THOMAS C. KINNEAR

Thomas C. Kinnear is D. Maynard Phelps Professor of Business and Marketing at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. He was formally Eugene Applebaum Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies and founding Executive Director of the Samuel Zell and Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies, former Senior Associate Dean at the Ross School of Business, and former Vice President for Development and Executive Officer for the University. He headed the $1.4 billion Campaign for Michigan in the 1990s. At Michigan, he has received awards in the MBA and PhD programs and for service to the University, including the “Herbert D. Doan Award” for outstanding Leadership in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Michigan and in the State of Michigan. He also received the “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the Michigan Venture Capital Association, the “Thomas Porter Lifetime Achievement Award” from the New Enterprise Forum, and the “William Wilkie Lifetime Achievement Award for Marketing for a Better World” from the American Marketing Association Foundation. He holds an undergraduate and LLD (honorary) degrees from Queen's University at Kingston, Ontario, an MBA from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of Michigan.

He has previously held a faculty appointment at the University of Western Ontario Ivey School, and visiting appointments at Harvard University, Stanford University, and the European Management Institute (INSEAD) at Fontainebleau, France.

He is CEO and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Venture Michigan Corporation, a $450 million venture capital fund of funds and a member of the National Advertising Review Board of the Better Business Bureau. He is past-Chair of the Board of the American Marketing Association and former Chair of the Board of the American Marketing Association Foundation. He also has served or is serving as a member of the Board of Directors or Corporate Advisory Boards for numerous companies and community organizations.

He is active in the entrepreneurial community as a co-founder, advisor, angel investor, and Board member of startup companies, including: Accio Energy, Network Express, BlueGill Technologies, Accuri Cytometers, Avail Networks, Episilon Imaging, Janeeva, Mobius Microsystems, Nanocerox, NanoBio, Pixel Velocity, and Tellurex Corporation. He is also a numerous partner in several ventures funds and served as a Strategic Limited Partner for Arboretum Ventures.