Robert J. Calcaterra

Dr. Robert J. Calcaterra is currently a principal in StartUp Partners International which is involved in the start up, structuring, managing, and financing of very early stage life science and agricultural companies. In 2009 through 2015 StartUp Partners has successfully started, organized, and funded nine life science, medical device and agriculturally based companies. Dr. Calcaterra is on the Board of Directors of CardiaLen Inc., Euclises Inc., and Moleculara Labs Inc. (Oklahoma City, OK), Traxxsson Inc.,, Sarmont Inc. and is on the Adviosry Board of Boston Mountain Biotech Inc.(Fayettville, AR).and Jones Innovation Medical Devices Inc. (Little Rock, AR). He also served as acting CEO of CardiaLen for over 1 year and was a past board member of Galera Therapeutics, Inc. Dr. Calcaterra has raised in excess of $100M for companies he has been associated with during this period. Dr. Calcaterra is Founder of the St. Louis Arch Angels (which has invested over $57M in 50+ companies since 2005.

Dr. Calcaterra is also Managing Director in Exeteur Group LLC, a company that is starting, structuring and managing worldwide companies and relocating their headquarters primarily to the United States. Exeteur’s primary activities are in Israel, Eastern Europe and throughout the U.S.

He has also been an adjunct faculty member in the Biomedical Engineering Department at Washington University and consults for many public and private institutions including companies in Nebraska, Kentucky and another two companies in Arkansas, the USDA, EPA, University of Nebraska Lincoln, University of Iowa, Chicago State University, University of North Dakota, Innovate Arkansas, i2E in Oklahoma and the City of Madison Wisconsin. These latter activities have been concerned primarily with technology transfer management and strategy, research park planning, strategy and governance, transitional life science facilities and incubator development, commercialization of technology, venture capital and an innovation campus strategic plan.

Dr. Calcaterra brought 19 years of experience in incubator management to his position as president and chief executive officer of Nidus Center for Scientific Enterprise until July 1, 2008. At Nidus Center, Dr. Calcaterra led efforts to commercialize technologies in the plant and life sciences by recruiting and nurturing young entrepreneurs with promising ideas and relevant business expertise. The Nidus Center has nurtured 20 start up companies.. The Nidus Center won two consecutive national awards (2005-06) for Incubator Client of the Year. The Nidus Center hosted the National Business Incubation Association International Annual meeting in 2006.

During Dr. Calcaterra’s tenure at the three incubators he managed he has been involved in the creation of over 50 companies, has raised well over $250M in equity financing and served on the boards of at least 40 of those companies. He was also primarily responsible for the creation in St. Louis of the BioGenerator (a $10.4M proof of concept venture fund) and the Arch Angel Network which has invested in excess of $50M in 10 years and where he currently is President.

Prior to the Nidus Center Dr. Calcaterra was president, founder and chief executive officer of the Arizona Technology Incubator (ATI). A public/private partnership, ATI provides technical and business support services to early-stage, technology-based entrepreneurial companies. Under Dr. Calcaterra’s leadership, ATI won three consecutive awards (1996-98) in the categories of Incubator Company of the Year, Incubator Innovation of the Year and Incubator Graduate Company. ATI hosted the NBIA International Annual meeting in 1998.

The Arizona Technology Incubator is Dr. Calcaterra’s second successful technology incubator. He established the Boulder Technology Incubator (BTI) in 1989. Much like the Arizona Technology Incubator, BTI served as a mentor to technology-based entrepreneurial companies providing them with technical and business support. BTI won the National Incubator of the Year award in 1998.

Previously, Dr. Calcaterra worked for numerous Fortune 500 companies. While with the Adolph Coors Company, he was Director of Research & Development, Licensing, and Quality Assurance where he managed as many as 325 people. He also formed eight technically-based businesses for Adolph Coors Company. Prior to his work at Adolph Coors, Dr. Calcaterra worked as Senior Research Engineer for long-range strategic planning and technology forecasting and assessments for Amoco Corporation. He was also a research engineer for Alcoa Corporation and Monsanto Company, where he began his career in 1965.

Dr. Calcaterra is well known for his civic work involving small-business related issues. In 1995 he was appointed by President Bill Clinton as a delegate to the White House Conference on Small Business. He has served on the board of directors of the National Business Incubation Association. He has been active with the State of Missouri serving on the Missouri Technology Corporation, heading the innovation center, investment and SBIR committees. In St. Louis he has been on the board of the Coalition for Plant and Life Sciences, St. Louis Capital Alliance and the Missouri Venture Forum. He shas served on the Advisory Board to the Bio-Molecular and Chemical Engineering Department at the University of Nebraska and the College of Art’s and Sciences Dean’s Advisory Board at Webster University where he still serves.

Dr. Calcaaterra has also taught entrepreneurcship courses at the University of Colorado, Arizona State University and Washington University.

Dr. Calcaterra did his graduate and undergraduate work in chemical engineering at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln with BS and MS degrees. He received his D.Sc. in chemical engineering from Washington University of St. Louis and later completed Harvard University’s Industrial Research Institute Executive Management Seminar.