Troy Henikoff
Adjunct Lecturer in Entrepreneurship
Troy Henikoff is managing director of MATH Venture Partners. Additionally, Troy is also an active mentor with Techstars. Troy was a co-founder of Excelerate Labs, which became Techstars Chicago in 2013. He also helps manage the FireStarter Fund, teaches entrepreneurship at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and is on the board of the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center. Prior to Techstars Chicago, Troy was the CEO of OneWed.com, President of Amacai and co-founder and CEO of SurePayroll.com. Troy built the technology for Jellyvision (creators of “You Don’t Know Jack!”), was the President of Systemetrics, and his first company was Specialized Systems and Software. Troy has an undergraduate degree in Engineering from Brown University and a Master's Degree in Project Management from Northwestern.
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Masters of Project Management, 2008, McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University
Bachelors of Science, 1986, Mechanical Engineering/Design, Brown University -
Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, 2012-present
Faculty Coach - New Venture Challenge, Booth School of Business, University of Chicago, 2011-present
Adjunt Professor of Entrepreneurship, Business Institutions, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Northwestern University, 2004-2011
Visiting Professor, Croma Business Academy, Crioma Business Academy, 2004-2005
Guest Lecturer, Entrepreneurship, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, 1993-2009 -
Co-Founder and CEO, Excelerate, LLC, 2010-present
Administrative Member, FireStarter Fund, 2012-present
CEO, OneWed.com, 2007-2010
President, Amacai Information Corporation, 2005-2007
Founder, AuctionScience, 2003-2004
Co-Founder and President, SurePayroll, 1999-2002
Director of Technology, Jellyvision, Inc., 1998-1999
President, Systemetrics, a division of Medline Industries, 1992-1997
Founder and President, Specialized Systems and Software, Inc., 1986-1992
New Venture Launch: The Business (ENTR-466-5)
This experiential course is designed for students who have developed business concepts that have been tested and demonstrate evidence of compelling product-market fit. New Venture Launch: The Business focuses on translating early validation into a scalable and investable company. Students will refine and stress-test their business models, build realistic financial projections, and develop clear, compelling investor narratives. A significant portion of the work takes place outside the classroom, requiring students to actively engage with customers, partners, and industry experts to test assumptions and validate hypotheses in real-world conditions. This course is intensive, hands-on, and execution-focused. Students should expect ambiguity, iteration, and frequent course correction as part of the learning process. Admission is by application only. The companion course to this course is New Venture Launch: The Entrepreneur, which centers on the person leading the venture. Together, the two courses address the dual realities of entrepreneurship: designing a viable business and developing the capacity to lead it.
If you are not currently registered for New Venture Development, ENTR 464-0 and you are interested in this class, please contact entrepreneurship@kellogg.northwestern.edu
