Life science, health and information technology mentor appointed interim director of Discovery to Product

Abram Becker, innovation and commercialization specialist at Discovery to Product (D2P), has been appointed interim director of D2P by Steve Ackerman, vice chancellor for research and graduate education.

Becker, who mentors faculty, staff and students interested in translating their ideas and inventions into innovations that can positively impact society and the world, takes over for Andy Richards, who is retiring at the end of the month. Richards has been D2P director since April 2018. Before directing D2P, he served as the chief of staff for the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education.

 

“I’ve enjoyed working with Andy to help build the team and programs at D2P over the last six-plus years. Andy has done a great job at leading D2P and the Innovate Network as the front door for UW–Madison innovators to get connected to the people, programs and resources designed to bring university ideas to the marketplace,” says Becker, who has worked for D2P since 2016. “I’m excited and honored to be able to serve as interim director to ensure that all the good work and momentum from Andy’s leadership is maintained until a new permanent director is in place.”

Becker’s expertise is in translational and commercial strategy for life science, health and information technologies. He has two decades of diverse strategic and operational experience gained from roles working with industry-leading global corporations and early-stage companies. Abram’s experience as a founding team member, early employee, consultant, and advisor to startups and early-stage companies has led to four company acquisitions and one public market listing.

“Abram has over 20 years of diverse experience ranging from working in multiple labs to helping launch and grow startups to working for and advising leading multi-national companies,” says Richards. “That range of expertise, along with his knowledge of the higher education landscape that D2P operates in, makes him an excellent choice to lead D2P in its continuing efforts to create partnerships and foster an entrepreneurial mindset on campus.”

Becker has worked with individuals and teams from departments in schools and colleges across campus. He has supported many standout startups, including Immuto Scientific, AyrFlo, Voximetry, AIQ Solutions, and IQDecide. The Immuto Scientific team, led by Faraz Choudhury, was part of D2P’s third Igniter program cohort in 2016. Abram comments, “Faraz and team were among the first innovators on campus that I had the opportunity to help after joining D2P. They are a great example of a team that has done an outstanding job taking advantage of the resources and programs offered by D2P, the Innovate Network, and the broader regional and national innovation networks. Since participating in the D2P cohort in 2016, they’ve raised $4.9 million in grant and seed funding and are providing analytical insight services to pharmaceutical industry clients for drug discovery.”

Guelay Bilen-Rosas’ AyrFlo team participated in D2P’s Innovation to Market program during the fall of 2019 and then joined a cohort of the Great Lakes Region NSF I-Corps Jumpstart program in fall of 2020. Becker served as an Industry Mentor on the AyrFlo team in a Spring 2021 cohort of the NSF I-Corps National Teams Program. Bilen-Rosas subsequently won the 2021 Equalize Med Tech Pitch Competition.

D2P’s mission is to empower campus innovators such as Choudhury and Bilen-Rosas to realize The Wisconsin Idea by transforming ideas into products and services that change the world.

Becker graduated from Duke University with a BS in Biology and later received an MBA with a Certificate in Health Sector Management from The Fuqua School of Business at Duke. During his time at UW–Madison, Abram has taken additional graduate coursework to increase his ability to support a diverse set of innovators from across campus. In addition to his role as a mentor at D2P, Becker serves as a review committee member for several translational, commercialization, and dissemination and implementation funding programs across campus.

Located within the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education, D2P provides entrepreneurship and innovation training programs, mentoring and funding for UW–Madison campus innovators interested in moving their technology and innovations to the marketplace. D2P serves 400 UW–Madison faculty, staff and students and grants over $1 million in funding annually. They’ve helped launch or grow 120 startups since 2014.

D2P also coordinates the Innovate Network, a group of campus and affiliated organizations that work together to foster innovation and entrepreneurship at UW–Madison and strengthen connections among its members and other campus and community programs that support innovation and entrepreneurship.

By Natasha Kassulke, natasha.kassulke@wisc.edu

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