Patrick FitzGerald

Patrick FitzGerald has built or helped to build a variety of businesses over the past decade and specializes in strategic growth and new business initiatives, inception to implementation ventures, local and national partnerships with Fortune 500 and governmental/multinational organizations, and investor relations.

He is the Vice President for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) where he is responsible for the commercialization of devices, therapies, vaccines and technology as well as managing external venture investments made on behalf of CHOP. Prior to CHOP, he was the Managing Director for DreamIt Ventures where he sourced, recruited and helped bring to market 40+ early stage companies from around the globe through an intense acceleration process. Mr. FitzGerald is the former CEO of Nanny Caddy, the vending machine for parents on the go. During Mr. FitzGerald’s tenure, Nanny Caddy expanded from one machine to 30+ in 12 states via partnerships with Sea World Entertainment, Legoland, the Bronx Zoo, Philadelphia International Airport and various strategic locations nationwide. Nanny Caddy was named one of Redbook’s “Top Five Products for Moms” in 2011 and was prominently featured in the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, American Baby and the Philadelphia Business Journal. Mr. FitzGerald is also the creator, co-founder and former President of RecycleBank. Through its partnerships with over 1,000 local and national retailers (including Starbucks, Home Depot, Whole Foods, Coca-Cola, Target, Staples, and Kraft), RecycleBank financially rewards households that recycle, provides cities and municipalities with landfill/incinerator fee savings, and promotes socially responsible businesses. Launched in 2003, RecycleBank currently operates in over 50 states and the United Kingdom. To date, Recyclebank has raised over $75 million in capital from Columbia University, Kleiner Perkins, and private funds and was named the #1 VC backed clean tech firm by the Wall Street Journal in 2011.

Prior to RecycleBank, Mr. FitzGerald was an attorney in the Wall Street office of Carter Ledyard & Milburn LLP where he specialized in mergers & acquisitions and corporate governance. Patrick received a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law. Patrick is a frequent guest lecturer/moderator/keynote speaker at various business schools, conferences and forums around the world.