Ben Marchionna Appointed to Innovation Partnerships’ National Advisory Board at the University of Michigan
10/21/2024
Ben Marchionna, the first-ever chief innovation ecosystem officer for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and State of Michigan, has been appointed to serve on the Innovation Partnerships National Advisory Board (NAB).
The state of Michigan’s first-ever chief innovation ecosystem officer Ben Marchionna (pictured) was recently appointed to the Innovation Partnerships National Advisory Board.
In his role as chief innovation ecosystem officer, Marchionna leads the development, growth and sustainability of the rapidly growing Michigan innovation economy. Prior to joining the MEDC, Marchionna led technology and business development at Electra.aero, an aerospace and defense hard-tech startup near Washington, D.C., where he played a pivotal role in advancing a world’s first hybrid-electric aircraft for dual-use advanced air mobility applications.
Before Electra, Marchionna built the global operations team at SkySpecs, a clean energy startup headquartered in Ann Arbor, where he led the product development and scaling of autonomous robotics and AI-based software solutions into 26 countries.
“Ben brings a wealth of experience and insights on technology-fueled economic growth, and we are thrilled to welcome him to the board,” said Kelly Sexton, associate vice president for research – innovation partnerships and economic impact. “We look forward to collaborating with him and drawing on his knowledge to further enhance Innovation Partnerships’ contributions to Michigan’s innovation ecosystem.”
The Innovation Partnerships National Advisory Board was founded in 2002 to provide advice and connections to enhance the University of Michigan’s success in translating its research discoveries into real-world solutions that benefit society. Composed of industry, venture, government, university and community leaders, the NAB has transformed the university and our region with several initiatives, including the creation of Ann Arbor SPARK, the Tech Transfer Talent Network (T3N) and the Innovation Partnerships Startup Incubator.
“Innovation Partnerships plays a crucial role in fostering entrepreneurship and economic growth across the region,” Marchionna said. “I am honored to join the National Advisory Board. It’s clear how devoted the University’s leadership is to leveraging its research engine to support economic growth throughout our state. I look forward to strengthening and continuing our partnerships and helping elevate Michigan to become the go-to state for startups and venture capital in the future.”
About Innovation Partnerships
Innovation Partnerships serves as the primary gateway for researchers seeking to increase the impact of their work. We provide this service to U-M faculty by connecting with the private sector through corporate-sponsored research collaborations, licensing discussions or connections with entrepreneurs and investors to support startup company formation. Our team of licensing, business development and investment professionals provides comprehensive step-by-step service to faculty starting with invention assessment and intellectual property support, followed by business mentoring and connections to early-stage capital from the Accelerate Blue Fund. We are a unit within the Office of the Vice President for Research.
For more information, please visit https://innovationpartnerships.umich.edu.
About the Michigan Economic Development Corporation
The mission of the MEDC is to achieve long-term economic prosperity for Michiganders by investing in communities, enabling the growth of good jobs and promoting Michigan’s strong image worldwide. MEDC’s strategic focus aims to position Michigan at the leading edge of economic development in the nation.
For more information on the MEDC, please visit https://www.michiganbusiness.org/
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