Colin Ake

Director of Incubation and Commercialization, Kennesaw State University

Colin Ake currently leads startup incubation and commercialization programs for Kennesaw State University. He was the former Vice President of Lunar Development for Masten Space Systems, a small aerospace company focused on lowering the barriers to space access. Masten focused on technology development, maturation, and delivery within the solar system and was working on a robotic lunar lander to carry NASA and commercial payloads to the lunar south pole. Colin worked as an executive, developing business models and customers for all business lines, building structure, and charting a course for growth as they worked to open the final frontier. He was also responsible for strategy, business development, marketing, and government relations while at Masten. Prior to joining Masten, Colin worked with Georgia Tech’s VentureLab incubator, where he worked to commercialize university intellectual property through startups. His overall experience includes business model development, customer development, growth strategy, government relations, and a focus on early-stage and deep technology ventures.