Jim Jen
CSL Director and Instructor
Jim Jen is a Distinguished Service Professor of Entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business. In addition to teaching, he is also the Director of the Carnegie Mellon’s Corporate Startup Lab (CSL).
In addition to his work at CMU, Jim has played an active leadership role in the growth of the Pittsburgh entrepreneurship community over the last 20 years. He co-founded AlphaLab, a nationally ranked accelerator program (and one of the first accelerators in the U.S.) and subsequently helped launch AlphaLab Gear, AlphaLab Health and the Robotics Factory with corporate and industry partners. Jim also led initial investments in more than 200 pre-seed and seed stage companies for Innovation Works and guided some of Pittsburgh’s fastest-growing tech companies, resulting in several billion dollars of exit values and additional investment.
Prior to moving to Pittsburgh, Jim led product management at multiple Silicon Valley-based companies, both venture-backed and Fortune 500. As a management consultant, Jim advised consumer-oriented companies on strategic planning and revenue growth strategies. Jim holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts, in Economics and a Master of Business Administration, all from Stanford University.
SEAN AMMIRATI
CSL Co-Founder and Advisor
Sean is a Distinguished Service Professor of Entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business. In addition to teaching, he is also the Co-Founder and Director of the Carnegie Mellon Corporate Startup Lab (CSL).
In addition to his work at CMU, Sean is also a venture capitalist, entrepreneur and author. He recently completed his first book, The Science of Growth How Facebook Beat Friendster--and How Nine Other Startups Left the Rest in the Dust, which was released by St Martin's Press in April 2016 and was subsequently translated and published in Korean and Mandarin. It also is available as an audiobook via Audible.
Prior to teaching at CMU and investing at Birchmere, Sean started and sold three companies including being the co-founder and CEO of mSpoke, which was LinkedIn’s first acquisition.
Hallie Johnson
CSL Academic Program Manager
Hallie Johnson joined CSL in 2020 as the Academic Program Manager. She manages the CSL Fellows, the CSL course production, and Agile Giants outreach. In May 2019 she graduated from CMU Heinz College with a Masters Degree in Public Management and holds an undergraduate degree in Journalism from the University of Pittsburgh.
Previously, she worked as the Manager, Operations at Birchmere Ventures, an early stage venture capital firm and designed promotional magazines for GoGroupStay. Prior to her career in VC, she programmed the Silk Screen: Asian American Film Festival in Pittsburgh, bringing over 30 new films to Pittsburgh during her time.
MATT CRESPI
CSL Co-Founder & Former Instructor
Matt is currently a post-doctoral researcher, having recently earned his PhD in Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon. His research focuses on issues of collaboration and coordination, primarily using applied social network analysis. He is a frequent lecturer on topics including corporate innovation, program evaluation, professional communications, and networks. Matt is also an independent consultant, with projects ranging from internal innovation to policy advising (clients have included non-profits, large corporations, governments, and political campaigns).
Matt previously worked as a Consultant in PFM's Quantitative Strategies Group, where he worked on new product development and financial modeling to help state and local governments, primarily around issues of debt issuance, investment management, and city budget management.
Sean Mawhinney
CSL Program Manager
Sean joined the CSL team in December of 2021. He manages CSL’s social media and marketing, coordinates events such as the the Corporate Entrepreneurship Forum, the CSL Case Competition, the Fireside Chat Series as well as supporting the Fellows and Project Course programs. He graduated with a Master’s in the Art of Teaching from the University of Pittsburgh in 2017. Before coming to CSL he spent over four years teaching at a Pittsburgh area middle school.
