USC, UCLA Vice Provosts, Krisztina Holly and Kathryn Atchison, Join Entretech Board; First Time USC, UCLA, Caltech Join Efforts to Catalyze High Tech

Entretech (www.entretech.org), a leading business development organization supporting high technology companies throughout Greater Los Angeles, today announced the appointment of two new board members, Krisztina Holly, Vice Provost and Executive Director of the USC Stevens Institute for Innovation, and Kathryn A. Atchison, Vice Provost of Intellectual Property and Industry Relations, and Associate Vice Chancellor for Research at UCLA. Holly and Atchison join 10 other Board members deeply rooted in the local business and technology communities, including Fred Farina, who represents the Office of Technology Transfer at Caltech.

"We're honored to have these two extremely talented women join our board of directors," said Stephanie Yanchinski, Executive Director of Entretech. "To our knowledge, this is the first time three world-class universities have decided to combine resources in support of high-technology growth in Greater Los Angeles. This joint effort also signals a vital new phase in Entretech's expansion."

John Morris, Past Chairman of the Tech Coast Angels and Managing Director of GKM Ventures, stresses how important this will be not only for Entretech, but for the development of the high tech industry in Los Angeles. "With this Board expansion Entretech moves to the next level in its ability to recruit resources across the region with the full support of its leading universities." He further notes that "the willingness of the three universities to work together marks a new era of technology industry growth, and improves the ability of Los Angeles to attract the management and capital necessary to build winning companies."

Entretech was established seven years ago by a partnership between Caltech and the City of Pasadena to assist high tech entrepreneurs grow their businesses. "Entretech's mission has always been to support seed and early stage technology companies," says Al Schneider, Entretech's Chairman. "Ms. Holly and Dr. Atchison will expand our geographic coverage to support start-up companies affiliated with USC and UCLA, and help chart Entretech's future."

"Since I moved back to Los Angeles from Boston last year and joined USC, I have continued to be astounded and energized by the abundance of innovators, the excitement for new companies, and the entrepreneurial spirit in this city. By joining the Entretech Board, I look forward to further supporting an environment in Southern California that stimulates, inspires and empowers innovators to make societal impact with their ideas," said Holly. "I'm honored to join such a notable group of Board members, who have already shown tremendous leadership in this quest."

Atchison added, "It's with great pleasure that I join the Entretech Board and join forces with a highly motivated team of individuals with various technology and business expertise. UCLA is a leading research institution, and I look forward to sharing the products of our research to better serve the local technology community."

Randy Churchill, Director of Business Development, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and coordinator of the PwC/National Venture Capital Association's MoneyTree Report, concluded "Although often not recognized as a technology hub, Southern California is now the second largest area attracting venture funding in the country, only behind Silicon Valley. In particular Los Angeles is home to hundreds of emerging technology-based companies across all sectors."

About Krisztina Holly

The USC Stevens Institute of Innovation harnesses the creative thinking and innovative work at the University of Southern California's college, 17 professional schools, and research programs to build a multidisciplinary approach to innovation. As USC Vice Provost and Executive Director of the Institute Krisztina Holly leads the strategic direction, spearheading the development of programs and approaches to help faculty and students bring innovations to the market, and develop their skills are innovators.

Holly brings to USC her experience as an engineer, serial entrepreneur and the founding executive director of MIT's Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation, where she oversaw the distribution of $5 million in grants, engaged more than 250 faculty and students, and spawned nine startup companies that successfully raised $40 million in capital. Holly earned master's and bachelor's degrees in mechanical engineering from MIT.

About Kathryn A. Atchison

Kathryn Atchison is Vice Provost of Intellectual Property and Industry Relations at UCLA. A long-standing Professor at UCLA, Atchison has extensive experience in teaching, research, research administration, and management of individual and institutional conflicts of interest. She is working with UCLA's Office of Intellectual Property (OIP) by improving open communication with faculty, initiating a student internship program, and consolidating industry-sponsored research with OIP to enable better service to industry.

In her role, Atchison helps strengthen UCLA's intellectual- and industrial-property relationships and fosters new ones, with an eye toward making the products of UCLA's research programs available, and thereby enhancing economic development in the local region, state, and nation.

About Entretech

Entretech (www.entretech.org) is the leading non-profit association in Greater Los Angeles empowering entrepreneurs to build new businesses through capital, education, people, and strategic partners. It provides the high tech community with critical and practical business development resources and connections. Recently expanding its geographical reach beyond the San Gabriel Valley to cover all of Los Angeles, Entretech formed a closer relationship with the Tech Coast Angels, alongside an existing partnership with the Pasadena Angels. In addition, in 2007, vice provosts from USC and UCLA joined Caltech on the Entretech Board, representing a powerful regional triumvirate of innovation. Since its inception more than seven years ago, Entretech has worked closely with other organizations throughout the region, including the Caltech/MIT Enterprise Forum, the Keck Graduate Institute, the NASA Commercialization Center, the Business Technology Center, LARTA, the LAEDC, the San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership, and the Cities of Pasadena, Monrovia and Irwindale. Entretech is positioned to work with communities throughout Los Angeles to advance a significant cluster of advanced-tech development. Entretech operates from an office on the Caltech campus.

SOURCE: Entretech