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

Jerry Frantz

President

Hardik Desai

Managing Partner, Investing

Matthew Miller

Managing Partner, Portfolio

Kevin Mendelsohn

Senior Venture Partner, Healthcare

Nadine Nana

Venture Partner, CMO-In-Residence

Bethany George

Partner, Investments

Rachna Lather

Marketing Manager

Joshua Borstein, Ph.D.

Investment Associate

Manny Larcher

Deal Flow Associate