Today, CREATE-X announced that Atlanta business leader and venture capitalist Greg Foster has been named associate director of the program and professor of the practice in the College of Engineering. CREATE-X was established four years ago as a faculty-led, student-focused initiative to instill entrepreneurial confidence in Georgia Tech students, enabling them to launch real startups.  Foster will be responsible for Startup Launch, the final phase of CREATE-X, where students receive mentorship, $20,000 in seed funds and other program resources to take their startups to market.  

Foster brings with him complementary experience in both creating and investing in startups, which will provide a unique perspective to students hoping to start their own company. He has more than 20 years of industry experience, working at Fortune 500 companies, such as Deloitte, Turner Broadcasting and Cox Enterprises. Foster has built multiple startup companies, including Silverpop, Southern Direct and BrightWhistle, all of which saw early success that led to acquisition.

“Greg brings energy, passion and a wealth of business knowledge to the CREATE-X program,” said Raghupathy Sivakumar, founding director of CREATE-X and Wayne J. Holman Chair Professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. “I am confident his experience building successful companies from the ground up will serve our students well. With Greg on board, we hope to elevate CREATE-X to the most competitive startup program in the country.” 

Foster’s extensive investment experience at Buckley Partners and Noro-Moseley Partners will enable him to advise CREATE-X students on how to successfully take their businesses to market. Foster is a mechanical engineering Georgia Tech alumnus and earned his MBA from Harvard. He currently serves on numerous corporate boards, including NVCA Corporate Venture Group and Experience LLC. 

“I am honored to join the CREATE-X team and leverage my experience to provide students the knowledge and skills needed to launch real startups,” said Foster. “CREATE-X offers a viable path for students to take their ideas to market, and the results so far have been impressive. I look forward to working with these brilliant student startup teams and contributing to the entrepreneurial culture at Georgia Tech.”