A Commitment To Impact Investing And Community Building
For 20 years, JumpStart Ventures has been investing venture capital to help visionary entrepreneurs grow innovative tech companies that drive economic impact in Ohio and the Midwest. The returns we’ve generated – 3X to date – and support from our partners have enabled us to extend our model beyond tech investing to help entrepreneurs and small businesses in Ohio go further, faster through our parent company, JumpStart Inc.
The Evolution Of JumpStart
Founded in 2004, JumpStart focuses today on transforming communities through:
- Venture Capital Investment
- Small Business Services
- Inclusive Economic Growth for Black, Latino/Hispanic and Women entrepreneurs
Our Team
A team with the same passion, purpose and grit as our founders
The JumpStart Ventures team delivers a founder-first experience to our portfolio companies, backed by decades of combined VC know-how. Our approach helps startups avoid blind spots and scale with confidence.
We’re a diverse and collaborative team from varied backgrounds. Humble, honest and driven, we believe that entrepreneurs can build market-defining companies anywhere with the right partners and a relentless work ethic.
Julie Jacono
Chief Executive Officer
Karim Botros
Board Member and Chair,
Investment Committee
Hardik Desai
Managing Partner,
NEXT Fund Manager
Joshua Borstein, Ph.D.
Investment Principal
Will Stabler
Fund Operations Manager
Bethany George
Fund Manager, Evergreen and Focus Funds
Manny Larcher
Deal Flow Analyst
