Stevens Institute of Technology Appoints Innovation Leader Shintaro Kaido as Director of Technology Commercialization and New Ventures
Nationally recognized thought leader brings extensive venture capital and tech transfer expertise to accelerate Stevens' innovation impact
Hoboken, N.J., October 1, 2025 – Stevens Institute of Technology today announced the appointment of Shintaro Kaido as Director of Technology Commercialization and New Ventures, where he will lead efforts to bring Stevens-developed technologies from laboratory to market while expanding the university's innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. Kaido was selected after an extensive national search.
He is a recognized thought leader in venture capital and academic tech transfer and brings a wealth of experience to the role. Previously, he served as Vice Provost for Innovation at Drexel University, a Carnegie R1 research institution in Philadelphia. Kaido is a member of the Leadership Council at Activate, a non-profit which funds fully supported two-year fellowships for PhD students and postdoctoral researchers to launch startup companies in sustainability, climate change and energy security. Kaido also serves as chair of the external advisory board and investment committee for InsiteXccelerator, an NIH funded biomedical translational research program serving university-based innovators in Delaware, Maine, Rhode Island and Vermont. Kaido is a member of the Kauffman Fellows, a highly selective global fellowship of venture capital professionals founded by the Ewin Marion Kauffman Foundation in 1994. He also served as a board member of the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority, appointed by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, to advance Pennsylvania’s innovation economy. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a Certified Licensing Professional (CLP) and a Registered Tech Transfer Professional (RTTP).
This role supports the expansion of Stevens’ impact through research and innovation, one of the four key strategic priorities outlined in the strategic plan, Stevens 2032: Inspired by Humanity, Powered by Technology, and serves as a critical bridge between Stevens and the business community. Kaido will take promising university research and find pathways to create real-world impact through commercialization. He will report to the Vice Provost for Research and Innovation.
“Shintaro brings to Stevens both vision and deep expertise,” said Ed Synakowski, Vice Provost for Research and Innovation. “He has been at the forefront of innovation strategy nationally, leading tech transfer and entrepreneur support initiatives at the highest levels. His appointment reflects Stevens’ strong commitment to empowering our talented faculty, staff and students to create societal impact based on Stevens’ research.”
As director, Kaido will be charged with igniting a culture of innovation at Stevens, creating pathways for scientific research to reach the marketplace, and amplifying the university’s innovation brand. His priorities include modernizing Stevens’ technology transfer operations, introducing best practices for innovation and entrepreneurship (I&E), and accelerating research translation from discovery to impact. Core functions of the office include intellectual property protection, the execution of licensing and related agreements, connecting Stevens innovation to industry’s unmet needs, and supporting faculty, staff, and students in their entrepreneurial endeavors based on Stevens’ research.
“I am honored to join Stevens at such an important time in its history,” said Shintaro Kaido. “Stevens’ faculty and researchers are creating innovations with the power to solve pressing societal challenges. My goal is to strengthen the bridge between discovery and impact by supporting our innovators, deepening industry engagement, and ensuring that Stevens’ contributions reach and benefit communities worldwide.”
About Stevens Institute of Technology
Stevens is a premier, private research university situated in Hoboken, New Jersey. Since our founding in 1870, technological innovation has been the hallmark of Stevens’ education and research. Within the university’s three schools and one college, more than 8,000 undergraduate and graduate students collaborate closely with faculty in an interdisciplinary, student-centric, entrepreneurial environment. Academic and research programs spanning business, computing, engineering, the arts and other disciplines actively advance the frontiers of science and leverage technology to confront our most pressing global challenges. The university continues to be consistently ranked among the nation’s leaders in career services, post-graduation salaries of alumni and return on tuition investment.
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