Jennifer Tegan

Jennifer Tegan has been the Managing Director of Empire State Development’s New York Ventures since April 2020. In that role, Tegan oversees and leads the activities of the NYS Innovation Venture Capital Fund (New York’s $100M venture investment fund) as well as the Technology Commercialization Fund, Innovate NY Fund and Minority-and Women-Owned Business Investment Fund, fund of funds programs. She has also led the effort to create additional sources of capital for the innovation community through the recently launched Pre Seed and Seed Fund as well as the Emerging and Regional Manager Fund. New York Ventures invests in diverse entrepreneurs and high growth companies with a goal of building and maintaining a robust startup ecosystem across New York State. Prior to joining Empire State Development, Tegan spent 18 years as a partner with Cayuga Venture Fund (CVF), a venture capital fund based in Ithaca, NY that invested over $70 million in technology startups. As an innovation ecosystem champion, Tegan served on the board of the National Venture Capital Association from 2017-2022 and has regularly met with leaders on Capitol Hill to advocate for greater access to capital across all regions of the US. She also serves on the boards of Tompkins Financial Corporation (NYSE: TMP) and its affiliated bank, Tompkins Trust Company, as well as the Upstate Capital Association of New York, a membership-based association focused on increasing access to capital in the Upstate NY region. Tegan received her BA from Smith College, MS in Geology from University of Cincinnati, and her MBA from Cornell University and currently resides in Ithaca, NY.