Jonathan is the founder and Managing Director of Amplifier Ventures (http://amplifierventures.com), a seed and early stage venture capital fund based in Mclean, VA. Since 2005 Amplifier has helped to start 14 new technology companies, including BrightHub, Cardstar, Hook Mobile and Zenoss. He is also the founder and President of FounderCorps (http://foundercorps.org) a Virginia not for profit that provides experienced mentors to partners throughout the Greater Washington Region, including George Mason University, George Washington University, University of Maryland, Social Matchbox, Startup XCR8R and others.

Jonathan also is very involved in intellectual property commercialization from universities and government labs. He is the Managing Director of the Mason Enterprise Initiative (http://mei.gmu.edu), an intellectual property commercialization process. Over the last two years he has assisted the Obama Administration in formulating policies to promote start up formation and is currently working with various regional and state organizations to create a more vibrant technology cluster in the Greater Washington Region.

Jonathan is also an educator, and he teaches subjects relating to family- and closely-held businesses, including corporate finance, business planning, organizational development and new venture creation. He is currently an Adjunct Professor at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. He is also a regular speaker on topics related to business formation and expansion for groups such as the National Academies of Science, the National Science Foundation, the Northern Virginia Technology Council and others. He is frequently interviewed and quoted on business topics by national and local news organizations, including the Deal, Potomac TechWire, the Washington Post, the Washington Business Journal, ThinkTalk Television and Left Jab Radio on Sirius/XM.

Prior to becoming a venture investor, Jonathan had a career in London and New York as an investment banker and law firm partner, working for international investment banks (Goldman Sachs, Donaldson Lufkin and Daiwa Securities) and national law firms specializing in technology law (Pillsbury, Fenwick & West and Fish and Richardson).

Jonathan holds a BA (with honors) in Political Science and Economics from George Washington University, where he was a Phi Beta Kappa. He received an MSc in International Economics with Distinction from the London School of Economics. He also holds two law degrees, an MA from Downing College, Cambridge University and an LLM from the New York University School of Law.