Michael Docherty

Michael Docherty brings unique perspectives to growth and innovation, having been an entrepreneur, senior corporate executive and venture capitalist. It might explain why he’s passionate about new collaboration models for venture creation and regional ecosystem development.

Docherty is currently the managing partner of NextBig, a unique venture creation firm that co-creates startups in partnership with leading corporations and entrepreneurs. NextBig works with corporate partners to define disruptive challenges and digital-enabled opportunities, then builds new independent ventures using a shared risk business model. Additionally, he has led regional collaboration to support industrial decarbonization among the world-class universities, corporations and startup communities within Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia as executive director of non-profit IN-2-Market Inc. Prior to that, he was interim program executive for corporate/startup collaboration at Innovation Works, the region’s most active investor and supporter of early-stage companies in hardware, software and life sciences. Earlier in his career, Mike was president of Spencer Trask, an early stage investment firm and prior to that was a SVP/GM for Sunbeam Products after successful executive roles with GE and Ford Motor Company.

Michael Docherty is the author of the book, Collective Disruption: How Corporations and Startups Can Co-create Transformative New Businesses. The book provides established companies with a practical playbook for plugging into the startup ecosystem to fuel and incubate new businesses as entrepreneurial ventures. Docherty holds an MBA degree from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School and BSME degree from Drexel University. He is a frequent speaker on collaborative innovation and venturing and an active supporter of the entrepreneurial community.