Len Jessup is an entrepreneurial leader, venture capitalist, author, and former university president whose career has been dedicated to helping people, startups, and communities create more opportunity and impact.

He is the Managing Partner of Desert Forge Ventures, an early-stage venture capital fund investing in innovative companies across artificial intelligence, healthcare, advanced technologies, and other high-growth sectors. He also serves as a Fellow at the Lincy Institute at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he focuses on entrepreneurship, innovation, and economic development initiatives designed to strengthen Southern Nevada’s startup ecosystem.

Before entering venture capital, Jessup served as president of both Claremont Graduate University and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and as dean of the business schools at the University of Arizona and Washington State University. During his leadership tenure, he championed innovation, entrepreneurship, research growth, and public-private partnerships, helping institutions expand their impact while strengthening connections between education, industry, and community.

At UNLV, he played a key role in advancing the university’s research and commercialization capabilities, contributing to its rise as a Carnegie R1 research institution. He also championed initiatives that helped lay the foundation for today’s thriving Southern Nevada innovation ecosystem, including Black Fire Innovation and related startup development efforts.

Born into a family of Italian immigrant entrepreneurs, Jessup inherited a passion for business, hard work, and community building. He earned a Ph.D. in Management and Organizational Behavior, with a minor in Management Information Systems, from the University of Arizona, along with an MBA and bachelor’s degree from California State University, Chico. As the first member of his family to graduate from college, he remains deeply committed to creating pathways for others to learn, grow, and succeed.

Jessup is the author of the Amazon bestselling book Self Less: Lessons Learned from a Life Devoted to Servant Leadership, in Five Acts, as well as Create More: Lessons Learned from a Life at the Edge of Entrepreneurship, in Five Acts. Together, these works reflect his belief that leadership is ultimately about serving others, creating value, and helping people reach their full potential.

Throughout his career, as professor, dean, university president, entrepreneur, investor, board member, and author, Jessup has remained guided by a simple philosophy: Learn. Earn. Return. His work continues to focus on helping founders, leaders, and communities build a more innovative, prosperous, and opportunity-rich future.