Our Team

UMD I-Corps Program
4467 Technology Drive
Technology Advancement Program (TAP) Building
Suite 1105A
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742-3371

The UMD I-Corps Team

Dan Kunitz

Mid-Atlantic I-Corps Hub Director
Maryland Innovation Extension Director

Dan Kunitz joined University of Maryland in 2019 as Professional Track Faculty in the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech) in the Clark School of Engineering. Dan is co-PI and Director of the NSF-funded Mid-Atlantic I-Corps Hub, supporting innovation and entrepreneurship programs for university researchers. Dan is also PI and Director of the EDA-funded Maryland Innovation Extension, supporting HBCUs an researchers and technology entrepreneurs from underrepresented groups throughout Maryland. Dan is an Instructor in NSF’s National I-Corps program, and has taught evidence-based entrepreneurship programs for researchers throughout the region as well as nationally and internationally. Before joining UMD, Dan was in a similar role at The George Washington University as Director of I-Corps Programs for the NSF I-Corps Node and as co-PI of GW’s NSF I-Corps Site. He has also been a Senior Advisor to NSF’s National Innovation Network where he chaired several curriculum initiatives. At UMD, Dan has been involved in several task forces and workgroups to connect the innovation ecosystem on campus and throughout the region, and he is a senator in the UMD Faculty Senate.

Dan actively advises and mentors many startups, and is a member of several investor groups. He is also a Partner at NextGen Venture Partners.

Prior to his career in academia, Dan was an entrepreneur, founder, and executive for several startups in the web, new media, and education sectors. As Co-Founder and COO of Irides, LLC, a Virginia-based managed services provider, Dan oversaw all aspects of the company’s strategy and operations, and negotiated six acquisitions. Dan was on the founding team of Politico, a Virginia-based new media venture covering politics, Capitol Hill, and lobbying. As Associate Publisher and Managing Editor of politico.com, Dan was responsible for all aspects of the online strategy, built and managed a team of developers, designers, and content producers, and negotiated numerous strategic partnerships. Dan was involved in two other new media start-ups in the Washington region: Local Point TV, an innovative short-form entertainment-based digital spectrum sub-channel, and NewsIT, a mobile platform for crowd-sourced news. Dan’s career also includes two education ventures. At MBA Center, Dan directed all aspects of the company’s communication, marketing, media, and editorial activities for Europe’s largest test prep provider with 12 locations throughout Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Dan subsequently co-founded Professional Prime, a strategic advisory and consulting company headquartered in Paris and London, with offices throughout Europe and education clients worldwide.

Dan has a BA from Wesleyan University, and an MBA in International Business from Ecole des Ponts.

Jainaba Ceesay

UMD I-Corps Instructor & Program Manager, Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech), University of Maryland, College Park

Edmund Pendleton

Mid-Atlantic I-Corps Hub Lead Instructor
NSF I-Corps Instructor

Glen Hellman

UMD I-Corps Instructor & Program Manager
Executive Coach

Dave Sandrowitz

Associate Director, NSF I-Corps Hub: Mid-Atlantic
Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech)

GP Saggese, Ph.D.

UMD I-Corps Instructor, Adjunct Professor of UMD DATA605: Big Data Systems

David Steele

Hub Coordinator, NSF I-Corps Mid-Atlantic Region
Program Manager, UMD I-Corps

David Powell

Expertise:
Telecommunications, Software, SaaS, NSF I-Corps, Int'l Markets

Kinneret Rand

Expertise:
Life Sciences, Medical Devices, Pharmaceuticals

Qyana Stewart

Expertise:
Software, Project Management, Tech startups

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UMD I-CORPS