A leader in creating lasting venture systems nationally, Jeff Amerine is the managing director of Startup Junkie Consulting, Cadron Capital Partners and Tonic, a complementary parallel company that provides capital for startups. To these, he brings the experience of having held senior leadership positions in nine startups, three Fortune 500 companies and having made more than 80 angel investments into new ventures and small businesses.
In particular, Amerine is recognized for his expertise in lean startup methodology, customer development processes and for a shrewd eye for opportunity. He once credited Startup Junkie’s success to the ability to see deals “everyone else flies over.”
Prior to Startup Junkie, Amerine served as associate vice provost, Research and Economic Development, and director of Technology Ventures at the University of Arkansas. His work at the university canvassed every aspect of the commercialization of life science, biotech, medical devices, healthcare information technology and other areas of scientific and technical innovation.
Based in Fayetteville, Amerine is an adjunct professor and teaches entrepreneurship at the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the U of A. He’s served as an adviser to Innovate Arkansas, an initiative operated by Winrock International for the Arkansas Economic Development Commission that grows and sustains knowledge-based companies in Arkansas.
He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1984, served six years in the United States Air Force and holds a Master of Science in Operations Management from the University of Arkansas.
READ MORE: Full List of 2020 Arkansas Influencers