Ashley Jennings is the managing director of the Texas Innovation Center, a University of Texas at Austin venture studio that helps researchers across campus navigate the process of translating their work into companies for the global market. She currently helps run a technology commercialization portfolio of 35+ deep tech startups spanning 10 industries, including alternative energy, advanced materials, biotech, CPG, data analytics, AI/ML, agribusiness, healthcare, robotics and SaaS. Combined, these companies have raised $164M+.
Prior to academia, Jennings helped co-found Texas’ first diversity-focused technology accelerator, which has since created 75 companies and 500+ jobs for the state. As a 2X entrepreneur, she also co-owned a video production agency, championing content for clients of all sizes, from local startups to Fortune 100 companies. Jennings started her career in network news, where she was a trained field producer based out of New York, working for ABC News and Al Jazeera America. Her time in news earned her five Emmy nominations along with a Peabody Award and two Edward R. Murrow Awards.
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