Vincent Ponzo

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

SKILLS

ABOUT VINCENT PONZO

I\'ve always enjoyed solving problems of all kinds, and sharing what I learn along the way. Those passions have steered the arc of my career into the equally rewarding fields of entrepreneurship, education and AI. In practice, my career is centered on developing and scaling innovative programs, forging high-impact partnerships, and driving AI-safety focused initiatives via operational and business development roles at startups, academia, and leading tech companies. Currently, I lead Responsible AI (RAI) Business Development at Amazon Artificial General Intelligence, building strategic partnerships to assess and mitigate AI-related risks in national security and public safety. I work with academic, government, and industry leaders to shape AI safety standards, risk evaluation frameworks, and drive industry collaboration in order to ensure the responsible development and deployment of Amazon’s AI models. Previously, I led Amazon’s AI/ML Academic Partnerships, overseeing research collaborations with top-tier universities to drive AI advancements, published research, and talent acquisition.During my 4.5 years at AWS, I built and led the Startup Business Development team’s university startup strategy, developing deep relationships with leading academic institutions and startups to drive company growth, AWS adoption, and revenue. This involved mentoring and advising thousands of startups emerging from top US universities, ranging from undergraduates through faculty driven tech transfer spin outs. Before Amazon, I was Managing Director of Columbia Business School’s Eugene Lang Entrepreneurship Center, where I overhauled entrepreneurship curriculum, programming, program marketing, and faculty involvement, while managing a multi-million dollar investment fund supporting student-founded ventures. At Columbia, my leadership significantly increased student and alumni engagement, fundraising, and Columbia’s local and global reputation in entrepreneurship.Earlier in my career, I held executive roles at startups across education (General Assembly, acquired by Adecco), mobile advertising (Kargo), and social networking/recruiting (SelectMinds, acquired by Oracle). Before that, I worked in financial services as a corporate trainer traveling the world, and in various finance roles.I thrive at the intersection of strategy, education, and emerging technology, building and scaling programs that connect people, ideas, and innovation. My focus remains on creating impact through collaboration, forward-thinking leadership, learning, and teaching.