Editor's note: Este artículo está traducido al español.

Former UNLV President Len Jessup is back in Las Vegas with a new project: launching Desert Forge Ventures, a fund dedicated to backing local startups while attracting new companies to the area.

Jessup, who led the university from 2015 to 2018, is now general partner of the venture fund, marking a shift from academia to private investment aimed at diversifying the region’s economy beyond tourism and gaming.

The Las Vegas Sun spoke with Jessup about the fund’s creation, its goals for Nevada’s startup landscape and why local investment capital is essential for economic growth.

Give me an introductory overview of Desert Forge Ventures?

We knew when I got here to UNLV 11 or 12 years ago that we would eventually need to have a venture

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