VIC Tech, a national life science venture studio, has appointed Sarah Goforth as Chief Growth Officer and Managing Director. In this executive role, Goforth will lead VIC Tech's growth strategy, brand positioning, and investor relations as the firm builds on a portfolio that has grown to 18 deep-tech and life science companies, including recent launches icosiMED and Restara Medical.
Goforth brings more than 25 years of leadership at the intersection of technology commercialization, venture creation, and strategic communications. Most recently, she served at the National Science Foundation (NSF), where she led a $470M portfolio of national investments in deep tech and place-based innovation as Section Head for Regional Innovation in the Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP). Her background also includes serving as Executive Director of the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Arkansas, where she scaled the organization’s operations 40-fold and helped launch the university’s first affiliated venture fund. Goforth's connection to VIC Tech dates back to her early career when she led a boutique science communications agency, where VIC Tech was among her clients.
As Chief Growth Officer and Managing Director, Goforth will oversee enterprise growth strategy across VIC Tech and its portfolio companies while spearheading capital formation strategies to support companies across all growth stages, from seed financing through Series A, B, and C rounds.
"Sarah has spent her career building ecosystems, scaling innovation infrastructure, and translating complex science into compelling, investment-ready opportunities," said Calvin Goforth, CEO of VIC Tech. "We have a strong and diverse portfolio ranging from new startups to revenue-generating market leaders and Sarah’s deep experience across federal technology policy, venture strategy, and stakeholder engagement makes her uniquely suited to accelerate our continued national expansion."
"VIC Tech has built a proven model for scouting high-potential technologies and developing them into commercially successful companies that improve human health, longevity, and well-being,” said Sarah Goforth. “My whole career has been about building the bridge between science and society, and VIC’s model leverages the distributive power of the market to do that. I’m excited to work with our co-founders, portfolio executives, and co-investors to fuel our next phase of growth and capital formation."
Prior to her leadership roles at the NSF and the University of Arkansas, Goforth served as Chief Communications Officer at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and held senior roles at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Discovery, Inc. She holds an M.A. in Science Journalism from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and a B.A. in Biology with Honors from Hendrix College.
About VIC Tech
VIC Tech is a life science venture studio dedicated to founding and scaling breakthrough technology companies. By pairing top-tier scientific discoveries with executive leadership, early-stage capital, and operational support, VIC Tech creates high-impact life science and healthcare solutions. To learn more, visit victech.com