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USM Names David W. Wise Director of Maryland Momentum Fund

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

By Mary T. Phelan

The University System of Maryland (USM) has named business innovator David W. Wise, MALD, as director of the Maryland Momentum Fund (MMF), a $25 million fund to support startups formed within the system’s 12 institutions and its incubators. He joined USM on July 24.

“David Wise brings more than 30 years in his business career to this important role as director of the Maryland Momentum Fund,” said USM Chancellor Robert L. Caret, PhD. “His varied experience and venture capital connections make David an ideal fit to lead a funding mechanism that is vital to driving USM’s growth in technology transfer.”

In his most recent position, Wise was CEO of Pharos Biologicals, LLC, a company involved in preclinical and early stage clinical work on advanced DNA vaccines and vaccine delivery technologies. He is the retired CEO of the Genetics & IVF Institute in Fairfax, Va., an international women's healthcare company with operations in both the United States and China.

In 2014, Wise decided to shift the focus of his career to helping develop the innovation economy in Maryland.  Since that time, he has been the venture advisor to the president of the Abell Foundation on its direct investment program.  He is also an advisor to UM Ventures, the joint research commercialization effort of the University of Maryland Strategic Partnership: MPowering the State initiative between the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP) and the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), and the LifeBridge Bioincubator at Sinai Hospital.

Click here to read the rest of the story via the University of Maryland, Baltimore website