Lisa Delp

Lisa Delp brings a first-person perspective to the needs of emerging companies and the role of government in economic development. At state, national, and international levels she works to build sustainable entrepreneurial environments and create active networks of vital business resources.

Guided by her own experience in a technology start-up she brings a personal perspective to the need for readily available assistance to small businesses. When combined with her service as the Executive Director of the Ohio Third Frontier, a $2.3 billion government-led initiative to support entrepreneurial ventures, Lisa is able to see both sides of the economic development equation. Using this knowledge, she works globally to provide guidance in many aspects of technology-based economic development.

As the Director of the Ohio Federal Research Network Commercialization Team Lisa operated at the interface between academic labs, Department of Defense (DoD) facilities, and Ohio industry. This work provided the insight to develop a repeatable, measurable, and scalable process to aid in identifying technology solutions to meet the needs of the DoD.

In 2018 Lisa formed GDI Partners with long-time business colleague Tracy Boettinger to offer the TRIAD (Technology Requirements & Innovation Awareness Days) Program that provides education and advocacy to stimulate small business growth and the commercialization of new technology for the U.S. Warfighter.

Lisa grew up in rural West Virginia, but now splits her time between Ohio (where she has a son, daughter, and 2 grand-dogs) and Napa, California where she lives with her husband, Michael. She is a strong believer in the value of community involvement and spends her spare time giving back by mentoring the next generation of entrepreneurs and actively serving on business, investment, and academic advisory boards.