David Washburn

Chief Executive Officer

Dave is the Chief Executive Officer of the Michigan State University Research Foundation, where he leads the Foundation and its wholly owned subsidiary companies: Spartan Innovations, Red Cedar Ventures, Michigan Rise, and all real estate activity. Previously, he served as President and CEO of the University of Tennessee Research Foundation and spent 10 years at the University of Illinois, where he led the software commercialization efforts at the Office of Technology Management.

Dave has held management and director roles in venture-backed software companies, including Wolfram Research, Kuck & Associates (acquired by Intel), InstallShield Software Corporation (acquired by Macrovision), and Argus Systems Group (acquired by General Dynamics). He holds a BA and MBA from the Gies College of Business at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and began his career as a data analyst with Information Resources in Chicago.

Dave serves on the Cambridge Enterprise Ltd. Board of Directors at the University of Cambridge, UK.