Hardik Desai is Managing General Partner for JumpStart Ventures and leads all aspects of its investment funds. Hardik has more than 20 years of professional experience, including the last 15 years working in the venture capital industry as a founder and an investor. Since joining JumpStart Ventures in 2012, Hardik has actively participated in 100+ investments and served on dozens of portfolio company boards. Before joining JumpStart Ventures, Hardik founded IR Diagnostyx in Columbus, Ohio, a diagnostic test company. Previously, Hardik was a Business Analyst for Tech Columbus, now called Rev1 Ventures; he also worked extensively in India and the UK as an engineer and analyst in the telecom field. Hardik received his Bachelor of Electronics Engineering from Gujarat University in India, and an MBA from the Ohio State University. 

Hardik has received several honors, including Crain's 40 Under 40, Crain's Notable Immigrants and Northeast Ohio Smart50.