Greg Needham

About Greg Needham

Thank you for visiting my profile. As an accomplished Product Management, Marketing, Sales, and Commercialization Executive, I have dramatically elevated sales, marketing, and product management capabilities across B2B and B2C technology, industrial, high-ticket consumer, and business services markets. I have established performance-driven organization structures with clear and consistent execution across diverse products and multiple business segments for Fortune 500, middle-market, startup, and family office portfolio companies. As a three-time entrepreneur, I have experienced success and disappointment with starting and growing new companies.2023 - As Principal Investigator (PI), awarded EDA Tech Hub Strategy Development Grant for optics/optoelectronics and precision metrology.2025 - Co-Principal Investigator (PI) and Chief Operations Officer for the Carolinas Engine for Grid Modernization, a national finalist for the NSF Engines Regional Innovation competition.Certified ScrumMaster® (CSM®)Today, my Industry sector focus includes robotics and advanced / Smart manufacturing, precision optics, precision metrology, and related digital solutions.CAPABILITIES THAT DRIVE BUSINESSES, PRODUCTS AND BRANDSTranslation of Innovation and Commercialization | Market Research Data Analytics | Product Vision & Life-cycle | Sales Management | Business Development | Entrepreneurship | Go-to-Market | Brand & Product Marketing | P&L Management | Jobs-To-Be-Done | Stage-Gate | Agile | Lean StartupIf you want to make a new connection, please send me an invite with the reason for making the connection. Thank you.

Experience

1. Assistant Vice Chancellor, Office of Research Commercialization and Partnerships

   University of North Carolina at Charlotte

   Jan 2025 — Present · Charlotte, NC, US

   Additional roles and responsibilities- Principal Investigator for the awarded EDA Tech Hubs Strategy Development Grant- Chief Operations Officer and Co-Principal Investigator for the NSF Regional Innovations Engines Program - Carolinas Engine for Grid Modernization- Patent Committee MemberAt UNC Charlotte, the Office of Research Commercialization & Partnerships (ORCP) serves as the primary gateway for intellectual capital assets and putting them to work, as well as forging industry-government-investor business relationships with university researchers. We propel university technology and research by fostering connections, springboarding impactful innovation, and turning them into investable assets.Partnerships Focus: We fuel innovation through collaboration between UNC Charlotte’s exceptional academic talent, with industry, entrepreneurs, investors and government agencies. Industry partners benefit from co-location with our academic researchers to take advantage of synergies, state of the art offices and lab facilities.Commercialization Focus: UNC Charlotte is one of the country’s best at putting intellectual capital to work by leveraging applied research and licensing it to bring valuable technology to the marketplace.

Education

• University of Pittsburgh Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business

  Master of Business Administration (Executive)

• North Carolina Wesleyan University

  Bachelor Science, Business Administration

• Texas McCombs School of Business

  Master of Science, Technology Commercialization (MSTC)

  2012 — 2013

• The University of Texas at Austin

  Data Analytics/ Big Data

  2016 — 2017

Skills

• Strategy
• Strategic Planning
• Start-Ups
• Business Strategy
• Management
• Product Development
• Business Development
• Product Management
• Marketing Strategy
• Entrepreneurship
• Leadership
• Business Planning
• Executive Management
• Sales Management
• P&L Management
• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Negotiation
• Product Marketing
• Corporate Development
• Product Innovation
• Venture Capital
• Marketing Communications
• Operations Management
• Dynamic Planning
• Dynamic Business Planning
• Marketing