FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Jana Wallis
858.964.1300
jwallis@connect.org
CONNECT Appoints Dr. Silvia Mah President
Mah will lead operations and business development for the accelerator
SAN DIEGO, CA (March 11, 2019) – CONNECT today announced Dr. Silvia Mah, Ph.D., MBA, will join CONNECT as its president. Mah will begin working with CONNECT immediately in a part time capacity and assume her new role full time as of April 1.
“San Diego has a strong history of innovation in the high tech and biotechnology sectors and CONNECT has been an integral part of this equation for over three decades,” Mah said. “I look forward to working with the CONNECT internal team and board of directors to continue its legacy with a lens of collaboration, innovation, and inclusion.”
As president, Mah will oversee the Springboard Accelerator Program, business development, and financials at CONNECT, as well as programs and operations at CONNECT ALL at the Jacobs Center. A key focus for the role will be increased collaboration within the San Diego ecosystem.
“Silvia is a respected and passionate leader in the entrepreneur community in San Diego and beyond, and her experience and commitment to innovation will be a significant asset to CONNECT,” says Tim Scott, executive chairman of CONNECT. “Her varied experiences, from earning a Ph.D. in marine molecular biology to the founding of Ad Astra Ventures, make her an excellent fit for CONNECT. I know she will substantially benefit the growing leadership team and be a wonderful champion for increasing CONNECT’s support of entrepreneurs all over San Diego county.”
Mah has a deep background in fostering engagement, entrepreneurship, and partnerships across San Diego. As a leading advocate for women-owned and diverse businesses, Mah has helped more than 500 women launch or scale their startups, has created more than 180 jobs and has helped female founders raise more than $5M. Her mission is to promote, nurture, and invest in transformational startups that allow women and diverse founders to excel around the world.
Mah will continue as a partner at Ad Astra Ventures, a startup accelerator and venture fund that funds high growth female-led startups and accelerates their momentum which she co-founded last year with Allison Long Pettine and Vidya Dinamani. She will move to a business advisory role at Hera Labs, where the search for a new executive director is ongoing.
CONNECT will continue to pursue additional executive leadership positions to complement Mah’s role as president, helping to build a robust team to lead the accelerator going forward.
ABOUT CONNECT
CONNECT is a premier innovation company accelerator in San Diego that creates and scales great companies in the technology and life sciences sectors. By creating an environment in which entrepreneurs and C-suite executives have access to the people, capital, and technology they need for success, CONNECT has assisted in the formation and development of more than 3,000 companies since 1985. CONNECT is widely regarded as one of the world’s most successful organizations linking entrepreneurs and C-suite executives with the resources they need for the commercialization of innovative products and services.
For further information contact Jana Wallis at jwallis@connect.org or 858.964.1300.
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