Michael Panesis, MBA

About

Mike Panesis is the Steven Dorfman Professor of Practice and Executive Director of the Steven Dorfman Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Cal Lutheran. He teaches innovation and entrepreneurship in Cal Lutheran’s undergraduate, MBA and Executive MBA in Europe programs. He also organizes Cal Lutheran’s New Venture Competition.

Mike is a startup community leader in the Conejo Valley and Ventura County, to the north of Los Angeles.  He leads the operation of Hub101, Cal Lutheran’s community coworking space, and is a frequent speaker on entrepreneurship and early-stage investing.

Mike advises startups on funding, operations, and business model strategies. An experienced angel investor, Mike is Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Governors of Tech Coast Angels (TCA) and was a founding member of the Santa Barbara Angel Alliance. He sits on the Boards of Elite Robotics, Sensor Industries and the Kingsmen Shakespeare Company.

Mike has an MBA Marketing from Rutgers University and a BS in Computer Science for Business from the DeVry Institute of Technology. He lives in Camarillo.

Education

Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in Marketing from Rutgers University.

Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Computer Science for Business from the DeVry Institute of Technology.

Expertise

Startup Community-Building

Entrepreneurship

Innovation

Startups

Angel Investing

Publications

“The Equity Crowdfunding Revolution”, Pacific Coast Business Times, February 2021

“Startup Community Should Give First”, Pacific Coast Business Times, September 2019

“Affordable Space for Startups”, Pacific Coast Business Times, January 2019

“Our Own Sand Hill Road”, Pacific Coast Business Times, September 2018

“Martin Luther Was an Entrepreneur”, Pacific Coast Business Times, October 2017

“Why Tech Is Choosing Conejo”, Conejo Chamber of Commerce, Fall 2017

“Liberal Starts”, Pacific Coast Business Times, September 2017

“Navigating the Land of Trump-portunities”, Pacific Coast Business Times, December 2016

“Why a Startup Is an Act of Patriotism”, Pacific Coast Business Times, February 2016

Grant Funding

Entrepreneur Speaker Series, from Community Leaders Association and Verizon

Hewlett Grant, for travel to VentureWell Conference to speak

Hewlett Grant, for travel to Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers (GCEC) Conference to speak