C·Suite Partners
Helping scientists turn their inventions, discoveries, and IP into viable companies, or commercialize them through licensing.
I'm Diana Shapiro, founder of C-Suite Partners. I help scientists turn their inventions, discoveries, and IP into viable companies or commercialize them through licensing.
I work as a fractional executive with research-stage technology companies, typically as Acting CEO or Acting COO during the formation phase. The work is hands-on: setting up the company, licensing the technology, working through FDA and reimbursement questions, applying for grants, talking to investors, and running day-to-day operations.
23+ years building companies. About a decade of that has been focused on translating university research into businesses.
Currently, my primary engagement is with the University of South Florida, where I serve as Acting CEO of three USF spinouts and Acting COO of two others through the USF Venture Portfolio program. I also support Tampa Bay Technology Incubator companies through a separate engagement with USF CONNECT.
I work with USF faculty and TBTI companies, and I also take engagements with researchers, founders, and TTOs outside USF.
Three engagement types, depending on what the company needs.
I run the company while the faculty or scientific founder stays focused on the science. Best fit for early spinouts that don't yet have a permanent CEO. Typical engagement is 12 months, ending when the company is funded and ready to bring on permanent leadership.
I work alongside an existing CEO to handle operations, regulatory work, fundraising, and execution. Best fit when the CEO is a strong commercial or scientific leader who needs an experienced operator beside them.
Part-time executive work, board seats, or strategic advisory for companies that need experienced leadership but aren't ready for a full-time hire. Day rate, monthly retainer, or equity-and-cash hybrid depending on stage and scope.
Before my current USF work, I was CEO of Dynam.AI, an enterprise AI company recognized by Red Herring as a Top 100 Global company in 2022 and named a Gartner Cool Vendor for AI in Simulation that same year.
Before that, COO of PeakLogic, a veteran-owned neurotechnology company that built PrTMS®, a patented brain stimulation protocol now used by licensed providers globally. PrTMS® treats depression, anxiety, PTSD, autism, traumatic brain injury, chronic pain, and addiction. It's been studied in more than a dozen published research papers and is currently part of an active clinical trial at Walter Reed in partnership with the Henry M. Jackson Foundation (NCT06214949).
Earlier in my career: COO of Environmental Waste Solutions (an Inc. 5000 company) and EVP of Sales at Capital Management Sciences, which built BondEdge.
Bachelor of Business Administration, Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst. MIT-certified in AI in Business Strategy (2020). NSF I-Corps Fellow (2025). Prosci-certified in Change Management (2023). Top 50 Women of Influence in Technology, San Diego Business Journal (2022).
Five USF spinouts I'm currently running or supporting. Four are 2026 Florida High Tech Corridor Early-Stage Innovation Fund awardees.
An at-home test for glaucoma using a smartphone app and a VR headset.
A cloud platform that lets students learn hardware security from any web browser.
A wearable device that helps stroke survivors relearn to walk at home.
AI that identifies disease-carrying mosquitoes in real time.
A first-of-its-kind probiotic for women going through menopause.
I'm a good fit for companies that:
If you're a researcher with technology you think could become a company, a founder who needs experienced operating help, or a TTO looking to plug an experienced operator into a faculty-led startup, send me a note.