Almost every presentation on incubating early stage technology companies includes some reference to the “Valley of Death” or the “Funding Gap”—meaning the difficulty entrepreneurs have finding initial small investments to get their startup companies going and to complete technical viability and proof-of-concept work. Several research institutions and universities have been busy over the last five … Continue reading “Building Better Bridges Over the Valley of Death—An Optimist’s View”
Author: Abigail Barrow
Dr. Abigail Barrow is the Founding Director of the Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center (MTTC). She is responsible for the overall management of the MTTC and the development of its programs. Prior to joining the MTTC, Dr. Barrow served as managing director of William J. von Liebig Center at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). The von Liebig Center was created in 2001 to support the commercialization of research being performed in the UCSD Jacobs School of Engineering.
Dr. Barrow worked in a variety of roles at UCSD CONNECT from 1990 to 2001. At CONNECT, she developed and expanded many of its programs to support early-stage company formation and technology commercialization. The CONNECT program is now internationally recognized and has been successfully replicated in other regions of North America and in Europe.
Dr. Barrow is on the board and is Chair of the Massachusetts Office of International Trade and Investment (MOITI) and is on the board of the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA). In addition, she is a Fellow of the Beyster Institute at the Rady School of Management at UCSD.
Dr. Barrow received her Ph.D. from the University of Edinburgh Science Studies Unit and a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering also from the University of Edinburgh.