Join   Log In
  • Startup Jobs
  • Recruit
  • Discover
  • Blog
    Jennifer Turliuk

    Jennifer Turliuk (She/Her)

    Jennifer Turliuk is an exited entrepreneur, technologist, angel investor, speaker and author. MIT Sloan Fellows MBA.

    Entrepreneur Cambridge Massachusetts Institu...
    There was a problem loading your content.
     
    Experience
    MakerKids
    MakerKids
    CEO 2015 - 2023 (over 8 years)
    • Pioneered the first makerspace for kids in the world, grew the startup into a VC-backed edtech company offering virtual classes on coding and robotics/hardware that built... more social-emotional skills and encouraged using technology to impact areas such as climate.
    • Earned recognition from major media outlets, secured clients such as Twitter and Microsoft, established partnerships with brands such as Intel and Mozilla, bootstrapped to revenue self-sufficiency, raised venture capital from investors, and exited through acquisition.
    • Oversaw strategy, marketing, sales, HR, finance, and operations, leading teams of professionals and improving team efficiency
    • Managed product development of a new software, worked with a team of engineers & designers to achieve 500% increase in leads.
    Co-President 2014 - 2015 (about 1 year)
    Co-Executive Director 2013 - 2014 (7 months)
    Makerspace Coordinator 2013 (4 months)
    Angel Investor
    Angel Investor
    Angel Investor 2020 - Present (over 6 years)
    • Made 20+ investments through SPVs, funds and direct investing. Saw 2 portfolio companies achieve acquisition within 3 years.
    • Invested alongside VC firms like Founders... more Fund, 8VC, Softbank, SV Angel and others through Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs).
    • Scout for syndicates and funds, including SHL Capital, which invested in Notion, Figma, Hellosign, and Republic, is run by Sahil Lavingia (founder of Gumroad and employee #2 at Pinterest), and has LPs including Naval Ravikant, Marc Andreessen and more.

    If you're interested in discussing potential investment opportunities, advisor positions or board positions, I would love to connect. Skills: product development, product management, strategy, marketing and PR, software engineering, edtech, AI. Interest areas: climate tech, AI, post-revenue companies making a positive impact in the world with technology.

    Please don't hesitate to reach out directly, as I'm always happy to connect. No warm intros required!

    I invest in startups with small amounts starting at $1K. There is a well-explained rationale behind this approach, which you can read more about here: https://twitter.com/dunkhippo33/status/1397953351514349570. In addition, I serve as a scout for multiple investment syndicates/funds. If you're seeking a larger investment and your opportunity aligns with any of the syndicates/funds I'm associated with, I'd be glad to introduce you.
    Various
    Various
    Public Speaker 2011 - Present (almost 16 years)
    • Accepted representation from National Speakers’ Bureau.
    • Spoke about AI for climate and energy solutions at Davos, COP29, ARPA-E Summit, Planet Action / TEDxBoston,... more New York Climate Week, MIT's Climate and Energy Ventures class, MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative, the Yale Initiative on Sustainable Finance symposium, MIT Office of Sustainability, MIT Energy and Climate Club, and for Tsinghua’s xLab visit to MIT and the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship. Also delivered talks for Climate Change AI, Climate Capital, Terra.do's Climate Career Week, and more.
    • Had keynote speaking engagements at MakerCon Europe, Humber Convocation, Globe & Mail Generative AI event, etc. Addressed audiences of TEDx, Smith School of Business, York University, Stanford, Concordia University, Maker Faire, MakerCon, SXSW, etc. Topics: climate, AI, energy, venture investing, entrepreneurship, education, career, etc.
    Author 2000 - Present (almost 27 years)
    • Published author. Self-published books, gained representation from a literary agent, and secured a deal with a major publisher (Dundurn Press).
    • Forbes contributor.... more Published articles in Forbes, MAKE Magazine, and Venturebeat, among others, with one Forbes article receiving 1M+ views and featuring in Forbes’ Most Read and Top Trending Stories, LinkedIn Today, and New York newspapers. Forbes contributor.
    • Wrote a 10-minute play, a full-length musical, a virtual mini-musical, and a comedy show that were featured in the InspiraTO Festival, the Toronto Fringe Festival, the Adelaide Fringe Festival, and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
    DJ Turly
    DJ Turly
    DJ 2007 - 2012 (about 5 years)
    • DJ for events, clubs and clients including Red Bull and Moosehead
    • Hosted a radio show that featured major artists such as Serena Ryder.
    Procter & Gamble
    Procter & Gamble
    Assistant Brand Manager 2010 - 2011 (8 months)
    • Led commercial efforts for P&G's largest brand, Tide, and increased household penetration by 1.7 points after 10 years of decline.
    • Led a diverse, multi-functional... more team and agencies to drive growth.
    • Developed and executed business models and marketing strategies with a $10M budget.
    • Led the biggest launch in 27 years for P&G Canada, delivering over 80% market share in the unit dose segment and exceeding US results by double digits.
    • Spearheaded the digital strategy for all Fabric Care brands, resulting in 246% increase in Tide CA Facebook fans.
    • Selected by senior leadership to lead a task force aimed at enhancing creativity in the organization.
    Shopper Marketing 2008 (3 months)
    • Developed and executed marketing plans for P&G products at Loblaws (Canada’s biggest retailer), including Tide mailer (sent to 6.5K households) and Iams “Home for the... more Holidays” pet adoption drive ($80K budget)
    • Created tool to measure ROI of shopper marketing programs for P&G retail partners
    Queen's University
    Queen's University
    Special Projects Assistant 2007 - 2009 (over 1 year)
    • Developed social media strategies and created a video contest that was successfully repeated by Grad Studies.
    • Contributed to the creation of a Marketing Process document... more to improve client understanding and engagement.
    Marketing Assistant 2007 (4 months)
    • Acted as a project manager for the university's in-house advertising agency. Assisted in producing marketing material by acting as a liaison between designers and on-campus... more departments.
    • Contributed to the success of projects through managing tasks such as copywriting, editing, design, desktop publishing, photoshoots, and research.
    Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship
    Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship
    Practice Leader, Climate and Energy AI 2024 - Present (over 2 years)
    • Build, research and instruct AI for climate and energy solutions. Driving the integration of artificial intelligence technologies in the climate tech sector, fostering innovative... more startups, and providing strategic leadership within MIT’s entrepreneurial ecosystem
    • Developed a suite of AI tools to support climate tech innovation and entrepreneurship in collaboration with MIT professors and the MIT Climate Policy Center, for usage in MIT's Climate and Energy Ventures class (60+ spinout companies, $5B+ raised) and beyond. Built chatbots for MIT's En-ROADS climate policy simulation tool.
    • Led and instructed MIT IAP 2025 course: AI for Energy Solutions (supported by MIT Energy Initiative and Sloan Sustainability Initiative). Over 1K applicants.
    • Delivered talks about AI for climate solutions at Davos, COP29, Planet Action / TEDxBoston, New York Climate Week, MIT's Climate and Energy Ventures class, MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative, the Yale Initiative on Sustainable Finance symposium, MIT Office of Sustainability, MIT Energy and Climate Club, and Tsinghua’s xLab visit to MIT and the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship
    • Worked with the US Department of Energy (DOE) to develop a simulation game about climate entrepreneurship and AI. Piloted it at ARPA-E Summit.
    Climate Angels
    Climate Angels
    Partner & Co-Instructor 2023 - 2024 (7 months)
    Led and co-instructed an educational program on climate tech angel investing, with team members, instructors, speakers and mentors from Climate Capital, Lowercarbon Capital,... more MCJ Collective, Planeteer Capital, CTVC, Earthshot, Climactic, Voyager, 500 Startups, Terra.do, Gaingels, Elemental Excelerator, and more: https://climateangels.vc.

    Climate Angels is a pioneering platform crafted to empower and guide individuals on the transformative journey of climate tech investing. With a focus on actionable learning, exceptional deal flow, and building a robust community, Climate Angels, in collaboration with Climate Capital, presents a structured program, imparting strategies, insights, and experiential knowledge to aspiring angel investors. Participants are armed with the critical skills and strategies essential for thriving in the dynamic landscape of climate tech investment, enabling them to drive impactful, positive change in combating climate change while fostering financially rewarding investments. With a foundation built on the synergy of experience, successful climate tech investments, and a passion for addressing the climate crisis, Climate Angels aims to empower the climate tech investing leaders of tomorrow.
    Climate Capital
    Climate Capital
    Partner 2023 - 2024 (8 months)
    Partner, Climate Capital Syndicate - one of the original and most active climate tech funders in the world, with over 350+ investments including breakouts like Mosaic, Span... more and Remora; exits including Amply and Blueprint Power; co-investments with YCombinator, Lowercarbon Capital, Khosla Ventures and others; and a network of 3K+ climate funders, founders, etc. If CC invests, founders can become part of the Slack network of 350+ founders, some of which could be potential customers, suppliers, collaborators, etc. CC is very connected with investors and can provide a lot of value through intros to potential investors and potentially customers, as well as through portfolio support.

    I sourced, performed due diligence on, and led investments.
    Founder
     
    Employee
    Procter & Gamble, Climate Capital, Climate Angels, Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship, Queen's University, DJ Turly, Various, Angel Investor, MakerKids
    Investor
     
    Incubator
     
    Advisor
     
    Attorney
     
    Board Member
     
    Mentor
     
    Member
     
    Acquired
     
     
    Education
     
    About
    Achievements

    Jennifer Turliuk is a technologist, keynote speaker, published author, climate tech investor and entrepreneur. She is Practice Leader, Climate and Energy AI at the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship and an MIT Sloan Fellow; she builds, researches and instructs AI for climate and energy solutions. She has delivered talks on AI for climate and energy solutions at Davos, COP29, ARPA-E Summit, TEDxBoston, New York Climate Week, MIT, Yale, Climate Change AI and Terra.do. Recently, she was Partner of Climate Capital Syndicate (one of the most active funders of climate tech startups), and Partner and Co-Instructor of Climate Angels (an educational program about climate tech angel investing). Previously, she co-founded an education company, bootstrapped to self-sufficiency, raised VC funding, and exited through acquisition. Her work has been featured in The New York Times and she has written for Forbes. She has been a board member, consultant, and mentor for entrepreneurs.

    Describe the most impressive thing you've done.
    Skills
    Coaching Start up Advertising Business Development Consulting HR Human Resources Leadership Management Marketing Management Process Management Programming Project Management Project Manager Publications Publishing Sales Social Media Entrepreneurship Marketing Strategy Marketing Digital Marketing Sales and Marketing Business Strategy Digital Strategy Public Speaking Education Public Relations Python React.js Next.Js Artificial Intelligence Venture Capital Angel Investing Software Product Development Product Management Software Development
    Locations
    Toronto Waterloo Hamilton Ontario Canada San Francisco San Francisco Bay Area New York New York City Boston London Japan Tokyo United States
     
    Q&A
    What's the most useful business-related book you've ever read?

    Blitzscaling

    If money were not an issue, what would you be doing right now?

    Entrepreneurship, angel investing, and writing and producing musicals

    What's the most creative thing you've ever done?

    Writing my book

    What's the best way for people to get in touch with you?

    jenn.turliuk at gmail dot com

    Help · Blog · Twitter · Terms · Privacy Policy & Cookies · Unsubscribe · Cookie Preferences · Press · Profile not verified