Worcester Polytechnic Institute has named Yael Schwartz, entrepreneur and life science executive, as the university’s Coleman Entrepreneur-in-Residence, a position where she will guide early-stage startups coming out of the school.
Schwartz will make use of her 25 years of experience — which includes the creation of three companies — to guide undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and alumni in identifying early-stage startups, helping them through the business plan process and accelerating company’s growth, according to a release from WPI.
Schwartz is currently founder and CEO of Or-Genix Therapeutics, a company developing non-prescription topical products for aging skin and hair for women over 40 years of age. She founded two companies, Hygeia Therapeutics and Canterbury Laboratories, that were focused on women’s health and dermatology. Both companies were acquired and taken public by RestorGenex. At RestorGenex, she was on the board of directors and served as the executive vice president of preclinical development.
In addition to currently leading her own company, Schwartz serves on the board of trustees of Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives (MBI) and is a co-founder of the NEWISE (New England Women in Science Executives Club).
The entrepreneur-in-residence position is supported by Chicago nonprofit Coleman Foundation. This is the foundation’s first year of funding the entrepreneur-in-residence program, which began in 2014.
