Executive Director Bio
Renu Kulkarni is Founder and Executive Director, FutureMedia℠ at the Georgia Institute of Technology. FutureMedia is an interdisciplinary research and economic growth program that explores, enables, and transforms new ways of how Content is Created, Distributed and Consumed. Our charter is to connect universities, venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, non-profits, and industry to create an open innovation ecosystem to leverage and build upon existing world-class efforts at Georgia Tech and that of our partners in Georgia and worldwide. FutureMedia supports the GT Research Institute (GTRI), the Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2), the Executive VP Research Office, and the newly created Institute of People and Technology (IPaT).
Renu is a seasoned executive with strong expertise in developing and leading global strategic partnerships, strategy formulation and execution, business development, management consulting and operations. She has 20+ years of experience in the high tech communications, consumer electronics, media, and higher education industries. She is skilled in helping organizations create impact and value by bridging ideas and people to drive technology transfer, commercialization, and innovation.
Prior to joining Georgia Tech, Renu was VP, Technology Partnerships at Motorola where she drove strategic technology-based partnerships with leading companies, key customers, premier universities, and government research centers around the world to achieve break-through innovation and business results. Notable alliances included: Microsoft, IBM, SUN, France Telecom, British Telecom, NTT DoCoMo, Fox Mobile, Stanford, MIT, Georgia Tech, South Korean Ministry of Communications, and the Singapore Economic Development Board.
Renu serves as Board Advisor to several start-ups in the high-tech industry. She is a Steering Committee Member at The World Economic Forum focused on ‘The Future of Content Creation’. She is also a TiE Atlanta Charter Member, and a Member of the Collaborative Innovation and Academic Councils at the global Association of Strategic Alliance Professionals. Renu is a Technology and Innovation Public Speaker who is frequently invited to discuss the future of technology & media.
She holds an MBA degree from Goizueta Business School at Emory University and a BS in Industrial Engineering/Management Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology.