Toby nord

TOBY NORD is the Professional Director of Carlson Ventures Enterprise, a unique year-long program for full-time MBA students designed to teach entrepreneurial skill through experiential learning. His primary role is to teach and mentor students as they work on client-based projects. Additionally, as a Carlson MBA faculty member he teaches courses on the subjects of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, including START-UP, a course based on the best practices of entrepreneurship and designed to help student entrepreneurs at the University of Minnesota accelerate their own business ideas. 

Prior to joining the University in 2006, Toby spent 20 years with various Minneapolis based companies including Best Buy, where he worked in Strategic Marketing, Business Development, Strategy and Innovation. Some of this work is highlighted in the Harvard Business Case Best Buy: An Innovator’s Journey. Toby also advises and consults nationally on entrepreneurship and innovation, including a seven-year stint as Chairman of the Board of a Minneapolis-based start-up. He received his MBA from the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota and his BA from Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota.