SBA Appoints Mark Walsh as Head of the Office of Investment & Innovation 

WASHINGTON – Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration, announced today that Mark Walsh will serve as SBA’s Associate Administrator for the Office of Investment & Innovation, the office that administers the agency’s Small Business Investment Companies (SBIC) and Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs.

“We are delighted to welcome Mark to the SBA team. As a seasoned entrepreneur and executive, Mark has made public-private partnerships a focus of his career. With his deep understanding of small businesses in the technology sector, we know he will bring a fresh perspective and pioneering spirit to the Office of Investment and Innovation. We look forward to his leadership and dedication on behalf of America’s small businesses,” said SBA Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet.

In Walsh’s new role, he will oversee an office that has supplied equity capital, long term loans and management assistance to qualifying small businesses through its SBIC program since 1959.   He will also oversee the SBIR/STTR program which helps entrepreneurs successfully commercialize their products and services through the 11 participating federal agencies including: Environmental Protection Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Science Foundation and the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security and Transportation to provide small businesses competitive funding for projects that meet government research needs and boost technological innovation in the public and private sectors.

Walsh is a seasoned, entrepreneurial executive who has run large public and private founded startups and invested and nurtured venture and growth companies.  With senior leadership positions at HBO, GE, AOL, Verticalnet and GeniusRocket.com, Walsh brings a wealth of experience and expertise in consumer acquisition, financial management, strategic partnerships, customer service and mergers and acquisitions. Walsh is a graduate of Union College in New York, where he recently served as chair of the board of trustees, and received his MBA from Harvard Business School.

To learn more about SBA’s Office of Investment & Innovation visit: https://www.sba.gov/offices/headquarters/ooi.

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