|
|
MTECH Ventures team's unique combination of experience in private equity, venture capital, operations, start-ups and entrepreneurship education provides our clients valuable services, resources, perspectives and connections:
- Dean Chang
Director, MTECH Ventures and Education and
Director, Technology Advancement Program
- Karen Thornton
Director, Hillman Entrepreneurs Program and
Associate Director, Entrepreneurship Education
- James V. Green
Director, Hinman CEOs Program and
Associate Director, Entrepreneurship Education
- Jim Chung
Director, VentureAccelerator Program
- Shirley Mapp
Operations Coordinator, Technology Advancement Program
- Barbara Edwards
Administrative Assistant, MTECH Ventures
- Cindy Gilbert
Executive Assistant, Hinman CEOs Program
Director, MTECH Ventures and Education and
Director, Technology Advancement Program
e-mail
As MTECH Ventures Director, Dean Chang oversees all the MTECH Ventures programs, including: the TAP venture incubator, VentureAccelerator, the University of Maryland Technology Start-Up Boot Camp, the University of Maryland $50K Business Plan Competition, the Hinman CEOs Program, and other educational entrepreneurship offerings at the University.
Dean previously held the dual roles of Chief Technology Officer and Vice President of Gaming Business at Immersion Corporation, a company he helped guide over ten years from a four-person, venture-backed, Silicon Valley startup to a $200M publicly traded technology leader (NASDAQ: IMMR). As general manager, Dean was responsible for strategic direction, sales and marketing, and operations of licensing Immersion's vast patent portfolio to the video game industry. In two years, he grew gaming licensing royalties by 83% to all-time highs in revenue and net income, while also increasing the company’s profit margin. He was part of an executive road show team that successfully raised $51 million in an initial public stock offering and $20 million in a private convertible debenture placement.
Dean has written articles for Computer Magazine, BusinessWeek Online, and GameDAILY BIZ, and has been a speaker at executive, leadership, and press technology forums. He has been quoted or featured in articles in The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The International Herald Tribune, PC Magazine, New Scientist, KCBS Radio, CNET Radio, The Discovery Channel, and many other news media organizations. He holds 30 U.S. and international patents in the field of haptics.
Dean was a Pi Tau Sigma graduate from MIT; he holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering from MIT, as well as both an M.S. and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Stanford University. He also holds an MBA with honors, and received the highest distinction of Palmer Scholar from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Director, Hillman Entrepreneurs Program and Associate Director, Entrepreneurship Education
e-mail
With more than twenty years experience working as an educator and mentor in two industries, first music performance--and now by supporting young entrepreneurs--Karen Thornton provides guidance to entrepreneurs who are just starting down the road to finding their dreams. She has been the program director of the award-winning Hinman Campus Entrepreneurship Opportunities (CEOs) Program since its launch in Fall of 2000, and mentors undergraduate entrepreneurs in this unique living-learning environment. She and the faculty director have provided the vision that has shaped the Hinman CEOs Program into a nationally recognized program.
Karen interacts with and guides entrepreneurs on a daily basis. She manages the business development activities of MTECH Ventures. In addition, she oversees a cadre of educational programs and activities offered through the Clark School of Engineering designed to spur and support technology commercialization through education, networking and hands-on incubation.
Karen has professional experience in both human resources and negotiation; she lectures on ethics, marketing and other business topics. Karen is a frequent presenter at conferences and has co-authored several papers on entrepreneurship education. She has earned Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from Florida State University, ARCM from the Royal College of Music, London, and an MBA from the University of Maryland. She taught at Jacksonville University (FL), and Towson University for a total of fifteen years before coming to the University of Maryland. She was a Fulbright Scholar, and studied and worked in London for nearly three years.
Director, Hinman CEOs Program and Associate Director, Entrepreneurship Education
e-mail
James V. Green is the program director of the award-winning Hinman Campus Entrepreneurship Opportunities Program (Hinman CEOs) at the University of Maryland, College Park, and the associate director of entrepreneurship education at MTECH Ventures. James heads the executive education programs and the annual Technology Start-Up Boot Camp, and serves as the course manager for MTECH Ventures. James is an instructor with the A. James Clark School of Engineering and the Office of Extended Studies, teaching a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses in entrepreneurship and technology commercialization.
Before joining MTECH Ventures, James held a variety of positions as a founder, manager, and advisor during his nine year tenure with new ventures in the software, energy, and education industries. James began his career as a consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton.
James’ research interests include entrepreneurship education, the psychology of entrepreneurship, and technology commercialization. James is a national presenter on entrepreneurship education with referred papers and presentations at conferences for the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE), the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) and the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA).
He has been quoted and referenced in international publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, MSNBC, PC World, The News and Observer, and The London Evening Standard. James was contributing author to “Business Models: A Strategic Management Approach”, McGraw-Hill/Irwin (2003), and “Defending the Brand: Aggressive Strategies for Protecting Your Brand in the Online Arena”, American Management Association (2003).
James earned a bachelor of industrial engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, a master of science in technology management from the University of Maryland University College, a master of business administration from the University of Michigan, and is a doctor of management with an emphasis in entrepreneurship from the University of Maryland University College.
e-mail
Jim Chung is the director of MTECH VentureAccelerator, the University of Maryland's initiative for helping faculty and students launch successful technology-based ventures.
Chung previously held the role of director of new business development for the Corporate Executive Board, where he helped build the company's mergers and acquisitions capabilities and contributed to the $59 million acquisition of ITtoolbox. Prior to the Corporate Executive Board, Chung was vice president of Intervale Capital (formerly Cherington Capital), a private equity firm investing in middle-market manufacturing and service businesses in the oil and gas industry, where he helped execute the acquisition of Ulterra Drilling Technologies (formerly Rockbit International). Chung spent five years prior to joining Intervale in the venture capital industry, most recently from incTANK Ventures, an early stage venture capital firm, where he served as managing director. He has experience leading or co-leading investments into medical device, software, and information technology companies, including investments in AgaMatrix Inc. and Nexaweb Technologies Inc.
Before entering the private sector, Chung was an academic researcher studying how business, government and academia work together to create new innovation in high technology industries. He served as a research fellow at several institutions during his 10-year academic career, including Harvard University, MIT and the University of Tokyo.
With a bachelor's degree in political science with honors, and a master's degree in international policy studies from Stanford University, Chung is also a Ph.D. candidate on leave from MIT.
e-mail
,
e-mail
e-mail
|
