Dr. Arti Santhanam is the Executive Director of Emerging Technology Centers (ETC) Baltimore. In this position, she spearheads a new public-private venture growth model designed to empower Baltimore’s tech entrepreneurs, particularly those from historically underrepresented communities, with the technology, capital, talent, and community support necessary for success. 

Prior to this role, Dr. Santhanam served as Executive Director of the Maryland Innovation Initiative (MII) at Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO), where she was instrumental in fostering Maryland’s diverse and innovative ecosystem. Under her leadership, MII has invested $52.3M, resulting in the creation of 176 startups from notable universities such as Johns Hopkins, the University of Maryland, and Morgan State University. 

In addition to promoting equitable entrepreneurship opportunities, Dr. Santhanam is passionate about bringing affordable healthcare to all and accelerating innovative solutions from bench to bedside. She established a Cancer Moonshot- recognized metastatic breast cancer research program while on the Board of METAvivor Research and Support, Inc. She has also served on the Maryland Governor’s Life Science Advisory Board, the Maryland Energy Innovation Initiative investment committee, and SpringBoard Enterprises’ Women’s Health Initiative. She was an active member of the Women in Bio-Capital Region chapter and the ADVAmed Business Development working group. 

As an expert in startup leadership, venture capital, and life sciences, Dr. Santhanam has been recognized as a 2025 Women Who Mean Business awardee from the Baltimore Business Journal, Daily Record's Top 100 Women in Maryland, featured as a Baltimore Business Journal’s PowerShift leader, honored with the Greater Baltimore Committee’s Bridging the Gap Achievement Award, and featured in media publications, including Technical.ly, Baltimore Business Journal, and BioBuzz.