Jacques Chirazi

Jacques Chirazi is currently an advisor at Helicoid Industries. Prior to this, they worked at UC San Diego's Office of Innovation and Commercialization from November 2014 to March 2020, where they served as innovation & commercialization manager. In this role, they advised The Biomimicry Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to helping people create nature-inspired solutions, on the overall development of the Biomimicry Global Design Challenge (BGDC), Launchpad program and Ray of Hope Prize. Jacques also designed and launched the Biomimicry Launchpad and Ray of Hope Prize, an accelerator program designed to help early-stage entrepreneurs bring nature-inspired solutions to market.

Chirazi has also worked at Werewoll and Aruga Technologies in the past. At The Biomimicry Institute, they co-developed the Launchpad Stage 1-Technology and Market Validation and Stage 2-Proof of Concept programs. Jacques also created and facilitated business training programs and expeditions tailored for Biomimicry Launchpad participants, solicited sponsorship and in‐kind services from strategic partners, developed final review criteria for finalist pitch events, and advised teams in preparing final presentations for pitch events. Additionally, they created mentoring and MBA advisory program materials to facilitate mentor-matching, developed and pitched partnership proposals to corporate, academic institutions and foundations, and helped organize the Ray of Hope Prize judging events and technology showcases.

Jacques Chirazi has a Master's Degree in Biomimicry from Arizona State University, and is a Certified Biomimicry Professional. Jacques also has a Master's Degree in International Relations & Pacific Studies - International Environmental Policy from UC San Diego, and a Bachelor's Degree in Marketing from San Diego State University. Jacques is also certified by +Acumen in Design Kit: The Course for Human Centered Design, and by the Association of Energy Engineers as a Certified Energy Manager.