Nina Archie

Nina Archie is an Innovation Advisor, Angel Investor, VC Scout, and Founder of Innovator Connector, a consultancy that creates opportunity pathways to help startups and small businesses access funding, commercialize dual-use technologies, and scale while helping investors identify promising opportunities and de-risk early-stage investments. Her career spans government, entrepreneurship, product development, program management, and early-stage venture ecosystems.

Nina currently works at the U.S. Department of State in product and program management. Her federal career has also included serving as a Patent Examiner at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and advancing innovation, technology commercialization, and entrepreneurship efforts across the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the U.S. Department of Defense. She serves as a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Reviewer for the National Science Foundation. Nina has worked at the intersection of government, technology, and entrepreneurship and works across the innovation ecosystem to connect founders with capital, commercialization resources, strategic partnerships, and pathways to growth.

Nina supports entrepreneurial support organizations and serves as a Mentor and Venture in Residence, helping strengthen founder development, commercialization, and access to capital. She also serves as an Advisory Board Member for the AAAS HBCU Making & Innovation Showcase and SXSW and as the DC Startup & Tech Week Gov Innovation Track Lead and Exit Track Lead.

Her contributions to innovation and ecosystem building have been recognized through the Techstars Give First Award, Technical.ly’s DC RealLIST Connectors 2026, and the Defense Innovation Difference Makers Top 100.