Jarrod Barnes

Head of Ecosystem & Founder Success

2023 - Current

Passionate about empowering developers and building open source AI. At NEAR, I lead the Founder Success team, driving developer growth and supporting the creation of impactful projects on NEAR. The NEAR Foundation is the non-profit organization behind the NEAR blockchain, responsible for the development and maintenance of the NEAR Protocol and its associated ecosystem.

Clinical Assistant Professor

2022 - 2023

Courses Taught: Entrepreneurial Thinking, Entrepreneurship Incubator, The Business of esports, Crypto-Native Bootcamp, The Science of Fandom.

Adjunct Professor

2021 - 2022

Co-Founder

2020 - 2022

Compass was a mental health platform that provided tokenized rewards for improving mental fitness. Our mission is to was create a zero-barrier to entry point for quality mental healthcare. We built an “engage-to-earn” blockchain based platform that nudges users towards practicing daily mental health routine and provided tokens as rewards. Tokens were used to access therapy services from our provider network. Ultimately, we wound down the company due to market conditions and challenges with building sustainable tokenomics. If you're a current founder and want to chat about lessons learned, fundraising advice, hiring, or user acquisition, please reach out and I’d be happy to chat.

Investor, Early-Stage Investments

2021 - 2022

Emerson Collective deploys a wide range of tools—from impact investing to philanthropy to advocacy—in pursuit of a more equal and just America. We focus on creating systemic change in education, immigration, climate, and cancer research and treatment.

Investment Partner

2020 - 2021

Dorm Room Fund is a $10 million venture capital firm focused on investments in student-run startups alongside firms like a16z, Sequoia, GV, Floodgate, YC, etc.

Venture Analyst

2020 - 2021

Unshackled Ventures is the first and only early-stage venture capital fund focused on retaining foreign talent in the U.S. By investing in immigrants and helping them to secure visas, the firm has tapped into undiscovered super-talent in helping foreign-born founders turn their innovative ideas into the next great American company.

Player Marketing Manager

2019 - 2021

Collaborated at the intersections of media, marketing, and sponsorship to integrate Rams players into existing and emerging campaigns and activations.

Strategic Advisor

2019 - 2020

Founder & CEO

2016 - 2019

Prime U is a learning and development platform for sport organizations. We assess learning analytics and design research-backed programs to improve information retention, skill attainment, and athletic performance.

Contributing Writer

2018 - 2019

Contributed weekly articles for sports business professionals around the topics of management, leadership, and career development.

Business Development Manager

2018 - 2019

Rise Sports Advisors develops and manages legacy-building strategies, elevating professional athletes into world class entrepreneurs.