Elsa Swanson Sareen

Elsa Swanson Sareen has an extensive work experience in various industries. Currently, they are the Vice President - GFRP Fund at Big Idea Ventures, where they commercialize university-developed intellectual property focused on food, protein, and agriculture innovation. Prior to that, they founded Swanson Sareen Collaborative, an innovation consulting firm that helps founders and businesses commercialize solutions to solve impactful problems. Elsa has also served as the Director of Lean Growth & Innovation at The Garage Group and as the Director of Business Design at Coplex, a venture studio focused on health. Elsa was a Corporate Entrepreneur at DuPont, spreading Design Thinking methods and facilitating workshops. Elsa also has experience as a Co-founder and Orthopedic Division Manager at OrthoWorx and Synotrac, where they developed technology for the proactive detection of periprosthetic joint infection. Additionally, they have worked at PathSensors, Inc. as a Production and Operations Manager, at ACC Health Inc. as a Business Development Analyst, and as an Intern in Oncology and Angiogenesis at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals.

Elsa Swanson Sareen earned a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Biomedical/Medical Engineering from Columbia University in 2014. Prior to that, they completed a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree at Scripps College from 2009 to 2012, with no specified field of study. In addition to their formal education, Elsa Swanson Sareen has obtained certifications in Facilitating and Designing Workshops with the LEGO Serious Play Method from the Association of Master Trainers, as well as a Certificate of Training in Bioprocessing Operations from the NIBRT National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training in 2019.