Building the Tech Hub: How Alumnus Carlos Bortoni Put Darden on the Map in DC’s Tech Ecosystem

When Carlos Bortoni (MBA/M.Ed. ’19) returned to Darden in 2023 as Senior Director of Global Tech Strategy at the Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology, he was tapped to lead the school’s Tech Hub—a newly launched initiative designed to elevate Darden’s presence in tech.

The initial mandate was broad: make students more tech literate and help them navigate career paths in technology. In most corners of higher education—where change moves at a glacial pace—such ambiguity would be paralyzing. For Bortoni, a veteran of the private sector, it was exactly the freedom he needed.

Two years later, the results speak for themselves. The Tech Hub has won awards from the Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC), earned finalist status for the 2025 Technical.ly Awards, and built a sprawling network of partnerships connecting Darden students to opportunities across the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) region. The speed of this transformation is remarkable. The secret? Bortoni brought startup thinking to an academic setting.

The Unconventional Background

Bortoni’s path to this role was anything but conventional. A native of Monterrey, Mexico, with a longstanding passion for education, he pursued a dual degree—an MBA alongside a master’s in education. During those years, he immersed himself in two frameworks that would become his professional toolkit: design thinking and effectuation.

After graduation, Bortoni joined PwC’s Consumer Markets practice, working on digital products and initiatives. Then came Qualtrics, where he led strategy for the education practice and eventually managed the entire global portfolio. The role demanded constant shifting between systematic design thinking and the faster, more opportunistic approach of effectuation.

“Depending on the type of initiative I was leading and how fast we wanted to move,” Bortoni explains, “I would shift between my two main tools from Darden.” This ability to toggle between methodologies would prove essential to the Tech Hub’s success.

Starting with a Philosophy

When Bortoni took the helm of the Tech Hub, he quickly realized that conventional student programming would not meet the moment. He created a dual mandate: design robust co-curricular programs for students while simultaneously building an external ecosystem of practitioners, companies, public entities and nonprofits.

“I thought, ‘If we’re serious about providing all these opportunities to students, we need an external ecosystem that brings in practitioners and thought leadership,’” Bortoni recalls. “‘Because if we only do it ourselves, it’s going to take forever.’”

He identified three approaches: build programs in-house, like the Tech Learning Series and DC Tech Connect; join existing organizations, like NVTC and SCSP (Special Competitive Studies Project, a U.S. think tank focused on strengthening America’s long-term competitiveness in AI and other emerging technologies); or partner with companies and alumni to create something new together, like hackathons with SZNS Solutions, Google, and Tower Strategy Group.

Speed was the differentiator. “My focus is on the full picture,” Bortoni says. “We can’t afford to focus on just one thing at a time, put all our eggs in one basket, and risk missing the mark. We can’t waste months of work like that. Instead, we’ll work with everyone at Darden and our partner network to build out the Tech Hub.”

The Programs That Emerged

The Tech Hub’s flagship programs reflect Bortoni’s build-partner-join philosophy. The annual DC Tech Connect, held each October, serves as the anchor event—a full-production conference featuring networking, speakers, and recruiting opportunities. The Tech Learning Series offers students exposure to tech topics through faculty presentations in the fall and practitioner sessions in the spring.

The DC Tech Connect features networking, expert speakers and recruiting opportunities

Hackathons became an important piece of the puzzle next. The first competition, launched last spring with SZNS Solutions and Google Public Sector, came together at remarkable speed. After an impromptu meeting with a UVA connection, Bortoni recalls, “we said, maybe we should do a hackathon. Two weeks later, we had it on paper—and two months later, it was live.”

The Tech Hub has also built a robust network of strategic partnerships—from free student memberships in the NVTC with discounted event access to multi-year involvement in AI + Expo, hosted by SCSP in Washington, DC. Partnerships across the venture capital and entrepreneurship ecosystems, combined with extensive alumni connections, create a web of opportunities for students.

The Partnership Playbook

Perhaps the most instructive example of Bortoni’s approach is his relationship with Nick Stablein, a UVA alumnus whose career includes senior leadership roles at Samsung and, more recently, venture capital. After a UVA contact made an introduction—prompted by Stablein’s interest in technology initiatives across the university—the two discovered they were neighbors in Alexandria, Virginia. When Stablein later mentioned needing a venue to host Samsung executives, Bortoni offered Sands Family Grounds, Darden’s DC Metro campus in Arlington.

That simple gesture—providing a meeting space—sparked a lasting relationship. Stablein became an Entrepreneur in Residence for the incubator program. He’s been a panelist at DC Tech Connect, a speaker at the AI + Expo, and has facilitated countless introductions for Darden students. Two Darden startups pitched to Samsung executives through this connection.

“Every interaction matters,” Bortoni says. “At the most fundamental level, people want to do cool stuff with cool people. If we make it easy to partner with Darden, if we make it easy to explore ideas we never thought about, we can move very quickly.”

The key principles: let people know what you’re doing, give them options for engagement, and make it worthwhile and exciting. Most importantly, lead with helpfulness rather than asks.

This is effectuation in action—building what Darden Professor Saras Sarasvathy calls the “crazy quilt” of partnerships by responding to opportunities and market signals rather than following a rigid plan, while allowing potential partners to self-select for collaboration.

Measuring Impact

Beyond capturing individual success stories, Bortoni’s team is increasingly focused on building the systems and processes needed to measure the Tech Hub’s impact at scale. Understanding how Tech Hub initiatives—along with related efforts across Darden—benefit students immediately after graduation and over the long term is central to this next phase.

Engaging potential partners has functioned as a “forcing mechanism,” sparking conversations that reach well beyond the Tech Hub. Can these relationships extend beyond Darden? How can the right combination of students, faculty, and staff help scale what already works? And how do we reach students who may not see themselves as tech recruits? For Bortoni, answering these questions defines an important future role for the Tech Hub—meeting students where they are and giving them tools for long-term success.

“I ended up working in tech, but I didn’t come to Darden to recruit for tech,” he says. “Most students recruit for consulting or banking but will likely do something else five to ten years out. That’s the population I care about, because we’re preparing students for long-term success, not just an immediate job post-graduation.”

The Vision: Owning the DMV

Bortoni’s ambitions for the Tech Hub are both audacious and clear.

First, establish Darden as the region’s leading source of tech-focused thought leadership. When major publications or industry conferences seek informed perspectives on the most consequential issues in technology and AI, Darden should be their first call. “We have world-class faculty who are leading experts in these and other fields,” Bortoni says, “and they’re always eager to share their expertise with peers in academia and industry.”

Second, ensure that every Darden student knows there’s a path for them in tech—whether they want to jump into technology immediately after graduation or pursue it later in their career. “Darden has the faculty, the network, and the infrastructure to help our students and alumni succeed in tech,” Bortoni notes.

Third, expand the scope of the Tech Hub to include a venture studio within Darden—a place where faculty, students, and industry practitioners can collaborate on innovative processes, initiatives, and products that are deployed in the world, not just studied in the classroom.

The Entrepreneurial Mindset

What makes Bortoni effective is his willingness to embrace entrepreneurship—including the messy, nonlinear process of building something new. He didn’t wait for perfect clarity on metrics or mandates. He didn’t seek permission for every potential partnership. He moved fast, built relationships, and let opportunities emerge from genuine connections.

“My philosophy is that every interaction we have can likely turn into two or three different plays,” Bortoni says. “And a lot of that comes from us offering to help.”

The awards and recognition validate Bortoni’s model. More importantly, students are getting jobs, making connections, and building skills they’ll use throughout their careers.

For those launching similar initiatives, Bortoni offers a clear lesson: sometimes the best way to build something meaningful is to start before you’re ready, move faster than feels comfortable, and trust that the right partnerships and programs will emerge if you stay focused on helping people do cool things together.

Discover how the Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Technology empowers Darden students, faculty, alumni, and industry leaders to explore AI and emerging technologies across business sectors through learning opportunities, meaningful connections and collaborative initiatives. Watch the video below to see these transformative programs in action.

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