Global business executive and product launch expert Susanna Kass has agreed to partner with New Mexico State University as Arrowhead Center’s first Entrepreneur in Residence.
Kass, who recently received a Distinguished Entrepreneur Award after delivering a presentation on entrepreneurship at an Arrowhead Innovation Network reception, said she’s impressed with the research talent at NMSU and is eager to help mentor new entrepreneurs.
“I am delighted to discover new invention, help pioneer new product innovation, accelerate the adoption of commercial products with researchers, and mentor faculty and students to create value that benefits the economy and society,” Kass said.
Kevin Boberg, NMSU’s interim vice president for economic development, said the partnership with Kass will help give faculty members and students another edge as they work to turn innovative ideas into marketable products and businesses.
“Susanna has years of professional experience and extraordinary personal passion to help inventors at NMSU,” Boberg said. “She is a compassionate leader and she is willing share her global insights with our entrepreneurs and students.”
Kathryn Hansen, Arrowhead Center’s chief executive officer, said Kass will be advising the commercialization project teams at the center and collaborating with faculty members to drive innovation.
“She has the integrity, proven entrepreneurial track record, and vast government and industry connections that will benefit NMSU,” Hansen said. “I am thrilled to be working with her.”
Kass is a global product management, business development and operations professional with more than 30 years of experience. She has expert knowledge in the fields of software as a service, e-commerce, mobility and cloud computing, smart grid energy services and clean technology.
Kass launched her international career at Hewlett Packard and Sun Microsystems, where she focused on new product innovation, new patent invention, intellectual property licensing, large deal negotiations and mergers and acquisitions. She accumulated hands-on experience in working with customers and strategic partners to develop successful new product designs as the COO of eBay International and Trilliant Network, where she led global operations from the ground up to more than $100 million in revenue. She is a serial entrepreneur and has collaborated with researchers from Stanford, University of California at Berkeley, Johns Hopkins and NMSU to identify new innovations and to secure venture funding to launch a new start-up.
Kass completed the executive education program at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business and received her MBA in international business management from Pepperdine University, where she is a distinguished alumni award recipient. Kass holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science and business administration marketing from San Diego State University. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area in the heart of Silicon Valley with her family.
Arrowhead Center was created by NMSU to be an engine for sustainable economic development, serving as a single portal to link the researchers and entrepreneurs with ideas for how to solve market problems and take advantage of opportunities that will keep New Mexico on the leading edge of discovery and sustainable economic growth.
Arrowhead Center is located at 3655 Research Drive, Genesis Center Building C, on the NMSU campus. For more information, call 575-646-7036 or visit arrowheadcenter.nmsu.edu.
