Jim Jonassen

Founder, JJ&A Venture Search

Jim founded Jim Jonassen & Assoc. Venture Search in late 2006. Prior to JJ&A, Jim built two executive search firms and two successful software companies. Jim founded software company Micro J Systems in ’87 where he still serves as Chairman, and he co-founded PeopleMover in ’97, merging it with Opus360 just prior to its IPO in 2000. Jim co-founded two other search firms, Palo Alto based Riviera Partners in ’01 and The Larkin Group in ’93. Working with then Los Angeles mayor Richard Riordan, Jim co-founded the Digital Coast Roundtable and launched LAwNMoweR – the Los Angeles New Media Roundtable in the mid ’90s. He was also a talent scout for America Online’s AOL Greenhouse incubator and venture fund. Accolades include being named the 1999 Software Entrepreneur of the Year by the Software Council of Southern California. In addition, he was named three-times to the “Top 25 People in High Technology” by the Los Angeles Business Journal. Jim is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Champaign/Urbana. He is a member of the Board of the Santa Monica Boy’s & Girl’s Club and has been a Big Brother since ’92.

Articles by Jim Jonassen

Startup Guide to AI Visibility: Be the Brand ChatGPT Recommends

Introduction Today, users aren’t just searching on Google. They’re asking ChatGPT, Claude, Google’s Gemini, Perplexity, and other AI systems for advice. AI visibility is the new frontier of brand awareness....

Practical Uses of AI & Automation for Startup Operations

In a recent Mucker Growth Series session, we invited Rock Vitale, Founder & CEO of Easie, to share how he’s helped early-stage teams move from manual, fragmented workflows to streamlined,...

2025 New York Tech Week Recap Of Mucker Sessions

Last week during New York Tech Week 2025, we joined more than 1,000 events hosted by founders, investors, and VCs. This post is a full Mucker recap of the three...

How to Build a Customer Support Function for Startups Using AI Tools with Alex Velinov

Delivering high-quality customer support can be one of the most resource-draining parts of a startup. The good news: we’re at a turning point where founders can use AI tools to...

Zero → 100: The Exact Steps We Took to Close Our First 100 Paying Customers

Going from zero customers to 100 in just four months sounds impossible—unless you’re a founder willing to roll up your sleeves and hustle relentlessly. I’m Gaurav Bhattacharya, co-founder of Jeeva.ai,...

Unblocking Startup Growth: Best Practices for Sales Discovery & Qualification with Richard Harris

Startups are in a constant race against time and resources, navigating complex sales environments with lean teams and limited margins for error. In a recent session from the Mucker Growth...