# David Washburn

> David Washburn is CEO of the MSU Research Foundation in East Lansing, Michigan, overseeing its endowment and serving as president of Spartan Innovations, Red Cedar Ventures, and Michigan Rise. His career spans software business development, university commercialization at Illinois, and leadership of the University of Tennessee Research Foundation. He also serves as an external non-executive director of Cambridge Enterprise.

- **Role:** Chief Executive Officer at MSU Research Foundation
- **Organizations:** MSU Research Foundation, Spartan Innovations, Red Cedar Ventures, Michigan Rise, Cambridge Enterprise, University of Tennessee Research Foundation, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Wolfram Research, InstallShield Software Corporation, Kuck & Associates
- **Education:** BA, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, MBA, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Gies College of Business
- **Known for:** Leads the MSU Research Foundation and oversees its endowment., President of Spartan Innovations, Red Cedar Ventures, and Michigan Rise., External non-executive director of Cambridge Enterprise.

## Career timeline

- **Before 2001** — Worked in entrepreneurship and business development with Wolfram Research, InstallShield Software Corporation, and Kuck & Associates; individual dates are not established.
- **2001–2011** — Led the software commercialization practice at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
- **2011** — Joined the University of Tennessee Research Foundation in November; subsequently served as president and CEO.
- **2014** — Became executive director of the MSU Research Foundation.
- **2015** — The foundation created Red Cedar Ventures during his tenure.
- **2020** — MEDC selected the foundation to manage Michigan Rise Pre-Seed Fund III.
- **2024** — Joined the Cambridge Enterprise board as external non-executive director.
- **2026** — Continued as CEO of the foundation; hosted interviews on PitchMI, commercialization, and the Rosenberg Center.

## Achievements

- Leads the MSU Research Foundation and oversees its endowment.
- President of Spartan Innovations, Red Cedar Ventures, and Michigan Rise.
- External non-executive director of Cambridge Enterprise.
- Holds the Certified Licensing Professional designation.
- Led Illinois software commercialization practice for a decade.
- During his leadership, the foundation designated $75 million over eight years for MSU’s campaign in May 2025; this is an institutional commitment.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — The foundation celebrated the Rosenberg Center groundbreaking; the September 21 release quotes Washburn on its role in university innovation. The planned facility is 65,000 square feet.
- **2026-09** — Hosted Jeff Wesley on the foundation podcast to discuss venture creation, PitchMI, Conquer, and statewide collaboration.
- **2026-06** — Hosted Jeff Smith to discuss adaptive reuse and plans for the Rosenberg Center.
- **2026-05** — Hosted MIT licensing executive Lesley Millar-Nicholson to discuss university commercialization.

## Links

- Website: https://innovationcenter.msu.edu/people/washburn-david/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidwashburn

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/david-washburn
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-09