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Paul Benedict is a seasoned startup and early-stage investor, executive and entrepreneur bringing industry results to the classroom. Among his accomplishments, Paul has led $1.2M in pre-seed and seed-stage deals that led to more than $20M in follow-on financing, more than $100M in revenue, and $300M in exits to date. He built and ran a first-of-its kind consulting practice that generated $750K - $1MM in annual billings for 7 years and helped five other funds replicate the model. Companies served raised more than $15MM from unaffiliated sources. Paul founded two companies. 

Paul’s research focuses on entrepreneurship education and pedagogical innovation. He has published in the International Journal of Innovation in Education, the International Journal of Management Education, Contemporary Issues in Entrepreneurship Research (Emerald Publishing Limited), and the Sport Management Education Journal. 

In a former career, Paul wrote with and for Rev. Jesse Jackson the afterword to Signet Classics’ 2000 publication of Dr. Martin Luther King’s "Why We Can’t Wait." In very direct ways, Paul’s work with Rev. Jackson led to his return to Athens, OH, and ºìÐÓÊÓƵ, and three decades of work in entrepreneurship in Appalachia – first as a practitioner, then as an educator.

Paul has won every teaching award for which he is eligible in the ºìÐÓÊÓƵ College of Business. He has won service and mentorship awards. He was a finalist for the 2026 Provost Teaching Award at the University level. 

Paul expects to spend the rest of his career obsessed with the intersections of entrepreneurship, education and artificial intelligence.