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Gwen Nero, director of corporate affiliates, business development, industry outreach and innovation at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, is paving the way for bluetech incubation of talent and ideas in San Diego. She is part of the team that leads startBlue, the eight-month ocean-focused accelerator program that is offered in partnership by Scripps and Rady School of Management, at UC San Diego. 

Gwen completed a doctorate degree in biomedical engineering from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. In the midst of her graduate work, she realized she enjoyed working on projects where science leaves the lab and moves into the industry. She worked as a program manager for Harlem Biospace, a biotech incubator, where she worked with entrepreneurs and innovators to develop new technology. Eventually, Gwen took her experience to San Diego to pioneer the new Scripps department for innovation and industry relations.

Gwen, who was involved in the creation of startBlue, is focused on education and community building by working with campus partners and other organizations in the region like TMA BlueTech and CleanTech San Diego. Gwen uses the analogy of a “rising tide lifting all boats (or current innovations)” to emphasize the goal of increasing communication, streamlining and finding opportunities for collaboration instead of reinventing the wheel. 

Listen in to Gwen Nero share startBlue’s goals in fostering community collaboration and preparing aspiring entrepreneurs to have successful business ventures starting from their ideation. 

 

Gwen’s favorite local tacos:

Puesto in San Diego

 

Connect with Gwen:

LinkedIn

 

Learn more about startBlue:

Website: startBlue

Thanks to our partners at Cox Business & Cox Edge for their support in enabling us to grow the San Diego ecosystem.