Caralynn Collens

Caralynn Collens previously served as executive director and COO of UI LABS, where she led the entire research and commercialization initiative, including the $320 million Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute. Before that, she was associate vice president for innovation and economic development at the University of Illinois. Earlier in her career, she focused on tech-based university spin-outs through roles in venture capital and corporate finance, including positions at ARCH Development Partners, Midwest Venture Partners, and Sikich Investment Banking. As a graduate student, she co-founded and served as CEO of SanoGene Therapeutics, a biotech start-up spun out of the University of Illinois. Collens is a governor-appointed member of the Illinois Innovation Council and serves on the ChicagoNEXT Council on Innovation and Technology. She was named to Crain’s Chicago Business "Forty Under Forty" list and is a frequent speaker on tech entrepreneurship and early-stage investing.