Jamie J. Kraft

Jamie Kraft is the wizard-in-residence (also known as Director) at the University of Florida’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center—a magical place where big ideas sprout wings. Before casting his lot with the world of entrepreneurial adventures, Jamie conjured spreadsheets and strategies at Deloitte Consulting, helping mighty manufacturing and consumer product empires chart their futures through economic spells, competitive crystal balls, and strategic potions. Though he began his quest as a Microbiology scholar at the University of Arizona—likely hoping to befriend microbes—he later earned his MBA at the University of Florida, earning the noble title of Matherly Scholar and specializing in the fine arts of Finance, Operations Management, and Business Strategy. Somewhere in between, Jamie lived in Paris for a year, where he sipped café au lait, admired the Eiffel Tower, and became fluent in the language of croissants and conversation. For the past 22 years, he’s been the guiding force at the Center, nurturing entrepreneurial minds and leading brave students on globe-trotting quests through Silicon Valley, Hungary, Ireland, Chile, Cuba, South Africa, and Haiti. Jamie has taught classes on everything from sparking the entrepreneurial mindset to decoding customer discovery and even unleashing creativity—think of him as the Dumbledore of disruptive thinking.