Gisele Stolz serves as the Senior Director of Entrepreneurship Programs at George Mason University, where she is at the forefront of several leading initiatives aimed at fostering innovation. In her role, Gisele has successfully developed and manages a suite of high-impact entrepreneurship programs that serve as vital resources for faculty, students, and community innovators alike.
In 2021, Gisele spearheaded a comprehensive revitalization of the Mason Innovation Exchange, commonly known as The MIX. This transformation has established The MIX as the flagship maker space on campus, now recognized as a central hub for collaboration among faculty, researchers, and innovators.
Additionally, Gisele oversees two cybersecurity programs, which have gained significant recognition for their impact. Notably, she was awarded the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative’s (CCI) accolade for the most impactful program in Virginia in 2023 for her internship initiative. This program successfully places 50 students each year with local cybersecurity startups, with a commendable two-thirds of interns receiving job offers from the host companies. She also directs the CCI’s Accelerator, now in its fourth year, which is a key program tailored to enhance the commercialization pathways for public Virginia university cyber research projects. This initiative is designed to train and educate faculty members, furthering the growth of innovative solutions in the cybersecurity sector.
Mason University’s NSF I-Corps Program has experienced a significant transformation under her leadership of Director and co-Principal Investigator. Since her appointment, Gisele has revitalized the program by hiring a new team of instructors and actively recruiting participating teams, leading to an impressive 500% increase in faculty involvement.
In her previous role, Gisele oversaw a network of five Mason Enterprise Center (MEC) incubators, where she was instrumental in revitalizing the flagship MEC Fairfax. Her leadership turned this struggling incubator into a thriving hub for entrepreneurs, achieving an occupancy rate of 100%. Additionally, Gisele served as the Director of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at MEC Springfield, where she provided vital business counseling and mentoring to entrepreneurs and small business owners. Over her tenure, she has counseled more than 400 clients on strategies for growth, financing options, and effective marketing techniques. Notably, in 2016, Gisele was recognized as one of five winners of the SBA’s National Lean for Main Street Challenge, where she adapted the I-Corps program to better serve Main Street companies.
Gisele graduated from ESCP Business School, one of the top 3 French “Grandes Ecoles”, with a Master’s in Business with a concentration in Finance, and obtained her MBA from INSEAD.