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Jim Cooper

Innovation Ecosystems Builder | Commercialization | Startup & Accelerator Programs | Climate | Advisor: Emerging Early-Stage Applied Science Startups | i-Corps | SBIR | Synbio | Future | Reimagining Australian Innovation

Greater Sydney Area · 1 connection

Unfinished Ventures

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About

Shuttling between Sydney and Southern California, Jim Cooper is currently Co-Director of Unfinished Ventures, an integrated venture advisory organisation designed to improve how early-stage ventures are formed, scaled, and commercialised, and operates as a curated partnership of advisors and operators, combining advisory with distributed expertise under a unified thesis and operating model. Much of his experience is in innovation services, and vertically integrating venture advisory, operating at the intersection of climate, deeptech and primary industries. He has extensive experience with startups, having built and run accelerators since 2010, and has instructed and mentored i-Corps, Canadian Lab2Market, and university innovation teams for more than two decades. Jim currently sits on the Strategic Planning Council and Faculty Consensus Committee for the California State University CSU Biotech industry group, is a Principal Advisor for teams in LARTA Institute's NOAA, USDA and DoE SBIR Commercialization Programs, is a mentor for teams in the Beanstalk Program (Australian government's Drought Fund initiative and venture studio), and at the University of New South Wales Founders. Pri

Experience

Co Managing DirectorUnfinished Ventures
Mar 2026
Senior Board Advisor for CommercialisationSoftware Australia IA
Mar 2026
Advisory Committee MemberHouser Labs
Mar 2026
External Industry Advisor to Strategy Planning CouncilCSU Biotechnology Program Basic company page — company details not listed yet
Dec 2023
Student Industry Mentor and Advisor Lean Start-up PanelistCSU Biotechnology Program Basic company page — company details not listed yet
Jan 2014
Blue Economy Commercialization Advisor, and Startup Team Mentor-at-LargeStartBlue Ocean Enterprise Accelerator
Sep 2025
Principal AdvisorLarta Institute
Jan 2010
I-Corps Teaching teamUC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering
May 2024
i-Corps InstructorUniversity of California, Santa Cruz
Sep 2025
Selection Committee MemberUniversity of California, Santa Cruz
Feb 2024
Mentor, Validate ProgramLab2Market
Sep 2025
Industry Mentor L2M OceansLab2Market
Nov 2020
Chapter AdvisorNucleate Australia
Apr 2024
Startup MentorUNSW Founders
Nov 2024
UCSD Teaching Team RepresentativeNSF I-Corps Hub: Desert and Pacific Region
Mar 2024
MentoringBeanstalk AgTech
Jan 2025
MentorNucleate Los Angeles
Sep 2022
Head Australian Football CoachOrange County Giants Australian Rules Football Club
Jan 2025
Board Director at-LargeOrange County Giants Australian Rules Football Club
Feb 2024 to Jan 2025
Part-time AdvisorBlue Carbon
Feb 2024
AdvisorBean
Feb 2025
Startup MentorBrinc
Jan 2024
MentorNucleate San Diego
Jan 2023
Entrepreneurship AmbassadorCSUF Startup Incubator
May 2017
Chief Executive OfficerBlue-X Basic company page — company details not listed yet
Mar 2024 to Jun 2025
AdvisorSaku Biosciences
May 2024 to Oct 2024
Co Founder Chief Science OfficerBraid Theory
Jun 2016 to Mar 2024
Teacher K-12 (Occasional Substitute)El Monte City School District
Feb 2012 to Jan 2023
AdvisorSmartSpace AI
Jul 2020 to Sep 2021
Senior Consultant3COTECH, Inc.
Apr 2016 to Apr 2019
Entrepreneur in Residence, Global Advisory PanelUnited Arab Emirates University
Aug 2016 to Nov 2018
AdvisorApplyStudios
Jul 2016 to Nov 2018
AdvisorSafesite
Apr 2015 to Mar 2017
Principal Market Intelligence AnalystConscientia Research
Oct 2005 to Oct 2016
AdvisorLab Launch
Aug 2015 to Aug 2016
Commercialization Advisor Startup Advisor and Coach Water Hackathonrhubarb studios
Jun 2015 to Jun 2016
Entrepreneur in ResidencePortTech Los Angeles
Aug 2015 to May 2016
Mentor and Pitching CoachPortTech Los Angeles
Aug 2015 to Oct 2015
AdvisorLos Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI)
May 2015 to May 2016
Interim PresidentBigBlueMarble
Nov 2014 to May 2016
Maker Space Consultant Curriculum DevelopmentBoys and Girls Club of the LA Harbor Basic company page — company details not listed yet
Jun 2015 to Feb 2016
Knowledge Manager Analyst IT Specialist Office ManagerNew Zealand Trade and Enterprise
Jan 2000 to Jan 2005
Consultant - variousAustralian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade)
Feb 1998 to Feb 2001
Geneticist Technology OfficerSonora Quest Laboratories
Jan 1996 to Jan 1998

Education

Ultramar
Political Science and Economics; Mathematics
1997 to 2001
Lancaster University
Certificate, Molecular biology techniques
1988 to 1988
PacketMotion
Certficate, Startup Venture Capital
Minor Hotels Europe and Americas
Molecular Biology
1986 to 1991