The Martin J. Whitman School of Management’s Couri Hatchery is teaming with Zachary K. Pecenak, Ph.D., to offer a new Venture Capitalist (VC) in Residence program beginning Tuesday, Oct. 1. Pecenak will be on campus from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Hatchery and will return to campus once a month throughout the academic year to meet with students, alternating between Bird Library and the Hatchery.
The program is presented in partnership with Orange Innovation Strategic Initiatives at Syracuse University Libraries. The program is open to all students across campus who are interested in learning more about the world of venture development, or who are gearing up to raise funding for their ventures.
Zack Pecenak
Pecenak currently serves as director of the Innovation Venture Fund at New York Ventures, the venture capital arm of Empire State Development. New York Ventures invests in early-stage, high-growth companies across New York state, with a focus on diverse founding teams and industries aligned with the state’s long-term strategic priorities. The Innovation Venture Fund supports companies developing transformative technologies, from clean energy and advanced manufacturing to software and life sciences. By working alongside entrepreneurs, New York Ventures helps foster an inclusive innovation ecosystem while driving economic growth and job creation throughout the state.
As VC in Residence, Pecenak will provide guidance on how venture capitalists evaluate opportunities, what it takes to raise investment and how founders can position their startups for long-term success. His residency will allow student entrepreneurs to explore topics such as fundraising strategies, investor readiness, business model validation and market positioning. He will also be available to review pitch decks, help refine investment narratives, and share insights into the dynamics of venture funding from both the investor and entrepreneur perspectives.
Pecenak’s professional background spans entrepreneurship, engineering and venture capital. Before joining New York Ventures, he founded Render Energy, a cleantech and proptech startup backed by Menlo Ventures, where he served as chief technology officer. He also held leadership roles at XENDEE—a software company advancing distributed energy solutions—where he guided innovation and product development. He also worked as a researcher in renewable energy and smart grids at the University of California, San Diego, authoring numerous IEEE publications and contributing to regulatory proceedings on distributed energy resources.
Pecenak’s venture capital leadership uniquely positions him to mentor student founders at Syracuse University. The VC in Residence program will give students access to the perspective of an active investor engaged in building the future of New York’s innovation economy.
This initiative brings a valuable new component to Syracuse University’s innovation ecosystem, expanding support for student entrepreneurs by providing direct access to industry professionals who can help transform early-stage ideas into viable ventures. With Pecenak in residence, students will gain an invaluable opportunity to learn how capital, innovation, and entrepreneurial drive intersect to shape successful startups.
