Chris Mumford

Chris Mumford serves as the Stephen & Kathleen Malik Entrepreneur in Residence and Professor of the Practice at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he teaches core entrepreneurship courses within the Economics department. With 25+ years of entrepreneurial experience across education, sport, technology, consumer products, and healthcare sectors, he brings real-world venture creation expertise to academia.

His research interests center on practical entrepreneurship frameworks, emphasizing agile business development and life trajectory transformation. Mumford's teaching philosophy integrates design thinking with sports entrepreneurship, focusing on how authentic leadership and relentless execution drive innovation. He particularly examines cross-industry applications of entrepreneurial principles in high-stakes environments like professional sports.

Mumford maintains active industry engagement through his role at the Malik Center, leveraging extensive experience raising $30+ million from VC and private equity sources. His mentorship approach emphasizes experiential learning, with students developing ventures through his ECON 327.005 Venture Creation Workshop. Beyond academia, he contributes to entrepreneurial ecosystems through executive roles including CEO, CFO, and VP of Design in multiple startups.

Originally from Chapel Hill, Mumford holds dual degrees in Philosophy with Honors and Economics from UNC. His professional journey includes five years in investment banking before founding ventures across the US and Asia. He actively promotes the Bruce Lee philosophy of adaptability ('Be Water My Friend') in both business and pedagogy.