Luis Martinez
2024 kicks off with a bang! Luis Martinez takes the lead in Texas entrepreneurship discussions. Having left a lasting legacy at Trinity University, Luis now serves as the Sr. Venture Associate at Capital Factory. In his current role, Luis actively explores the diverse entreprenuerial ecosystems across Texas. He passionately calls upon leaders throughout the state to unite in our venture pursuits. Learn more about Luis's involvement with various organizations, initiatives, and successes in his bio below.
Luis Martínez, Ph.D.
Dr. Martínez is highly sought by early-stage investors and senior management in private and public companies as a startup and innovation strategist, vc, founder, ecosystem builder, and startup coach/mentor. He has guided 200+ entrepreneurs from early stage to successful exits across a wide range of industries and sectors. He is sought for his expertise in venture capital and early-stage venture investment, leadership, startup business strategy, new product and business development, design thinking and business model design, customer acquisition and retention, corporate positioning, corporate communications and investor relations, and competitive technology and corporate analysis.
He is currently the Sr. Associate in San Antonio for the venture team at Capital Factory, the center of gravity for entrepreneurship in Texas. He serves as a startup mentor with Geekdom, the Break Fast & Launch Culinary Business Accelerator, and HELM Small Business Accelerator in San Antonio, TX, the Pioneer21 Venture Mentoring Program in El Paso, TX, Capital Factory in Austin, TX, and globally with MassChallenge and Techstars. Dr. Martínez also serves on the Board of Students+Startups in San Antonio, Tx. He was previously on the Executive Advisory Board of the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers (GCEC). Dr. Martínez is also the former Director of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Trinity University where he taught courses in entrepreneurship and innovation; mentored student startups; and facilitated connecting Trinity students and faculty with entrepreneurs and accredited investors. He was responsible for all aspects of Trinity’s Entrepreneurship program, Trinity’s Technology and Licensing efforts, and helping make every student, faculty, staff and alumni become more innovative and entrepreneurial. Over the past 10 years, he facilitated the launch of over 65+ Trinity student ventures that have collectively gone on to raise over $60M in external funding. In 2021, Dr. Martínez led Trinity in receiving the Nasdaq Center of Entrepreneurial Excellence award, the highest global honor that a University Entrepreneurship Center can receive.
Prior to his time at Trinity, he served on the faculty of Rollins College, Eastern Florida State College and the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) where he taught Organic Chemistry and as a Senior Scientist at the Scripps Research Institute-Florida. Dr. Martínez’s research effort was focused on the synthesis and application of small molecules to probe and study the biology of infectious disease, cancer, immune response, oxidative stress and cell cycle control. His research program was supported by the Welch Foundation, the NIH, and the Research Corporation Cottrell Scholar program. He holds two patents in organic synthesis.
Prior to his academic appointments, Dr. Martínez also served as a senior account executive with Feinstein-Kean Healthcare, an Ogilvy PR Worldwide Company, and as a consultant with Kendall Strategies, the agency's consulting practice. He also founded Students+Startups, a non-profit dedicated to connecting San Antonio startups with high-caliber university students through a summer internship program and co-founded BGV Strategies, a strategy consulting firm that served startups and small businesses in southwest Texas and southern New Mexico. Dr. Martínez also has extensive experience with K-16 science education, scientific workforce diversity and American competitiveness.
Dr. Martínez received a B.S. degree with Honors in Chemistry from Trinity University in San Antonio,TX and a A.M. and Ph.D. in Chemistry from Harvard University.
