Purdue@WestGate Names Director
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA partnership involving Purdue University, Purdue Research Foundation, WestGate Authority and Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division has its leader. Jason Salstrom will serve as director of the Purdue@WestGate initiative, which aims to increase tech transfer and startup creation. In his new role, Salstrom, who previously led technology commercialization initiatives at the University of Southern Indiana, will direct all programs and activities of the Purdue Foundry and Purdue Office of Technology Commercialization at WestGate, according to the university.
Purdue says Salstrom will establish new programming at WestGate, including a monthly networking event call the Spirited Entrepreneur and a weekly event called Foundry Grounds, during which "startup founders present their companies before peers and potential partners." In a news release, Salstrom says the entrepreneurial and startup programs coming to the area "will provide a tremendous impetus for Southern Indiana today and for generations to come."
Salstrom also served as a defense contractor for the U.S. Navy and helped launch a family business in Evansville, Indiana. He earned a Bachelor of Science in psychology from Park University in Missouri, and a Master of Arts and a Ph.D. from Tel Aviv University in Israel.
Salstrom led the technology commercialization initiatives at the University of Southern Indiana for the past three years. He also developed four major initiatives:
• A business model competition (BIZCOM).
• A software competition (APPCOM).
• The Eagle Innovation (startup) Accelerator and Pre-Accelerator.
• A redesign of USI’s Technology Commercialization Academy to train students and give them real-world experience helping local companies innovate and grow.