Team

ATDC’s team is dedicated to helping technology entrepreneurs succeed. Meet the team who make things happen at ATDC.

Stephen is the vice president of Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute, the nation’s largest and most comprehensive university-based program of assistance to business and industry. A summa cum laude graduate of Georgia Tech, Stephen has more than 28 years of operational and private equity experience.

Nina leads ATDC and its efforts to support the commercialization of innovative technology throughout Georgia. She has over 15 years of of startup and enterprise experience, most recently as a co-founder and CEO of a platform technology company.

Roberto has over 15 years of business development and marketing experience in corporate and start-up environments. His career includes roles at Procter & Gamble, Phillips Electronics, and MeadWestvaco, prior to co-founding a virtual entertainment venture and the MIT Enterprise Forum of Atlanta. Roberto earned an MBA from MIT.

Julie assists biotech and life science firms applying for federal SBIR/STTR awards. In the past two years, she has assisted more than 50 companies with their SBIR/STTR submissions. Prior to joining Georgia Tech, she earned her Masters in Molecular Genetics from Emory University and worked in academic research at the VA Medical Center in Atlanta. She holds a B.S. in Biology from Georgia Tech.

Paul is a startup catalyst at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He helps professors and researchers create startup companies based on their research.

Paul is also a parallel entrepreneur and enjoys creating startups.

Ben focuses on the commercialization of renewable energy research and clean technology. He was co-founder and board member of Cirronet, Inc. In addition to his ATDC responsibilities, he serves as an adjunct professor in the Georgia Tech College of Management. Ben holds an M.B.A. from Emory University and a Master of Arts in Religion from Yale University.

Ivy has over 10 years of experience in the administrative field. She works closely with the startup catalysts to deliver outstanding programs and services to ATDC members.

Orjan is a Startup Catalyst in Savannah. Previously he was Managing Director of CONNECT Sweden, assisting entrepreneurs to start and develop technology companies. Under Orjan’s leadership, CONNECT grew to eight networks with 20 offices closely linked to the major universities in Sweden. Orjan has a Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Chalmers University of Technology.

Over the past 10 years, Mary has advised hundreds of entrepreneurs and startup companies. In addition to her startup catalyst role, Mary also manages programs for the CEOs of ATDC companies, including the CEO Roundtable and the Entrepreneur in Residence program.

Keith has more than 27 years of commercial, enterprise, and military software and product development experience, with senior level positions at Lockheed, Apple Computer, and Yahoo. He has founded or co-founded six software companies, among them the first artificial intelligence company in the Southeast. Keith earned both a master’s and bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Georgia Tech.

Barbara joined Georgia Tech in 2005 and is currently an Administrative Coordinator for ATDC. Prior to EI2, Barbara worked for the past 30 years at the Department of Community Health, Georgia State University, Marriott Marquis, Georgia-Pacific, and First Interstate Bank. Barbara has experience in the fields of administration, secretarial and customer service. Utilizing Georgia Tech’s tuition assistance program, Barbara is currently a student majoring in International Business.

John assists companies in understanding the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBTT) programs and in submitting quality proposals to these federal research and development funding sources. He has worked with more than 100 firms in supplying information on the SBIR/SBTT programs.

Charles has more than a decade of experience in successfully advising technology entrepreneurs. As the assistant director of ATDC, Charles works on strategic initiatives as well as assisting ATDC companies with their funding strategies.

Connie is responsible for marketing/promoting Georgia’s SBIR Assistance Program and the federal SBIR program throughout the state. She also consults with companies, providing guidance on program appropriateness, topic identification, proposal preparation, and commercialization. Previously, she worked for NASA’s Southeast Regional Technology Transfer Center, TMP and Solvay Pharmaceuticals.

Dr. Shlevin is a 30-year bioscience-industry executive with broad senior management experience in medical devices, pharmaceuticals, diagnostics and vaccines; he has founded two startup companies.

Lance focuses on guiding new media and Internet focused companies at ATDC. He has experience with both early stage and high growth startups. Previously Lance was an executive at CipherTrust, EarthLink, and MindSpring, which he joined while the company was incubating at ATDC.