Yali Friedman is Chief Knowledge Officer at Washington, DC-based New Economy Strategies and holds a doctorate in biochemistry from the University of Buffalo. He currently guest lectures for the Johns Hopkins MS/MBA program in biotechnology and has been a guest lecturer at the Tepper School of Business and University of Buffalo School of Management, teaching classes on the business of biotechnology. In supporting New Economy Strategies' activities in technology-based economic development, he has published papers on topics such as strategies to cope with a lack of management talent and capital when developing companies outside of established hubs, entrepreneurship in biotechnology, and new paradigms in regional development.

Yali has a long history in biotechnology media, having created a Forbes "Best of the Web"-rated web site on the biotechnology industry at biotech.about.com for About.com, a NY Times company, and managed it since 1999. His other projects include the Student Guide to DNA Based Computers, sponsored by FUJI Television, and DrugPatentWatch.com, a pharmaceutical industry competitive intelligence service based on a business plan that was awarded second place in the Panasci Entrepreneurial Awards Competition.