Emily Gresham Furton

Emily Gresham Furton is the Assistant Vice President for Research, Innovation, and Economic Development at Florida International University (FIU) and Co-Founder of StartUP FIU. She also serves as the Risk +Resilience Infrastructure Project Lead for the U.S. Economic Development Administration designated South Florida Risk + Resilience Tech Hub, partnering with Titan America, the University of Miami, and Carbon Limit to accelerate sustainable, resilient next generation infrastructure technologies and materials for commercial use, while growing companies, and creating jobs for the region. As AVP at FIU, Emily oversees research translation, supporting faculty, researchers, and students to translate their groundbreaking innovation into the real-world, fostering university industry partnerships, and attracting capital to scale impact. She co-founded StartUP FIU in 2016 to grow innovation and entrepreneurship at FIU, and the South Florida community. Since 2016, StartUP FIU has supported nearly 500 startups and small businesses and hosted over 200 workshops to over 30,000 people, while FIU’s patent portfolio grew exponentially, from 18 total patents in institutional history in 2016 to 500 in 2024. A proven fundraiser, Emily has raised over $125 million across her roles at the University of Miami, The Miami Foundation, and FIU during her 23 years in South Florida. Emily earned a BA in English from Hunter College and an MBA from the University of Miami.