Jarrod Barnes serves as the Head of Founder Success at NEAR Foundation where he spearheads the organization's ecosystem initiatives, with a particular focus on driving success for partners, developers, and founders to accelerate ecosystem growth. Jarrod directs the NEAR AI Incubation program, working closely with founders and projects to cultivate a robust, decentralized AI ecosystem built on NEAR.

Prior to his current role, Jarrod was an Assistant Professor at New York University, where he led courses in entrepreneurship, gaming, and esports, in addition to managing NYU’s early-stage incubator. Additionally, Jarrod spent time in venture capital and corporate development, with roles at Emerson Collective, where he focused on investments in education technology and the future of work, and the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL, leading corporate innovation and player marketing.