Jillian Friot

Ecosystem builder and network leader: Jillian leads the Global Venture Network (GVN), focusing on connecting accelerator directors, venture studios, hubs, corporates and capital partners to scale early‑stage ventures globally. Her public remarks and the GVN launch materials emphasize member‑driven, high‑trust community, curated forums, and reimagined capital connections. globalventurenetwork+1

Startup program and accelerator operator: Across roles at Dassault Systmes (SOLIDWORKS / 3DEXPERIENCE Lab) Jillian has built and managed programs that help hardware and deep‑tech startups move from design and prototyping toward commercialization, and she has organized events, bootcamps and partnerships to support founders. 3ds+1

Founder/operator experience informs empathy for founders: Her early experience founding Dolce Friot (a specialty frozen dessert company) and managing operations in a family ice cream business gives her first‑hand founder and operations experience she now applies to mentoring and designing support programs for other startups. wbjournal+1

Community & customer‑obsessed operator: Jillian's roles (Orbit, program management at SOLIDWORKS, and GVN leadership) consistently center on community building, customer success and partnerships — scaling programs, creating partner ecosystems, and developing curated forums to help venture leaders better support founders. eventible+1