Jory Des Jardins
Entrepreneur | Investor | Advisor | Operator
Partnerships | BD | Marketing | GTM Strategy
Digital Platforms | Emerging Tech | Marketplaces
About Me
Jory Des Jardins has invested over 20 years into launching, building, and scaling disruptive media and emerging tech companies.
Digital Media and Marketing Pioneer, Creator and Influencer Platforms
President and Co-Founder, BlogHer,
Jory pioneered social marketing as Co-Founder and President of BlogHer, a media marketplace representing thousands of digital influencers and creators. She was the primary evangelist of social influence to agencies and brands and grew strategic partnerships with top advertisers and revenue partners. She led the operational transition into the more data-driven, performance-based campaign model that underpins today’s playbook for influencer marketing.
Brand Storyteller
Head of Global Startup Marketing, AWS
Led Global Startup Marketing teams, including content, live and digital programming, product messaging, events, co-working spaces, and digital marketing functions for growing, multi-billion-dollar business unit.
Mainstreamer of Emerging Tech
Global Head of Community, ConsenSys
Scaled a global marketing function designed to support an Ethereum-backed ecosystem of enterprises, startups, and developers adopting blockchain.
Growth Advisor, Champion of Underrepresented Founders
Angel Investor, Startup Advisor, VC-in-Residence with W Fund
As an investor Jory is passionate about making capital funding and business building resources available to talented, underrepresented founders. She has advised dozens of startups, currently The @ Company, a privacy protocol that enables consumers to own and control their own data. As VC in Residence at the W Fund. she focuses on “Democratizing Tech” that makes marketplaces, tech services, and business opportunities available to underserved communities.
She has advised scaling startups in digital media, consumer marketplaces, eCommerce, Blockchain/token-based economies, and AR/VR/MR. Among the companies she has formally advised are PracticalXR, AIKON (cross-chain cryptowallet), Lifescape, and the women entrepreneurs' network SheWorx.
Writer | Speaker | Presenter
Emerging tech | Consumer platforms | Digital communities | Blockchain | Data Privacy | Entrepreneurism | Equality in VC, Funding, and Tech
As the strategic partner lead for BlogHer, Jory presented digital best practices to Fortune 500 companies and digital/media agency leadership. Today she speaks on Emerging technologies including Blockchain, Token Economies, Creator Ecosystems, Data Privacy, and Tech Culture.
Jory served on the Board of Directors of the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB), the standard-bearing association serving the world's top digital publishers. Jory was named a Top Voice in Media by LinkedIn. She has spoken at Marketing, Tech, and Startup events such as Brand Innovators, ad:tech, SES, Marketing to Moms, IAB, ANA, WOMMA, EWIP, EBWIB, CIMA, Women's Startup Lab, AWS Lofts and BlogHer.
A former book and magazine editor and blogger, she writes two biweekly newsletters: This Woman’s Work, which explores tech trends and culture, and PAUSE, personal essays on tech, marketing, fairness, and hormones.
Digital Geekery
My latest on Digital Media, VR/AR, and Digital InfluenceEntrepreneurism
My comments & posts on fundraising, scaling, and running startups while female
Speaking
Upcoming and recent events
SXSW Interactive, March 12, 2018
For founders of mid to later stage startups.
Comcast NBCU Millennial TECH & CHANGE Summit
November 30, 2017, San Francisco, CA
Discussing the state of women in tech and startups, with startup ecosystem builders.
"Founder, or Female Founder?" A discussion on starting companies while female.
September 28, 2017, Pittsburgh, PA
Innovations in media and addressing the fake news phenomenon, a panel moderated by John Battelle.
July 18, 2017, San Francisco, CA
Panel with filmmakers Tiffany Slain (50/50 Day) and Sara Dosa (An Inconvenient Truth Sequel)
ANA Digital and Social Media Conference
July 13, 2017, San Diego, CA
State of New New Media
Watermark Innovation Summit
April 28, 2017, Santa Clara, CA
Joining panelists from FireEye, BART, and Oracle in a discussion on integrating innovation in a scaled organization.
Exceptional Women in Publishing (EWIP)
March 30, 2017, Berkeley, CA
The Art & Science of Making Money
SXSW Movers & Shakers Summit
March 11, 2017, Austin TX
A chat with fellow entrepreneur Jan Ryan about female entrepreneurism
Chase Jarvis | CreativeLive Webcast
February 24, 2017, Seattle, WA
Guest speaker on female entrepreneurship. Part of Microsoft's Entrepreneurship Week programming
November 2, 2016; New York, NY
A conference for women-led and founded startups, brought to you by Virago.
Draper University
October 26, 2016, San Francisco, CA
Women in Tech Panel
August 4-6, 2016, Los Angeles
Event Advisory Board, and Q&A lunch session with Lucy McBath of Mothers of the Movement.
True University, True Ventures
June 13, 2016, Berkeley, CA
Presented on scaling a startup sales organization.
Brand Innovators, Marketing to Women
June 7, 2016, New York, NY
Addressing the myths behind digital influencer marketing.
Commonwealth Club, InForum
May 26, 2016, San Franciscso, CA
In conversation with Jessica Herrin, Founder and CEO of Stella & Dot
Brand Innovators, Programmatic Summit
May 4, 2016, New York, NY
State of the Programmatic industry.
Social Feed
Check out my latest updates!
Speaking
Past Events
Women's Startup Lab
Discussion with early stage founders on how to get to the Series A Round of funding.
The Halo Effect of Innovation
Addressing the past, present and future of influencer marketing and innovations in tech that affect media: SMS/Bot, AI, VR/AR/MR, and Blockchain.
The Virtual Unknown
Interviewing VR Scout's Ryan Bell, in a VR-based live show.
Commonwealth Club INFORUM
SF's Power Women of Eventbrite, ModCloth & One Kings Lane (5/29/14)
Chicago Tonight
Promoting BlogHer and the BlogHer Conference, and sharing some data on the outsize influence of women online.
BlogHer'14 Interview with The Bloggess
One of my favorite main stage interviews with one of my favorite bloggers. (Hint: I'm not the funny one).
BlogHer Makers & Creators Panel
Another one of my favorite panels to moderate, featuring Majora Carter, Lisa Donovan of Maker Studios, Brit Morin of Brit + Co., and Randi Zuckerberg of Zuckerberg Media.
© 2015