Albuquerque, NM – On November 19, UNM Rainforest Innovations proudly hosted the 2025 Fall UNM Business and Economic Summit, bringing together entrepreneurs, investors, industry experts, and community leaders from across New Mexico and the region. This year’s theme, “New Mexico the Entrepreneurial,” drew inspiration from Right to Start’s national campaign “America the Entrepreneurial,” which calls for a renewed commitment to empowering founders across the country in honor of America’s 250th anniversary.
The Summit highlighted New Mexico’s role in this national movement and emphasized the importance of supporting entrepreneurs who drive job growth, innovation, and long-term economic resilience, especially in times of uncertainty.
“We are grateful to all of our speakers, panelists, and partners who contributed their perspectives and ideas to this year’s Summit,” said Lisa Kuuttila, CEO & Chief Economic Development Officer of UNM Rainforest Innovations. “The Summit’s conversations reaffirm our state’s collective commitment to building a stronger future for New Mexico.”
UNM President Garnett S. Stokes, PhD, kicked off the event with welcome remarks and highlighted several new developments in the state including the EDD Office of Entrepreneurship, now part of the newly established EDD Technology and Innovation Office, supported by more than $90 million in new funding to drive technology and innovation. She also recognized the New Mexico Tribal Entrepreneurship Enhancement Program & City of Santa Fe Tribal Liaison Spinoff which selected as the 2025 recipient of the Entrepreneurial & Small Business Development Award, presented at the New Mexico IDEA Economic Development Excellence Awards on September 25th.
Keynote Presentation:
The Summit’s keynote presentation, “Tech. Science. Accelerated.,” was delivered by Mike Freeman, CEO of Innosphere and General Partner of Innosphere’s venture funds. Widely recognized for accelerating science and technology driven entrepreneurship across Colorado, Wyoming and the broader region, Freeman shared insights from his work leading the NSF-funded ASCEND Engineer and larger-scale innovation initiatives across seven states. Following the keynote was a Q&A session moderated by Lisa Kuuttila, CEO & Chief Economic Development Officer of UNM Rainforest Innovations.
Panel Discussions:
Seven different panel discussions took place throughout the day with business leaders, entrepreneurs, researchers, and innovators from across the state.
The Small Business Panel
Moderated by Leslie Hielema, President & CEO, New Mexico Chamber
Panelists included:
- Troy McGee, CEO & Owner, WattsUp
- Sandra Hirschberg, Founder, NM Startup Alliance
- Aaron Silverblatt-Buser, Co-Founder, Silver Leaf
The Indigenous-owned Businesses Panel
Moderated by Mereya Blanco, Community Navigator, Roanhorse Consulting
Panelists included:
- Akilah Martinez, Artist & Founder, Glittering World Girl
- Scott Tafoya, Indigenous Leadership Coach, Truth Dancer Coaching, LLC
- Joseph Toledo, Owner, Smash N Crispy Burgers; Project Manager, Smart Tribe 275
The Digital Arts and Creative Arts Panel
Moderated by Tim Castillo, Director of Community Engagement Initiatives, The University of New Mexico
Panelists included:
- John-Mark Collins, Creative Director / Artist, Wonder + Light; Co-founder, Electric Playhouse & Lead; Creative Engineer, Meow Wolf
- Stephen Guerin, Founder, Simtable; President, RedfishGroup
- Anthony Chee Emerson, Artist & Founder, Ma’ii Productions LLC
The Technology Panel
Moderated by Mia Petersen, Executive Director & CEO, New Mexico Tech Council
Panelists included:
- Roger Smith, Founder & CEO, Fault Tolerant Technology
- Nerissa Whittington, Principal & Co-Founder, bigbyte.cc
The Venture Capital Panel
Moderated by Thomas Stephenson, Managing General Partner, Verge Fund
Panelists included:
- David Perez, Chairman, New Mexico Angels Board of Directors
- Chris Japp, Managing Partner, Tramway Ventures
- David Ellmann, Co-Founder & General Partner, UP.Abundance, UP.Partners
The Biosciences Panel
Moderated by Stuart Rose, Ph.D., Entrepreneur, Investor and Founder, The BioScience Center
Panelists include:
- Howard Kozloff, Founder & CEO, NobleSpace
- Janeth Peña, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, Sandia Biotech
- Ivy Hurwitz, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, YEEO Eco-Safe
The Engineering Panel
Moderated by Tom Chepucavage, Entrepreneur, Co-Founder, and former CEO, Zenthos Energy
Panelist:
- Mahmoud R. Taha, Ph.D., P.E., CEO, TS-Nano
Closing Remarks:
The Summit concluded with remarks by Barbara Rodríguez, PhD, Interim Provost & Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at The University of New Mexico. Dr. Rodríguez reflected on the day’s discussions and highlighted the importance of continued collaboration across academic, industry, and community partners.
On behalf of UNM Rainforest Innovations, we would like to thank all the speakers, panelists, moderators, and guests for their attendance and participation at the 2025 Fall UNM Business and Economic Summit. To view recordings of the event, learn more about the speakers, panelists and moderators involved, visit: https://innovations.unm.edu/unm-business-and-economic-summit/
