Dr. Margarita Hernandez is an accomplished life sciences and technology commercialization leader with extensive experience advising, coaching, and accelerating early-stage startups. She most recently served as Vice President of Entrepreneurial Services at Ann Arbor SPARK, where she guided hundreds of founders through ideation, IP strategy, R&D planning, product development, manufacturing, scale-up, fundraising, and market entry. During her five years at SPARK, she also scouted for the SPARK Capital program, supported due diligence for the Pre-Seed Fund, and played a key role in elevating entrepreneur education and strengthening the regional founder–investor community.

Before SPARK, Dr. Hernandez held multiple leadership roles at Pathware Inc., including Chief Operations Officer and Clinical Business Development Lead, where she managed partnerships with academic institutions, advanced clinical validation, and helped shape product-to-market strategies for emerging medical technologies. She also previously coordinated commercialization education at the University of Michigan Medical School, supporting clinicians, residents, and students in bringing biomedical innovations to market.

With deep expertise across life sciences, medical devices, project management, strategy, and cross-functional leadership, Margarita has become a trusted advisor to numerous startups across Michigan. She is known for her ability to translate technical innovation into clear commercialization pathways, strengthen operational performance, and help founders build the capabilities needed for long-term success.