Dan Watkins

Dr. Watkins is a Managing Director of DFJ Mercury, a venture capital firm focused on seed and early-stage investments in the sciences and software sectors in the mid-continent region. He is actively investing in both energy related physical sciences startups and life sciences startups. Prior to co-founding DFJ Mercury, Dr. Watkins was the founder and Managing Partner of A3 Associates, a venture firm focused on seed-stage investments in university and research center-based technology transfer opportunities. Dr. Watkins received his BS in Materials Science and Engineering from Rice University and his MS and Ph.D in Materials Science and Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. He currently serves on the advisory boards of BioHouston, the Rice Alliance for Technology & Entrepreneurship, and Northwestern University’s Innovation and New Ventures Office.