Michael Wicks

Biography

Michael Wicks is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the ESTEEM Graduate Program at the University of Notre Dame and Chair of the program's Capstone Course. ESTEEM is a master's program that prepares technologists for careers in technology entrepreneurship. As Chair of the Capstone, Michael leads the course in which students learn innovation and entrepreneurship by solving real business problems for actual companies. He works closely with the student teams and their corporate sponsors to keep the projects both academically rigorous and commercially useful.

Michael is also an adjunct professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, where he has taught Modern Web Development since 2018. He designed the course himself, and it takes students from zero to one on a web application idea, building a working product from scratch.

Before joining the ESTEEM faculty, Michael was Program Manager for 1842 Studio, a venture studio at Alloy Partners (formerly High Alpha Innovation) focused on launching mission-driven startups, where he helped build new companies from the earliest stages. Earlier, at Notre Dame's IDEA Center, he served as Director of Venture Design and Development, launching new ventures with strategic partners and supporting startups backed by the University's venture capital fund. He has served as chief executive of two early-stage startups and has served on the board of directors for several others.

Michael holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering, both from the University of Notre Dame. His work sits at the intersection of engineering, entrepreneurship education, and venture design, and he is especially interested in helping technical founders move from an early idea to a business that creates lasting value.