Jernstrom Signs on for Second Year as Entrepreneur-in-Residence

Katherine Jernstrom is joining the University of Alaska Center for Economic Development (UA CED) for her second year as the Entrepreneur-in-Residence. In this role, Jernstrom applies her years of experience as an entrepreneur and investor to entrepreneur development programming, coaching and mentoring, and broader entrepreneurial ecosystem building. 

During her first year as Entrepreneur in Residence, Jernstrom co-created and delivered curriculum for the Upstart Alpha Startup Accelerator, a program managed by UA CED focusing on earlystage entrepreneurs; helped provide recommendations for supporting entrepreneurs through the COVID-19 pandemic and coached and mentored entrepreneurs across the state.

In 2013 Jernstrom co-founded The Boardroom, a co-working space and entrepreneur hub in Anchorage, Alaska. Shortly afterwards she joined Alyeska Venture Management (AVM) as managing partner, a firm focused on building, funding, and supporting local startups. In late 2015, she co-founded Launch Alaska, a program that invests in and supports early-stage companies where she mainly served in a strategic capacity and as fund manager. 

Jernstrom grew up internationally, has a bachelor’s from the University of Washington, an MPA from UAA, and is a graduate of Leadership Anchorage, a Pew Charitable Trusts program. She serves on both private and charitable boards including Spawn Ideas, Heather’s Choice, and the Anchorage Downtown Partnership. She is a member of the Alaska Investor Network and is a Rotarian. At age 30, Katherine was named Top Forty Under 40 by the Alaska Journal of Commerce.