Elaine Queathem Joins ITEN as Lead EIR for Corporate Innovation Program
Savvy Coders founder, Elaine Queatham, joins ITEN to help emerging tech startups commercialize their products by connecting them with corporate partners.
ITEN has announced that Elaine Queathem is joining the team as the lead Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) for the Corporate Innovation Program (CIP).
Elaine has an MBA from Webster University, her career accomplishments include operations, financial management, sales and business development for both Fortune 500 companies as well as three start-ups. She is most recently the founder and CEO of Savvy Coders.
“Entrepreneurs and small businesses are the backbone of the U.S. economy and certainly St. Louis. I am excited to bring 30 years of experience and skills to this important role. I look forward to connecting innovative leaders in the Midwest with corporations.”
Commercializing Tech Startups
ITEN plans to build upon the success of its inaugural year and expand the Corporate Innovation Program (CIP) from five to ten corporations. Current program partners include Ameren, Enterprise Holdings, Mercy, Monsanto, and RGAx.
“In the first year of the Corporate Innovation Program, we worked with five corporate partners to drive innovation deeper into the St. Louis region,” said ITEN Executive Director Mary Louise Helbig.
“To date we have facilitated introductions of over 35 startups to our corporate partners. In addition to being a mechanism to foster new innovation, we anticipate that some of the introductions may lead to mutually-beneficial relationships in the form of mentoring, pilot testing, customer engagement, or investing. This is a very significant component of the commercialization process for tech startups and our corporate partners been a valued contributor to the program and our startup community.”
Facilitating Market Access
Founded in 2008, ITEN added the Corporate Innovation Program in 2015 to its growing suite of core offerings to accelerate tech startups including Concept Development, Business Model Validation, Mock Angels and its Entrepreneur-in-Residence program.
Over those nine years, the accelerator has placed significant focus on supporting and educating scalable tech startups. With the addition of the CIP, additional value in the form of market access and customer research is provided to tech startups.
“Elaine’s unique experience with both tech startups and as a senior level executive in corporations will prove valuable in supporting and leading our CIP efforts. We are very excited to have her as a team member,” said Mary Louise Helbig, Executive Director.