Jackie Mejia

As the Venture Center Investment Program Manager, Jackie leads the Discovery Capital investment program, overseeing the pipeline of investment opportunities, company preparation, due diligence, and the investment decision process. Additionally, she works on the DiscoveryMN Angel Program and manages Investor Relations aimed at connecting UMN startups with investors. Jackie collaborates with the Tech Comm team, the Office of Investment and Banking, and external advisory groups to drive innovation and support the growth of UMN research-based startups.

Jackie is an accomplished investment professional with over 8 years of experience in venture capital, life sciences commercialization, and startup development. She brings a unique blend of scientific expertise and entrepreneurial leadership to her role, having supported the growth of early-stage companies across diverse sectors, with a focus on medical and life sciences technologies. Jackie’s career includes leadership roles at gener8tor, where she cultivated relationships with hundreds of mentors and investors, facilitated thousands of startup-investor connections, and led investment accelerators in industries ranging from life sciences and healthcare to insurance and wealth management. Her efforts have consistently driven innovation, helping founders refine business models, secure funding, navigate complex commercialization timelines, and achieve market readiness.

With a Ph.D. in Environmental Chemistry and Technology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a B.S. in Chemistry from Temple University, Jackie combines her technical acumen with hands-on operational expertise. She has co-founded a biotechnology startup, led accelerator programs, and taught as an adjunct professor, demonstrating her ability and commitment to inspire and lead in academic, corporate, and entrepreneurial settings.

Jackie is passionate about fostering ecosystems that bridge cutting-edge research with commercial success. Her work continues to advance innovation across multiple disciplines, positioning startups for sustained impact and growth.