Dan Herman, PhD

Dan Herman, PhD, is a Toronto-based innovation policy specialist, professor, and documentary producer offering a global perspective on innovation ecosystems and the movement of capital, talent and ideas around the world. Through advisory roles at Startup Genome and Northguide Inc., Dan advises governments around the world on innovation strategy, drawing from his time as head of innovation policy in Canada, where he helped shape the country’s Innovation and Skills Plan, as well as his time as the Government of Ontario's special advisor, and thereafter Chief Executive Officer, of Intellectual Property Ontario.

Dan was previously the co-founder and executive director of the Centre for Digital Entrepreneurship and Economic Performance (DEEP Centre), Canada's leading innovation policy research organization at the time, where he led influential studies on Canada's innovation economy including on the barriers to scaling, immigration and talent attraction, and the role and impact of accelerators and incubators. 

Dan complements this executive-level policy experience with the insights gained from being the producer and host of the documentary series Magnetic Cities, an 18-episode television program that explores how emerging ecosystems in Africa, Asia, and Latin America are reshaping the global innovation economy.  In addition, Dan is a lecturer at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto, where he teaches graduate level courses on the global innovation economy. Dan holds a PhD in Political Economy from the Balsillie School of International Affairs, a Masters (MSc) in Development Studies from the London School of Economics and a BBA from Wilfrid Laurier University.

Dan has been an advisor to Startup Genome since 2019 and is the co-chair of Startup Genome's AI Leadership Council. He has helped shape Startup Genome's advisory work in multiple jurisdictions including with clients in South Korea, Denmark, Canada, and Mongolia.