Executive in Residence

Sandy Rosenberg joins the Tufts Gordon Institute team as our first ever Executive in Residence (XIR). Sandy brings over 30 years of experience in company formation, capital structuring, business strategy, operations, and direct investment to this position. As XIR, Sandy will serve as a mentor and resource to any students, faculty, or staff of Tufts Gordon Institute and the greater Tufts community seeking to launch a new venture, scale their existing startup, or grow professionally through a career transition.

The Executive in Residence (XIR) serves as a hands-on resource for the Tufts University community through Tufts Gordon Institute with the mission of helping students transform their ideas into viable, innovative ventures.

The XIR advises and assists any students, staff, and faculty across the whole arc of company formation, and particularly as they scale and grow an organization beyond the startup phase.

The XIR is available to populations throughout the Tufts community for advice and consulting, including:  

• MS in Innovation and Management Students:  The XIR provides assistance throughout the formative phase for teams developing business models by helping to shape the financial, strategic, and operational aspects of their plans. 
• MS in Engineering Management Students: The XIR is available to support on strategy, practicum, Capstone projects, and career transition advice. 
• Other Tufts Community Ventures: The XIR serves as a professional resource for members of the greater Tufts community served by Tufts Gordon Institute on financing, growing, and operating business enterprises from launch through scale.

For the early stage of the entrepreneurial journey, from the initial spark of an idea and the first steps of a startup, the Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIRs) at the Derby Entrepreneurship Center at Tufts are available to offer their support and guidance. Then, the XIR picks up the baton for the next stage of company formation and development to help scale it to the next level.

Sandy’s entire career has been devoted to company formation, capital structuring, business strategy, operations and direct investment. Over the past thirty years, he has co-founded, advised and driven growth in start-ups, established companies and investment funds across the media, technology, healthcare, education, fintech and hospitality sectors. Sandy’s firm, Discus Ventures, was formed with the specific goal of working passionately each day with founders, CEOs, management teams and funds to operate businesses and provide capital solutions to accelerate impact.
 
Sandy began his career as a strategic consultant at the PAI Group, a firm that he also co-founded, living and working with companies across the United States, Asia and Central Europe. He subsequently spent a decade as an Investment Banker in Citigroup’s Acquisition Finance, Sponsor Coverage and Capital Raising groups, focused on private equity, venture capital and fund formation transactions. In addition to his ongoing Discus Ventures work, Sandy is an active Managing Director at AEG Capital where he is responsible for the firm’s capital raising and M&A transactions.
 
Sandy received his MBA with honors from Columbia Business School, a dual BA in Economics and Asian Studies from Tufts University and is a graduate of the Horace Mann School. He believes deeply in working with students and remains active with his alma maters as an alumni interviewer and student mentor. Sandy has continued to increase his involvement with Tufts students studying innovation, entrepreneurship, investing and finance, including serving as a judge in the Tufts $100k New Ventures Competition, a mentor to MS in Innovation & Management Innovation Sprint teams, and a guest speaker in Tufts Gordon Institute courses.