Financing Innovative Ventures

Michael Pratt is a distinguished lecturer in Technology Entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland's A. James Clark School of Engineering, where he teaches and mentors students in both graduate and undergraduate programs. His impressive career spans over 35 years in management, finance, and entrepreneurship. As co-founder and Managing Partner of Select Venture Partners LLC, he focuses on early-stage, post-seed/pre-Series A investments, having successfully raised over $100 million for eleven different startups. His entrepreneurial journey includes notable successes such as SpydrSafe Mobile Security (acquired in 2014), CardStar Inc. (sold to Constant Contact), and Trust Digital Inc. (acquired by McAfee). His executive leadership roles encompass positions as CFO/COO at Trust Digital, CFO at Galt Associates (sold to Cerner Corporation), CEO of CrossMedia Networks Corp., and CEO of Point of Care Technologies (acquired by Siemens Healthcare). Earlier in his career, he held various senior positions with Mobil Corporation and began his professional journey at Arthur Andersen & Co. His academic credentials include a BS in Finance from East Carolina University, an MBA from Massey University in New Zealand, and an MS in Marketing from Johns Hopkins University. Currently, he teaches courses in financial management and new venture financing, bringing his extensive real-world experience to the classroom