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Melvin Speight

Lecturing Fellow in Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative

Overview


Doug Speight is CEO of AxNano, a venture-backed climate firm that develops industrial equipment platforms to capture and destroy industrially-derived contaminants like PFAS ("forever chemicals") and other complex wastes. Speight is founder of five tech startups in engineering design, advanced materials, additive manufacturing, fintech industries and enterprise software. He serves on the Boards of four early-stage ventures in the US, Europe and Africa.

His career includes leading technology commercialization offices at universities and national laboratories. He has launched new ventures from: North Carolina A&T State University, NASA and the Department of Energy. Speight has served as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence for three organizations: Google's “Google for Startups” division, CODE2040 and the GIGTANK venture accelerator at Co.Lab.

Speight is a graduate of North Carolina A&T State University and earned an MBA from Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Lecturing Fellow in Innovation & Entrepreneurship · 2024 - Present Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative, Fuqua School of Business

Education, Training & Certifications


University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill · 2006 M.B.A.