20 Aug Designer and Entrepreneur Christian Beck Joins IU Ventures as Executive In Residence
IU alum Christian Beck believes the only real way for a founder to learn is to do. Now, he’s bringing the lessons he has learned as a successful entrepreneur and investor to the next generation of IU-affiliated founders.
An Indianapolis native, Beck is the newest member of the Executive in Residence (EIR) Program at IU Ventures, Indiana University’s start-up investment arm providing financial and other support to early-stage companies with strong IU affiliations. Beck decided to take on the role of EIR because he loves coaching and guiding founders—and he thrives off the passions of others.
“This role gives me the opportunity to help founders learn how to make better decisions, and avoid making many mistakes,” said Beck. “As an EIR, I can provide expertise based on my experience, but I get to help people that are more passionate about specific industries or problems—and I love helping people achieve those dreams.”
Beck majored in Informatics and Geography as an undergraduate and then stayed at IU for another two years to get a Masters in Human-Computer Interaction Design. He spent ten years as a designer, primarily at design firm Innovatemap, working his way up to principal and director. Beck has spent most of the last decade working with more than 200 startups, leading sales, marketing, and business strategy.
“We are pleased to welcome Christian Beck to IU Ventures’ Executive in Residence Program where we believe his skills will complement those of our other advisors,” said Tony Armstrong, president and chief executive officer of IU Ventures. “His background —a combination of creative plus business acquired from his time working in design, sales, and building companies—will bring real value to our founders while also helping us to evaluate new investment opportunities.”
The EIC program at IU Ventures is focused on supporting both its portfolio company founders as well as working directly with staff to evaluate new investment opportunities. Beck is excited to contribute to both areas.
“For founders, I can help them understand how to build an early-stage GTM strategy and execute with specific tactical plans,” he explained. “Most importantly, I help them do things cheaper with more long-term impact. On the investment side, I made 13 investments on the venture side of my previous agency, Innovatemap. I then used that to help build a product and design diligence process to help Ivy Ventures make better investment decisions. I hope to bring that knowledge to the investment team to help illuminate areas they may overlook.”
Beck recently started a growth strategy agency, Five Four, to advise earlier stage companies with growth, through marketing, sales, product and design support.
“It’s well documented how important these components are to growth, but most founders don’t have access to the experience or talent in these areas,” he said. “We built Five Four to help founders in the earliest stages with growth at an affordable cost. Our goal is to help bridge the gap of the cold start problem for founders. We help them increase revenue, establish their beachhead markets, and ultimately establish a path to finding product-market fit. Our hope is that we set them up to be healthier and then to be able to bring expertise in-house to replace ourselves.”
Beck and the team at Five Four are also raising a pre-seed fund targeting early-stage companies in a variety of industries. They are looking for companies led by high-potential founders with deep knowledge of the industry they are working in.
“We believe that niche solutions that are well solved can be scaled to broader markets and that with our expertise, we are uniquely positioned to help founders scale and pivot in ways other investors aren’t,” he said.
Beck thinks investing in technology and innovation is particularly important today as AI models are growing at a rapid pace.
“The challenge with technology and innovation isn’t whether something can be done, but how it should be done in a way that is most beneficial to people, communities, and climate,” he explained. “Many investors and founders have lost their way by building companies that are downright harmful or pursuing valuations at the expense of societal benefit. Technology evolves so rapidly, most technologists are actually ill-equipped to keep up. I am in this space because I was fortunate enough to learn human-centered design from world-leading educators at IU and was exposed to arts and sciences as an undergraduate. I want to ensure that the next generation of technologies are designed more thoughtfully.”
Beck is looking forward to sharing his knowledge with people that bring their own unique perspectives to entrepreneurship—but also increasing his own knowledge.
“I’m especially looking forward to seeing the types of problems being solved, and the ways problems are being approached by younger founders,” Beck said. “As I get older, I want to ensure I’m learning from younger founders that see things differently than myself.”
About IU Ventures
IU Ventures invests in and supports IU-affiliated early-stage companies. Its investment programs include the IU Philanthropic Venture Fund, IU Angel Network, Shoebox Fund and Innovate Indiana Fund. It further supports IU founders through the Executive in Residence Program and IU Founders and Funders Network. Student support is provided through a variety of engagements, including the new IU Venture Fellows Program. Each program takes unique approaches to accelerate and support the positive impacts that entrepreneurs affiliated with IU already achieve across the world. IU Ventures is a recognized leader in increasing opportunities for diverse and historically underserved entrepreneurs and investing in Indiana startups with a shared commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
Media Contact:
Jon Barada
jbarada@iu.edu