Lisa Chang
Bio
Dr. Lisa I. Chang, PharmD is a Registered Pharmacist and a professor of practice in the Management, Innovation and Entrepreneurship department within the Poole College of Management. She is the director of commercialization for the Poole College of Management and is a past program manager for the Accelerating Commercialization of Technologies program for the UNC System. She was part of the founding team for the Chancellor’s Innovation Fund (CIF) and led the program for 6 years. Through FY2025, CIF has awarded $4.5M to 81 projects resulting in $151.6M in follow on funding, $6.7M in licensing royalties, 39 startup companies and 68 commercialization agreements. These activities equate to a 35:1 ROI. Dr. Chang is a member of the Plant Science Initiative’s Commercialization Council, is a certified instructor for Hacking for Defense, Lean Launchpad for NSF ICorps.
Dr. Chang also serves as the director of diligence and steering committee member for the Wolfpack Investor Network (WIN), NC State’s angel investment network, which through 2024 has invested over $25M in 36 portfolio companies, including 6 exits. She vets 150-200 companies annually to curate investment opportunities across a diverse range of industry sectors for WIN members.
She has held management positions in several technology-based startups in the pharmaceutical/clinical trials industry. She consults with government agencies and corporations including Walgreens, CVS, Mead Westvaco, Aardex and the Center for the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.
Dr. Chang was awarded by the Chancellor as NC State’s 2019 John S. Risley Entrepreneur of the Year and was recognized by the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences with the 2024 Distance Degrees and Programs Outstanding Credit-by-Challenge Award for her extraordinary achievements in the field of education.
Education
PharmD Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus
Masters of Business Administration (MBA) Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialization, Biosciences Management North Carolina State University
Bachelor of Science Pharmacy University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
Area(s) of Expertise
Technology entrepreneurship, technology management, corporate innovation, new product development processes, new firm financing and venture funding