Jennifer Iannolo (ya-KNOW-low) is a global catalyst for women founders. She created Imperia Global to support and develop women founders on the bleeding edge, drawing expertise from her lifetime as an entrepreneur and digital pioneer. Whether coaching startups or speaking on stages at Harvard and the UN, Jennifer is committed to dismantling the invisible barriers that impede women in their quest for scale and sustainability. 

Imperia’s methodology of Self-Directed Empowerment™ has developed more than 10,000 women from  21 countries on 6 continents. Imperia is building a transformative space both digitally and physically where women founders, investors, and ecosystem partners from around the globe gather to catalyze long-term change. 

Jennifer is an expert judge for Pharrell’s Black*Ambition Prize, and was part of the inaugural cohort for Backstage Capital’s Investing as a Catalyst program. Her startup advisory clients include Grammy nominees, Forbes 30 Under 30 rising stars, Obama Foundation Fellows, and global pitch competition winners. She is also a mentor for the We Are Family Foundation created by Nile Rodgers.

In 2006 Jennifer co-created the world’s first food podcast channel, the Culinary Media Network™. In her food and wine career, she appeared in the documentary Eat. Cook. Love., along with media appearances on SIRIUS Radio and Bloomberg Businessweek. (Fun fact: She placed the Pixar team at The French Laundry to do the research for Ratatouille.) For her global entrepreneurship work, she has been featured in international press including Times of India. Jennifer is a graduate of the NYU Stern School of Business, and splits her time between NYC and the UK.