Jennifer (Jenn/Jenny) Hartt is a consultant and advisor specializing in early-stage venture capital and utilizing human-centered design thinking in innovation. She retired as Managing Director of the Healthcare Investment Group at Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern PA, where she led all life sciences investments, closing more than $60 million in seed investments across therapeutic, medical device, diagnostic, and digital health companies. Jenn now consults for Ben Franklin and has served on several investment committees, including the Global Opportunity Philadelphia Fund I, currently the Hatch BioFund, and the BioInnovation Fund in New Orleans.

Jenn is also a board director at Mitochon Pharmaceuticals and is board observer on three other start-ups currently. With undergraduate (2001) and graduate degrees (2006) in biology from the University of Pennsylvania and 10 years of clinical experience including in clinical trials, Jenn blends scientific and medical insight with extensive tech transfer, venture capital and governance experience to help life sciences and healthcare innovators. She enjoys continuing to mentor, such as for Wharton’s Innovation Lab course.

Jenn is a champion of what visual arts or music can do for us, including as innovators. Art and illustration, even if in the mind’s eye, can drive understanding, great conversation and problem solving. Listening and observation are critical tools in Design Thinking for human-centered design. She is an advocate of life-long learning for continuing education and has continued to take courses, including for credit, at Stanford and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and is completing (expected May 2026) a 2.5 year certificate of art program in Painting Studies, at Rhode Island School of Design.