Jane Metcalfe

Jane Metcalfe is an American businesswoman, entrepreneur, author and publisher. She currently serves as the executive board chair of the Human Immunome Project.^[2][3] and is the founder and CEO of proto.life (formerly known as NEO.LIFE). She is the co-founder and former president of Wired Ventures, creator and original publisher of the magazine Wired and former President of TCHO Chocolate.

Jane Metcalfe
Metcalfe in 2024
Born	(1961-11-15) November 15, 1961 (age 64)[1] Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.[1]
Education	University of Colorado Boulder (B.A., International Affairs)[1] Louisville Collegiate School
Known for	co-founder of Wired, coined the phrase "neobiological revolution"

Career and entrepreneurship

Metcalfe serves as executive board chair of the Human Immunome Project, a global nonprofit organization aimed at mapping the human immune system.^[4] In 2017, Metcalfe founded proto.life (fka NEO.LIFE), a media and events company.^[5] Metcalfe is the co-editor of the book, NEO.LIFE: 25 Visions for the Future of Our Species, featuring scientists, investors, artists, and science fiction writers on the topic of the "neobiological" revolution,"^[6][7][8][9] a phrase she coined to describe current transformative discoveries and inventions for human bodies, minds and food systems.

Prior to proto.life, Metcalfe was the co-founder and former president of Wired Ventures, Inc., whose business then included Wired (U.S., UK, and Japanese editions), a pioneering suite of internet sites (including HotBot and WebMonkey), a book imprint, and a cable show with MSNBC. Under her leadership with co-founder and then life partner, Louis Rossetto, Wired received numerous awards for journalism, general excellence, and design, and was required curriculum in computer science, business, film, and design schools.^[10] Called the magazine of the decade by AdAge,^[11] Metcalfe and Rossetto won a Webby Award Lifetime Achievement Award.^[12][13] In 2013, she and Rossetto were the inaugural recipients of the Lanny Friedlander Prize by the Reason Foundation for having "created a publication, medium, or distribution platform that vastly expands human freedom by increasing our ability to express ourselves, engage in debate, and generate new ways of understanding."^[14]

Metcalfe later served as President of TCHO Chocolate, an American chocolate brand whose TCHOSource program is known for its sourcing and programs to transfer technology and expertise to cacao farmers.^[15][16] In early 2018, TCHO was sold to the Japanese firm Ezaki Glico (maker of Pocky).^[17][18]

Metcalfe has also been involved with co-chairing the Council of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation, the Long Now Foundation as a Council Member,^[19] the UC Berkeley Foundation, UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive,^[20][21][22] Prix Ars Electronica, ZERO1: The Art and Technology Network,^[23] One Economy, Expression Center for New Media, and Electronic Frontier Foundation.^[1]

She is a frequent public speaker and has spoken at Ignite^[24] (on HIP), UC Berkeley, MIT, Stanford, AI for Good,^[25] Imagination in Action,^[26] Singularity University, ComicCon, De Young Museum, StartUp Health, Health 2.0, Wired Health, TEDx San Francisco, TEDx Carnegie Mellon, Exponential Medicine, Idea City, The Long Now Foundation, among others.^[27] She advises and moderates events for the Lake Nona Impact Forum, SynBioBeta, CNSSummit, BrainMind, and has run panels for Singularity University, SFMOMA, the De Young Museum, and many others.