OptiEnz Sensors, a spin-out of Colorado State University, has named Steve Witt as its chief executive.
Colorado State University spin-out OptiEnz Sensors, which develops biosensors for managing chemicals in food processing, has named Steve Witt as its new CEO.
The firm, which was spun-out with assistance from the University’s investment vehicle CSU Ventures, now plans to immediately focus on customer trials of its biosensor technology.
Ken Reardon, co-founder and chief technology officer of OptiEnz, said: “Steve brings an ideal blend of technical and business expertise, along with experience in large and small companies. With Steve on board, we can really accelerate our progress toward commercialization.”
Witt comes from an entrepreneurial background, and has worked with several startups in the Colorado Springs area. He was vice president of business development for analysis software developer Constant Wave, and also vice president and general manager for telecoms firm Agilent Technologies.
Steve said: “OptiEnz is a great company and I’m excited to lead us toward commercialization. CSU Ventures has been very supportive of the company. They’ve enabled us to put two patents in place and we have six more pending. Being a client company of the Innosphere has also set up a great ecosystem for us. There’s a lot of entrepreneurial energy that comes with being surrounded by other high-caliber startups. Working with the SAGE advisors and getting help from the Innosphere’s access to capital have been especially important for us.”
