About Jen Baird

Photo by Leisa Thompson
  • Serial entrepreneur with two decades of experience founding and leading high potential startups as CEO
  • Venture and angel-backed
  • Speaker, panelist, and guest lecturer on startup best practices
  • Entrepreneurial ecosystem mentor and Advisory Council Member of Michigan Founders Fund
  • Occasional angel investor and VC limited partner
  • Follower of Jesus

In high school, I dreamed of leading companies as CEO. I laid the foundation with a University of Michigan degree focused on organizational psychology and leadership plus a Masters in Management in finance and corporate strategy from Northwestern’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management. Stints in commercial banking and operations improvement consulting broadened my experience base across industries, functions, and teams at various scales.

In 2001, I jumped into the world of high-potential startups. Now, as a venture and angel-backed CEO, I have raised over $75M and led the development of products in microelectromechanical systems, ultrasound transducers, life science tools instruments, utility-scale wind energy systems, and FDA-regulated medical device software. I have joined startups in progress and co-founded three from scratch. I have recruited hundreds of tremendous team members, investors, and stakeholders to contribute to the efforts. My outcomes have ranged from startups who achieved global sales and 10x revenue exits to the difficult decision to wind down and return capital to the investors and other points in-between. I may be a bit crazy because I do love to build something out of nothing to make a positive impact on the world so I do not know if I will ever stop building startups with exciting prospects. My latest new era is broadening my impact as Executive Chair of the Board of one startup, Strategic Advisor to another, and long-term non-profit Board member.

Along my journey, I learned from many fantastic people, difficult decisions, and unexpected situations. I have enjoyed opportunities to share my experiences as a speaker, panelist, and guest lecturer as well as mentor CEOs and others in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Now, as I reflect on my experiences, I would like to share some of what I have learned with others who might benefit from them in this blog.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenbaird