19. Innovation technology and academics | Julie Lenzer, the Chief Innovation Officer of the University of Maryland discusses the impact of academic research in tech development

Chaos & Rocketfuel: The Future of Work Podcast

Julie Lenzer, Doug Foulkes & Claire Haidar discuss the intersections of technology, academics, and the intricacies of protectable IP and technology transfers.

Julie Lenzer has held every role in the entrepreneurial ecosystem – from successful entrepreneur, policy advisor, funder, ecosystem builder and investor. She is currently the Chief Innovation Officer at the University of Maryland. In this role, she is charged with fostering and deploying innovation to drive greater economic and social impact from faculty, students, and alumni endeavors. Her portfolio includes UM Ventures which is the tech transfer office, the Maryland Small Business Development Center (SBDC), the Maryland International Incubator (MI2), TechPort (an incubator in rural Maryland), the Mixed/Augmented/Virtual Reality Innovation Center (MAVRIC), as well as university engagement with the Discovery District (UMD’s research park).

Prior to joining the university, she was the Director of the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (OIE) within the U.S. Department of Commerce and Special Assistant to the Secretary for innovation policy. While there, she created the Regional Innovation Strategies grant program (now called Build to Scale). As of 2018, that program helped create over 8,000 jobs and raise just over $1B in capital to support startups.