Andrea Belz

The author of “The McGraw-Hill 36-Hour Course:  Product Development,” Andrea Belz is an expert in technology commercialization.  She is a Senior Lecturer in the Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business.  With deep experience in corporate innovation and incubation of novel technologies in large organizations, Andrea has guided leaders including the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the California Institute of Technology, Occidental Petroleum, and others.  Andrea serves on the board of Caltech spinoff laser manufacturer Ondax and the Advisory Board of UCLA spinoff X-ray source manufacturer Tribogenics.

Andrea has provided guidance to companies of all sizes, including General Electric, Best Buy, and many leading middle-market companies.  She has deep expertise in advising investors and strategic partners in evaluation of investment opportunities and portfolio management; as a long-term member of the Pasadena Angels, Andrea has been involved in the Los Angeles venture capital community for many years.  She is also the Los Angeles Chapter Chair of the Licensing Executives Society and is a certified instructor of their IP Basics course.  Andrea has advised groups ranging from Chinese delegations to medical students on technology commercialization and innovation.  Andrea has been cited by the Los Angeles Business Journal, CNN.com, NBC.com, Financial Times, WSJ.com, and other sources for her unique perspective on strategy and national innovation.

Andrea holds a B.S. in physics from the University of Maryland at College Park, which she graduated with Phi Beta Kappa honors, High Honors in physics, and University Honors with a concentration in political science and economics.  She also holds Ph.D. in physics from the California Institute of Technology, and an M.B.A. in finance from the Pepperdine University Graziadio School of Business.