A multifaceted executive with a wealth of experience in various aspects of the industry, Kurt has a proven track record of success in business development, sales, product management, marketing, platform strategy, mergers and acquisitions and more.
His deep knowledge of the tech industry has allowed him to make a positive impact in every organization he’s worked in.
Kurt began his career in the wireless telecoms industry with roles in sales, product marketing and international business development. He gained broad perspective on evaluating global opportunities and market assessment to inform business investment.
Kurt spent the majority of his career at Microsoft across a variety of roles and business units, including segment marketing leadership, product management, strategic partnership development, breadth channel programs, technical audience enablement, hardware partnerships, including P&L ownership.
In His last role at Microsoft was as General Manager for the Developer and Platform Evangelism group. In this role, he led a global team of over 300 employees responsible for ensuring a center of excellence for developer platform evangelism, startup ecosystem engagement, and enterprise technical enablement.
Kurt's multifaceted background allows him to lead the 5G Open Innovation Lab in a way that brings together developers, startups, and academic researchers to create new solutions for the 5G ecosystem. His expertise in business development, sales, marketing, and technology gives him a deep understanding of the challenges faced by startups and enterprises.
One area where Kurt excels is business assessment and valuation. He loves working with startups through various investment rounds and programs. He’s able to help young companies navigate the complex enterprise technology landscape to make better and more informed decisions.
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Currently, Kurt is the Managing General Partner at The Lab, overseeing our ecosystem of developers, startups, academic researchers, technology platform providers, and public sector organizations.
Aligned to our mission to enable a new era of developer engagement that harnesses the potential of 5G network capabilities. Kurt's vision is to continue to build a community of like-minded innovators focused on using 5G to solve important problems, create new markets and become a launchpad for research-backed innovation.
One of Kurt's greatest strengths is his team leadership skills. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated the ability to lead cross-functional teams and drive business results by managing P&L, and revenue growth. Through his commitment to enterprise value creation, Kurt has consistently delivered impressive results.
His team will tell you that Kurt is a great leader -- always providing guidance and support wherever he is needed to help drive results. His understanding of the challenges faced by startups and enterprises and the challenges tied to digital transformation make Kurt a respected and valued trailblazer.
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Under Kurt's leadership, The Lab has become a vibrant community of innovators focused on using 5G to solve the world’s biggest problems. The Lab brings together providers of 5G infrastructure and tools and a network of partners and mentors to help startups enterprise stress-test their innovations and scale their businesses. The Lab also offers a variety of startup programs, workshops and events, to pave the way for the development of 5G applications and services.
Kurt’s vision, experience and passion for technology and depth of experience in business development and sales to product management and marketing is a tremendous asset to the Lab and its ecosystem. Startups and partners who work with the Lab are indeed fortunate to have him at their side.
Posted March 28, 2023