Program Director and Portfolio Manager, Accelerate Blue Foundry

Program Director and Portfolio Manager, Accelerate Blue Foundry

A cover letter is required for consideration for this position and should be attached as the first page of your resume. The cover letter should address your specific interest in the position and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this position.

Innovation Partnerships is the University of Michigan's technology transfer and commercialization office, translating U-M research into startups, licenses, and industry partnerships. Its Ventures team supports company creation and manages the Accelerate Blue Fund, an evergreen pre-seed venture fund that has invested in more than 25 University of Michigan startups. The Accelerate Blue Foundry is the Ventures team's flagship company-creation program, pairing external founding talent with university technologies and committing Accelerate Blue Fund investment to the startups that emerge.

The University of Michigan stands as one of the world's foremost engines for groundbreaking research, driving societal impact and economic growth through transformative innovation. Innovation Partnerships, a key unit within the Office of the Vice President for Research, plays a critical role in translating this research into real-world solutions by supporting commercialization, startup company formation, and growth. Through strategic connections with industry, entrepreneurs, and investors, Innovation Partnerships ensures that U-M innovations reach society, addressing critical needs, spurring economic development, and creating lasting, positive societal impact.

Innovation Partnerships is seeking an experienced program leader to serve as the Program Director and Portfolio Manager for the Accelerate Blue Foundry. The Accelerate Blue Foundry is a startup-creation program that recruits and vets experienced entrepreneurs, matches them to promising University of Michigan technologies, and supports each pairing through a structured, mentor-guided sprint to a fundable startup. Every credible company that forms as a U-M startup receives a guaranteed seed investment from the Accelerate Blue Fund.

The Foundry has grown into a year-round, full-time operation that spans many stakeholders across the University and the regional and national innovation ecosystem.

This position is the dedicated day-to-day owner of the Foundry. Reporting to the Director of Ventures, the Program Director runs the program end-to-end , keeps its many stakeholders aligned and on schedule, and manages the growing portfolio of companies the program produces. The role requires strong operational leadership, excellent communication and relationship management, sound independent judgment, and the ability to move a complex, multi-party program forward without constant escalation.

This is a highly visible role central to the University's startup-creation strategy.

• Program Leadership and Operations Serve as the dedicated operational owner of the Accelerate Blue Foundry, running the full annual cycle: technology nomination and listing, entrepreneur recruitment and screening, matching, the mentor-guided sprint, Pitch Day, and post-program follow-through. This includes designing, building out, and refining the program curriculum. Own and maintain the program calendar, milestones, and deliverables so each cohort runs on schedule;
  
  make timely day-to-day operational decisions and keep all parties informed of what is happening next and why. Continuously improve the program using cohort feedback and outcomes data, and codify repeatable processes, checklists, and templates.
• Stakeholder Alignment and Communications Serve as the primary point of contact and coordinator across Licensing Managers, Mentors-in-Residence, Principal Investigators, and entrepreneurs, setting clear expectations and proactively resolving day-to-day friction so the program runs smoothly and the team stays aligned. Own Principal Investigator and entrepreneur communications throughout the cycle (nomination, matching, onboarding, curriculum, and expectation-setting), and consistently reinforce program criteria, including venture-scale and investment-readiness standards.
  
  Develop and maintain guides, one-pagers, FAQs, and onboarding materials for each stakeholder group to set expectations upfront and reduce repeated questions.
• Portfolio Management and Reporting Track and report on the Foundry pipeline and the portfolio of companies that emerge from the program, including status, milestones, licensing progress, and investment readiness. Coordinate with the Ventures and Licensing teams on the path from Pitch Day to license execution and Accelerate Blue Fund investment, and help connect companies to follow-on funding and University resources. Maintain program metrics and prepare regular reports for Ventures leadership and program funders, including inputs for Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) reporting.
• Recruitment, Marketing, and Partnerships Partner…