# Skandalaris Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Skandalaris Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Entrepreneurship is an University Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center based in St. Louis, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** University Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center
- **Headquarters:** St. Louis, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** St. Louis, MO, United States
- **Founded:** 2001
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** skandalaris.wustl.edu
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/school/skandalaris-center-for-interdisciplinary-innovation-&-entrepreneurship/

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

The Skandalaris Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Entrepreneurship is based in Saint Louis, Missouri. The center has made six investments, including a 2024 investment in Unboxed Gems through its incubator/accelerator program. It has one portfolio exit, VirtualNerd, which was sold in July 2013.

## Sectors

- Education
- Venture Capital
- Other

## People

- Bob Skandalaris — Founder (primary benefactor)
- Ilene Skandalaris — Co-Founder (primary benefactor)
- Dori Vitale — Executive Director

## Questions

### Who runs investment decisions at Skandalaris Center?

Investment decisions—primarily grant awards through the Skandalaris Venture Competition—are made by a faculty-led review committee. Dori Vitale, Executive Director since 2016, oversees operations and competition logistics. Bob and Ilene Skandalaris remain the primary funders but do not exert direct investment discretion on individual ventures (per the center's published guidelines).

### How does Skandalaris Center source proprietary deal flow?

Deal flow is entirely internal, sourced from WashU's student body and faculty. The center runs the Skandalaris Venture Competition, IDEA Labs (a biomedical engineering entrepreneur program), and the NSF I-Corps site, which train participants and surface startups organically. No external sourcing from venture firms or family offices occurs (per WashU official description).

### What investment stages does Skandalaris Center typically target?

The center targets pre-seed and seed-stage ventures only. Grants from the Venture Competition range from $10,000 to $50,000, and the center does not lead or participate in later-stage rounds. No equity commitments above $100,000 have been publicly recorded.

### Which sectors does Skandalaris Center explicitly avoid?

The center does not explicitly avoid any sector, but because deal flow comes from WashU's disciplines, it naturally concentrates in biotech/medtech, engineering, software, and social entrepreneurship. It has not publicly funded deals in real estate, energy, or defense.

### How is Skandalaris Center related to WashU?

It is a fully integrated academic center within Washington University in St. Louis, reporting to the Office of the Provost. It is not a separately incorporated entity. The center occupies space on WashU's Danforth Campus and its staff are university employees (per WashU organizational chart).

## Related profiles

- [MET FUND](https://altss.com/profile/met-fund)

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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

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