UofL hires tech founders as newest entrepreneurs in residence

The University of Louisville has hired Jeff Gora and Nick Phillips, both seasoned startup founders and supporters, to help guide research-backed innovations to market.

Both will serve as entrepreneurs in residence, or EIRs, through the UofL Office of Research and Innovation. In this role, they will work with inventors to connect UofL technologies to industry and startups.

Phillips is a seasoned health care investor and startup operator, and spent the better part of the last decade building startups and leading early-stage investment and accelerator programs in partnership with some of the world's leading corporations and international governments. He now is the CEO of Mandos Health Inc., a venture-backed men's health care startup, where he is focused on scaling the nationwide digital clinic.

"There's a ton of innovation happening in the health care space," Phillips said. "I'm excited to leverage my own experience and work with the researchers and innovators at UofL to further new treatments, diagnostics and more that can help people lead healthier lives."

Gora is a dynamic entrepreneur with more than 15 years of experience across industries including medical device manufacturing, retail, education and technology. From scaling innovative startups to leading customer-centric retail ventures, Jeff has a proven track record of driving growth and innovation.

"I'm so excited and proud to support the work happening here at UofL to launch and grow startups," Gora said. "This is an opportunity to be part of something that could make a big impact here and across the Commonwealth."

Gora and Phillips join a class of EIRs that currently includes seasoned founders Tendai Charasika (software) and Bill Dawson (biotech). Charasika joined as an EIR in 2021 and helped lead the reimagining of UofL's Launchit startup bootcamp, while Dawson joined in 2023.

The EIR program is led by the Office of Research and Innovation's UofL New Ventures team, which focuses on launching startups around research-born tech. The EIR program is in partnership with Amplify, an organization working to grow Louisville's entrepreneurship ecosystem, with funding from the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development.

"Jeff and Nick bring a lot of knowledge and experience as founders, and we're excited to have them join the team," said Will Metcalf, a UofL associate vice president for research and innovation. "They'll make our already strong team even stronger, and I'm looking forward to partnering with them to advance our technologies and startups to the next level."