Abishek Kulshreshtha brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the position
COLUMBIA, Md., (June 13, 2024) — 
The Maryland Innovation Initiative (MII) Board of Directors announces the appointment of Abishek Kulshreshtha as the executive director of TEDCO’s MII program. In this position, Kulshreshtha will oversee all MII activities starting July 1, 2024.
As an independent unit within TEDCO, the Maryland Technology Development Corporation, MII was created to promote the commercialization of research conducted in five of Maryland’s academic research institutions (Johns Hopkins University; Morgan State University; University of Maryland, Baltimore; University of Maryland, Baltimore County; and University of Maryland, College Park) while leveraging each institution’s strengths. This collaborative program has supported more than 170 startup companies, created 370 jobs and procured more than $737 million in follow-on funding since its inception nearly 12 years ago.
Recently, the program expanded to include opportunities at two comprehensive universities – Frostburg State University and Bowie State University. The addition of these pilot programs expands MII’s reach and allows for even more research to be brought to market.
“On behalf of the MII board of directors and our staff, we are thrilled to have Abi join our team. His experiences and perspectives, merging science and economic development, are perfect for the MII program,” said Renée Winsky, MII board chair. “I want to express my gratitude to my fellow board members and to our amazing MII team for their patience and support during this search process.”
Kulshreshtha’s experience positions him to be an asset for not only the MII program, but for the various site miners, researchers and innovators in the ecosystem that the program supports. His expertise includes economic development through innovation, translational research and commercialization. Most recently Kulshreshtha served as the chief business officer for Southern Research, where he oversaw business development, commercialization and economic development functions, launched a biotechnology accelerator, managed an intellectual property portfolio of nearly 200 patents and more. He holds a D.Phil. in theoretical physics from Oxford University and a bachelor’s degree in mathematical physics from Brown University.
“I am excited to begin this new journey with the MII team, the MII board and all of TEDCO,” said Kulshreshtha. “Their impact on Maryland’s economic development has been inspiring and I’m honored to be a part of the continued journey. Together, I know we can enhance MII’s impact, support more entrepreneurs, researchers and innovators in the ecosystem and bring more research to market.”