About me
Daniel Goetzel is a Fellow at Harvard and the president of a boutique innovation and economic development consulting firm that advises AI infrastructure companies, venture funds, universities and governments on economic development and innovation strategy. He has published extensively on how cities, states, and universities should negotiate with tech companies around the building of data centers and other AI infrastructure projects built within their communities. He has written pieces with Harvard and the Brookings Institution on this topic.
Most recently, Daniel managed a portfolio of over $3 B in innovation and economic development projects within the federal government at the Department of Commerce and U.S. National Science Foundation. Daniel Goetzel served as the Director of Strategic Partnerships for the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP) Directorate and led its flagship Regional Innovation Engines Program (NSF Engines). The TIP Directorate and its signature initiative NSF Engines program were created as part of the CHIPS and Science Act. Daniel joined the TIP launch team even before the legislation’s passage and was instrumental in standing up the new multi-billion-dollar Directorate and inaugural programs.
Daniel served as the first-ever Entrepreneurial Lead for the NSF Engines Program, a bold new initiative focused on expanding the U.S. geography of innovation, providing regions up to $160M over 10 years to build their entrepreneurial ecosystems. He led the public engagement strategy and managed the selection process for the largest economic development awards in the history of the agency. He also served on Commerce Secretary Raimondo’s “tiger team” launching a venture fund to invest in semiconductor and AI infrastructure companies.
Previously, Daniel led Columbia University’s corporate partnerships and startup ecosystem building efforts, was the inaugural Director of Innovation at Johns Hopkins University, worked in senior roles for a Governor, Senator, and as employee #2 on a presidential campaign. Daniel received his BA from Emory University and MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School. His work has been featured, and he has been quoted in the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and the Baltimore Sun."
