Heidi Knoblauch
Ph.D., History of Science and Medicine, Yale University, 2015
About
Dr. Heidi Knoblauch teaches entrepreneurship courses and supports students who want to start and grow a business. Dr. Knoblauch brings her diverse background as a small business owner, real estate developer, economic development leader, lender, investor, and capital allocator to our students and faculty. Her professional experience allows her to bring a practitioner's perspective into the classroom, particularly around entrepreneurship, access to capital, and the challenges of launching and growing a business.
Dr. Knoblauch is also the founder of Homefield, a new venture that builds on her experience in entrepreneurship and investment. Homefield helps organizations create funds and prove the impact they drive. Through her teaching and professional work, Dr. Knoblauch connects entrepreneurship education with real world experience and works to expand opportunities for young entrepreneurs to access the resources and capital they need to grow.
Research
Research Interests
Dr. Heidi Knoblauch is an expert in the innovation capital stack. She helps investors and founders navigate complexities of diverse funding sources — such as government-backed loans, tax credits, angel syndicates, venture capital and economic development incentives. Dr. Knoblauch has a special expertise in structuring transactions for social entrepreneurs, creatives and innovators who partner private investment with public resources.
Dr. Knoblauch focuses her research on the role publicly funded entrepreneur support organizations (ESOs) play in supporting entrepreneurs in the United States. She is especially interested in how government policies and programs — particularly publicly funded startup incubators and accelerators — facilitate or hinder founders. Especially relevant to the founders and investors she supports, Dr. Knoblauch examines how technologies are developed, commercialized and brought to market by new ventures.
Instruction & Advising
Courses
- BMGT 460 - Social Entrepreneurship
- BMGT 680 - Concepts in Management
- BMGT 695 - Independent Study in Management
- BBUS 497 - Applied Entrepreneurship Internship in Business
Additional Information
Service & Outreach
- Board Chair, Times Union Women@Work Hearst Media
- Finance Committee and Governance Committee Member, Community Foundation of Greater Capital Region