Steve has joined Wellington UniVentures on contract to support our team with business development and commercial mentorship. With an extensive background in the Science, Research & Innovation sector, Steve has brought his passion for supporting researchers to create impact back to Wellington UniVentures.
Between 2016 - 2018 Steve was Senior Commercialisation Manager, then General Manager Commercialisation at Viclink (now Wellington UniVentures), following a stint at MBIE focused on biological industries, manufacturing and resources investment. Prior to that, Steve also worked with biotech start-ups Botryzen and Blis Technologies.
Most recently, Steve was General Manager Development at Manaaki Whenua where he led a team covering commercialisation, the research office, international and legal. Additionally, Steve has been extensively involved in KiwiNet, and has sat on the Investment Committee and Board.
After gaining a PhD in Chemistry at the University of Otago, Steve worked in both Canada and Switzerland as a research chemist, as well as in the New Zealand dairy industry.
Steve strongly believes in getting research out to make a difference for New Zealand and enjoys taking an active role in developing a more entrepreneurial culture in the places he works.