UC San Diego Innovators Gain Guidance from New Entrepreneurs-in-Residence

Article Content

The renewed emphasis on strengthening the university’s “innovation ecosystem” gets a big boost this week with the launch of the UC San Diego Entrepreneurs-in-Residence program.

This program is designed to accelerate the creation of new start-up companies, and is being launched with the appointment of three new Entrepreneurs-in-Residence (EIRs).

Investor Tim Rueth, former CBO Ted Daley, and ecoATM Co-Founder John Beane bring entrepreneurial experience, industry knowledge, and proven business acumen to the new posts, according to Paul Roben, Associate Vice Chancellor for Innovation and Commercialization at UC San Diego.

“Our EIRs all have the demonstrated ability to work productively with engineers, scientists, students, and other innovators to identify and solve problems, and possess business acumen and industry experience, particularly in early technology commercialization, new-venture creation, and fundraising,” Roben said.

“Their expert guidance will help us develop commercialization strategies, define and expand the market case, complete business models, and guide the creation of new companies around our campus innovations.”

Tim Rueth, an investor, advisor, and consultant to start-up companies, universities, and other institutions, has served on the Board of Directors of the San Diego Tech Coast Angels, as well as the organization’s screening committee. His most recent operating role was President and CEO of Rhevision Technology Inc., which he co-founded with a UC San Diego professor. He is currently a Technology and Business Advisor for UC San Diego's Von Liebig Entrepreneurism Center. He also serves on the Selection Committee of EvoNexus, a San Diego high-tech start-up incubator, and is a Catalyst at the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation.

Ted Daley, a biotechnology executive and former President and Chief Business Officer for Raptor Pharmaceuticals, is the founder and former CEO of Convivia Inc., and served as Vice President of Business Development for MetricStream. He also founded, and served as Chief Operating Officer, for Instill Corp. He brings recent and in-depth understanding of the pharmaceutical industry, as well as broad experience in clinical development, strategic partnerships and commercialization, to the EIR role.

John Beane, VP of Engineering and Co-Founder of ecoATM, is a self-described “start-up junkie and serial entrepreneur” who specializes in creating, developing, executing, and managing software and hardware products and services, and the teams that build them. The holder of numerous patents, he also served as co-founder and vice president of strategic product development of Asteres Corp. Among his specialties, he lists himself as a “practitioner in common sense.”

Vice Chancellor for Research Sandra A. Brown said the EIR program is part of UC San Diego’s plan to take the lead in research-based entrepreneurship. “We want our students to have the courage to create new businesses, design improvements for society, and be the leaders of the new economy,” she said.

The Entrepreneurs-in-Residence will be an integral part of the Office of Innovation and Commercialization, said Roben, and will have “unprecedented access” to a portfolio of high-potential, high-impact opportunities, tools, resources, personnel and support services.

“The OIC is establishing a campus-wide innovation platform to build a systemic and sustainable innovation culture,” Roben said. “We are creating a vibrant regional ecosystem, and accelerating the commercialization of UC San Diego inventions, in support of our campus’s Strategic Plan. The EIR program builds on that innovation strategy, and will connect with other programs being developed by this office.”