supportive community for entrepreneurs to start, grow, and thrive.
Beyond her professional achievements, Jennifer enjoys traveling, camping, hiking, and indulging in her love for food and wine. A fun fact about Jennifer is that she was born in the hospital once located on the very land where she now passionately works.
Jim serves as the Assistant Vice President for Commercialization, leading UF Innovate, the umbrella organization over Tech Licensing, Sid Martin Biotech and The Hub. Jim is also the director of Tech Licensing. He works with internal and external constituents to provide strategic leadership and direction in building and capitalizing on facilities, expertise and technology at UF.
Before joining UF Innovate, Jim directed the tech transfer office at the University of Miami and served as the director of the Michigan Venture Center at the University of Michigan. Jim came to tech transfer with 20 years of industry experience. He worked in two startups in the medical device industry. He also served in the U.S. Air Force as a helicopter pilot.
Jim earned his M.S. in engineering management from the University of Maryland and his B.S. in aeronautical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic.
Accomplished technology executive with a proven track record of business growth and extensive experience in running large scale manufacturing services for consumer, enterprise, medical, and industrial OEM's. Dr. McGee also holds widespread experience with service & delivery, quality & security, infrastructure development, facilities and international expansion, partnerships & strategic alliances, business development, contract negotiations, and client relationship management initiatives. Considerable experience with start-up's, early-stage companies, and disruptive technologies. Effective consensus builder with an innate ability to analyze existing operations and impact necessary change to increase profitability, efficiency, productivity, and employee and customer satisfaction.
John serves as the faculty liaison for UF Innovate, facilitating communications between innovators and licensing officers in Tech Licensing, and promoting the resources UF Innovate has for protecting and nurturing inventions coming out of the university. In 2023, he retired from his position as the Associate Director of Tech Licensing, where he started in 2005 as a licensing officer, working predominantly with faculty in the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, and College of Dentistry to evaluate, patent, license and commercialize new technology.
Prior to his time at UF, John worked almost 19 years as a research scientist working with Monsanto's Animal Agricultural Division working on or leading a variety of projects including the development and launch of the first production animal biotech product - recombinant bovine somatotropin for increasing milk yield of dairy cattle; evaluating the use of growth promoters for aquaculture; and identification, validation and use of DNA markers to increase genetic gain in livestock.
John Byatt received a B.Sc. in Biochemistry from the University of London and a Ph.D. from the University of Reading while working at the National Institute for Research in Dairying. He spent two and a half years as a post-doc in the Department of Dairy Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Since his retirement began, John enjoys choosing the days and times he drives Newberry Road to and from UF Innovate and does not miss his daily commute in rush-hour traffic. At all.
Job Titles:
- Advisory Board Member of the College of Business
- Director of UF Innovate
- Director, Accelerate & Collaboratory
Karl R. LaPan was appointed director of UF Innovate | Accelerate in May 2021. He oversees its business incubation, commercialization programs and promotes the entrepreneurial energy and community within the Gainesville Innovation District and Progress District in Alachua, FL.
Printable version of Karl's bio sketch is available here.
Karl is an advisory board member of the College of Business (COBAB) at his alma mater, Franklin Pierce University, the current president of the Florida Business Incubation Association (FBIA), and an adjunct instructor in Entrepreneurship at Franklin Pierce University. Previously, he served on the Board of BioPoly LLC, an orthobiologics early-stage company. Additionally, he is a community advisory board member for the InBIA Ecosystem Builder Leadership Project (EBLP).
Job Titles:
- Administrative Assistant
- Administrative Assistant for UF Innovate Accelerate at the Hub
Kat Scott is a full-time Administrative Assistant for UF Innovate | Accelerate at The Hub. Her primary duties include greeting clients (current and prospective), scheduling conference room bookings, and assisting with the particulars of community management within the incubator. She also provides fresh coffee and refreshments for residents to enjoy throughout the day while they are hard at work developing their technologies.
Before accepting her position as Administrative Assistant in 2021, she worked providing customer service and hospitality in the food industry. Kat studies various disciplines within the realm of visual arts and storytelling and can be often seen jotting down notes and sketches of her own.
Job Titles:
- Licensing Associate for Rachel Harding
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder and Managing Partner of Epidarex Capital
- Venture Capitalist
Kyp has more than 30 years of experience in creating and growing companies both as an early-stage venture investor and a senior executive in various technology and life science companies.
Kyp is the co-founder and managing partner of Epidarex Capital, a majority women-owned and led venture capital firm which finds, invests in, and builds early-stage breakthrough life sciences companies in emerging hubs. In her role at Epidarex she is responsible for all aspects of the firm from leading investments, financial reporting, and LP relations to developing the strategy for the firm's future growth.
Prior to co-founding Epidarex, Kyp was part of the senior management team of MASA Life Science Ventures (MLSV), an early-stage life science venture fund where she co-led the fund's investment strategy and managed several MLSV portfolio investments through successful exits.
Kyp was the funder and managing director of WomenAngels.net LLC, a top-performing 2000 vintage year fund investing in startup technology and healthcare companies in the Mid-Atlantic region. Kyp learned the life science industry as the chief financial officer of Oncologix, a venture-backed, early-stage biotechnology company based in Gaithersburg MD, which was subsequently sold to Antigenics, Inc.
Kyp has extensive experience collaborating directly with numerous universities and in creating companies from university-related technologies. She also was previously the director of a technology accelerator and adjunct professor at George Mason University. Kyp is a frequent speaker on early-stage investing and venture capital.
Kyp has held numerous directorships of startup companies throughout her career. She serves on the boards of Virginia Bio, the Virginia Catalyst, George Mason University Research Foundation, and Southeast Life Science. She is on the advisory board for the University System of Maryland's Momentum Fund and on the Investment Committees for Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology BioLife Fund and the Ivy Foundation (University of Virginia).
Job Titles:
- Contracts Analyst for UF Innovate
Leah is the Contracts Analyst for UF Innovate | Tech Licensing. If you have questions, are experiencing technical difficulties, or need a troubleshooter, she is the person to call. Leah receives, assigns, and processes agreements for the licensing teams. In addition, Leah works with three licensing teams to help coordinate their conversations with inventors and/or outside parties and to send correspondence on their behalf.
Leah has worked for the State of Florida for 8 years and has worked for UF Innovate | Tech Licensing since November 2017.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director, Licensing Officer
Lenny works with innovators and technologies from chemistry, materials science, and chemical, mechanical and electrical engineering. He has successfully negotiated over 290 licenses and has helped to start more than 40 companies.
When Lenny joined Tech Licensing in 2007, he had more than 20 years of industrial chemical experience. He has held multiple research positions with Milliken Specialty Chemical and Ciba Vision Corporation. He worked as a Business Development Manager for Clariant Specialty Chemicals for ten years. He is an inventor on 24 U.S. patents related to the contact lens and personal care markets.
Lenny earned his BS in Chemistry from the University of Richmond in 1981 and his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Emory University in 1986.
Lexi is responsible for providing direct and indirect support to assist resident and external clients of UF Innovate | Accelerate. Her duties include organizing and implementing entrepreneurial programming and connecting clients with local and program resources such as business development assistance, access to shared and support services, and networking/entrepreneurial community building. She plans and executes events such as Innovation Hours, Lunch & Learns, vendor shows, and workshops for both the Hub and Sid Martin Biotech. She strives to build a service culture of excellence for our entrepreneurial community through surprise and delight and memorable experiences for our clients.
Lexi graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in tourism, event, and recreation management, with a specialization in tourism and hospitality management. Post-graduation, she spent a year with the Kraft Heinz Company as a Planters Brand Specialist, driving the Planters NUTmobile across the country! Before joining the UF Innovate | Accelerate team in 2022, Lexi worked in several managerial roles in the hotel industry at brands including Marriott, Hilton, and Hyatt.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Coordinator
Lillian started at UF Innovate | Accelerate as an administrative assistant at UF Innovate | Accelerate's Sid Martin Biotech in Alachua, Florida. She now goes between the Hub and Sid Martin as an administrative coordinator, providing administrative support to the executive team and conducting research. She also prepares and edits documents, presentations, and reports. Like a catch-all net, she handles multitudes of different projects and tasks.
Lillian graduated from Florida State University in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in social science, with concentrations in environmental studies and law & policy. She worked at a state agency and held multiple leadership positions within her sorority, Delta Zeta. Post-graduation, Lilly spent a year living in Tallahassee, building connections in the legal field. Before joining the UF Innovate | Accelerate team in 2022, Lilly worked at a small law firm under a city attorney and at The Florida Bar. Lilly is a Gainesville native and is happy to be back in The Swamp.
Lissette is The Hub's accounting extraordinaire. She prepares monthly invoices for Hub clients and maintains the sub-ledger accounting system. Lissette processes Pcard transactions, expense reports, accounts payable, and monthly reconciliations reports. She assists the incubator manager with financial reports and monthly auditing as well as provides support for all internal and external Hub events.
Before joining The Hub in 2017, Lissette worked in many industries including a law firm in Miami and some of the best food and beverage establishments in Chicago. She has many years of experience in customer service, sales, marketing/social media, billing, and administration.
Lissette graduated from Florida International University in Miami with a bachelor's degree in psychology. She has completed her Fiscal Management Certificate at UF and is bilingual, speaking both English and Spanish.
Job Titles:
- Entrepreneur in Residence
Dr. Martin Handfield of Gainesville is a serial entrepreneur, having served in a variety of private and public startup companies in the life science industry. He started his career as a postdoctoral associate in the College of Dentistry at the University of Florida, working through the ranks to tenured associate professor during his 14 years at UF. To date, he successfully participated in raising more than $15M (in academia) and over $150M (in the industry) in R&D funding.
During his 24+ years career in the industry, Dr Handfield led the scientific, pre-clinical and clinical development of multiple classes of therapeutics in the anti-infectives, vaccines and live bacterial therapeutics sectors, several of which were first-in-man or new biological entities at the FDA/EMEA. He also developed strategies and lead the planning, development, and execution of short- and long-term strategic business development plans designed to grow corporations and funding objectives. Martin led teams of scientists across multidisciplinary areas to determine deliverables for scientific, corporate and regulatory needs, and contributed to the execution of several complex key co-development/research agreements with industry and academia. By establishing partnership with multiple CDMOs and CROs, he participated in the clinical development of several therapeutics (pre-IND, Phase-1 and -2) and developed and managed complex corporate IP portfolio. Most recently, Martin served as the Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) at Oragenics (NYSE:OGEN) and is currently the founder, manager and/or CSO of three local startups. He also serves as an Advisory Board Member for the Florida International University Biomolecular Sciences Institute, and he is part of the Dental & Medical Professional Advisory Council for ProBiora Health, a Florida Corporation.
Martin earned his BS in biochemistry, MS and PhD in microbiology and immunology from Laval University in Canada, at the Colleges of Engineering and Medicine, respectively. He did his postdoc at UF in the labs of Drs. Progulske-Fox and Hillman (co-Founder of Oragenics, Ret.).
Job Titles:
- Licensing Associate for Melissa Kuchma
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director, Licensing Officer
- Member at MD Anderson Cancer Center Orlando
In 2020, Melissa joined UF Innovate | Tech Licensing as a licensing officer and works in the medical, biotechnology, chemical, and software disciplines to connect faculty and their inventions with licensees. An active member of the Florida startup community, she is the founder of a medical device company working in the field of pharmacogenomics. She currently holds a faculty appointment at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine.
As a faculty member at MD Anderson Cancer Center Orlando, Melissa headed a biomarker research group that developed diagnostics, conducted clinical trials, and investigated the biological applications of nanoparticles. Previously, she was a founding research member of the NanoScience Technology Center at the University of Central Florida, and she was part of the Operational and Evaluation Division at the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA), where she worked closely with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard. She has been an invited speaker and presenter at conferences, including the American Chemical Society, Society for Neuroscience, Materials Research Society, the American Association for Cancer Research, and BioFlorida.
A returning Gator, Melissa earned her B.S. in chemistry from the University of Florida and her Ph.D. in chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where her research focused on radiopharmaceutical design and synthesis in conjunction with Harvard Medical School.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director, Licensing Officer
- UF Innovate As a Licensing Officer
Mingder joined UF Innovate as a licensing officer in January 2024, bringing 11 years of experience with the type 1 diabetes research group at UF. Prior to joining UF, Mingder served as a research scientist in a startup company for 9 years, focusing on the commercialization of patented technologies that he co-invented to enhance animal health and production efficiency.
In his role at UF Innovate, Mingder collaborates with inventors from IFAS, Veterinary, and Dental Schools to safeguard intellectual property. He also assists in the process of commercializing these technologies to contribute to the betterment of society. Mingder holds a B.S. from National Taiwan University, as well as M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Animal Nutrition and Immunology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Nico Torteli, a seasoned entrepreneur and former Olympian, brings his wealth of experience to support and guide companies and entrepreneurs within the UF Innovate ecosystem.
Originally hailing from Brazil, Nico returned to Florida to contribute his expertise. He holds a bachelor's and master's degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the University of Florida, where he was not only a dedicated student but also a proud member of the Gator swimming team. Nico's commitment to excellence led him to represent Brazil as a key member of the national swimming team for over a decade, culminating in his participation in the Olympics.
Nico's professional journey began at Credit Suisse, a prominent investment bank, where he gained valuable insights into the financial industry. Eager to make a significant impact, he ventured into entrepreneurship, founding three successful FinTech companies in Brazil. His ventures focused on revolutionizing the credit, payment, and mobile transaction spaces, showcasing his innovative spirit and business acumen.
Now, as an Entrepreneur in Residence, Nico brings a unique blend of entrepreneurial vision, industry knowledge, and a passion for fostering growth. His role involves providing mentorship, strategic guidance, and leveraging his diverse background to propel UF Innovate companies and entrepreneurs toward success. Nico's multifaceted journey from the Olympic pool to the boardroom exemplifies his dedication to excellence and continuous pursuit of innovation.
Job Titles:
- Licensing Associate for Mingder Yang
Noel works with Licensing Officer Anita Rao, assisting in portfolio management for the life science area. She and Anita manage invention disclosures, patent prosecution, MTAs, CDAs, research agreements and licensing agreements for UF innovators in the life sciences. Many of her innovators are those in the UF Departments of Medicine and Pharmacy.
Before joining Tech Licensing in 2001, Noel worked at the Third District Court of Appeal in Miami. She worked at UF Innovate | Tech Licensing until 2009, moved to the University of South Florida's tech transfer office for 2010-June 2014, and then returned to UF in her current role.
Noel graduated from Florida International University with a master's degree in criminal justice.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Support Assistant
Job Titles:
- MTA Coordinator
- UF Researcher
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director, Licensing Officer
Rachel serves as a licensing officer, working with researchers in the life sciences, usually in the medical or biomedical space. Previously, Rachel worked as the licensing liaison, working in concert with the licensing teams to review and track biological materials and related rights, particularly those related to AAV gene therapy. Now she works to protect intellectual property and license technologies to industry members that can make the most of UF research.
Before joining Tech Licensing as a licensing liaison in 2016, Rachel was a postdoctoral researcher at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center of the Ohio State University.
She graduated with a B.S. from Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, and a Ph.D. in the biological sciences from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.
Randy is a Partner and co-founder of HealthQuest Capital, a venture capital firm focused on growth investments into companies transforming the value of healthcare. HealthQuest has approximately $850M in committed capital across 3 funds. At HealthQuest Randy currently serves on the Boards of Magnolia Medical Technology, Trice Medical, and Springbuk and is a Board observer at CareMetx. He was previously on the Boards of Avizia (acquired by American Well), Virmedica (acquired by CareMetx) and Vestagen Technical Textiles.
Prior to moving into venture capital, Randy was a successful medtech entrepreneur for many years. Randy's industry successes include starting NovaMin Technology, Inc. leading it through financing, growth and eventual acquisition by GlaxoSmithKline; and a turn-around of USBiomaterials Corp, leading bone-grafting products company to profitability (now known as NovaBone Products, LLC).
He is a graduate of Georgia Tech.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director, Licensing Officer
Job Titles:
- Entrepreneur in Residence
Robert Mino, living in Palm Beach County, is a triple Gator, having a JD, MBA, and MS (Medical Sciences) from UF. He is a corporate and patent attorney with broad commercial and research experience beyond the practice of law, uniquely positioning him to help UF Innovate companies and entrepreneurs. Robert works as an economic developer focused on life sciences for Palm Beach County, maintains a private law practice, and serves on the board of a public healthcare company.
Mr. Mino began his career as a molecular biology and pharmacology laboratory researcher, including in the UF College of Medicine where his graduate committee included many of the pioneers of gene therapy from UF. During this time, he was also a partner in a startup biotech that raised over $2M. Upon graduation, Robert worked for Sigma-Aldrich, Roche Diagnostics, and Applied Biosystems (ABI) in commercial roles, culminating in a position as a strategic marketing manager for a $500M DNA sequencing product line in N. and S. America for ABI. He then switched gears to work with smaller companies, having been general counsel, general manager, and other roles at pharma and device companies, including Applied Food Technologies, once housed at Sid Martin. He also worked with UF Innovate as a patent fellow.
Robert is married to Samantha, also a triple Gator and a dermatologist, whom he met at UF. He works to build the local ecosystem in S. Florida by making connections for entrepreneurs, companies, and resources. S. Florida is becoming an entrepreneurial hotspot and Robert looks forward to helping UF spin-offs and technologies find a home in S. Florida. He also won an intramural softball championship at UF in each of the past three decades and might consider another run now that a new decade is upon us. Go Gators!
Job Titles:
- Investment Advisory Council
With more than 30 years in the technology services industry, Rodney Rogers is recognized as a successful serial entrepreneur and expert technologist, known for his leadership contributions in the realization of two back-to-back "unicorns" - startups that achieve billion-dollar valuations. Today, Rod operates as a founding partner of the Blue Lagoon Companies. Blue Lagoon, through its various entities, develops, advises and invests in disruptive technology start-ups and next-generation technology companies. Rod currently serves as Chairman of the Board for UnitedLex, Inc., Lemongrass Ltd. and Bestmile S.A., as Lead Board Director for Beep, Inc., and as a Board Director for New Signature, Inc., Revenue Analytics, Inc. and agrematch Ltd.
Rod holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial & Systems Engineering from the University of Florida and is the establisher of the Rodney & Judith Rogers Entrepreneurial Excellence Endowment for the Warrington School of Business at the University of Florida. Rod also serves as an advisor to the University of Florida's Innovate | Ventures fund.
Job Titles:
- Analyst
- Compliance Manager
Sally joined UF Innovate |Tech Licensing as a licensing associate in September 2019. In October 2023, she was promoted to the position of compliance manager & analyst.
A Navy veteran and native of Michigan, Sally has held various executive support positions throughout her career. Upon her discharge from the Navy, she began working for the criminal court system. She held the position of crime victim rights advocate for the Van Buren County Prosecuting Attorney's Office in Michigan for seven years. She also worked as the executive assistant to the chief operating officer for Kalamazoo Community Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services in Michigan.
In June 2014, Sally began working for the University of Florida as a grants specialist in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Prior to joining UF Innovate | Tech Licensing, she worked as the assistant to the associate provost for the Office of Undergraduate Affairs.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director, Communications
Sara handles marketing and communications for all of the entities under UF Innovate. On any given day, she works with the licensing teams to showcase new technologies by University of Florida researchers, mines news about our startups or innovators to share on social media, edits website content or finds a solution for one more glitch, creates flyers or documents for events, plans events, and writes articles about the exciting happenings at UF Innovate.
After joining the UF Innovate team in 2014 as a technical editor, she has led the marketing department and worked with a team of interns who write non-confidential stories about technologies, write prior art searches, work with startups to help create business plans and more, promote the never-ending list of Pathways events, or facilitate material transfer agreements. In this whirlwind of "spinning plates," as she likes to call it, Sara is forced to use both sides of her brain, interpreting "science speak" to communicate to a business audience. Previously, she used both sides of her brain teaching Algebra and English to middle and high school students. She also worked at The Gainesville Sun as a writer and editor.
Sara holds a B.S. in journalism and a M.Ed. in educational technology from the University of Florida. In her free time, she writes a personal blog at All Things Work Together and podcasts Sara's Shorts, pocket-sized stories for the soul.
Job Titles:
- Elliott Welker Assistant Director