Jonathan Jackson

Where do entrepreneurs even begin when starting their own business? For Jonathan it starts with curiosity, confidence, patience and motivation. He believes that it is important to be honest with yourself about what you want to do and who you want to spend your time with. Listen to Jonathan’s advice about starting your own businesses, navigating discomfort, designing your life and building relationships. Also tune in to hear about where he plans to take his career since stepping away from Blavity Inc.

Watch Jonathan Jackson on the StartNow Show

Jonathan Jackson is a writer, speaker and entrepreneur focused on the intersection of community, culture and commerce. Jackson is the co-founder and former head of Blavity Inc, a media startup and digital community creating social content for Black millennials and Gen Z. At Blavity Inc, he helped lead the go-to-market strategy and industry penetration, helping the brand reach over 40 million viewers per month. Jackson has also worked at LinkedIn where he began his career in various roles in HR, advertising, and as an editor overseeing the Influencer Program. 

He holds a B.A. in political science from Washington University in St.Louis and was the 2019 Nieman-Berman Klein Fellow at Harvard University. At the Nieman Foundation for Journalism, his work was centered around the emergence of Black media in the digital age. Post-fellowship, Jackson was the editor-in-chief at Red Table Talk, hosted by Jada Pinkett Smith and Willow Smith. As editor-in-chief, he oversaw content for the award-winning show to help expand its reach and audience. As a speaker, Jackson has lectured at Harvard Business School, The United Nations and many Fortune 500 companies. He sits on the advisory boards of Nielsen and sparks & honey and is an active board member at HBCU.VC.