Jill Ford is the Principal of Toyota AI Ventures. As the City of Detroit’s Head of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Jill attracted and grew startups and small businesses in Detroit. She did this by engaging directly with thousands of entrepreneurs throughout the city, observing gaps in Detroit’s entrepreneurship ecosystem, and then working with public and private sector partners to create the programs and collaborations, such as the Motor City Match, that would fill these gaps. 

Jill brings a wealth of global leadership in technology, including heading Disney Mobile’s worldwide distribution to mobile device manufacturers and running Motorola’s global games usage. A global citizen, Jill ran a company in Ghana that discovered, developed, and funded new entrepreneurs and she has traveled to more than 15 countries.

Jill combines a Wharton MBA in Finance and Entrepreneurial Management with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Harvard University.