Biola University- Ph.D., University of California, San Diego, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
- M.B.A., University of California, San Diego, Rady School of Management
- B.S. with honors, Pepperdine University
Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Director of the Office of Innovation
Dr. Silvia Mah serves as Director of Innovation at Biola University and associate professor at the Crowell School of Business. Passionate about fostering redemptive entrepreneurship, she empowers students to pursue innovative ventures that expand God’s kingdom.
Her research focuses on servant leadership in startups, impact investing, innovation, and the success of women entrepreneurs. A champion of underestimated founders, Dr. Mah has invested in more than 200 early-stage companies—ranging from medical devices and life sciences to SaaS platforms and consumer products—in cities including San Diego, Portland and Brooklyn.
She is the producer of She Invests!, a globally recognized podcast spotlighting female angel investors and venture capitalists. Her book, The Startup Investor Mindset, is available on Amazon.
Dr. Mah’s past roles include president and COO of Connect w/San Diego Venture Group, program director at the University of San Diego’s Center for Peace and Commerce, and diversity director at UC San Diego’s The Basement startup accelerator. She also served as commercialization lead at the von Liebig Center (now the Institute for the Global Entrepreneur) and director of Teams in Engineering Service at UCSD, helping student teams develop tech solutions for nonprofits.
She is the founder and chairwoman of the Stella Foundation, a national constellation of leaders and organizations supporting women-led businesses, and a co-founding venture partner at Ad Astra Ventures, a micro-VC fund backing mission-driven founders.
A two-time TEDx speaker, Dr. Mah advocates for gender equity in investing with talks like “Get to Even” and “It’s More Than Money.” Her vision is to see women represent 50% of the startup investor ecosystem—measuring success by both return on investment and return on impact.
Dr. Mah holds a Ph.D. in marine molecular biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, an M.B.A. from UCSD’s Rady School of Management and a B.S. in biology with honors from Pepperdine University.
Originally from Caracas, Venezuela, she now enjoys life in Southern California. When she’s not working, she can be found off-roading, enjoying the beach or spending time at Disneyland with her husband, three adult children (including two Biola ĚŇ»¨ĘÓƵs), and daughter-in-law.
UnderĚŇ»¨ĘÓƵ courses at Biola University:
Graduate courses at Biola University: