A key leader in the Greater Dayton startup ecosystem is leaving the region to helm an out-of-state tech-focused nonprofit.
Tim Holcomb, chair of Miami University’s entrepreneurship department and director of the John W. Altman Institute for Entrepreneurship, will leave the school at the end of December to join Tampa-based Embarc Collective as its CEO.
Embarc Collective is considered one of the world’s leading startup hubs for early-stage tech entrepreneurs. The lead role “aligns perfectly with Tim’s passion, expertise and experience,” Jenny Darroch, dean of the Farmer School of Business, said in a release.
Holcomb and his wife, Wanda, will relocate to Florida, where they maintain a second home near their children and grandchildren.
Holcomb is set to join Embarc effective Jan. 1, 2025.
“Tim will leave a tremendous legacy, having built the John W. Altman Institute for Entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship department into one of the most successful in the world,” Darroch said.
Holcomb joined the Farmer School of Business as an associate professor of entrepreneurship in 2014 and became a full professor in 2022. He has served as the director of the institute since 2018 and chair of the department since 2020.
Under his leadership, the institute and department experienced significant growth, the release said. Holcomb is known for his vibrant social media presence – often touting Miami’s entrepreneurially oriented alumni. The university also has created numerous new experiential learning opportunities.
For the past several years, almost 4,200 students annually – from more than 110 different majors across campus – have taken at least one course in entrepreneurship. For the past 16 years, the program has been ranked by Princeton Review as one of the top 10 public undergraduate entrepreneurship programs in the world – currently holding the No. 7 spot.
In 2023, Holcomb launched RedHawk50, a program recognizing the 50 fastest-growing Miami RedHawk-owned or Miami RedHawk-led businesses in the world.
Holcomb told me earlier this year he hoped it would become an annual event.
“It has been a blessing to work with one of the best undergraduate entrepreneurship faculties and staffs," Holcomb said in the release. “Over the past decade, this team has built one of the most dominant undergraduate entrepreneurship programs in the world, and I look forward to seeing all that the Department of Entrepreneurship and the John W. Altman Institute for Entrepreneurship faculty and staff will accomplish in the future.”
It's unclear if Miami will name an interim chair and/or director, or whether it will open a national search to fill the roles.
At Embarc Collective, Holcomb replaces Lakshmi Shenoy, Embarc’s founding CEO who held the role for six years. The transition, the organization said, will allow Embarc Collective to make an even bigger impact across the Southeast U.S. and beyond.
Embarc was founded in 2019 after Tampa Bay Lightning owner and investor Jeff Vinik enlisted Shenoy to build the nonprofit, convincing her to leave Chicago and her leadership role at the nationally recognized startup hub 1871.
Since launching, Embarc Collective has served more than 230 early-stage startups, delivering 6,000-plus coaching hours and creating nearly 1,000 net new jobs. Of its original member companies, 96% were still operating in 2024, and its firms have collectively raised more than $200 million with seven exits.
Shenoy will remain engaged at Embarc Collective as a member of the board and as a coach to its member startups.
