From launching a senior design capstone project as an entrepreneurial pitch to building a career bridging academic innovation and corporate venture capital at UPMC, John Lowman's journey highlights the impact of the Horn Entrepreneurship ecosystem at the University of Delaware. In this feature, John reflects on his winding career path, key lessons in customer discovery, and the power of strategic listening.
From launching a senior design capstone project as a startup pitch to building a career bridging academic innovation and corporate venture capital at UPMC, John Lowman's journey highlights the impact of the Horn Entrepreneurship ecosystem at the University of Delaware. In this feature, John reflects on his winding career path, key lessons in customer discovery, and the power of intentional listening.
You came to Horn late in the game. What pulled you in?
Late is generous! I’d only heard about Horn Entrepreneurship during the second half of my senior year, and had no idea the impact it would have on my personal and professional trajectory. It started with our senior design capstone course: me and three brilliant friends, Daniel Charytonowicz, Elizabeth Soulas, and Allison Lisberg, built a closed system to safely dispose of leftover narcotic waste at hospitals, working closely with clinicians at Nemours.
When the formal engineering course wrapped up, my teammates proposed taking the concept further by applying to Hen Hatch. Beyond early seasons of Shark Tank, I had no idea what a pitch competition entailed, and dreaded public speaking at the time. But the more uncomfortable something makes you, the more you’ll grow (and the better stories you’ll get) so I went along for the ride. We applied, made the semifinals, and suddenly had to answer a question none of us had really asked: what business could you actually build around our brave little trashcan?
I’ll never forget during that pitch, our slide deck completely crashed, and we had to riff acapella about narcotic chains-of-custody and ramen spectroscopy. We figured we were toast, but the judges saw something in us and invited us to pitch in the Finals. We left Hen Hatch with a massive initial investment from Horn and, equally important, an invitation to join the first cohort of the Summer Founders program.
How was that first Summer Founders cohort?
Vince and the team really whipped us into shape that summer - we were used to long hours from engineering, but spending 10+ each day on a venture is a completely different beast. So much of it is open-ended learning, getting in front of potential customers to truly understand what they’d pay to change. That period was intense, and we learned firsthand the dedication required to run a proper customer discovery process.
That said, it was always more fulfilling than exhausting, and I’d have to attribute that to the encouragement and mentoring from the entire Horn team, as well as the opportunity to work alongside other incredible UD founders. Grinding and making memories with our friends at GeoSwap, CuringCube, TenantU, Reviresco, Lazarus Rising, and TheraV was such an important piece of the adventure.
After running all the potential product permutations to ground against what we’d learned from customers, it ultimately became clear that the economics of our solution were not commercially viable for hospital systems. I do still think that someday our envisioned solution will exist - the need is certainly there, we just need a more streamlined technology to answer it!
Talk about your work at Mimetas.
Working at Mimetas was an incredible experience. It is a Dutch biotech startup that develops micro-scale models of human tissues(miniature livers, kidneys, and brains), that replicate key physiological features of target organs in a compact format. This technology allows researchers to conduct complex parallel biological experiments without the need for animal models or sacrificing experimental complexity.
At Mimetas, our team engaged with various biotech and pharmaceutical companies, deploying the platform to test therapeutics and support drug discovery prior to clinical trials. My role centered on business development, specifically cultivating commercial partnerships primarily with U.S.-based pharmaceutical firms.
It was a phenomenal growth journey, both personally and organizationally. When I joined, the company comprised roughly 25 employees; by the time I transitioned out, that number had grown to around 100. Operating in a smaller team environment, particularly on the U.S. side, allowed me to wear many hats and collaborate closely with our headquarters in the Netherlands. I formed enduring international friendships through that role, and I always encourage early-career professionals to seek out opportunities at ambitious, growing enterprises.
How did your past positions lead you to becoming part of UPMC Enterprises today?
After spending nearly five years with Mimetas, the post-COVID era prompted me to relocate closer to Pittsburgh. I had a specific interest in translating academic innovations from local research institutions into viable spinout companies or licensing opportunities for major pharmaceutical and biotech partners.
While I was looking to leverage my background while returning home, I was not yet familiar with the specific opportunities available at UPMC Enterprises. In Pittsburgh, UPMC is an iconic institution recognized worldwide for its clinical excellence and extensive health system. However, I discovered that its corporate venture arm operated on a different level entirely.
My current role focuses heavily on managing sponsored research partnerships within university laboratories. We commit capital to accelerate emerging technologies, funding the critical validation experiments that venture investors and industry partners require prior to licensing or spinning out a company. We serve as a strategic bridge and capital partner, helping advance promising therapeutics out of the academic lab and toward clinical testing, alongside our traditional venture investment activities. It is a fast-paced environment where every day presents new intellectual challenges.
Talk about the biggest learning curve that's happened for you.
The steepest learning curve involved transitioning into highly technical, consultative partnership discussions, which initially felt like learning a foreign language. Dr. John Slater's cellular engineering class at UD, which covered the exact technology I later worked with, provided a strong foundational vocabulary, real-world execution required extensive on-the-job adaptation.
Another course of note was sales training with Ted Fulton, which my colleague and I were fortunate to audit post-graduation, reshaping my professional approach. I initially underestimated those lessons until I was actively in the field. I learned that simply reciting scientific data is insufficient; true effectiveness requires slowing down, actively listening, and identifying the precise pain points and strategic needs of a partner. Mastering listening as a strategic asset transformed my approach and proved universally applicable across my career.
What is the proudest moment of your career?
My proudest moments are grounded in perspective, reflecting on the colleagues and mentors I have shared this professional journey with. Reviewing past collaborations and realizing the breadth of adventures we navigated together to solve complex problems highlights what truly matters. Knowing that I share lasting relationships with talented professionals across the industry remains far more significant than any single milestone.
How did UD and Horn entrepreneurship shape your path to where you are today?
The impact of Horn Entrepreneurship on my trajectory cannot be overstated. It instilled in me an entrepreneurial orientation that directly shaped my career path across startups and corporate venture capital. Programs like Hen Hatch and Summer Founders provided a profound self-awareness and demonstrated what small, dedicated teams can achieve.
Beyond formal training in customer discovery and identifying essential market pain points, Horn fundamentally shifted my perspective on accessibility. Before those experiences, I might have assumed that founding ventures or building impactful solutions was reserved for others. The mentorship of Vince and the entire coaching community dismantled those barriers, fostering an uninhibited mindset regarding what is possible.
What advice would you give a current student who's thinking about launching a startup but doesn't know where to start?
My primary advice is simply to begin. Refrain from waiting for absolute perfection, as unexpected pivots are inevitable, and the true value often emerges along an unforeseen path. Taking the first step is the only way to discover where your efforts will ultimately lead."
John and his team at UPMC Enterprises are currently engaged in a wide array of exciting initiatives. His primary focus remains on collaborating with colleagues to advance meaningful medical innovations, and he continues to thoroughly enjoy the work they are building together.
From his early days tackling a senior design capstone to the foundation forged through Horn Entrepreneurship, his journey stands as a powerful testament to the lasting impact of hands-on entrepreneurial education.
ABOUT HORN ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Horn Entrepreneurship serves as the creative engine for entrepreneurship education and advancement at the University of Delaware. Currently ranked among the best entrepreneurship programs in the U.S., Horn Entrepreneurship was built and is actively supported by successful entrepreneurs, empowering aspiring innovators as they pursue new ideas for a better world.
