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Chip Blankenship

Charles “Chip” Blankenship is the Montgomery Distinguished Professor of Practice at the School of Engineering at the University of Virginia. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Virginia, Chip spent over two decades in a variety of leadership positions within the family of General Electric companies, culminating when Chip worked as the CEO of Arconic, a global leader in precision engineered materials, products, and solutions for major markets including aerospace, automotive, commercial transportation, and building and construction. Chip is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and has been honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Virginia, and by the Virginia Tech Academy of Engineering Excellence.

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  • Developed platform technology used to de-risk drug development in big pharma
  • Founding team member with UVA academic co-founders
  • VP Operations, building scalable infrastructure, laboratory/GLP process
  • Company raised $40M series A, 2021
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  • COO of  UVA spinout developing novel male contraceptive hydrogel product
  • Recruited top organic chemist as CTO
  • Founders fund-backed; Y-combinator
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  • COO of UVA spinout with novel portable lab research spectrometer
  • Recruited and advised CEO, supporting $1.3M seed round, 2021

Our Philosophy

Qui Decertat Succedit.

 — Those who fight succeed.

QDS Believes In:

  • dreaming big is the first step and then making your way through by thoughtfully navigating the obstacles.

  • smart work, strong teams and a sense of urgency are foundational for early startup success.

  • no one can do it alone and it matters who you surround yourself with.

  • small defeats cannot get in the way of opportunity for big wins.

  • perseverance, respect, and humility and showing up every day