About Us

Cara joined the Venture College as the Marketing and Communications Manager in 2020. Since then she has taken on the role of Director, and is passionate about supporting entrepreneurs throughout their startup journeys. Cara’s prior experience includes: supporting an early stage startup, coordinating a large capital campaign, working for a large tech firm, and coaching.

Cara graduated from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and International Affairs, and a Business minor. After graduating, she worked in the corporate world in Seattle, but was excited to move back to her hometown here in Boise.

Alina Gilmore is a Public Relations fanatic and a professional communicator who thrives on building trusting relationships, developing innovative programs, and supporting entrepreneurs through their entire lifecycle. She lives her life by a Latin motto, “In Omnia Paratus.” It means prepared for all things when translated.

Alina graduated from Boise State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and a Public Relations Certificate. After graduating, she served as an Acting Public Information Officer at Idaho’s largest Public Health District during the COVID-19 Pandemic. She gained experience with Idaho’s ecosystem and startup community when she served as the Program Manager for Trailhead Boise, an entrepreneurial support organization in the heart of downtown Boise. Alina’s prior background includes program management, marketing & communications, and public information + crisis communication.

The Venture College and College of Innovation + Design’s vision of fostering and scaling positive innovative change connects deeply with Alina’s own passion for helping people create, thrive, and innovate in her home state.

Kelly Irakiza is a second year Marketing student at Boise State University. She works best in social environments where she can engage with people, understand their needs, and deliver solutions.

Ever since she could remember she has always had a knack for content creation and content strategy. Kelly wanted to expand her skill set in the realm of collaboration, communication, planning, engagement and marketing which drove her in becoming the newest addition to The Venture College team.

In her free time Kelly enjoys playing recreational sports, listening to music, watching new movies, and exploring new places in Boise with her friends.

Kent Neupert is the Faculty Lead of the newly launched Resort and Hospitality Management program, an online created in response to requests from Idaho’s resort and hospitality industry for training for future managers and workforce in this vital industry.  Dr. Neupert is also the Research Lead for the NSF I-Corps Desert-Pacific Region Hub team at Boise State University, which provides commercialization training taking innovations to the market.  Kent’s primary research questions are in the areas of entrepreneurship, business strategy and location. His research has been published in top international journals and he has co-authored several best-selling cases and books. A Boise State faculty member for 23 years, Kent teaches in areas of business strategy, entrepreneurship, and international management in graduate and undergraduate business programs. He has taught in the United States, Canada, Hong Kong, China, Spain and New Zealand and served in administrative roles in domestic and international settings.

Rick teaches New Venture Creation and Managing an Emerging Company to senior-level students and has developed a series of three entrepreneurial courses (Introduction to Startups, Customer Development, and Minimum Viable Products) for the Department of Computer Science. This series is being expanded to include other Engineering Departments.

Rick Ritter founded and manages New Ventures Lab, Inc (NVL). NVL is a hybrid virtual co-working facility located in Meridian, ID that is focused on “Turning Ideas into Businesses”. Prior to founding New Ventures Lab Inc., Rick served as the CEO/President of Idaho TechConnect, Inc. for eight years, Director of Technology Outreach at Boise State’s Technology and Entrepreneurship Center (TECenter) on the BSU West campus for four years. Rick received an ICON Award in 2018 and was named as a CEO of Influence in 2011 by the Idaho Business Review. He has worked extensively across the state with individuals and companies assisting them to discover the economic value of their ideas. Rick has more than 20 years of business incubation/assistance/commercialization experience. He has started and successfully operated five businesses (technology, construction, real estate development, consulting, non-profit). He has experience in federal and state government, university, non-profit and private sector arenas. Mr. Ritter has completed all coursework for an MPA degree from Boise State University and holds a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education from the University of Idaho. He resides in Meridian, Idaho with his wife, Terri. He has four grown children, thirteen grandchildren and two great grandchildren (so far).