New Entrepreneur-in-Residence Joins WHOI Tech Transfer

The Office for Technology Transfer (OTT) is excited to welcome our new Entrepreneur-in-residence (EIR), Michael Hard, to WHOI. Michael will be joining OTT through December 2024. We look forward to having Michael on board to help and guide WHOI innovators and entrepreneurs in their entrepreneurial endeavors. Michael brings 15 years of experience as an entrepreneur, operator, investor, and advisor in dual-use startups and national security innovation. As one of the nation’s first University Program Directors for OUSD(R&E)’s National Security Innovation Network, Michael urgently led the development of university, venture, and government communities to solve 40+ science and engineering problems for national security customers. Many of these problems were related to the maritime domain and required new ventures to solve them.

As part of his role as an EIR, Michael is available to meet with any WHOI personnel who’d like to learn about or discuss:

• How entrepreneurship can advance faculty research programs
• The best ways to identify and evaluate potential new ventures
• Grow an existing business to the next level
• Bootstrap a business with non-dilutive capital (e.g., SBIR/STTR)
• Raise angel and/or venture capital funding
• Spin out a new startup based on WHOI IP
• Balancing scientific and entrepreneurial careers

Any WHOI innovators interested in meeting with Michael, please get in touch with OTT at techtransfer@whoi.edu