QBE Seminar Series – Dr. Chesley Chen 11am HH209

Zen and the Art of Starting Up a Start-up

So, you want to start up a start-up. Or maybe you’re just thinking about it. Have you ever asked yourself:

· How do I get started?

· How do I pivot from science and engineering to business? And why? (!)

· Can I make millions of dollars?

· What it’s really like…the good, the bad, and the ugly?

· Do I have what it takes?

Chesley Chen, CEO, entrepreneur, and engineer will share real life stories about his journey from engineer to CEO and back. Ches has wide ranging experience with start-ups and large corporations that include g.Root Bio, Health Dialog, CIGNA, Goldman Sachs, Sprint Telecom, and the Hughes Aircraft Company. He has been witness to pivotal moments in business and to truly unexpected things at work. Suspend disbelief and come listen. This will be the stuff you can’t learn from a textbook!

Ches is an Adjunct Professor in Entrepreneurship & Innovation at the University of Denver and University of Massachusetts Lowell. He was most recently Principal, Life Sciences at CliftonLarsonAllen and CEO/Founder of g.Root Bio. He is strategic advisor and mentor to numerous CEOs, Boards, and start-ups in digital health, life sciences, and other technology-driven industries.

Ches volunteers his time as Chair of the HBS Alumni AASU Racial Equity Project, founding member of the Bioscience & Investor Inclusion Group, and founder of Asians in Biotech. He is a member of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society New England’s DEI Committee. He earned his B.S. in Civil Engineering from Tufts University, M.S. in Aeronautics & Astronautics from MIT (yep, rocket science,) and M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. He is a devoted family man, rock climber, skier, and black belt in karate. Ches is also a proud Mines Parent, Class of 2016.

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/chesley-chen-85627/