Jason Blumberg runs both Energy Foundry as a venture capital investor and ISEIF as executive director, where he focuses on inclusive energy transition programs for seniors, low-income communities, and STEM access. He teaches future MBA and PhD leaders at the University of Chicago how to scale sustainable technologies and emphasizes that energy startups should get paying customers even in pre-commercial stages rather than waiting for full product development.

• Focused on transformational climate and sustainability technologies that fundamentally rebuild how the world operates. He looks for innovations that drastically reduce carbon emissions and resource usage, such as a portfolio company working on DNA data storage that offers massive density with zero power consumption.
• Committed to hard science and deep technology solutions that solve physical-world problems rather than simple software applications. His interest lies in tangible industrial advancements, evidenced by his enthusiasm for energy-dense lithium-ion batteries, advanced building materials, and long-duration energy storage systems.
• Values the bridge between academic research and commercial viability. He frequently references his experience teaching commercialization strategies to MBA and PhD students and highlights startups that successfully spin out of university labs or partner with national research facilities like NREL and Oak Ridge.
• Active champion of portfolio companies, publicly celebrating their specific growth milestones to his network. He regularly posts congratulations for significant achievements, such as a cybersecurity firm in his portfolio being acquired or a clean energy startup securing tens of millions in fresh funding.