Annette Finsterbusch
Annette received Bachelor of Science degrees in both economics and geology from the University of Houston and an MBA in strategy and finance from San Jose State University, where she was honored with Outstanding Graduate Student for the College of Business in 2001 and the Graduate of the Last Decade (GOLD) Award in 2004.
Annette is Chairman of the National Science Foundation's SBIR/STTR Advisory Committee.
Annette is a serial entrepreneur with more than 30 years of operating, management, and venture capital investing experience. Her career has been dedicated to driving growth and building value through successfully identifying, financing, and developing innovation into products and businesses in untapped markets. Her global corporate board experience spans multiple industries, including compound semiconductors, energy storage, lighting, advanced materials, 3-D printing, and the Internet-of-Things. Annette serves as President and CEO of EnPower, Inc. Previously, Annette was the Founder of Applied Ventures, the venture arm of Applied Materials. She was responsible for developing the venture group's investment strategy and execution plan. She sourced, led, syndicated, and managed Applied Material's investments while also managing a group of investment professionals. From 1996 to 2000, she was based in Russia, where she led Applied's expansion into Eastern Europe, chartering Applied's first office in Moscow. Other notable positions include CEO of MindShadow.com, a technology spin-out of DaimlerChrysler's Research and Technology Center; Investment Manager at DaimlerChrysler Venture Capital, where she was responsible for enterprise software and fuel cell investments; and CEO of Ketra (formerly Firefly Green Technology), an IoT company based on LED lighting and wireless controls. Annette has been a member of the National Science Foundation's SBIR/STTR Advisory Committee since 2014 and was named the chair in 2019. She is a Kauffman Fellow, Class 11, where she was honored with the first annual Jeffrey Timmons Memorial Award. She is currently serving as a Mentor for Class 23. Philanthropic Directorships include seats on the Board of Directors at the Junior League of San Jose, the Exceptional Women Executives of San Jose State University, and Los Gatos Rowing Club. She also serves on the Board of GLAC (Global Leadership Advancement Center). Annette holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Geology and Economics from the University of Houston and an MBA from San Jose State University. She received the Graduate of the Last Decade (GOLD) Award in 2004 from the faculty at SJSU.
A member of Class 11, Annette served her fellowship under mentor J. Christopher Moran at Applied Ventures. She is a mentor to Lindsay Knight (Class 23).
Annette is the inaugural recipient of the Jeff Timmons Memorial Award, which ' in the spirit of generosity that Jeff sought to cultivate ' recognizes outstanding contributions to the program.