Van N. Truskett

Observer
DISC Type : ic

Member Board of Directors at BioCloak, Inc.

Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States

Overview

Van N. Truskett is the Venture Discovery Director at Big Idea Ventures, where she architects venture-backable companies from frontier science, focusing on food, agriculture, and advanced materials. With a PhD from Johns Hopkins, she excels at commercializing university-originated intellectual property and previously directed technology innovation at The University of Texas at Austin.

She is passionate about creating a healthier planet by developing and scaling sustainable technologies. This is demonstrated through her board memberships at BioCloak, which replaces petroleum-based coatings, and PlantSustain, which provides large-scale biological solutions for agriculture. Van is also a dedicated philanthropist, having made planned gifts to support research at UT Austin.

Unique fact: Van is a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and holds over 50 U. S. and international patents.

Personality Overview

Curious

Value Driven

Assertive

They are generally strong communicators and are not easy to convince.  They can sound friendly and charming but can quickly change gears to become inquisitive and probing. They often ask many questions and rely heavily on information and documentation.

Topics They Care About

Tech Commercialization
Her entire career, from UT Austin's Innovation Center to Big Idea Ventures, focuses on turning university research and intellectual property into successful, venture-backed companies.
Sustainable AgriFood
Serves on the board of BioCloak and PlantSustain, both focused on sustainable, biological solutions for agriculture, and invests in this space through Big Idea Ventures.
Venture Creation
Her role at Big Idea Ventures and past work at Molecular Imprints (acquired by Canon) centers on building companies from deep science and university IP.

Media Appearances

Van Truskett's Investing Profile - Big Idea Ventures Investor. Featured in Signal (NFX)

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Van N. Truskett - Director - GFRP Fund at Big Idea Ventures. Featured in The Org

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Work History

7-2025
Member Board of Directors at BioCloak, Inc.
7-2024 - 3-2026
Member Board of Directors (Acquired by Frontera Ag) at PlantSustain, Inc.
3-2024
Venture Discovery Director at Big Idea Ventures
9-2022 - 6-2023
Director - Technology Innovation Development at The University of Texas at Austin
6-2021
Fellow at National Academy of Inventors

Education

1996 - 2002
PhD from The Johns Hopkins University
1991 - 1996
BS from The University of Texas at Austin

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : N/A Location : Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States Job Level : N/A Designation : Member Board of Directors at BioCloak, Inc.
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Insights For Selling To Van N.

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Share testimonials from known people and give multiple examples of product value
  • Help them understand the risk aspect fully while inspiring confidence
  • Help them realize that there is no personal risk in making this decision

DONT's

  • Don’t be too objective but make sure to pad your storytelling with data points
  • Don’t try to rush them into a decision, provide all necessary information first
  • Avoid making offhand commitments

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Van N. is

  • Clear proof of product value matters to them, followed by others' testimonials and rapport.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Van N.

  • They are practical yet friendly, don’t expect a clear no very often.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Van N. move?

  • They like to analyze well and can take their time to reach any decisions.
  • Can Van N. take some risk or not?

  • They systematically evaluate all decisions and are unlikely to take many risks.

You And Van N.

Personality Compatibility


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