Jerry Paffendorf
CEO & Co-Founder
Jerry is an American mutt from the forested farmlands of New Jersey who's lived around the country in Portland, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Detroit. Jerry dropped out of high school, got turned on by Ray Kurzweil's "The Age of Spiritual Machines" while in art school, and earned a Master of Science in Studies of the Future from the University of Houston-Clear Lake. Working at the Acceleration Studies Foundation for two years, Jerry gained a deep view on how each generation of technology builds the next with increasing speed. Jerry gravitated towards the virtual worlds industry where he pioneered many projects and experiments within the Second Life user-created 3D world, and researched convergences between maps, virtual reality, and social networks. Jerry earned a purple heart in Silicon Valley after co-founding a venture capital-funded company you've never heard of, an experience which made him even more passionate about putting the world online outside of what's currently trendy in the Bay Area. Detroit has become an endless education and influence for thinking about how information systems can help improve the function of cities, the agency of residents, and the use of physical space. He likes reading books and watching documentaries about all kinds of things, road tripping, running around in circles, and growing Regrid into something more and more meaningful all the time.
Contact: jerry@regrid.com