Summerville, S.C. – SCRA, a public, non-profit chartered with fostering the Innovation Economy of South Carolina, has announced the appointment of Jill Sorensen, J.D. as the new Director of Entrepreneurial Programs and Executive Director of SC Launch. Jill is an innovation manager with more than twenty-five years of experience in emerging technology, intellectual asset management and economic development.
In her new role, Jill will oversee the direction of SCRA’s entrepreneurial programs, under which provides investments, grant opportunities, mentoring and support to early-stage technology companies in the Life Science, IT and Advanced Manufacturing/Materials industries.
Jill is assuming this role upon the retirement of Greg Hillman, who worked in SCRA’s SC Launch program for more than ten years, during which time the program provided grants and investments to more than 330 companies. During Greg’s time with the company, SC Launch Portfolio Companies secured more than $650 million of external capital.
Prior to joining SCRA, Jill directed an innovation management consultancy that advised startups across the health, energy, transportation and manufacturing sectors. Jill co-founded and directed the Baltimore-Washington Electric Vehicle Initiative, a division of the non-profit Electric Vehicle Association of the Greater Washington DC area. Additionally, she served as Executive Director of the Johns Hopkins University Technology Transfer Office and taught innovation management at the university. Before joining Johns Hopkins, Jill worked for the University of Illinois directing its Office of Technology Management and serving as in-house intellectual property counsel. Jill is a registered patent attorney, earned her J.D. from DePaul University and her B.A. from Northwestern University.
“Jill’s diverse experience makes her uniquely qualified for this position,” said SCRA Executive Director Bob Quinn. “Her skill sets will benefit each aspect of the role, and we are excited she has joined the team.”
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Chartered in 1983 by the State of South Carolina as a public, non-profit corporation, SCRA fosters South Carolina’s Innovation Economy by supporting entrepreneurs, enabling academic research and its commercialization, and connecting industry to innovators.