IU Ventures welcomes Christian Beck as executive in residence
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Indiana University investment arm IU Ventures is adding an executive in residence to help young entrepreneurs manage the often-rocky process of starting a company.
IU Ventures announced this week that IU alumnus Christian Beck will lend his experience to program enrollees. Beck studied at IU both as an undergrad and received a masters degree in human-computer interaction design. He spent 10 years at Indianapolis-based design firm Innovatemap, where he worked extensively with startups.
Beck more recently helped start Five Four in Indianapolis, which also works at accelerating other startup businesses. Now, he’s bringing that expertise to IU to help those looking at starting companies of their own.
“We are pleased to welcome Christian Beck to IU Ventures’ Executive in Residence Program where we believe his skills will complement those of our other advisors,” said Tony Armstrong, president and CEO of IU Ventures. “His background—a combination of creative plus business acquired from his time working in design, sales, and building companies—will bring real value to our founders while also helping us to evaluate new investment opportunities.”
Specifically, Beck will help will advise and consult IU-affiliated startups on their strategies surrounding product design, marketing and growth. In a news release, Beck said part of what motivated him to join IU Ventures was the rapid pace of technology and his desire to build ethical businesses.
“The challenge with technology and innovation isn’t whether something can be done, but how it should be done in a way that is most beneficial to people, communities, and climate,” Beck said. “Many investors and founders have lost their way by building companies that are downright harmful or pursuing valuations at the expense of societal benefit.
“Technology evolves so rapidly, most technologists are actually ill-equipped to keep up. I am in this space because I was fortunate enough to learn human-centered design from world-leading educators at IU and was exposed to arts and sciences as an undergraduate. I want to ensure that the next generation of technologies are designed more thoughtfully.”
IU Ventures invests in and supports early-stage companies with strong affiliations with IU.