Jerry Frantz

As President of JumpStart Ventures, Jerry provides vision, strategic planning and executional delivery to support activities and outcomes helping JumpStart deliver its mission while generating economic and financial returns to maximize JumpStart’s sustainability.
Currently, JumpStart’s tech investing efforts generate significant financial returns via JumpStart’s Evergreen, Focus, Health Collaboration and NEXT Fund.
JumpStart Ventures anticipates expanding its tech investing activities via the formation of new tech investment funds (corporate, institutional and/or in-house) and through the expansion of investing “platform”’ services.
Jerry joined JumpStart in 2004 as a member of the original team of Entrepreneurs-in-Residence.
Prior to the formation of JumpStart Ventures, Jerry managed all JumpStart, Inc. entrepreneurial services activity and has been involved in every venture investment made by JumpStart to date.
His prior entrepreneurial experience includes working as Vice President of Marketing for venture-backed Classic Sports Network (now ESPN Classic).
He has also launched a variety of new products/initiatives in partnership with Nickelodeon, BET Jazz Productions, Five Star Technologies and the American Wine School.
Jerry’s career began at New York City advertising agency J.
Walter Thompson, followed by five years in brand management with Bristol-Myers Squibb.
He then served as Marketing Director for Radio City Music Hall Productions, where he helped lead Radio City to record revenue and attendance levels.
Jerry then returned to his hometown of Cleveland to rejoin Bristol-Myers Squibb at Matrix Essentials (later acquired by L’Oreal), where he managed a $200 million business unit and created the new product development and promotional marketing departments.
Jerry holds an MBA from Columbia University and a BA in Economics and Psychology from the University of Michigan.