Overview
Ernesto Escobar is the Executive Director of the Master of Engineering in Game Design, Development & Innovation at Duke University.
In this role he manages and oversees the program’s curricular development, students, faculty, staff, operations, and budget, ensuring program excellence. He directs all marketing, admissions and recruiting efforts. Ernesto also teaches game design and development classes and mentors the students in the program. He connects and engages with internal and external partners regarding practicum projects, internships, career opportunities, seminars and oversees the industry advisory board.
Escobar is also the Founder and CEO of Fanaticus XR, a game and software development studio. There, Ernesto oversees the design of all games and other software projects and manages all aspects of the business including hardware and software development, sales and marketing, team management, finance, and operations. Fanaticus XR’s focus is on asymmetric game design and experiences that involve XR hardware and software and appeals to a broad range of people.
Prior to Fanaticus, Ernesto worked in the innovation field, including, the Innovation Ecosystems group and VentureLab part of the Enterprise Innovation Institute at Georgia Tech. There, he worked with government officials and other public and private institutions to create customized programs that foster innovation, commercialization of technologies, increase industrial productivity and economic development. Ernesto also taught innovation and entrepreneurship at Georgia State University as part of the Robinson School of Business.
Ernesto’s track record of innovation and collaborations is wide ranging. Over his career, Ernesto has collaborated with multiple departments and disciplines across universities in the United States and abroad. He worked with the U.S. Department of State, Department of Commerce, the Inter-American Development Bank, United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean among other national and international organizations. Ernesto has worked with large companies and dozens of startups teams in their journey to commercializing their games, services and products.
Ernesto earned a Bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Science from Utah Valley University and a Juris Doctor degree from Emory University. At Emory, he focused on intellectual property law, innovation, and the commercialization of university technologies.