Scott Nissenbaum is a seasoned finance and operations executive who has dedicated his career to leveraging technology for positive change. He has more than 20 years of experience in direct investing, portfolio management, operations and fundraising. Today, he serves as president and chief executive officer of Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Before assuming his current role, Nissenbaum served as the chief operating officer of Ben Franklin and played an important role in the nonprofit’s growth and success. He previously held positions as the chief investment officer and executive vice president, leading the organization’s investment group. Under Nissenbaum’s guidance, Ben Franklin completed more than 200 early- stage investments across various sectors, including information technology, digital health, life sciences and advanced manufacturing. His leadership also led to the launch of Ben Franklin’s first for-profit fund, the Global Opportunity Philadelphia Fund (GO Philly Fund), which significantly increased the organization’s assets under management.
Nissenbaum described taking small steps backward in his career in order to position himself for leaps forward toward success. Those little side steps are the risks he took to get to where he is today.
“It wasn’t one risk,” he said. “It was a series of relatively small, calculated risks and the ability to learn from the mistakes while trying to repeat the successes. The earliest example was quitting a full- time job to take a six-month internship to break into venture capital. The biggest risk was quitting the venture capital job 11 years later to launch a startup. In both instances, it was a small step backward with greater risk for a potentially large leap forward in my career.”
Nissenbaum has secured funding for six different funds and served on the boards of 14 private and public companies. He chaired Philadelphia Game Labs, further contributing to the growth and development of the local innovation ecosystem. His achievements have been widely recognized, with accolades such as the Philly Tech’s Thirty under 30 Award, Philadelphia Business Journal’s 40 under 40 Award, the American Carbon Registry Innovator Award and recognition from the Eastern Technology Council.
Nissenbaum has been a speaker, judge and mentor for numerous organizations and events, sharing his expertise and insights to inspire others in their entrepreneurial endeavors. In 2007, he taught a graduate course in venture capital at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Nissenbaum holds a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from The Pennsylvania State University and an MBA in finance from Saint Joseph’s University.
