As managing director of Duke Capital Partners (DCP), Kurt Schmidt embraces learning about novel technologies every day.
"Every day at Duke, I'm inspired by the groundbreaking work happening across our research labs, within our alumni community and by our students," said Schmidt. "It's a privilege to be in an environment where innovation is constant and the potential for real-world impact is so high."
He's loved science and technology from an early age and was inspired by the entrepreneurial example of his mother, a painter who ran a studio business out of their family home.
"In my mom's ability to take a blank canvas and create something out of nothing I can now see the beginnings of my interest in building a startup from just a seed of an idea to a successful company," said Schmidt.
As an engineering undergraduate at Penn State, Schmidt combined his passion for technology and entrepreneurship by spending his summers in California, working with companies that were laying the groundwork for today's modern communications infrastructure. That hands-on experience paid off: He was recruited by the founder of a GPS semiconductor startup, joining a scrappy team of entrepreneurs with big dreams and a drive to innovate.
"I felt like I had found my tribe," said Schmidt. "It was a team that shared a deep sense of purpose and possibility." Over nearly a decade with the company, he embraced every opportunity to learn, stepping into new challenges and gaining a broad, hands-on understanding of what it takes to build and run a successful business.
After a successful IPO for that Silicon Valley-based company, Schmidt and his wife were looking to move to an area with an emerging technology scene where he could share what he had learned and help build something new. Austin, Boulder, Seattle, and Portland were all on the list - but a visit to the Triangle sealed the deal.
"With three amazing universities anchoring the area," said Schmidt, "we fell in love with the Triangle." Schmidt quickly embedded himself in the local entrepreneurial community and shifted more into investing.
With the engaging students, inventors, entrepreneurs, and investors in the Duke community, Schmidt has found his tribe again. And through DCP he's found a way to give back in a meaningful way.
"For me, that's one of the most rewarding things," said Schmidt. "Now I get to pay it forward."
