Mike Provance

Mike is a serial entrepreneur, author, and speaker on technology business model innovation and new venture management. His passion lies in the growth and scaling of entrepreneurial ventures that improve their communities.

A digital, operations, and technology strategy expert, Mike has built, led, exited, and coached groundbreaking technology businesses and launched highly recognized digital properties such as MapQuest, AOL’s Parent Soup, the first online auto insurance underwriting site, and FAFSA Online. His entrepreneurial leadership experience spans over 30 years in financial services, information services, manufacturing, and healthcare industries, and with science and technology offices in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Special Operations Command. Earlier in his career, he led seed investments in computing and medical technology for the Ben Franklin Partnership, an early stage venture capital firm.

His leadership has produced multiple acquisitive exits for investors, contributed to more than $750M in IPO value, helped raise more than $50M in growth capital, spurred founder efforts by over 60 colleagues, direct reports, and students, and contributed to economic development in several U.S. regions.

Currently, Mike is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Alpine Growth Partners, a strategic operations advisory firm that helps performance-minded owners and CEOs produce scalable, sustainable growth.

Mike also serves as a faculty member at George Washington University, where he teaches graduate-level courses in new venture finance and innovation. He has also taught undergraduate and graduate courses in strategy and entrepreneurship at the University of Richmond, George Mason, and other Mid-Atlantic institutions.
Mike holds a Ph.D. in Technology Entrepreneurship and Innovation from The George Washington University, an M.B.A. from Penn State, and a B.S. in Management Science from M.I.T. Mike lives in Chapel Hill, NC with his wife, Anne, and they have five mostly grown children between them.